When it comes to education, students have lost a lot over the past few years. As schools reopened post-pandemic, learning loss, lost learning, and unfinished learning became significant challenges for K-12 teachers and students alike. To help address these learning challenges, the U.S. federal government set aside unprecedented amounts of Elementary and Secondary School Relief (ESSER) funds as part of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. With 20 percent earmarked for loss mitigation, the latest round of funding allows district leaders to enhance curriculum development with exciting new digital solutions. These tools have the power to positively transform the way school leaders implement both personalized learning and differentiated learning in the classroom to improve student outcomes.
When considering any educational mitigation strategy, it’s important to start with lessons learned. By far, the single biggest takeaway from remote and online learning environments is that targeted teaching of core concepts through personalized learning or differentiated instruction leads to greater student success. As a result, many K-12 districts are actively promoting a return to the classroom, whether virtual or face-to-face, with a laser-sharp focus on digital curriculum. They are doubling down on grade-level teaching, tutoring, and differentiation strategies to meet students where they are to motivate and engage them with learning while keeping core competency-based standards in mind.
