In some school districts, a snow day does not mean kids stop learning. In US News, Alexandra Pannoni describes how some schools are providing non-traditional instruction using technology when weather closes schools. The assignments keep teens on track and also prevent the schools from having to make up the missed school days at the end of the school year.

A study by Josh Goodman published in Education Next challenges the conventional wisdom that the number of school days cancelled due to snow has a significant impact on student learning.  Goodman found that a worse problem was snowy days when schools remain open but many students are absent.

The study, “In Defense of Snow Days: Students who stay home when school is in session are a much larger problem,” appears in the Summer 2015 issue of Education Next.

Goodman discussed his study with Marty West on the EdNext podcast.

— Education Next