Recapping our First Re-imagining Event: Reconnecting Students to their School Communities

Last month, Civic Exchange hosted its first reimagining event! Member organization Chalkbeat Chicago gathered educators, students, administrators, and community members to discuss the disruptions students experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. For some students, these disruptions resulted in a complete disconnection from school - attendance dropped for many students and others disappeared from the classroom completely.

Inspired by the discoveries in their own reporting that revealed a combination of struggles contributing to student absenteeism, Chalkbeat Chicago invited a panel of experts, educators, and students to talk about their experiences and share what they have learned about the challenges students are facing as well as solutions.

You can watch the re-imagining here:

Throughout the panel discussions, attendees to the event responded to the conversation and prompts using the chat and a jam board. Many participants offered reflections on the challenges they experienced during the pandemic supporting the learners in their communities as well as solutions they would like to see during the next school year.

You can see more of their responses in the images below.

Chalkbeat Chicago continues to report on this and other issues that are essential to figuring out how to provide all students with quality education. We at Civic Exchange are excited at how well this first re-imagining event went and will be hosting more re-imagining events throughout the summer and the fall. Join us as we continue to imagine ways Chicago and Illinois can become the most supportive, responsive and equitable places in the United States.