As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many school administrators are forced to transform traditional schooling into an online distance learning environment. This commentary addresses how some of the challenges and implications of our research in leadership and instruction of one-to-one laptop schools are applicable to establishing a distance learning environment alongside current standards for instruction. School administrators are strongly encouraged to collaborate with teachers as soon as teachers report for the school year to help create a shared vision of effective online instruction and implement supplemental frameworks that will guide evaluation of teaching and learning online.