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Don’t Just Try to Copy-and-Paste In-Person Instruction to Online Learning

To promote meaningful learning during COVID-19, teachers should not try to replicate in-person instruction online. In my experience, the way to promote meaningful learning is to adapt instruction in a way that recognizes the unique circumstances that we’re in.

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Give Students a Safe Venue to Contribute to Decision-Making and to Talk About Their Struggles

To the students who may not have these adult leaders or mentors readily available to them, I encourage you to reach beyond your comfort zones and find a safe place to be able to make decisions.

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America’s Young People Need to Be Seen and Heard. 3 Lessons From 22 Open Letters From Youth

Having served on many advisory boards and holding various student government positions, I thought I was an expert in advocating on behalf of youth. But in reading the letters over the past five weeks, my eyes have been opened to the perspectives of youth from across the country. Youth from different age groups, backgrounds, and experiences that all share the desire to be a valued voice in decision-making. In this series, three powerful messages stand out to me.

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Incorporate Hands-On, Project-Based Learning to Keep Students Engaged Virtually

While COVID-19 has barred me from entering and learning in a school-building-based environment, I still have the resources to learn from home. And just because I’m at home learning in front of a screen doesn’t mean that I can’t have as rich of an educational experience as when I was going to school in-person.

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Here are 3 Simple Things Educators Can Do to Help Engage Students More During Remote Learning

I am a sophomore in high school and a foster youth. My experience in foster care and having to move to multiple schools has prepared me for situations where I need to adapt to rapid changes in my environment. But even so, I was unprepared for the completely new way of learning that is expected of me during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Give Students an Organized Platform to Discuss Hard Subjects

Understanding the different motivations behind Black Lives Matter, initiatives to defund police, ending foreign wars and even developing more transparency in government should be important to every high school student today. It really is up to our generation to combat this toxic environment and encourage more students to engage in meaningful learning through civil discourse.

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Latest Resources

The State of Young People during COVID-19 Infographic

Findings from a nationally representative survey of high school students.

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Youth Engagement Guide

This youth engagement guide contains actionable strategies that educators, program providers, coaches, mentors, and other youth-supporting adults can use to authentically listen to and engage with young people about how they experience social, emotional, and cognitive development. The…

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The State of Young People during COVID-19

The ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis looms large, creating deep and disparate consequences for young people and their families. Our nationally representative survey of high school youth reveals their perceptions of the pandemic’s impact on their learning and their lives. The…

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Hear firsthand from young people who are experiencing learning environments that prioritize their social, emotional, and cognitive development. They reflect on the importance of strong relationships with adults and peers, the ability to raise their voices and make a difference, and meaningful and engaging learning that connects to their interests and future goals.

Your Experiences Matter

If you’re a young person, we encourage you to share your story about how the pandemic has affected your life, what you are doing to cope, how you are being supported at this time, and what you need moving forward. If you’re a caring adult, we encourage you to listen! Please share these stories using #StateOfYoungPeople.

Once again, our hope is that by amplifying young people’s voices and helping them to be a part of national and local conversations, their experiences and perspectives can shape how schools, nonprofit and community organizations, out-of-school settings, employers, and policymakers support them both now and in the aftermath of the pandemic.

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Want to know what youth are thinking and feeling on a other topics? Learn more below:

employment during covid

racial justice

youth leadership