MISSOULA — Missoula school administrators and teachers are planning to use expanded summer programs to help some students "catch up" from any delays created by distance learning.
At the same time, Missoula County Public Schools is surveying parents for their input on using remote learning next year.
MCPS administrators, teachers, and the school board have continued active discussions throughout the spring and the "pandemic pause" in regular classes. They say that for the most part, innovation has helped remote learning be a success.
But with student engagement running between 70% and 85%, the district has also found some struggling with the lack of "face-to-face" instruction. MCPS Superintendent Rob Watson says the district plans to use expanded summer programs to help.
"In the past, we've had some summer programming, but it has only been at some of our schools. What we're trying to do this summer is expand that to more schools, and really target kids that maybe weren't engaged in the remote learning process," he explained. "But maybe we can bring them in in small groups, would be my vision, and we're probably going to expand that to more schools."
MCPS wants to hear from parents about their experiences and suggestions as the district facing the possibility of having to continue at least some remote learning this fall. You can participate in an anonymous, online survey until June 15.
