Current Issues in Comparative Education (CICE) - Volume 24 - Issue 2 - Special Issue 2022

Oct 15, 2026

A principal and two lead teachers describe how a Harlem, NYC public K-5 school reimagined its learning environment throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The account traces the shift from fully remote learning in March 2020 to hybrid and then fully in-person instruction, while confronting disproportionate impacts on communities of color. Using culturally responsive social-emotional learning, strong staff-family relationships, trauma-informed support, self-care, and collaborative planning, they address unfinished learning and individual academic needs while celebrating students’ cultural identities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Reimagining Education during COVID-19

Social Emotional Learning: Our inspiration

Current Issues in Comparative Education (CICE), Volume 24, Issue 2, Special Issue 2022 Reimagining Education: Restore, Rebuild, Curate, Uplift, and Celebrate Dawn Brooks DeCosta Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School Danica Goyens Ward Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School Michael Cornell Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School In this paper, a principal and two lead teachers describe the ways their school community has reimagined the learning environment at their NYC urban, public, K-5 elementary school throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020 they were forced to immediately switch to fully remote learning, a platform they had never previously experienced. Since then, they have engaged in hybrid and now fully in person learning through a worldwide pandemic. The school community, whose focus before the pandemic was on social emotional learning and culturally responsive pedagogy, utilized those practices and the strong relationships between staff, students, and families to persevere. The pandemic disproportionately impacted communities of color, like the one this school community is located in. Other inequalities such as food insecurity, job loss, sickness, financial strain, and death impacted the community. Racial trauma and political unrest that was exacerbated during the pandemic also placed a toll on the school community. The staff, families and children of the community joined together with a mission to support one another, strengthen relationships, practice self-care, address trauma and crisis, tackle unfinished learning, and focus on celebrating the community wherever possible to find joy, survive and thrive. Introduction In this essay we examine, as leaders and educators of a small urban, Harlem, NYC elementary school, our collective approach to reimagining the learning experience we provide for our school family. Operating currently in year 3 of pandemic schooling that started with fully remote learning year 1, hybrid remote and in person instruction year 2 and fully in person learning this school year, our approach is in a constant state of evolution. The COVID-19 pandemic shed a harsh light on the disparities that exist for many students across the nation, specifically in the community we serve. In Harlem, as in other similar communities across the nations, the long-term effects of sickness, loss of income, anxiety, trauma, stress, death rates, grief, depression, and racial unrest, have impacted communities of color in disproportionate ways (McPhearson, Grabowski, Herreros-Cantis, Mustafa, Ortiz, Kennedy, Tomateo, Lopez, Olivotto & Vantu, 2020). City and state education leaders increasingly encourage and promote trauma-informed practices that support the social-emotional development of students and families. During this 3rd year of pandemic schooling, while educators are experiencing the effects of their own burnout and fatigue, we are experiencing the need to not only address the unfinished © 2022, Current Issues in Comparative Education, Teachers College, Columbia University. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Current Issues in Comparative Education, 24(2), 71-87. Brooks DeCosta et al. learning our students have experienced but also the need for social, emotional, mental health and wellbeing supports, not only for the students but for the adults who care for them inside and outside of school. Through a collective and collaborative process that included surveys, virtual town hall discussions, PTA meetings, faculty meetings and student discussions, we created an approach to learning that curated our best practicesand those we researched to provide a reimagined learning experience that centers the student, and resulted in an uplifting their cultural identities, allowing for joy and celebration and fostering relationship building while we addressed unfinished learning and a wide variety of individual academic needs. The idea the following sections highlight what we put in place that contributed t

FAQs

What changes did the school make to learning during the COVID-19 pandemic?

In March 2020 the school switched immediately to fully remote learning, then moved through hybrid instruction and eventually returned to fully in-person learning. Their approach continued evolving across each pandemic schooling year.

How did the school foundation in social-emotional learning support students and families?

The school grounded SEL in culturally responsive practices to avoid harm and to connect with students’ identities and socio-political contexts. It also used the RULER approach, along with mindful practice and yoga, to strengthen wellbeing and relationships.

What factors intensified the challenges faced by the school community?

The pandemic disproportionately affected communities of color, alongside inequalities such as food insecurity, job loss, sickness, financial strain, and death. The text also highlights racial trauma and political unrest, which added additional tolls on students and families.

Oct 15, 2026

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