Why Napa Valley USD Needed Community and Educator Support
Although the technology was in place, the district still needed to get key stakeholders on board to successfully open for hybrid learning last fall, including the support of the community and of teachers.
“Anywhere from 30 to 40 percent of our families wanted in-person learning, while a significant majority wanted to remain online and do virtual learning,” Mucetti said in a Promethean case study.
At the time, there was no vaccine for COVID-19, and many districts were not yet offering hybrid learning options. More recently, a Gallup poll found that 79 percent of families of K–12 students wanted in-person learning.
Additionally, Napa Valley USD had to reassure teachers that returning to classrooms would be safe. Providing teachers with the educational technology tools they needed to teach safely and efficiently helped Mucetti and Mangewala convince educators to return to the classroom.
At a time where educators were feeling more burnt out and stressed than ever, including them in the conversation was a necessary step in providing assurance.
Mucetti found the entire community is now more open-minded with technology initiatives as well. “There will be things that stick from the pandemic environment that will allow us to work more efficiently and effectively into the future,” she told Promethean.
DIVE DEEPER: Promethean releases product enhancements to support K–12 teachers.
