LANSING, Mich — Lansing School District is still working to overcome learning impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic as students prepare to return to classrooms next week.
• The district's students were out of school buildings for 16 to 18 months during the height of the pandemic.
• Superintendent Ben Shuldiner says the district has implemented new curriculum and hands-on learning approaches.
• Graduation rates, reading proficiency, and other academic metrics have shown improvement following these efforts.
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically altered operations within the Lansing School District, with students unable to attend in-person classes for more than a year.
WATCH: Lansing schools see academic improvements following pandemic disruption
"The district was out of the buildings for about 16 to 18 months... in April 2020 they stopped, and the following year they were virtual for that whole year," Superintendent Ben Shuldiner said.
During that time, teachers faced the challenge of providing education through virtual platforms, with many dedicating countless hours to remote instruction.
Students finally returned to classrooms in August 2021, but the effects of the extended absence continue to influence the district's approach to education for its 10,000 enrolled students.
"That era of keeping kids out of the building, definitely impacted learning," Shuldiner said.
The district has implemented several strategies to address these challenges and accelerate recovery.
"Things that we're doing in the district now, is having high level curriculum, that includes new programs in math and English, we're doing a lot of hands on learning, and we're empowering our staff to really lead our kids forward after the pandemic," Shuldiner said.
According to Shuldiner, these efforts are yielding positive results.
"You could see the numbers have been great, graduation rates, reading rates and proficiency rates, everything is up," Shuldiner said.
Lansing's first day of school is set for Wednesday, August 20th.
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