Last Week at One Schoolhouse: Archiving the Moment to be Better in a Post-COVID World

Changes are happening fast -- can you remember all the decisions that you made back in May? Last week at One Schoolhouse, we took your pulse on if "your school has a point-person to document your responses, actions, and decisions to the COVID-19 pandemic?" The numbers are close, 59% percent of schools have and 41% haven't yet. We're all learning from this moment of now to be better in a post-COVID world. Yes, there have been challenges and things that have gone wrong, but also things that have gone well: processes that have changed, traditions altered, and new skills learned. Archiving the Moment : If you haven’t appointed an archivist yet, now’s the time. You should be tracking your school's unique experience as it's lived--write down what decisions were made or actions taken, how these came about and who drove them, and how they turned out, for better or for worse? If each school is able to articulate a COVID narrative that is draws on the positive lessons learned and is future-focused, what lies ahead will feel and work a whole lot better for all of us. Ways to Engage: Cohort for Academic Leaders: Critical Skills for a Tumultuous Time : This fall, you're learning from what's going well and what's not going so well this school year. Now is the time to learn from colleagues in schools around the country to better serve your school going forward. Cohorts started on Monday! Cohort dates: October 5 - December 18, 2020. Assessing and Adjusting Your School's Hybrid Learning: Fidelity to Implementation : This summer, you made a plan for the 2020-21 school year guided by your school’s mission and values. How do you know if the plan has been any good? Now is the time to assess and adjust to be able to tell your school's unique educational story in a post-COVID world. Course dates: October 26 - November 1, 2020. Resources to Read & Watch: Evaluating Fidelity to Mission : Dr. Damian Bebell, Assistant Research Professor at Lynch School of Education; Boston College, (and facilitator of our Assessing and Adjusting Your School's Hybrid Learning: Fidelity to Implementation course) joined our August 26, 2020, Academic Leaders Webinar on evaluating fidelity to mission. Dr. Bebell shared his insights on research into how schools live their missions in their programs. What Do We Need To Remember About Right Now? How Will We Do It? : Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit—Virgil. “Perhaps someday it will be a joy to remember even these things." -- Peter Gow's recent blog post on tracking our schools' COVID-19 experience as we live it. Documenting the Pandemic: Libraries Launch COVID-19 Archival Projects : This Library Journal article on library workers and archivists carrying on with what they do best—gathering and preserving information for future researchers. Measures to Support Faculty During COVID-19 : This Inside Higher Ed article has a section on the importance of documenting to ensure institutional memory. Don't miss our Academic Leaders Webinar with Emmi Harward, Executive Director of the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools, on the college application landscape that our seniors and their families are entering? Amazing insight from Emmi! Watch a recording here . ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

We're all learning from this moment of now to be better in a post-COVID world. Yes, there have been challenges and things that have gone wrong, but also things that have gone well: processes that have changed, traditions altered, and new skills learned.

Archiving the Moment: If you haven’t appointed an archivist yet, now’s the time. You should be tracking your school's unique experience as it's lived--write down what decisions were made or actions taken, how these came about and who drove them, and how they turned out, for better or for worse? If each school is able to articulate a COVID narrative that is draws on the positive lessons learned and is future-focused, what lies ahead will feel and work a whole lot better for all of us.

Ways to Engage:

Cohort for Academic Leaders: Critical Skills for a Tumultuous Time: This fall, you're learning from what's going well and what's not going so well this school year. Now is the time to learn from colleagues in schools around the country to better serve your school going forward. Cohorts started on Monday! Cohort dates: October 5 - December 18, 2020.
Assessing and Adjusting Your School's Hybrid Learning: Fidelity to Implementation: This summer, you made a plan for the 2020-21 school year guided by your school’s mission and values. How do you know if the plan has been any good? Now is the time to assess and adjust to be able to tell your school's unique educational story in a post-COVID world. Course dates: October 26 - November 1, 2020.

Resources to Read & Watch:

Evaluating Fidelity to Mission: Dr. Damian Bebell, Assistant Research Professor at Lynch School of Education; Boston College, (and facilitator of our Assessing and Adjusting Your School's Hybrid Learning: Fidelity to Implementation course) joined our August 26, 2020, Academic Leaders Webinar on evaluating fidelity to mission. Dr. Bebell shared his insights on research into how schools live their missions in their programs.
What Do We Need To Remember About Right Now? How Will We Do It?: Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit—Virgil. “Perhaps someday it will be a joy to remember even these things." -- Peter Gow's recent blog post on tracking our schools' COVID-19 experience as we live it.
Documenting the Pandemic: Libraries Launch COVID-19 Archival Projects: This Library Journal article on library workers and archivists carrying on with what they do best—gathering and preserving information for future researchers.
Measures to Support Faculty During COVID-19: This Inside Higher Ed article has a section on the importance of documenting to ensure institutional memory.

Don't miss our Academic Leaders Webinar with Emmi Harward, Executive Director of
the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools, on the college application landscape that our seniors and their families are entering? Amazing insight from Emmi! Watch a recording here.