The pandemic has wreaked havoc in many aspects of our lives, but one of the greatest disruptions it’s caused is in the realm of education. Children across Michigan have lost months of learning this year, and it’s on our state’s school leaders to help them catch up.

That should include some form of robust summer school option for students.

As a local control state, it’s largely up to individual school districts to set their schedules and learning plans. More than ever, however, guidance is needed from the Michigan Department of Education, as well as transparent statewide data on how schools are handling the crisis.

The reality is that online instruction doesn’t work for many students, especially those coming from low-income families or those with special needs.

Mary Grech, chief of staff at the Education Trust-Midwest, says “now is the time for strong state leadership” and a commitment to serving students through proven strategies to address learning loss.

A multi-week summer program will be integral, Grech says, and it should include experienced teachers. Schools can help alert parents by educating them about the program and what it entails.

Schools that haven’t must also address the digital divide, ensuring families have access to the online tools necessary as long as virtual learning continues.

In addition, high school juniors and seniors are at risk of bearing the brunt of COVID. Those who are planning to attend college or other training should have access to no-cost remediation, Grech says, since they were deprived of so much learning just before graduation.

Rather than push for more accountability, state Superintendent Michael Rice has requested waivers from federal testing standards. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos granted the waiver in the spring but denied it for the current school year.

It will be more important than ever in the spring to track how students are faring, and determine which districts will need to devote the most resources to helping children make up for lost learning.

In Michigan, more than 20% of districts — including some of the state’s largest — opted for an online-only format starting out this fall. And an order — now lifted — from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the state Health Department had banned in-person instruction at high schools for more than a month.

The reality is that online instruction just doesn’t work for many students, especially those coming from low-income families or those with special needs.

And that’s led to thousands of children falling through the cracks.

Nationwide that number is pegged at 3 million. In Michigan, this year’s unaudited fall enrollment is 53,000 fewer students than the previous fall, according to the state Education Department.

As parents have had to adjust to having children at home, some have likely pivoted to other options, whether homeschooling or “learning pods.”

But many of these children who aren’t logging on to their public school classes are simply not engaging at all. That’s going to be more pronounced in high-poverty cities like Detroit. And in addition to a lack of learning, many of these children aren’t getting the meals and other services they’d get daily at school.

State and federal relief funds should be directed to proven strategies, and schools must have a plan for addressing the massive learning loss that’s occurred the past year.

— Detroit News