Following the unexpected school closures caused by the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) began planned online instruction on May 4, 2020. To inform ongoing processes for the transition to online instruction through the end of the 2019-20 school year, the Office of Evaluation, Research, and Accountability (ERA) conducted a review of existing meta-analyses and systematic reviews to summarize evidence-based practices for online learning. This brief is a summary of the key findings from articles, frameworks, and dissertations that describe and explain the practices that optimize teaching and learning in an online environment. It details ten key components that should be applied to the online learning environment, as well as recommendations and strategies to support teachers and students in being successful during digital learning.

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