The COVID-19 health crisis has left schools across the country scrambling to provide supplemental education for students. At Phalen Leadership Academies (PLA), a non-profit school turnaround network with 22 schools across the country, the response was fast and furious to launch a solution to help its scholars and schools maintain learning gains. 

“This pandemic really pulled the rug from under educators and families across the country,” said PLA CEO & Founder Earl Martin Phalen. “Our organization consistently works to stand in the gap for our students and that effort has been heightened even more today. The PLA team has quickly adapted to the ‘new normal’ COVID-19 has created for our schools and families by providing an opportunity for all of our scholars to continue learning through this health crisis. Right now we are providing meals, bridge learning books, and parent support material.  In the coming weeks we will launch our new eLearning platform, and provide supply bags for every single one of our families. COVID-19 has not halted our mission to improve our scholars' lives through education. It has just added greater innovation to our execution.” 

PLA educators and leadership team have identified the most important skill-based lessons for each grade level, K-12, and have used common core state standards to create an e-learning platform to support scholar learning continuum. PLA teachers across the country have been home creating video lessons for grades K-12. The organization has quickly amassed a learning library with hundreds of virtual teachers. 

With over 93% of scholars from low-income communities, in addition to meals, supply bags and parent support, PLA has also launched a fundraising campaign to help scholars secure 1-to-1 technology in order to continue learning at home. To support this campaign, please visit COVSupport.PhalenAcademies.org.  

Phalen Leadership Academies (PLA) is a nonprofit turnaround school operator with a network of high quality, tuition-free public and charter schools across the United States. PLA currently serves nearly 10,000 scholars in 22 schools across the country.