Lessons from the Field - Returning to School: Strategies for Supporting Staff

Attention: State and District Leaders, Faculty, Staff, Educators, Parents, and Education Stakeholders

The U.S. Department of Education is hosting a webinar series to support educational settings in safely sustaining or returning to in-person instruction. The series features lessons learned and best practices from faculty, staff, schools, districts, institutions of higher education, early childhood education providers, and other places of educational instruction describing approaches to operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On behalf of the U.S. Department of Education (ED), Office of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Safe and Supportive Schools, the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE) invites you to join the next webinar, Returning to School: Strategies for Supporting Staff. 

Date: Wednesday, July 28, 2021
Time: 3:00 - 4:15 pm EST

Please join us as we explore information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Department of Education on supporting staff health and wellness as educators return to school this Fall. Following the federal agency updates, field-based practitioners shared strategies they have found effective to support staff wellness.

Speakers/Panelists

• Christian Rhodes: Moderator, Chief of Staff, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education
• Jessica Cardichon: Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Federal Policy, U.S. Department of Education
• Jyotsna Blackwell: Public Health Advisor, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Sangeeta Parikshak: Behavioral Health Lead, Office of Head Start, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Kathy McHugh: Panelist, Delran, NJ

Webinar Materials

• Speaker Bios
• Slides
• Recording
• Transcript

Related Documents

This event will reference the following resources, which we encourage you to access in advance of the webinar to inform participation:

• National Association of School Psychologists From the Return to School Special Series
  • Secondary Traumatic Stress and Staff Well-being
  • Care for Caregivers: Information for School Leaders and Crisis Teams
  • Addressing Grief
• American School Counselor Association (staff wellness is included in these documents)
  • School Reentry, the School Counselor’s Role
  • ASCA/NASP (joint document): School Reentry Considerations
• National Association of State Boards of Education
  • Supporting Educators through Employee Wellness Initiatives
  • Five Questions to Ask about School Staff Wellness in the Wake of COVID-19
• National Education Association
  • Educating through Crisis
• Other resources from CDC
  • HowRightNow campaign, resource landing page

Please contact NCSSLE if you have any questions. We look forward to sharing this information with you and hearing from you about the important work you are doing in your schools, communities, and states to meet the needs of your students and staff as they return to in-person learning.

More on the Lessons from the Field Webinar Series

Archived Events: To access archived materials from previous Lessons from the Field webinars, go here.

Upcoming Webinars: Due to popular demand, the Lessons from the Field Webinar Series has been extended to run through September 2021. Stay tuned for additional details on upcoming webinars that will assist American educators in ensuring a safe and supportive transition back to in-person learning. Some of the anticipated topics for the upcoming webinars include after-summer learning and student reengagement.