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The coronavirus pandemic has had a profound, lasting effect on our lives. Most schools shut down and abandoned in-person classes in the spring of 2020. While that offered families control of their children's whereabouts, it presented a whole set of new challenges when it came to learning. ²ÝÁñÉçÇø schools transitioned fairly quickly to online instruction. They were able to do that because private school teachers had learned how to teach effectively online. Additionally, most schools had the necessary IT infrastructure in place to handle the entire faculty teaching online. Furthermore, most private school families had robust Internet connections and the computers needed to receive digital instruction.

This hub collects all of our articles on the COVID-19 pandemic into one convenient place. We hope that they will be helpful as you plan your children's education.

School Reopenings Fall 2020

In this article, we show you where to look for information about school reopening protocols, reopening communications, schools that have closed, and schools with COVID-19 cases, among other COVID-19 related issues. As always, what's important is for you to follow instructions issued by your school, local and state government. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer a wealth of information that you should read. But your actions and response to the pandemic are governed by your local government officials.

Cooperate with your school's instructions. Discuss them with your children. Listen carefully to their comments and criticisms. Then explain to them why compliance with all the school's instructions

One of the top questions on this site goes something like this: "I'm moving to (name your city) next summer. Can you recommend the top schools in that area?" My standard reply suggests that the writer engage an educational consultant to assess the writer's specific requirements and make appropriate recommendations. I also send along a link to that state or city, as the case may be, so that the writer can get some idea of the diversity of private schools in that area.

Many people think that I am copping out by not making a recommendation or ranking private schools. My reasons are simple: I am not a professional educational consultant. I am an impartial observer of the private school scene, both at home here in the United States and abroad. I maintain a reference site so that you can find a school online and make further inquiries based on that information. I editorialize on trends and happenings in the world of private K-12 education. That's all I do.

²ÝÁñÉçÇø Schools Cannot Be Ranked.

Why are there no rankings on this site? I maintain that it is impossible to do. I have given it much thought, but I always come back to my experience forty years ago when we were looking for schools for our two daughters. It came down to one thing: the right fit. One size does not fit all when it comes to educating your child.

Our eldest daughter was very competitive. She was also

Now that your children's school has reopened for the academic year 2020-2021, a major challenge is hopefully out of the way. The planning alone for the reopening of school was arduous and time-consuming. Your school's administrative team spent countless hours over the late spring and summer planning how to reopen the school safely. To understand how complex the variables involved were in their discussions and deliberations, think about working a jigsaw puzzle with an impressionist picture in shades of blue and gray. Those variables included federal, state, and local guidelines involving just about everything you can imagine. Like all the rest of the parents, I know that you wondered whether the school could reopen at all. But it did. While things certainly are different from past years, a private school education's essential hallmarks are in place for all to see: a safe community and high-quality teaching.

Now, let's look at how you can help the school out during these unprecedented times.

Listen to your school's instructions.

This admonition is important because you may well hear conflicting advice and news on social media or television. For example, when somebody retweets a claim about wearing masks not being effective, follow your school's guidance. A private school community includes a wide range of age groups. Some members of the community are more exposed to the COVID-19 virus than others. The same thing applies to gathering in groups and maintaining social distancing. Don't plan a birthday or other celebration with friends and

The amount of confusion over school reopenings in fall 2020 has been astounding. The general public and parents hear and read information that is confusing at best or incomplete at worst. I read several news sources extensively every day to find out what's actually going on. This article aims to show you where to look for information about school reopening protocols, school reopening communications, schools that have closed, and schools with COVID-19 cases, among other COVID-19 related issues. The best source of COVID-19 information in a specific school is always a school's website, where generally you will find communications from the school to current families.

This video explains the CDC guidance for school reopening.

What becomes evident as you read your school's communications is that a tremendous amount of work and effort has gone into creating and implementing safety protocols to protect everybody in the school community. Everybody means the maintenance staff through to the head of school. Here are some of the items you should look for in your school's reopening protocols:

• testing
• sanitizing
• in-person vs. online instruction
• activities
• athletics

Most schools have spent the summer months planning for school reopening in the fall of 2020. Endless meetings have covered every aspect of daily operations. Most schools have relied on data and the advice of experts to develop their reopening plans. Politics rarely plays a part in those deliberations and decisions.

Testing