New SUNY Charter Schools Institute White Paper Explores Accelerated Learning Promising Practices

The SUNY Charter Schools Institute today announced the release of its latest white paper, “Accelerated Learning in Practice: Promising Practices from the SUNY Charter Schools’ 2021-22 School Visit Season.” The paper is authored by Institute team members Erin Allen, Vickie Masséus, Katy Clayton, and Andrew Kile and explores the promising practices, specific strategies, and potential pitfalls around integrated technology-assisted education, building engaging and flexible curricula, social emotional learning programs, and family communication and engagement. The authors also discuss the questions that charter school authorizers and school leaders must consider charting a path forward post-pandemic.

The official synopsis:

After nearly two years of remote and hybrid learning in charter schools, educators now have answers to questions that shook our foundation of education early in the pandemic: yes, interrupted learning has exacerbated the achievement gap; yes, we can deploy thousands of meals and laptops to students; and, yes, we can use communication software to remain in constant contact with students’ parents and families. Yet one critical question remains: what specific strategies executed during the pandemic successfully accelerated learning? In this white paper, the Institute shares four exciting and promising strategies observed from more than fifty on-site school visits from Fall 2021 to Spring 2022. We share these strategies as resources for instructional leaders, charter authorizers, program evaluators, and others interested in exploring pedagogical and planning strategies to support accelerated learning in upcoming school years. We hope these strategies affirm and inspire the work to address unfinished learning and encourage reflection on the drawbacks and strengths of different strategies.

Download the White Paper: Accelerated Learning in Practice – November 2022