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School districts throughout Michigan have faced an unprecedented year in the face of COVID-19. Schools have strived to keep education humming along with virtual classrooms, limited in-person learning and some combination of both. While it isn't the ideal learning environment, most school districts are tackling the challenge of online classrooms, including Ecorse Public Schools, which had already taken the first steps toward including a virtual learning environment into its system before the pandemic and ensuing school shut-down arrived.

"It's going better than I expected," says Ecorse Schools Superintendent Josha Talison. "We were going towards that but I think this pandemic has kind of forced our hand to speed up the process, so we were prepared and we were planning for it so it wasn't a big shock for us."

Ecorse Schools had been adding technology to the classroom, utilizing Google Chromebooks for all students in grade 2 and up. The district has been providing mobile hot spots for students whose families were lacking internet access in the home through T-Mobile, utilizing Cares Grant funds. Getting a device into the nearly 1,000 students in the district and providing internet access is one hurdle the district was able to overcome. The Chromebooks serve as a textbook and have been well-received by the district's families. The devices are now a regular learning tool as the district is using a hybrid model of learning, with 75 percent of its students leaning online and 25 percent spending some time each week in person at school with a teacher. "I'm very happy about the responsibility that our parents and students have taken with the devices," Talison says. "We've been extremely happy with the way the program is operating and the usage of our instructional model."

The next challenge is keeping students engaged, and Talison says the district and its support staff are paying close attention to student activity. Emails and phone calls help to keep students tuning into class but for those having difficulty staying engaged in learning, home visits lets students understand what is expected of them and can assist in determining if additional helps are needed. Each Friday, all teachers provide a report on student engagement through the week. "They're doing a better job because we're monitoring them at home," says Talison.

Beginning February 1, Talison says the district will begin offering after school in-person tutoring three days each week through May 27. Students who opt for in-person tutoring at their school will receive bus transportation and an evening meal. "Despite our best efforts, we all know that nothing can match in-person instruction," says Talison. "Also, we wanted to offer a virtual tutoring option for families and students who aren't comfortable coming in the building just yet, so we're doing those types of things."

Ecorse Mayor Lamar Tidwell drops off PPE supplies to Dr. Josha Talison's office last fall.

The district plans to provide SAT preparation courses for high school students and is working to create opportunities for those students enrolled in career training programs such as cosmetology and graphic arts, to make up for lost instruction time during upcoming mid-winter and spring breaks.

As an added support, the district provides each student in Ecorse a week's worth of meals each Monday. Residents of Ecorse pick up their meals at any school and those students living outside of Ecorse have their meals delivered to their home.

Talison says his team of teachers and support staff has gone above and beyond in working with the students to keep the learning happening. He says some staff has had to learn themselves how to navigate virtual classrooms and he recognizes their hard work, saying, "We understand that this is not the optimal learning environment, but we're trying to go 110 percent to meet the needs of our population so they can be successful."

You can contact Ecorse schools at 27225 W Outer Dr, Ecorse, MI 48229 · (313) 294-4750.