Making lemonade out of lemons: Supporting adoption of evidence-based practices in response to educational disruptions

Effective diffusion of educational innovations is essential for evidence-based practices to have broad impacts on student learning. One of the barriers to such diffusion is the large inertia associated with changing one's teaching practices. Educational disruptions, such as COVID-19, may lower this barrier by making business-As-usual no longer feasible. Here, we reflect on the ways in which an online community, designed to promote diffusion of educational innovation, supported Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry teachers in the rapid transition to online instruction necessitated by the pandemic. The lessons learned from supporting teachers as they responded to the pandemic may provide insights into how to better promote and support adoption of reformed teaching strategies.