Thread by @AEIeducation

NEW from @AEI: The #Return2Learn Tracker, developed by @natmalkus and @C2Initiative, follows how school districts across the United States are changing and adapting to the ongoing #COVID19 pandemic. /THREAD

#R2L monitors 8,000+ public school districts on a weekly basis & presents the data by numerous measures. It identifies the current instructional status of all regular public school districts with 3 or more schools, categorizing them as fully in-person, hybrid, or fully remote. /2

The latest round of #R2L data collection shows that over one third of school districts are open with an option for fully in-person instruction five days per week for all students. /3

The public narrative on how schools are responding, however, tends to emphasize fully remote districts. #R2L data show that many districts across the country have opened, with sensible mitigation efforts and without the pandemic fallout many feared. /4

#R2L data also challenge the notion that districts are responding based on “the science.” Many of our measures indicate that districts are more likely to follow their beliefs about what “the science” is, beliefs that are inconsistent across districts & over time. /5

As one example, districts that voted for Biden are far more likely to have been fully remote for most of the year, and Trump districts are far more likely to be fully in-person. /6

Visit the #R2L dashboard to see more striking patterns and weekly measures. We are grateful to the @C2Initiative of @DavidsonCollege for their partnership in developing this tool. /End
returntolearntracker.net