PreK-12 Schools

Students constantly achieve new milestones in their academic and social emotional development. Schools and educators, along with families and caregivers, play a critical role in guiding students to these milestones and celebrating with students as they continue to grow and learn. Schools, and all places of educational instruction, serve as hubs of learning, development, socializing, and enrichment for their students.

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The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted schooling for countless students, causing extended building closures and fully remote or hybrid learning environments, requiring educators, administrators, staff, and students to adjust the ways they teach, learn, and participate in PreK-12 education. Elementary schools through high schools — regardless of student makeup or geographical location — have all worked tirelessly to ensure that students have the tools, resources, and necessities to succeed during these challenging times. Now, as schools continue to recover from the impacts of the pandemic, educators and school staff must work in collaboration with community partners to continually identify and meet student safety, social, emotional, physical and mental health, academic, financial, and other needs. This work is important and ongoing, particularly for students from historically underserved communities, and it is crucial for all students’ academic and social emotional development to address gaps that existed but have been made worse by the pandemic.

Indigenous Navajo teacher and students in an elementary school classroom.

The resources on this page offer information for supporting students; maintaining safe and healthy environments; and helping to ensure teacher and staff well-being, professional development, and supports. As we know that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on specific communities, these resources contain a specific focus on supporting the students furthest from opportunity and who have been most negatively impacted by the pandemic. Teachers, faculty, staff, schools, districts, other places of educational instruction, and States may use these best practices and lessons learned to inform their strategies for responding to student and family needs throughout the ongoing pandemic recovery.

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Implementing Trauma-Informed Practices in Rural Schools

This brief shares an overview of research on adverse childhood experiences and describes the components, benefits, and impacts of trauma-informed approaches in rural schools. The brief outlines the challenges of implementing trauma-informed practices in the rural school setting and offers strategies for the implementation of trauma-informed practices.

High-Dosage Tutoring: A Proven Strategy to Accelerate Student Learning - Guide for Local Education Agencies

This guide provides details for local education agencies on features and practical considerations for establishing and managing an effective high-dosage tutoring program.

African-American dad helps his son with his homework
Image of an Americorps teacher with a Pre-K student reading a book

AmeriCorps — Leveraging National Service in Your Schools: A Superintendent’s/Principal’s Toolkit to Utilizing National Service Resources

This toolkit for principals and superintendents describes how school districts can partner with AmeriCorps service programs to support student outcomes. The resource provides an overview of the AmeriCorps program model and its benefits, offers steps for leveraging AmeriCorps resources, and shares examples of States and school districts that have successfully partnered with AmeriCorps programs.

Submit Your Lessons Learned and Best Practices

Have a lessons learned or best practice for helping PreK-12 schools and school districts continue to recover from the pandemic? Visit the Best Practices Submission page to view details on submission requirements, and then e-mail Bestpracticesclearinghouse@ed.gov to share your lessons learned or best practice.

Provide Feedback

Have feedback to share on a resource accessed on the Clearinghouse site? We want to hear from you. Select the button below to share your feedback with the U.S. Department of Education and the Clearinghouse team.

Collage of Mult-Cultural people representing the NASA STEM Engagement

NASA STEM Engagement

Find resources and learning materials for students and educators connecting the work of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. This website includes a wealth of information and ideas to spark student interest in STEM that can lead to all students becoming the next generation of explorers.

Supporting Students in Literacy: Evidence-Based Resources and Recommendations from the WWC

Institute of Education Sciences, What Works Clearinghouse; Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast: Supporting Students in Literacy: Evidence-Based Resources and Recommendations from the What Works Clearinghouse

This Webinar provides evidence-based practices to help educators accelerate student literacy development, sharing six practice guides from the What Works Clearinghouse for improving student literacy skills across elementary and middle schools, with considerations for English learners and students struggling with reading. Presenters from across the United States, representing experts and educators, also provide examples of the applications of these practices in schools.

Submit Your Lessons Learned and Best Practices

Have a lessons learned or best practice for helping PreK-12 schools and school districts continue to recover from the pandemic? Visit the Best Practices Submission page to view details on submission requirements, and then e-mail Bestpracticesclearinghouse@ed.gov to share your lessons learned or best practice.

Provide Feedback

Have feedback to share on a resource accessed on the Clearinghouse site? We want to hear from you. Select the button below to share your feedback with the U.S. Department of Education and the Clearinghouse team.

View Resources