Covid Collaborative: Ten Ways to Make Online Learning Work

The COVID Collaborative is chaired by former Governor and U.S. Senator Dirk Kempthorne (R-ID) and former Governor Deval Patrick (D-MA). It includes expertise from across Republican and Democratic Administrations at the federal, state and local levels, including former FDA Commissioners, CDC Directors, and U.S. Surgeon Generals; former U.S. Secretaries of Education, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services; leading public health experts and institutions that span the country; the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Business Roundtable; the NAACP, UnidosUS, and the National Congress of American Indians; the Skoll Foundation, The Allstate Foundation, and The Rockefeller Foundation.

I had the chance to work with all the former U.S. Directors of Educational Technology on ten recommendations for how to make online learning work better during this period of disrupted learning. It was incredibly gratifying and inspirational to experience the brilliance and insight from these leaders: Linda Roberts, Karen Cator, Richard Culatta, Tim Magner, Susan Patrick, and Joseph South, and Katrina Stevens.

Four Secretaries of Education provided the foreword which includes this charge:

"We must act with intention to ensure our most vulnerable students are positioned for success, given the challenges they face. This national crisis demands that we innovate toward a better future. With the futures of millions of students on the line, we don't have a moment to lose." – Former U.S. Secretaries of Education Arne Duncan, John King, Rod Paige, Richard Riley, and Margaret Spellings

We hope this resource will help state and school leaders with the challenges they face in the days ahead.