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Welcome back from the weekend. China got its schools back up and running, by any means necessary. We’re also rounding up thought-provoking ideas about Covid-era education, and bringing you the latest local updates for K-12 and college.

Back to school in China

As countries struggle to safely reopen schools, China is harnessing the power of its authoritarian system to offer in-person learning for its vast population of students — including 195 million students in kindergarten through 12th grade at public schools.

On the first day of school in Wuhan, where the coronavirus first emerged, officials reviewed the students’ travel histories and coronavirus test results. Local Communist Party cadres made sure teachers followed detailed instructions on hygiene and showed an “anti-epidemic spirit.”