How Students Benefit from a School Reopening Plan Designed for Those at the Margins

By Kara Newhouse
August 12, 2020

This article advocates for designing inclusive solutions during the pandemic. It encourages educators to plan first and foremost for those students at the margins, who whether due to disabilities, poverty, or homelessness were often not served fully during the rapid switch to remote learning this spring.

The article describes a design challenge hosted by University of California Berkeley’s Professional Development Providers in which educators used universal design (UDL) principles to pose creative solutions to challenges schools will face as they reopen. The author makes a strong case to show that using UDL principals often leads to solutions that better serve all students, not just those for whom they were designed.

This article could be a great conversation starter for teachers, administrators and community members. It also includes links to the presentation and materials list for the planning challenge described, so districts could consider replicating a similar event.

Source Organization: KQED

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