Despite a new year and the promise of vaccines for the novel coronavirus, educators in America are still navigating one of the most uncertain eras in the nation’s history.

A new guide from the Project for Mental Health and Optimal Development at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE) offers a research-backed framework and tools for those educators as we look ahead to the spring and beyond.

The guide, created by a team of teachers, counselors, school leaders, psychologists, teacher educators and university faculty, advocates for the development of an “uncertainty mindset,” and offers strategies for educators to recognize challenges, make plans and care for the wellness needs of themselves and their students.

Penn GSE’s Michael Nakkula and Andy Danilchick join CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss the guide, and its potential value to educators – and even parents – in the wake of the pandemic.

Featured Research: The Project for Mental Health and Optimal Development. “Planning for Uncertainty: An Educator’s Guide to Navigating the COVID Era.” Summer 2020.