As a member of the High School Success Coalition, we know you care about what happens to students during this uncertain time.
Although school buildings are closed in Washington, there is an entire community of educators, administrators, and nonprofits hard at work shifting gears to address student needs in the current environment.
As our member organizations adjust, we are coming together to find a path forward together as advocates. We are having conversations about legislative policy, how to support families, the future of education funding, and how we can continue to work toward racial equity in schools right now.
Our first step is to support those on the frontlines of keeping students healthy and safe wherever our resources can help. Our next step is to identify what lies beyond the urgency of the pandemic, especially when it comes to graduation pathways. We are as committed as ever to helping kids finish high school ready for college or careers and now our strategic planning must adjust to a world deeply impacted by COVID-19.
In the immediate aftermath of school building closures, we have each developed our own resource hubs and made announcements for the specific groups of people we work with. Here is a collection of those resources, and you can anticipate more to come soon. Thank you for being a part of this work with us.
High School Success Coalition COVID-19 Response:
- Black Education Strategy Roundtable’s Virtual Quarterly Workshop on April 18th, 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM will focus on parents and other adults suddenly adding the role of educator to their busy lives. Click here to register. We are also creating short lists of Black-focused educational resources for parents and students. Parents told us they mostly ignore anything with a long list of resources. They don’t have time to sort through that much information. Do you have any recommended Black-focused educational resources? Please share it with us at info@besrwa.org or 253-237-0776. Our priorities during COVID-19 are everyone’s health and safety, and supporting continuous learning opportunities for Black students.
- College Success Foundation has established a student relief fund and created a curated list of resources for students and families to use during this unprecedented situation. You can find out more about how you can help their underserved students here.
- Graduate Tacoma has partnered with the Tacoma Urban League to provide Tacoma families and youth with an online directory of resources. Here, you can view available drive-up meal sites and their locations, remote learning tools, information regarding emergency relief for basic needs, and much more.
- School’s Out Washington has either rescheduled or converted all statewide training to a virtual format through April. They’ve also created a Slack workspace for afterschool and summer, also known as Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO), providers and are hosting weekly webinars to answer questions specific to ELO. They have also created a resource hub of important information and resources for youth programs and school-age childcare providers during the COVID-19 crisis. Learn more about SOWA’s work here.
- Stand for Children Washington has moved all of their family workshops online and developed a new Homeschool Survival Kit Workshop for families based on feedback received in their COVID-19 family survey. Stand is also sharing resources for families to access to food, financial help, learning support, and home internet. You can see their upcoming workshop schedule and more info here.
- Treehouse is responding to the challenges of COVID-19 as impact is felt by children and youth in foster care. That includes funding immediate needs—such as rent assistance for young adults living independently—shifting to connect with youth using remote strategies because of school closures and working with schools to meet emerging education needs.
- Washington Roundtable has supported businesses across the state responding to the coronavirus outbreak by publishing a list of COVID-19 resources for Washington state employers, public health resources, information about response funds, and how to help.
Thank you for your continued support of Washington students. We’ll be in touch with updates on our next steps as organizations and next steps for you as an education advocate.
Take care of yourself, your family, and your community.
Sincerely,
The High School Success Coalition