About the Re-Centering Schools Initiative

The pandemic pulled focus away from what matters in education.

When the pandemic struck, priorities shifted in every school and every classroom in America. School leaders heroically scrambled to address unprecedented and immediate technology and operational needs within their buildings. From air quality to spacing desks six feet apart, the pandemic had necessitated a shift in focus to the number of seats in classrooms and away from the number of kids in that classroom who could read at the end of the year. 

School leaders need both the tools and capacity to re-center on what matters in their communities: student achievement and well-being.

Every child deserves access to a school environment that is safe, supportive, and thriving.

We believe the following must be at the center of the school return and recovery process for fall 2021: the social-emotional wellness of all students, staff, and families; individualized understanding of student learning needs and allocation of resources to meet those needs; and evidence-based, therapeutic approaches to learning that acknowledge over a year of trauma.

Focused on student achievement and well-being, our Re-Centering Schools Initiative — which includes our Re-Centering Schools Guide (developed in partnership with Attuned Education Partners) and the development of a year-long grant-funded cohort of Boston Public Schools principals — have been intentionally designed to guide school communities on an evidence-based, best practices path towards these outcomes.