Families

The pandemic has challenged our education system. Since March 2020, we have worked to create new resources as well as compile other great resources we think will help families navigate these new times.

Our focus during the 2020-2021 school year was to inform families and students how schools would be reopening. We launched a public reopening plan tracker that included school district website and social media handles to help keep families informed on how their district would be operating at the start of the 2020 school year.

This year, we are continuing to amplifying resources that other organizations have created to help families stay engaged as their students return to the classroom.

In an effort to continue to support parents and families during another challenging school year. We have compiled some resources to hopefully smooth the transition back into the classroom.

Seeking Common Ground Family Guides

In August 2021, Seeking Common Ground released their family guides.

“With these Guides, families can engage more deeply in their children’s education, advocate for them, and build partnerships with their teachers— thus developing the strong bond between students, families, and teachers that ensures kids thrive.” They have created a guide for K-8 and high school literacy and math.

Mississippi Department of Education Family Guides

In order to support families as their child’s first teacher, the Mississippi Department of Education released Mississippi-specific family guides for pre-K-8th.

“The Family Guide for Student Success booklets represent what all students should know and be able to do at the end of each grade level. The achievement of the expectations will help your child meet the assessment standards established by our state.”

In June 2020, the Mississippi Department of Education proposed three types of schedules for school districts to consider for re-opening in August 2020.

View School District Info & Re-Opening Plans

Those three options are defined as:

Traditional Schedule: Requires students to be physically present in school with scheduling modifications to follow CDC and Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) recommendations.

Hybrid: Combines online and face-to-face instruction for students. Schools must meet distance learning requirements.

Virtual Learning: Instruction provided exclusively through distance learning. May also be called “digital learning” or “online learning.”

Although every school district is selecting one of the three options above, re-opening plans vary widely from district to district. A “plan” may be presented as a public letter, a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs), and/or a multi-page, detailed document. Make sure to check back with your district regularly; they are updating their plans often as circumstances change.