America Succeeds’ Annual Report 2020 is focused on both looking back and looking forward. Our team, like many of you, is grateful to have made it through this past year and proud of what we accomplished amidst its many challenges. However, we are far more energized by the prospect of better days ahead. Learn more by downloading America Succeeds’ Annual Report 2020 here.
Looking back in America Succeeds’ Annual Report 2020:
- Responding to COVID-19: In March, our team compiled a list of remote learning resources to help parents navigate distance learning during the initial pandemic response. This resource was shared across our network of state partners and to companies like Adidas, Crate & Barrel, Samsonite, and Home Depot, in partnership with Vertebrae.
- Elevating the Network & Promising Policies: America Succeeds then concentrated on the impact of how both COVID-19 and social justice events were reshaping education systems over the long-term. Our team worked with state affiliates and national partners to identify policy solutions to address budget cuts, emotional trauma, and access to technology, among other issues. Check out our recommendations in Bouncing Back: Student-Centered Policies for 2021.
- Supporting the Education Advocacy Community: America Succeeds was actively involved in broader efforts like PIE Network’s Federal Stimulus Workgroup to advocate for an Education Stabilization Fund to be distributed equitably and conversations with Education Counsel’s Assessment and Accountability Working Group to evaluate learning loss and create equitable interventions.
- Spreading Innovative Ideas through Virtual Events: Since we couldn’t gather in Boise this year, our team decided to deliver a little EDventure goodness in a virtual format. The Base Camp 2020 series built on one of the conference’s most popular sessions with quick 30-minute webinars to learn from experts and peers about how they are reinventing themselves during this challenging time.
- Focusing on Organization-wide Agility: America Succeeds continued its agility initiative with Agility Thriving: Education Adapting in a Time of Global Disruption. The report highlights stories of heroism, strength, and resilient communities. There are thousands of school leaders and educators, alongside countless parents and families, who rose to face the many challenges of COVID-19. The brightest among these embody organization-wide agility and offer lessons in how to build a more agile education system in the future.
Looking forward with hope and excitement:
Moving forward, there is a renewed focus on equity among both business and education leaders in response to demands we do the critical work of dismantling institutional racism, begin to heal, and build a more inclusive society. From the impact to schools from COVID-19, we see an unprecedented recognition among policymakers, parents, and educators of the need for our education system to become more agile and responsive in the event of future disruptions. Finally, out of all the unrest, exhaustion, confusion, and loss, innovations have emerged which have the potential to reshape the future of education.
We have a lot of work to do and America Succeeds is well-positioned to contribute. We’re entering 2021 with an enhanced focus and an expanded network. Our team is excited to build momentum around new initiatives. And, we have renewed confidence in the possibility to drive forward change by bridging the gap between business and education. Read more about our future plans in America Succeeds’ Annual Report 2020.
