We’re excited to announce, along with founding partners Hamilton County Educational Service Center (ESC), Montgomery County ESC, the Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio and several other regional and national educational organizations, the formation of the Remote Learning Alliance. The goal of the Alliance is to help make the transition to remote learning as easy and robust as possible for Ohio school leaders, teachers, and support personnel.How We Got HereOn March 12, 2020, Governor Mike DeWine announced the state-required building closures as a response to the COVID-19, and seemingly overnight educators and students had to shift from being in-classroom to remote teaching and learning. This shift has not been easy for anyone, including many parents and caregivers who are now being asked to assist in schooling at home. Shortly after the move to remote learning, ESCs around Ohio heard the concerns and challenges being expressed by our member and non-member districts, individual educators, school leaders, support personnel, parents, and students and committed to forming a collective impact initiative to support them in the best ways possible. “From the start, we knew remote teaching and learning would be a challenge for everyone—school leaders, teachers, support staff, and students,” said Dr. Tom Goodney, ESC of Central Ohio Superintendent. “By bringing together the best remote learning experts in Ohio and the nation, we can leverage our collective impact to better support our schools, make this extraordinary change easier for everyone, and continue to provide innovative solutions to better engage and instruct students remotely moving forward.”How We Move ForwardSince the initial announcement from DeWine, school closures were extended through the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. And how teaching and learning will be conducted at the start of next school year still remains uncertain. The Alliance is exploring how it can support schools in the 2020-2021 school year by leveraging new and existing technology, local and national expertise, and current and future public funds and grants. “No matter what next school year looks like, we know that every school district in Ohio will have unique needs and challenges to overcome with remote learning. What works for one, may not work for another,” said Shannon Cox, MCESC Superintendent. “That’s why we’re partnering with a variety of other ESCs and remote learning organizations that all have their own expertise and niche. We are continuing to add more partners to the Alliance to make our service offerings and support more robust.”
If your school district is interested in receiving services from the Alliance, or if you’re an educational organization interested in joining the Alliance, please email [email protected].
Remote Learning Alliance Organizations: