Schools and districts across the country are increasingly on the front lines of more frequent and severe extreme weather events, confronting disrupted calendars, strained budgets, aging infrastructure, and urgent concerns about student health, safety, learning and athletics. Building on SCORE’s Connecting the Dots series on the intersection of education and the environment, this conversation examines how extreme weather is impacting student success — from academic outcomes to health and well-being — and what education leaders can do to prepare. During this conversation, we will hear from researchers who have studied these impacts, nonprofit leaders working alongside schools and districts to build resilience, and voices from the field as we examine the real experiences of schools and communities that are navigating these challenges.
Speakers & Panelists
Host/Moderator: Sen. Bill Frist, M.D., Chairman & Founder, SCORE
- Laura Schifter, Ed.D., Senior Fellow, This Is Planet Ed (Aspen Institute)
- Jonathan Klein, Co-Founder & CEO, UndauntedK12
- John English, Superintendent, Unicoi County Schools
- Jennifer Vanos, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability
Who Should Attend?
- School and district leaders
- Educators
- Nonprofit and advocacy leaders
- State and local policymakers
- Advocates
- Public health professionals and researchers
Topics We Will Explore
- What the latest research tells us about the impact of extreme weather on students’ achievement, health, and attendance, as well as school operations and athletics.
- Practical strategies that schools, districts, parents, and advocates can implement at the beginning of the school year to prepare for extreme weather.
- Opportunities for partnerships between schools, public health agencies, nonprofits, and community organizations to build resilience and drive lasting change.