Aside from omicron, Biden administration officials let states and schools know this month that accountability systems typically used to identify and support low-performing schools are expected to be restarted after multiple years of pauses, disruptions, and case-by-case exemptions from federal requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While officials expect states to begin unthawing their K-12 accountability systems, recent guidance offers states and districts flexibility in amending the criteria used to track school performance, a compromise that some say is the department’s acknowledgement of continued uncertainty and disruption as COVID cases surge. 

Looking beyond accountability measures and the Education Department, here are 12 other updates from across the country about how states and school systems are confronting the challenges posed by COVID-19 and its variants — and working to preserve student learning amid the pandemic:

INDIANA – Saturday ‘Accelerator’ Programming Hopes to Serve as Model for Learning Recovery

Schools in South Bend, Indiana, that offers classes, tutoring, and various supports to students working to catch up from pandemic disruption. The weekend program staff say they have experienced success with a data-driven approach to identifying where students should focus extended learning and that they hope the program can serve as a model for schools across Indiana.

NORTH CAROLINA – Learning Hubs Provide Academic Recovery for Network of NC Schools

Teachers and families created during the pandemic to help offer students extended learning time, a place to seek school supports, and increasingly, a venue for teachers to support one another. The hubs were supported by grants from prominent philanthropic foundations and in some counties in the states, have been integral in helping students transition back to the school environment after much disruption.

CALIFORNIA – Statewide School Reopening Hinging on Testing Policies

In an overview of post-holiday school reopening procedures across California, the New York Times describes how many districts — enrolling millions of students collectively — for students and staff to keep buildings open after the state maintained some of the most severe restrictions in the nation during much of the pandemic. The new year update on school health and safety policies comes after Los Angeles officials decided to postpone the nation’s first student vaccine mandate to the fall of 2022.

FLORIDA – Schools See Sharp Absence Rate As School Open After Holiday, Amid Omicron Surge

Districts across Florida reported thousands of student and staff absences as schools resumed following the holiday break, . Some district officials pointed to limited testing and masking protocols to keep virus numbers down in schools, while Gov. Ron DeSantis held firm in the state’s ban on mask mandates and discouragement of other precautions.

MONTANA – Funding for Student Mental Health Services Expiring, Prompting Lawmaker Response

Federal funding for a mental health program in Montana has run out, though lawmakers say they’re working to identify a new funding structure to keep services flowing to students. The Comprehensive School and Community Treatment program typically requires schools to cover one third of the cost of services — a cost that .

KANSAS – Relief-Funded Program Aims to Provide Education Resources Directly to Families

Lawmakers in Kansas approved a new program that would use roughly $50 million in federal COVID-19 relief to specifically support low-income families and students secure learning materials and supports, from technology to tutoring services. The aid would be “first-come, first-serve,” according to an education department spokeswoman, .

ARIZONA – Gov. Ducey Announces Private School Vouchers for Students in Remote Public Schools

Gov. Ducey announced a new state program last week due to the surge in omicron cases and hospitalizations, a move the Republican governor described as “preemptive action” to keep kids in classrooms. Roughly $10 million in relief funds would be directed to the voucher system, with parents able to receive up to $7,000 per year for tuition and education costs.

ILLINOIS – Concerns Over Bus Company Layoffs Sparks Calls for Relief Funding Transparency

Concerns are being raised about “good faith” payments made by Chicago Public Schools to nine transportation companies that laid off workers throughout the pandemic, . The city’s inspector general’s office alerted the district to that discrepancy, resulting in repayment, but officials say the issue highlights the need for transparency in school districts in how pandemic-related funds are spent.

COLORADO — Teachers Union Warns Increasing Numbers of Educators At Risk of Leaving Profession

Pandemic teaching conditions are pushing more and more Colorado educators to consider leaving the profession, say a number of teacher organizations and unions in the state. A recent report from the Colorado Education Association due to “overwhelming workload and low pay.”

MICHIGAN – State Moves Forward With Mental Health Staffing Initiative

Michigan is moving forward with . The $240 million investment in mental health access for students is a piece of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s COVID relief plan and comes after Michigan ranked second worst in the U.S. in terms of student access to counselors.

TEXAS – Gov. Abbott Directs Next Round of Federal Aid to Education, Including Expanding Charters

The latest round of and include grants to families of students receiving special education services, charter school grants, and loan forgiveness and financial aid to frontline health workers.

VIRGINIA – $12 Million in Federal Funds Dedicated to Teacher Recruitment, Retainment Efforts

Virginia education officials announced that roughly , with a primary goal of diversifying the recruitment of teaching candidates and helping aspiring educators navigate licensure.

This update on pandemic recovery in education collects and shares news updates from the district, state, and national levels as all stakeholders continue to work on developing safe, innovative plans to resume schooling and address learning loss. It’s an offshoot of the Collaborative for Student Success’ QuickSheet newsletter, which you can .

“In some cases, we simply don’t have the data to calculate accountability scores using normal business rules,” said a Georgia Department of Education spokesperson. “That will necessitate some adjustments.” The comments — and coverage by ����Ӱ��’s Linda Jacobson — come after state officials met with Secretary Miguel Cardona during a meeting hosted by the Council of Chief State School Officers on topics of accountability and pandemic recovery.

Elsewhere, attention being paid to in federal school aid is increasing among state and federal lawmakers, , and groups representing , parents, and teachers. In a recent congressional hearing on the use and tracking of funds, Cindy Marten, the Education Department’s deputy secretary, said the department had approved 46 state spending plans, while some members of Congress and of both parties urged more robust transparency and reporting for how the money is spent.��

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“Spending 400% more on K through 12 schools than they normally receive from the Department of Education in one year should warrant transparency and accountability at the very least,” said Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah. Meanwhile, some states and districts — like and — are taking matters into their own hands by calling for transparency in spending or even moving forward on local plans to more closely monitor the trails of funds.

Looking beyond issues of accountability and relief funds, here are ten other updates from across the country about how states and school systems are confronting the challenges posed by COVID-19 and its variants — and working to preserve student learning amid the pandemic:

CONNECTICUT — Saturday Academies Compose One Tool for Hartford’s Learning Recovery

Multiple school buildings in Hartford, Connecticut, opportunities to students who may have fallen behind during the pandemic. Local leaders hope the “Saturday Academies” will serve more than 800 students and offer a range of supports, from academic to physical and emotional. The program is estimated to cost $1.5 million, will be paid for by federal relief aid, and will run for the next three years.

IDAHO — ‘Microschooling’ May Have Gotten Quiet Boost From State Education Legislation

Duncan Robb — “a Boise resident, former policy advisor at the Idaho State Department of Education, and new dad of a future Idaho student” — and improve in the Gem State due to legislation approved by the legislature earlier this year. Building on evidence that parents who opt for micro-schooling options may be much more welcoming of state and federal assistance, Robb writes “the inside-the-system innovation classroom approach may be just the thing that allows parents to explore a new option for their child without taking on all the responsibility of the public school system.”

TENNESSEE — State Launches Expansive, $200 Million Tutoring Initiative, Building on Bold Recovery Plan

More than 150,000 students across 79 Tennessee districts are poised to receive “frequent, in-person, small-group tutoring” after the state announced an expansive, $200 million tutoring effort. Specific forms of tutoring have “consistently proven to accelerate achievement as quickly as possible” for all students regardless of their demographics, age, or whether they are from rural, suburban or urban areas, said Penny Schwinn, the state’s education commissioner. Districts can offer the bolstered tutoring program during or outside of the school day, prompting some districts to begin renewed recruitment efforts for already hard-to-come-by teaching talent. The campaign is just the latest of Tennessee’s education recovery actions, accompanied by another recent announcement of a state dashboard that will allow families to find specific information about their schools and districts.

MARYLAND – State Officials Look for ‘Off Ramps’ for School Mask Mandates

“It is time to think about off ramps,” said Maryland’s Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury in response to a State School Board vote that would . The vote follows similar actions in some other states, like Massachusetts, where some counties with high child vaccination rates and low rates of community spread have been allowed to ease up on mask requirements.��

NEVADA – Two New State Programs Aim At Statewide Teaching Shortage

State lawmakers are hoping that two new policy programs . The two initiatives — one aimed at supporting aspiring educators prepare for and pass teacher licensing exams and another to provide scholarships to teaching candidates enrolled in programs in the state — represent one core of the state’s immediate plan to leverage federal relief dollars for school recovery. It’s important “we provide every support possible to our pre-service educators” and it’s a key state priority to “grow Nevada’s educator workforce with effective and diverse educators,” said a statement from the state announcing the programs.

CALIFORNIA – Multiple Reports Recommend Tweaks to State’s Local Funding Formula

Multiple reports released by nonprofit and education-focused research organizations in California which the groups say has been successful in empowering local district budget processes and investments but has not done enough to close concerning achievement gaps for students with disabilities, English Learners, and low-income or homeless students. Some of the researchers suggest “revisions” to the formula that could mean small changes in some percentage allocations, but they flag that even small changes will likely face a steep hill to approval in the legislature.

LOUISIANA – State School Report Cards and Student Test Scores Follow National Downward Trend

The combined impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and devastating hurricanes and storms can be seen on new school performance reports, say state leaders . The school reports coincided with precipitous declines in statewide LEAP assessment scores, as well as widespread declines in school attendance and enrollment.

WEST VIRGINIA – New Charter Board Approves First Two Statewide Virtual Charters

The West Virginia Professional Charter School Board , two schools that mark the first online charter schools to be offered in the state. The state-level board of the decision is also new, created by legislation passed in 2019. The two virtual academies will enroll students for the 2022-23 school year for grades K-12.

WISCONSIN – Governor Evers Adds $110 Million to String of Education Investments��

Gov. Tony Evers recently announced , saying that along with record amounts of federal education funds, there exists an opportunity to make a significant dent in the longtime needs of schools. The funds, to be doled out to individual districts and schools over the next three years, will be aimed at addressing some of the challenges schools continue to face across the nation, despite record funding – including teacher and staff shortages, infrastructure challenges, and declines in academic performance and achievement.

TEXAS – Local Partnerships Aim to Spark Growth in Career Pathways Programs

A partnership between the University of North Texas Health Science Center, community organizations, and schools in Tarrant County, Texas . Proponents say such programs have already led students to successful pathways in healthcare, finance, and graduate schools across Texas and that implementing programs across schools help increase the representation of communities of color in science, engineering, and mathematics pathways in particular.

This update on pandemic recovery in education collects and shares news updates from the district, state, and national levels as all stakeholders continue to work on developing safe, innovative plans to resume schooling and address learning loss. It’s an offshoot of the Collaborative for Student Success’ QuickSheet newsletter, which you can .