How Schools Decide: Learning Continuity During Climate-Related Disruption in the Philippines

Climate-related hazards disrupt learning in the Philippines every year. An estimated 53 teaching days were lost in the 2023–2024 school year alone, nearly a third of the academic calendar. As the Department of Education (DepEd) prepares to roll out its Flexible Learning Program Policy and Guidelines on Learning Continuity in Emergencies, this case study examines how schools currently make decisions during climate-related closures: the information they act on, the modalities they can realistically deploy, and the structural conditions that enable or constrain a flexible response. Developed in partnership with the Philippine Department of Education (DepEd), the study draws on survey data from 15,694 teachers and 656 Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) focal persons, alongside qualitative fieldwork across three climate-vulnerable localities: Valenzuela City, Leyte, and Albay. Findings show that suspension authority is formally devolved to school heads but exercised cautiously in practice, shaped by accountability concerns and a reliance on local government action. Modality selection for learning continuity functions largely as a process of elimination, and printed modules remain the default because they reach learners regardless of device access or internet connectivity, even though they are not seen as the most effective option. Existing monitoring systems track task completion rather than learning quality, leaving verification of actual learning to the point when learners return to school. The study concludes with recommendations across three areas (decision-making and communication, teaching and learning delivery, and data for monitoring and evaluation) intended to inform the practical implementation of DepEd's policy framework. Keywords Alternative Delivery Modes; climate-related school closures; disaster risk reduction and management; education in emergencies; climate emergencies; education policy implementation; learning continuity; Philippines; school-level decision-making An output of the EdTech Hub, https://edtechhub.org/

Available from https://docs.edtechhub.org/lib/2TIHGWRS