This message was sent to ##Email## April 16, 2020       Home  |  Membership  |  Events  |  Advocacy  |  Careers  |  Academy Archive  |   Subscribe      ALAS EVENTS How COVID-19 has Exposed Education in-Equities in the US Interactive Virtual Discussion hosted by Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents ALAS was founded to provide a voice for all members on all issues of inequity for all children, but most inherently our LatinX youth. And, now more than ever, ALAS members are in a unique position to create a significant shift in an educational system that was designed to marginalize students of color, status, and need. Bold thinkers, action-oriented leaders addressing the inequities in the here and now, and what might it look like this summer, beyond the fall, or a year from now. Join us for an interactive virtual discussion with leaders who are navigating these new opportunities and challenges posed by the current global crisis. Read the Press Release REGISTER NOW    SCHOOL LEADERS NEWS Survey: Superintendents want assessment, accountability flexibility during coronavirus closures Education DIVE The equity gap poses a learning obstacle to many students, as only 25% of the superintendents from 48 states said 91% to 100% in their students have access to the internet at home. That's about the same percent of superintendents who reported more than 91% of students have access to a device that connects to the internet.  READ MORE    SPONSORED CONTENT Benchmark Education Free Bilingual Online Library for Four Months District leaders can now arrange a free, four-month subscription to 3,500 e-books in English or Spanish. These leveled literacy and content-area e-books for K-8 students can be used at home or in school. Engaging formats and topics help students make more progress and avoid the summer slump. Click to Request Free Online Library or More Information.   K-12 leaders gaining some flexibility over budgets District Administration Magazine Superintendents in some states can carry school budget surpluses over to the next school year or shift unspent education funding dollars among different accounts. And state and federal waivers are giving districts yet more flexibility over how they will manage funds for remediation, professional development, special education and other priorities heading into the 2020-2021 school year. In Connecticut, coronavirus school closures have left Cheshire Public Schools Superintendent Jeffrey Solan with a budget surplus — some of which he wished he was spending on students.  READ MORE Tasked with schoolwork help, many US parents lack English The Associated Pres Since her daughters' school closed for the coronavirus outbreak, Mariana Luna has been thrust into the role of their primary educator, like millions of parents across the U.S. But each day, before she can go over their schoolwork, her 9-year-old first has to help her understand what the assignments say. A Spanish speaker originally from Mexico, Luna uses Google Translate on her phone and, when she gets stuck, asks her daughter to translate instructions and emails from teachers.  READ MORE Report says states should extend upcoming school year to address learning losses Chalkbeat State policymakers should extend the 2020-2021 school year, lengthen the school day, or do both, plus assess student progress at the beginning of the school year to help educators help the children who need it the most. Those are some of the recommendations in a new report from researchers at Michigan State University, who analyzed state responses to the coronavirus pandemic and provided insight on the challenges schools will face when students return for onsite instruction.  READ MORE Administrators' advice for addressing 5 coronavirus challenges Education DIVE America's public education system was largely caught off guard as schools were forced by the sudden onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic to shut their doors and transition to distance learning over the past two months. With the number of states keeping schools closed through the academic year rising as the projected length of quarantines and stay-at-home orders grow, many administrators continue to grapple with a number of challenges and unanswered questions: How will students in need of meal assistance receive food? What should count in regard to assignments? How can students lacking internet access, those with disabilities and English learners continue to be served appropriately?  READ MORE Helping graduating seniors cope with COVID-19's impact By: Brian Stack (commentary) The COVID-19 crisis of 2020, featuring unprecedented calls by states for social distancing and the emergence of remote learning in schools from coast to coast, has left our teens feeling helpless, especially our soon-to-be high school graduates. As educators, we need to help them through this difficult time. Consider the situation through their eyes.  READ MORE English learners may be left behind during COVID-19 crisis WMDT-TV With more and more coronavirus cases popping up all across Delaware educators are depending on online teaching now more than ever. But for English learners and low-income students, it is a tough situation. "Many of these students don't have the resources that other students would have, especially now when we're talking about virtual learning, that is a tremendous drawback," said Gemma Cabrera, a community bilingual liaison at North Georgetown Elementary School.  READ MORE    TECHNOLOGY How the cloud enhances workflow for K-12 administrators EdTech Magazine Cloud computing has become a popular tool for schools in the past several years. "Every industry is being transformed by the cloud, and education is no exception," Dan Ayoub, general manager of Microsoft Education, tells EdTech. In fact, 90% of K–12 school districts that responded to CoSN's 2018 Infrastructure Survey reported using the cloud for storage, while 88% said they used cloud-based software systems.  READ MORE Over 8 in 10 parents now say child is learning remotely Gallup As the novel coronavirus pandemic continues to upend life in the U.S. and growing numbers of schools have announced closures through the end of the 2019-2020 school year, formal, school-sponsored distance learning programs for K-12 children are ramping up. In the two weeks that Gallup has been tracking the ways in which U.S. schoolchildren are being educated during the COVID-19 pandemic, the percentage of parents who say their child is learning remotely through a school-sponsored online distance learning program has grown from 65% to 83%.  READ MORE COVID-19 leads to rapid e-Learning growth in K-12 education By: Bambi Majumdar (commentary) According to Education Week, the spread of the coronavirus has forced the closure of at least 124,000 K-12 schools across the country, and learning has gone virtual. While K-12 educators are trying to shift to e-Learning in record time and continue teaching, they, along with students, are receiving a lot of help from the K-12 tech industry. Major education technology companies are making their paid services free through the rest of the school year and are even adding premium features to those.  READ MORE Schools ditch Zoom amid concerns over online learning security NPR School leaders in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas have announced they're discontinuing their use of the Zoom videoconferencing service for distance learning because of security, privacy, harassment and other concerns. And individual schools in Los Angeles and elsewhere are also switching to alternatives, like Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts and WebEx.  READ MORE Amid online transition, schools experience another cyberthreat: 'Zoombombing' Education DIVE An analysis by The New York Times found 153 Instagram accounts, several Twitter accounts and chats, and active Reddit message boards where thousands of users share meeting passwords to plan Zoom attacks. Sometimes, attacks are carried out by the students themselves, who have piles of homework with no other activity or outlet during self-isolation. Zoombombing can be a way for these students to rebel against the new system.  READ MORE Continuing remote learning for students without internet EdTech Magazine Transitioning to a remote learning environment, especially during times of uncertainty, is no easy feat. School districts must be prepared to tackle numerous challenges — from dealing with data privacy threats in virtual classrooms to ensuring that educators are prepared to teach in an online environment. But before even launching a tech initiative to shift learning and teaching online, school districts should assess whether students and teachers have the devices and internet connectivity necessary to successfully use remote learning tools in the first place.  READ MORE    POLICY CORNER Ed Dept allows repurposing of federal funds for ed tech, PD in favor of distance learning Education DIVE The flexibility comes shortly after the passage of the CARES Act, which allowed for such flexibilities, and in response to what Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos says was a need expressed by education leaders for more resources. Initial findings from a survey released Monday by AASA, The School Superintendents Association, show over half of superintendents responding identified expanded online learning as a top cost their districts will incur in their response to COVID-19.  READ MORE Trump says he could overrule a governor to keep schools closed, but prefers not to Education Week President Donald Trump said he has the power to order schools to remain shut down to help contain the coronavirus — but emphasized he'd rather not override a governor's decision. Trump made the comments about his authority during his daily coronavirus briefing at the White House on Friday, against the backdrop of a nationwide shutdown of school buildings and at least 19 states and three U.S. territories having either ordered or recommended that school buildings stay closed for the rest of the academic year.  READ MORE School budgets are in big trouble, especially in high-poverty areas. Here's why — And what could help Chalkbeat When the last recession hit school budgets about a decade ago, it didn't hit them equally. Affluent school districts saw their state funding drop by more than $500 per student after the downturn. High-poverty districts in the same state lost much more: over $1,500 per student in state funds. Now, the coronavirus has brought much of the American economy to a halt. Another recession is possible, even likely. And the poorest school districts, which are particularly reliant on state funds, may once again bear the brunt of the budget crunch.  READ MORE Betsy DeVos on coronavirus: What are the feds doing to help schools? Education Next (commentary) Frederick Hess, a contributor for Education Next, writes: "The coronavirus pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for America's schools and colleges. Washington has sought to respond with last week's CARES Act, including more than $2 trillion in new federal spending. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education has been making decisions about federally required testing, student loans, special education policy, and much else. I had the chance to talk with Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos about what she's doing at the department and the federal response to coronavirus. Here's what she had to say."  READ MORE Summary of US educational aid package Language Magazine The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act allocates $13.5 billion for K-12 education through a stabilization fund, of which at least 90% is intended for school districts through the Title I aid formula, including serving English language learners, and the rest of which can be used for most educational purposes. The package also includes a $3 billion fund for state governors to use as they wish to help K-12 and higher education.  READ MORE Schools concerned about effects of coronavirus on Census participation Education Week Officials are concerned that the coronavirus crisis will hinder efforts to ensure a complete count on the U.S. Census, which is used to allocate billions of dollars of federal funding to schools. That's a big deal for the schools and districts, already concerned about low levels of state revenue as the country faces a recession. The complications with the count come as schools around the country have closed their buildings to slow the spread of the coronavirus.  READ MORE    EDUCATION HEADLINES Dedication in any language: DISD teacher goes the extra mile to help students learn English The Dallas Morning News Autumn Slosser, a teacher at Dallas' Thomas Jefferson High School, spent the end of her spring break holiday making sure that families of her 60 students had access to the district's new virtual classroom. The high school — like the rest of Dallas ISD — is now closed and will remain so until the coronavirus crisis ebbs. In the meantime, instruction at TJ will now happen strictly online. And that's an extra hurdle for Slosser's students, all of whom have been in the country for less than a year and are learning to speak English.  READ MORE Teaching special education and English language learning students remotely presents special challenges Bklyner Adjusting to the remote learning environment has been a particular struggle for students who are just learning English, live in low-income households and are in special education classrooms.  READ MORE At-home learning: Strategies, resources and tools By: Savanna Flakes (commentary) We've all seen the BBC video of the father interrupted during his important video call and the wife rushing in to grab the kids. Though hilarious, many of us are working from home and have children to care for. We are ultimately parenting, working, and teaching. School at home, home learning, homeschooling, not homeschooling — whatever we want to call this, it is important to note that children do not need sit at the computer all day or consume worksheets for seven hours a day. I'd like to share some best practices and resources for each subject area.  READ MORE When the best thing you can do for a student is back off We Are Teachers A teenager sits outside a Subway with a laptop. His dad's work is in danger of shutting down, so having Internet access at home isn't a priority right now. Now he sits on the sidewalk, trying to do his work and keep from getting behind. And all I can think is, "What are we having him do that’s so important that he's outside a fast-food restaurant to access Wi-Fi? Can't we just give him a break?"  READ MORE The latest info on when schools will reopen Education Next Since we most recently updated this figure on April 2, two states — California and South Dakota — have announced they are keeping their school buildings closed for the rest of the school year. Three other states — Louisiana, New York and Wyoming — took more incremental steps, pushing scheduled opening dates into May.  READ MORE Coronavirus effects hurting elementary students and recent graduates, expert says Phys.org via University of Notre Dame With 10,000,000 Americans filing unemployment claims and the coronavirus outbreak forcing longer stay-at-home orders, college graduates have more to worry about than missing their commencement ceremonies. Younger students who rely on resources provided by their teachers and schools are suddenly out of school for several months. Where will this leave the class of 2020 as they hunt for jobs and the generations behind them?  READ MORE How COVID-19 affects the school lunch program By: Patrick Gleeson (commentary) In a couple of earlier articles, I wrote about how the coronavirus threatens U.S. education in general. Here, I'd like to concentrate on one particular aspect of the problem: how the coronavirus will make an already highly unequal K-12 education experience even less equal by depriving the neediest students of what may be their only substantial daily meal.  READ MORE     CAREERS New Postings Every Week on ALAS Website! 04/02/20 — Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education, Cambridge Public Schools, Cambridge, MA 04/02/20 — Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education, Cambridge Public Schools, Cambridge, MA 04/02/20 — Chief Talent Officer, Cambridge Public Schools, Cambridge, MA 04/02/20 — Dean of Academics and Equity, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, Aurora, IL 04/02/20 — Dean of Student Support and Equity, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, Aurora, IL 04/02/20 — Principal, School District of Springfield R-12, Springfield, MO 04/01/20 — Superintendent, Hickman Mills C-1 School District, Kansas City, MO 03/27/20 — Principal, Haven Middle School, Evanston, Il 03/27/20 — Principal, Evanston/Skokie School District 65, Evanston, Il 03/23/20 — Elementary Principal, Komensky Elementary School, Berwyn, IL VISIT ALAS WEBSITE FOR MORE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES & INFORMATION! 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