Back to School Press Round-Up

This back to school season has been strange for everyone! Like many schools, KLS began the 2020-21 school year this week with remote instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We of course wish our communitycould be together in person, but we're proud of the work ourteam hasdone to provide high-quality remote instruction. Our flexible, student-centered model makes it possible for authentic learning to continue despite the challenging circumstances. Word about theKLS approach to remote instruction has gotten out, so our founder and our school have been featured in the press lately. We rounded up some of those articles here for you to check out.

I Started Khan Academy. We Can Still Avoid an Education Catastrophe.

Our founder, Sal Khan, wrote this New York Times opinion piece with ideas for how learning can continue even while school buildings are closed. We're proud to say that you can see the types of interactive, student-centered lessons he describesin KLS remote classes at every level. In addition to facilitating academic collaboration between students, our advisors have scheduled opportunities for social-emotional connection into daily schedules.Advising groups connect through regular morning andafternoon meetings to bookend the day, students have individual conferences with their advisor to discuss progress on bothacademic andpersonal goals, and each levelgathers together for weekly lessons onsocial-emotional skills to help with coping during these uncertain times. Read more about Sal's suggestions for what effective remote learning can look likehere.

Personalized Learning Hinges on Relationships, Not Just Algorithms.

Whenpersonalized learning programs are implementedwell, students become the leaders of their education. These tools allow KLSstudents to continue making academic progress during remote instruction, but that relationship with a teacher advisor is key to growth. This allowsstudents to develop agency over their learning and build the metacognition skills needed to reflect on their progress. Fast Company interviewed Sonia Cho, the Head of our Lower School, and popped into our middle school's Capstone Exhibitionfor this articleabout how strong relationships are crucial to successful personalized learning. The articlealso featured a spotlight onIL6 student Ishansh's presentation during Capstone Exhibition.

Tips for Successful Remote Learning: "Understand What's Achievable"

In this video interview with CBS, Sal targets histips towards parents who are trying to manage their child's learning at home. He suggestsfocusing on the basics, prioritizing social-emotional connections, and encouraging older learners to set daily academic goals. KLS advisors can vouch for the effectiveness of Sal's tips! They've certainly helped make distance learning go smoother for us.See the full CBS interview with Sal here.