This is a guest opinion column

The COVID-19 pandemic might be over, but its lingering effects are still evident in our schools. Many students are still academically behind and struggle more than in pre-pandemic times socially and in terms of mental health.

Recent research we conducted sought to identify high schools in Alabama that managed to weather pandemic-era learning loss the best. We controlled for poverty, previous academic performance and funding to ensure an apples-to-apples comparison. After we did that, we decided to visit four of these schools as part of an effort to learn what they were doing well.

Here’s the thing. There was no special program or initiative that made the school successful. No curriculum overhaul, no outside consultant, no smartphone app. The districts we visited weren’t flush with cash (most of these schools were among the lowest funded in the state). They simply get the little things right and do so consistently.

We are both professors in the College of Education at Auburn University and former middle and high school teachers ourselves. We understand that the job of running a school is difficult and know firsthand that being a teacher is challenging.

Like all schools, the schools we visited faced substantial challenges during the pandemic. Each of these schools managed to open their doors in the fall of 2020, and research suggests that longer school closures were associated with larger student test score declines. The school leaders with whom we spoke credited their faculty and staff for making that happen. But that alone doesn’t explain what we found. Many schools in Alabama reopened in the fall of 2020.

What we saw can be summed up simply – school personnel, supportive leadership and school culture embedded in community all matter a lot. One of the schools we visited was Rehobeth High School in Houston County Schools. When we asked one teacher what was behind their school’s success, he told us two things – “people matter” and that the adults at the school all approached their work with what he called “a servant’s heart.” The county’s superintendent told us the same thing. “We don’t’ always have a lot of money, but we have great people.”

We also saw how a strong school culture embedded in the community was pivotal for promoting holistic recovery for students. Throughout each visit, we found that each school was intentional in integrating community values, traditions and aspirations to create a sense of belonging and mutual support that held outside of the schoolhouse walls.

Finally, it was clear how important supportive leadership was for recovering from pandemic learning disruptions. Throughout our interviews, teachers from each site repeatedly noted that their leadership was: (1) present and visible around the building; (2) available to talk when needed; (3) proactive in extending themselves to teachers; (4) had high expectations for teachers and students and; (5) gave teachers wide autonomy in classroom choices. While these traits seem like common sense, what was surprising was the extent to which these school leaders actively chose not to lose sight of these core aspects of supportive leadership.

This does not mean that the schools included in our research were unaware of the challenges they face. Few resources, difficulties with attendance and high rates of poverty all make their task more difficult.

When speaking with Maurice Shingleton, principal of Limestone County’s Tanner High School, he shared, “We focus on the small wins – we build these kids up little by little towards high expectations.” With his unique combination of humor and a high level of understanding of effective school leadership, he talked us through strategies for helping different students, knowing exactly who needs ‘small wins’ and in what areas.

Our research findings represent a clarion call to return to the basics and do the little things right. We have been in a lot of schools and seen a lot of shiny new buildings and trendy technology. But none of that really matters if you don’t get the right things right – community, cooperation, and care. As a result, the schools we visited recovered academically from the pandemic far better than their peers.

David T. Marshall and Andrew Pendola are associate professors in the College of Education at Auburn University.