Avi Wolfman-Arent

In this edition of Schooled, we are telling the stories of three students who were killed in the past year during the nation’s other public health crisis: gun violence.

A year ago, Tiffani Szabara was managing a restaurant and living a stable life with her four kids in a middle-class suburb. Then COVID struck.

Billions will flow into districts across Pennsylvania, and they’ll have to spend it quickly. That creates critical questions for school leaders.

“Although the pandemic is far from over, beginning to welcome our students back … is a little bit of a light at the end of the tunnel,” said Superintendent William Hite.

In roughly a week, all educators who signed up for a vaccine will have received at least one dose.

The deal, announced Monday, calls for pre-K through grade 2 students at about 50 elementary schools to attend classes in-person twice a week, if they choose.

In a disconnected world, principals find themselves fighting harder to keep their tenuous ties to families on the fringe.

After the federal government said states have to give tests, Pa. said it will comply, but give districts the option to test students early next school year.

Philly’s public and parochial school systems have run parallel paths for many decades. But only one has been open during the pandemic.

Kindergarten attendance is down during the pandemic. Is that a good thing? A bad thing? Science and history offer some answers.

The decision comes amid a dispute with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, which opposes returning to buildings until all inoculated against COVID-19.

The superintendent argued that students need more academic and social support, citing data showing that younger kids aren’t making expected progress.