Digital Lessons Learned - How the Online Pivot of 2020 Can Make Teaching and Learning Better Forever

Oct 15, 2026

Digital Lessons Learned examines how the rapid online pivot of 2020 reshaped virtual learning and school change efforts. It reviews well-documented challenges districts faced, from device and internet access to concerns about developmental appropriateness and learning loss, and highlights the need to manage change for multiple stakeholders. The text reframes uncertainty by contrasting pessimism and “learned helplessness” with high-performing schools’ strengths, emphasizing sustained bright spots, new teacher capacities, and resilience across online, at-home, and blended contexts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

About the Authors

About McREL

Digital Lessons Learned: How the Online Pivot of 2020 Can Make Teaching and Learning Better Forever

Building on bright spots

Digital Lessons Learned How the Online Pivot of 2020 Can Make Teaching and Learning Better Forever By Kristin Rouleau, Cheryl Abla,Tonia Gibson, and Jeanette Simenson-Gurolnick About the Authors Kristin Rouleau, Ed.D., is the executive director of learning services and innovation at McREL. Through consulting, coaching, and facilitation of professional learning, she provides services, strategies, and technical assistance to support change efforts, with a focus on supporting schools and districts in their continuous improvement process. A co-author of McREL’s Learning That Sticks (2020), Curiosity Works: A Guidebook for Moving Your School From Improvement to Innovation (2018), and Unstuck: How Curiosity, Peer Coaching, and Teaming Can Change Your School (2018), Dr. Rouleau shares responsibility for new product and service development, with a focus on leveraging curiosity to improve teaching, leading, and learning. Cheryl Abla, M.Ed., a managing consultant at McREL, works with schools, districts, and other stakeholders to develop sustainable plans for improving the professional practices of teachers and school leaders. She develops workshops, trainings, and coaching sessions for K–12 teachers on research-based instructional strategies, instructional technology, social and emotional learning, second language learners, culture and climate, and the five components of literacy. Tonia Gibson, M. S.L., a managing consultant at McREL, works with teachers, schools, districts, and other stakeholders to develop sustainable plans for improving the professional practices of teachers and school leaders. Through consulting and coaching for individuals and groups, she works with partners to develop strategic pathways to improve educator capacities and provides technical assistance to support teachers and leaders in developing effective practices, ensuring student needs are atthe heart of all decisions made. Jeanette Simenson-Gurolnick, M.A., M.Ed., a managing consultant for McREL, works with schools, districts, and other stakeholders to implement plans for improving the professional practices of teachers and school leaders. She works with partners to develop online, blended, and in-person programming that will support teachers and leaders in developing effective practices while ensuring that equity, diversity, and inclusion are atthe center of such decisions. About McREL McREL International is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to improving education outcomes for all students through applied research, product development, and professional services to teachers and education leaders. We collaborate with schools and school systems across the U. S. and worldwide, helping educators think differently about their challenges and providing research-based solutions and guidance that help students flourish. © 2021, McREL International. All rights reserved. To use a portion of this document for noncommerical purposes, please cite as follows: Rouleau, K., Abla, C., Gibson, T., & Simenson-Gurolnick, J. (2021) . Digital lessons learned: How the online pivot of 2020 can make teaching and learning better forever. McREL International. 20210114 Digital Lessons Learned: How the Online Pivot of 2020 Can Make Teaching and Learning Better Forever By Kristin Rouleau, Cheryl Abla, Tonia Gibson, and Jeanette Simenson-Gurolnick The challenges of virtual learning have been well documented during the last year as districts have focused on providing students with devices and internet access, debated developmental appropriateness of virtual learning, engaged teachers in professional development activities about how to design and deliver meaningful online lessons, worried about learning loss, worked to lead and manage change for all stakeholders, and more. When things feel outside of our control, as was often the case with the shift to digital learning, our human tendency maybe to look atthe glass as half empty, seeing only the cha

FAQs

What challenges did districts face during the online pivot of 2020?

Districts focused on providing devices and internet access, debated developmental appropriateness, supported teachers’ professional development for meaningful online instruction, and addressed concerns about learning loss and change management for stakeholders.

How does the document explain “learned helplessness” in schools?

It describes learned helplessness as a response to believing nothing one does will matter. In schools, teams may dwell on the “half-empty glass,” assume circumstances cannot be overcome, and see even proven solutions as having limited impact.

What “bright spots” does the document encourage educators to sustain?

It urges educators to shift from viewing challenges only as obstacles to recognizing what was learned through them—new skills, expanded capacities, and daily resilience from teachers and students that can support future improvement.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Alex Sinclair