The future for schools in the Dallas ISD is changing drastically at a rapid pace as officials prepare for the normal. Many superintendents across North Dallas districts are planning what to do regarding Covid-19 and the disruption it has caused so far, and will cause this coming fall.
Up to this point, schools across the nation have been shut down and the future outlook of them being open again is still up in the air.
Schools are taking steps to prepare for the possibility of next semester being halted by the pandemic. In the meantime, workable solutions have been made to keep education on track, which includes at-home learning. One possible solution is students will continue at-home learning with a few days a week back in a traditional school setting.
Dallas ISD superintendent Michael Hinojosa said it is likely at-home learning would continue in the fall. “We need to have an alternate plan and we don’t need to whine about it. We need to get our teachers and our students ready for this new normal,” according to superintendent Hinojosa.
Unfortunately, as news continues to develop everyday, health officials are warning that a new, larger strain of coronavirus will potentially shut schools down again. All the more reason school officials are creating new ways of teaching, which heavily rely on online curriculums.
Angie Gaylord, head of the innovation department for the Dallas ISD, has been developing a new hybrid school model way before the pandemic started.
Her model is based on two days a week students would be in school, and the other three days at-home in virtual classrooms.
Initially, the plan was to build a new K-8 school where students show up part of the week for class time, social time, and a sense of community, but the rest of the work at home.
This revolutionary model may become a reality faster than Angie Gaylord could have ever anticipated. Superintendent Hinojosa wants the plan fast-tracked into existence and whether or not some of the aspects could be implemented into all schools.
From the looks of it, this experimental model will not be widespread all at once. Plenty of decisions need to be made, but Hinojosa is willing to make tough decisions on the behalf of the district.
However, the school district may be dreaming of the ultimate model for students in theory without considering the parents involved. Either way, a new normal is coming and everyone will have to adjust.
For now, virtual classrooms look to be here to stay but kids may still get a taste of what it was like in the old days. You know, in a brick and mortar classroom. Not just from the comfort of the kitchen table.
Keep reading DFWonthecheap to stay up to date with what is happening around the metroplex.
