Has COVID-19 forever changed the playbook for Needles Unified K–12 schools?
The pandemic threw the Needles Unified School District a curveball. They weren’t prepared. No one was. But when businesses shuttered and life slowed down, educators, parents and caregivers found another level. And they found a renewed sense of community, a focus on academics, and a new playbook for schooling post-pandemic.
District profile
- They have six schools and serve 969 students.
- Needles is part of San Bernardino County which borders the states of Arizona and Nevada along the Colorado River.
- Estimated median household income in 2019: $36,133
- 14% of students are English language learners (Source) and (Original Source)
From technology skeptics to technology adopters
School Superintendent Dr. Mary McNeil witnessed the transformation of the NUSD first-hand. When the pandemic hit, she would’ve described her district as anti-technology. They preferred to live a more rural, off-the-grid lifestyle. Then schools closed for in-person instruction, and the district was challenged to ensure students continued learning.
The school district surveyed parents to find out what their needs were. Then, the tech department went out into the community to help them get connected. "We knew that if we didn't reach every child, we’d lose students,” said McNeil. “Those students would lose out on their education.”
Despite being a low-tech-adoption community, everyone had a Wi-Fi-enabled cellphone. That provided a starting line, an equalizer, they could embrace to connect students and families with the schools.
“Working directly with Verizon, I was able to get 500 used iPhone 7s.” said McNeil. “And we were able to have the tech director set them up. Parents were familiar with the phones, and we taught parents and families how to use them for school. We brought the tech piece into homes right away and it started to change the mindset. From ‘we don’t want it’ to ‘this does have some value’,” she continued.
“Technology wasn’t even a consideration for our schools before this but was a precursor to even being able to offer a quality education during the pandemic. This change will forever impact our school district and student success going forward.”
Only about 20% of students could access school lessons at home when the pandemic hit. After providing devices, around 99% do.
Parents, teachers, and students team up on an even playing field
Technology gave Dr. McNeil a window into just how well the students were learning. She was able to observe a new first-grade teacher’s class. And, from a veteran teacher’s perspective, she witnessed the transformation. One family’s story in particular stands out in her memory. “We had a grandmother who was doubtful about distance learning when we first launched it. But I watched as she participated in her grandson’s presentation — a magic act. It was a powerful moment that showed me how online school can unite families in a child's learning.”
This moment wouldn’t have been possible without online school having closed the schism between home and school. Suddenly, parents could see what their children were learning. They could log into platforms to check homework, grades, and attendance. And this changed them. Not only did parents support their students, but they called, asked questions, and tuned into the district’s teaching plans. Parents became coaches, and students got to call more plays, had more choice in the where and how of their own educations.
“This is true learning that can change a community, not just test scores.”
— Dr. McNeil
Needles Unified is a high-poverty, Title 1 school system. The community is very sports oriented, having won multiple state titles in football, basketball, and softball. Academics has traditionally been secondary to the pursuit of glory on the field. “Pre-pandemic, 90% of the calls we received were tied to athletics,” said Principal Amy Avila. “They focused on things like, ‘Why can’t my child play? Why did the coach take my child out of the game?.’ “
“But now, we’re getting phone calls about academics, about progress, about assessments. It’s really nice to have those conversations about getting students back on track and focused on what they want from the future,” she said. “Having parents involved in that has been refreshing. We weren’t having these conversations before because they were overshadowed by athletics.”
With athletics canceled in 2020-2021, school was now in the family living room, at the kitchen table, on the sofa with them. This brought the kids and parents together, and brought a new level of transparency and accountability to all sides. And, because the district provided a cell phone to every teacher, and then gave the teachers’ phone numbers out to the community, they opened the lines of communication. Parents could call and solve issues right away so that students didn’t miss class time. They got to see what was happening and the work that was due.
A partnership that helped support change
Having largely solved the hardware issues, Needles Unified needed to turn its attention to finding an established digital learning platform that could meet the needs of a diverse student body. Principal Nicole Wilson used to spend her time tracking down assignments. Wondering if and how printed packets had gotten lost. Now, with online school, she can see exactly if and when work has been handed in. “I’m able to log in in real time along with a parent and review work and see if a student has logged in, for how long, and completed their work. That made a difference in my discussions with parents.”
The pandemic opened the school’s eyes to the different ways in which their community lived, and consequently, needed school to fit into their lives. That’s why the partnership with Pearson worked so well for Needles. Some students split time between households. Some traveled to other states. The solution that fit most students was to have mobile devices that connected them with school.
Marie Armijo, Principal, has students who needed the flexibility that online school gave them. “One of my students traveled the US with her father, a long-haul trucker. She did all her work, got to see the country, and spend time with her dad. There are other students who’ve had to care for siblings, or work. They can still do the work and make progress.”
The goal for partnering with Pearson was to have a structured standards-based program so teachers didn’t have to invent a new curriculum or try to translate their existing one to an online environment. They could spend their time offering differentiation to meet the needs of students. While the class learns asynchronously, teachers can meet one-on-one with a student who needs extra help. Or, they can meet as a group in a live session to learn from peers with their teacher guiding the learning experience.
Online school offers a playbook of the future
As the community looks to Fall of 2021, the question becomes how to continue the successes gained from the pandemic into our new world. Needles Unified intends to continue offering an online school option for their students, perhaps in a hybrid implementation. They know now how useful it can be to keep families engaged and to keep students who are struggling with additional commitments enrolled.
And they love the curriculum. “Our math teachers are very particular, and they have been impressed with the Pearson math curriculum,” said Avila. While they don’t have data to report yet, they look forward to measuring how effectively their student body has learned. Their hope is that they can use the inroads made with families and students during the pandemic to drive future successes.
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