On the Frontlines

Leaders in Education

By Connie Mitchell

Among the most embattled professionals during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, educators have found themselves rapidly rethinking their teaching paradigms for multiple academic years now – and more recently facing competing pressures from different factions with strong opinions about when to re-enter classrooms and what precautions to use in schools. However, Jim Wipke, superintendent of schools for the Ladue School District, says one thing remains central: ensuring students’ needs are met.

“As we conclude year two of the pandemic, we recognize the need for social and emotional support for our students,” he says. “We also acknowledge the need for our students to get time to be kids and socialize. We realize that our students have individualized needs and were impacted by the pandemic differently, both socially and academically. We recognize that our job is to be flexible to students’ needs and make adjustments within our organization to support them with all available resources.”

Wipke also is quick to credit teachers and families with adjusting quickly under extremely stressful and uncertain circumstances, and calls them “the true heroes.” “Imagine doing your job each day and knowing what you do works for children, but then all of a sudden having that world turned upside down but still having the same expectations of yourself in terms of doing what is best for your students,” he says.

District leaders and employees began the 202021 school year online, which Wipke describes as “devastating.” Because he sees each school as a community built on relationships, families suffered, as they lacked the traditional school community experience, which impacts students’ social development and academic success.

Yet Wipke notes that the last two years also resulted in several valuable lessons. “It has placed our students’ social and emotional needs back at the forefront,” he says. “I am constantly focusing on making sure the appropriate supports are in place, including hiring additional support counselors and conducting an external review of our counseling programs to be sure we are staying knowledgeable on needed services.”

Other beneficial pandemic-fueled changes include reviewing how educators deliver the curriculum, examining flexibility and exploring various types of instruction; re-examining educational practices and opportunities to ensure inclusivity and access; and reorganizing district priorities based on pandemic experiences and what educators have learned through the process.

“It has been a slow progression back to a more normal environment, and we still have a ways to go,” Wipke notes. Teachers and students are back in classrooms, performances and field trips are beginning again, and the district policy now recommends, but does not mandate, masks.

Above all, Wipke is proud of the Ladue School District community and its response to the challenges of the last two years. “We will lift our students when they need support and provide them with the challenges they need to overcome any obstacles that might come their way, including grit, perseverance and resilience that it takes to make it through being educated during a pandemic,” he says. “These intangibles can far outweigh an academic score and carry over into so much of the life skills needed for success.”

Ladue School District, 9703 Conway Road, St. Louis, 314-994-7080, ladueschools.net