Spencer Foundation and LPI have published a new report entitled Summer Learning and Beyond: Opportunities for Equitable Learning Postpandemic, which points to the need for learning environments centered on strong teacher-student relationships that address students’ social and emotional learning especially in a time where students have experiences multiple forms of trauma in the past year in the forms of the pandemic and racialized violence. 

The report creates a framework based on six design principles that are essential for creating intellectually rigorous and equitable educational settings:

1. Center Relationships
2. Create a Culture of Affirmation and Belonging
3. Build from Students’ Interests and Take a Whole Child Approach to Their Development
4. Engage Students’ and Families’ Knowledge in Disciplinary Learning
5. Provide Creative, Inquiry-Based Forms of Learning
6. Address Educator Needs and Learning