Common Sense Launches New Wide Open School

Common Sense, the leading nonprofit organization whose mission is to help kids, families, and educators thrive in a world of media and technology, has convened a group of education, media, and tech partners to launch WideOpenSchool.org, a free online resource to support families and educators who are transitioning to remote learning as a result of the coronavirus.

Wide Open School features the very best resources from publishers, nonprofits, and education companies, including the American Federation of Teachers, Amplify, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Head Start, Khan Academy, National Geographic, Noggin, PBS, Scholastic, Sesame Workshop, Time for Kids, XQ Institute, and YouTube. Find the full site at WideOpenSchool.org.

This site was built in a matter of days on a shared vision, and plans to keep building until things get back to normal. A group of more than 25 organizations came together and raised their hands to help.

Common Sense Media is curating the content on the platform and coordinating with key distribution and technology partners including Apple, Comcast, Google, Salesforce, and Zoom, which have suggested tools and resources for families and educators and to ensure they are aware of and can access the resources.

Wide Open School is a free and open collection of the best online learning experiences and activities for kids curated by the editors at Common Sense and organized by grade band and subject. Everything on Wide Open School centers on the schedule, which is programmed each “school” day for each grade band. The experts at Common Sense along with our partners are working to keep kids learning, entertained, physically and creatively engaged, and emotionally strong during these challenging times.

While the platform has only just officially launched, Common Sense will be expanding the site and forging additional partnerships with media and education companies, nonprofits, teachers, and kids and adding more content in an effort to make Wide Open School a free and open source for the best education and entertainment materials, including those for social-emotional learning, mental and health information, and digital citizenship and well-being lessons. With a focus on and a commitment to equity, Wide Open School also will reach families through mobile, desktop, and television; provide a clearinghouse of information for lower-income families to gain access to broadband services; and provide an aggregation of trusted resources to help families access urgent services addressing health, hunger, shelter, and psychological needs.