Calibraing Handout On April 8, 2022, I have the distinct honor and privilege to moderate a session at the North Dakota Legislators Retreat organized by the Hunt Institute. This independent, nonprofit institute “brings together people and resources to inspire and inform elected officials and policymakers about key issues in education, resulting in visionary leaders who are prepared to take strategic action for greater educational outcomes and student success.” [Hunt Institute, 2022].

The session I moderate brings resources experts together, to answer questions from the entire (bipartisan) legislature of the state of North Dakota. COVID–19 prompted an immediate transition to remote schooling across the country. This transition came with an array of challenges, including but not limited to meeting immediate student needs, combating disparities in access to quality broadband and technological resources, and preventing learning loss. Flash forward to SY 2021–2022, practitioners and researchers have learned a lot about what does and does not work with respect to virtual instruction and where limitations still persist. This session will give legislators and resource experts the chance to convene and discuss what has gone well across North Dakota in the country in the space, focusing on the work that has been accomplished, the challenges districts and schools continue to phase with virtual instruction, and best strategies that might be brought to scale across the state as students continue to utilize virtual options.

You can access the legislative retreat brief at https://hunt-institute.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/HI-ND-Issue-Brief.pdf

Hunt Institute (2022).  Our story: Committed to improved education. Retrieved from https://hunt-institute.org/about/.