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Oct. 1, 2020

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SCHOOL LEADERS NEWS

8 actions to develop culturally responsive leadership District Administration Magazine "Leading for equity and access" is the first of eight key actions K-12 education leaders can take to make their school systems more culturally responsive. The next seven steps are detailed for equity-minded administrators in the newly released, "Culturally Responsive Leadership: A Framework for School & School System Leaders" from The Leadership Academy. The goal of the new framework is to guide leaders in developing and integrating a vision for equity into everyday district operations, and to coach educators in creating an antiracist climate. READ MORE

SPONSORED VIDEO Now, Coding is Elementary BootUp is dedicated to empowering elementary teachers and students by establishing computer science programs in districts across the United States. Elementary students are inspired through creative and interactive lessons that allow them to explore personal interests at an age when they are just beginning to formulate ideas about their futures. WATCH VIDEO

New dashboard tracks coronavirus cases in schools across 47 states NPR A new national effort asks K-12 schools to voluntarily — and anonymously — report their confirmed and suspected coronavirus cases, along with the safety strategies they're using. Opening schools safely in person is seen as key to restarting the economy and recovering the learning loss that has fallen most heavily on marginalized groups of students. There are also many fears associated with reopening — of severe illness among vulnerable staff and family members, and of stoking broader outbreaks, as seems to have happened where colleges have reopened in person. READ MORE

Time to view a first language not as a barrier but as an asset for English learners and celebrate their bilingual successes The 74 (commentary) Karen Garibay-Mulattieri, a contributor for The 74, writes: "In the United States, bilingual education in schools has been an afterthought for decades. But demographic changes in the student population, and new research out of Chicago, demand that it occupy a more meaningful role in how we measure success in serving these students, as well as other groups of learners. Today, as a policy analyst with decades of experience, I am encouraging a new approach to accountability that places a value on bilingual skills." READ MORE

FEATURED ARTICLE Here's how to act on growth scores Promoted by Renaissance Learning Given the new accountability models driven by ESSA, it’s no longer enough to focus solely on proficiency. We’re also required to show that students are growing within and across school years—and that they’re developing the knowledge and skills they’ll need for success in an increasingly competitive world. In this webinar for education leaders, an assessment expert shares insights on analyzing student growth scores, along with tips for using growth data to enhance curriculum in your school and across your district. Watch now READ MORE

What a diverse group of 20 school districts are doing right in their COVID-19 reopening plans The 74 In many school systems, the 2020-2021 academic year was thrown off course before it even started. Large urban districts made a rapid shift to all-remote learning when the COVID case counts started climbing in late summer. In the months since, labor strife, health fears, legal battles and technology glitches have dominated the headlines. In a global pandemic, the best-laid plans can quickly fall apart. But students and educators need not weather a rocky return to school. Districts across the country have devised new ways of supporting students, connecting with families and measuring progress despite the disruptions caused by the pandemic. READ MORE

School attendance in the COVID era: What counts as 'present'? NPR From shiny red pencils reading "My Attendance Rocks!" to countless plaques and ribbons and trophies and certificates and gold stars: For as long as anyone can remember, taking attendance — and rewarding kids for simply showing up — is a time-honored school ritual. For good reason: Just being there, day in, day out, happens to be one of the most important factors that determines a child's success in school. And average daily head count forms the basis of school funding decisions at the federal, state and local level. READ MORE

Planning the Return to School: 7 Questions School Boards Must Ask Is your school board ready for this fall’s unprecedented challenges? This guide reveals the critical questions boards need to ask. MORE INFO

TECHNOLOGY

4 ways to keep your school resilient during distance learning 2.0 eSchool News The first phase of distance learning shocked education systems across the nation as schools were forced to migrate students and staff to distance learning in a week's time, leaving many struggling to simply "make it work." Fast forward six months and schools are still dealing with the weight of the pandemic — but are now confronted with new, added challenges. READ MORE

Data privacy in a pandemic? Parents are concerned, but still welcome more tech EdSurge Parents are concerned about their children’s online safety and data privacy, but not as much as other issues such as the quality of education their child receives, protection from violence and bullying, and ensuring their child doesn't fall behind in school. READ MORE

MULTIBRIEFS EXCLUSIVE Lax security practices, weak passwords make children an easy target for hackers By Chad Hammond A study on children’s password habits shows that kids can be careless when it comes to properly securing their accounts. The numbers suggest that 33% of third to fifth graders share their passwords with friends, and 58% use the same password for all their accounts. The data is even more discouraging among older children: 48% of sixth to eighth graders share their passwords with friends and 78% use the same password for every account. READ MORE

How does remote learning work if students can't even get online? The 74 Cleveland now ranks as the worst-connected big city in the nation, newly released U.S. Census data show, even as the need for online learning has skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost 31% of Cleveland households have no internet access at home at all, not even through cell phones, according to new 2019 American Community Survey data by the Census Bureau. That's the highest percentage of all cities with 100,000 or more households. Rankings from a year earlier placed Cleveland as fourth among the worst-connected large cities. READ MORE

Developments in remote assessment Language Magazine While the use of remote education and remote testing has been on the rise, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the volume of remote educational and assessment approaches. With this increased frequency of remote testing, it's useful to know the variety of options available to help ensure a secure process that supports test-taker integrity. While the information presented here is not intended to be comprehensive, it provides a high-level overview to assist educational stakeholders in product evaluation. READ MORE

POLICY CORNER

House easily passes stopgap funding bill, averting shutdown The Associated Press In a sweeping bipartisan vote that takes a government shutdown off the table, the House passed a temporary government-wide funding bill, shortly after President Donald Trump prevailed in a behind-the-scenes fight over his farm bailout. The stopgap measure will keep federal agencies fully up and running into December, giving lame-duck lawmakers time to digest the election and decide whether to pass the annual government funding bills by then or kick them to the next administration. The budget year ends Sept. 30. READ MORE

What Ruth Bader Ginsburg meant to education Education Week Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a pioneer in the women's rights movement and the second woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, died Friday at age 87 due to complications of pancreatic cancer. On education issues arising during her 27 years on the court, Ginsburg was a stalwart vote for sex equity in schools, expansive desegregation remedies, strict separation of church and state, and, in a memorable dissent, against broader drug testing of students. READ MORE

EDUCATION HEADLINES

How will schools teach English language learners this fall? Education Week Most of the nation's nearly five million English language learners are returning to classes, whether virtual or in-person, after a months-long stretch of distance learning where they were separated from the educators who are key to their academic success. How those students and their teachers rebound from the struggles tied to the school shutdowns of the spring could depend on guidance from their states and school districts about how to recover from learning loss and reconnect with families. READ MORE

Study shows major learning loss for grades K-2 eSchool News Students will likely experience 2 to 4 months of learning loss as a result of COVID-19 disruptions, especially in grades K-2, according to a new report. The findings from Illuminate Education highlight a need for additional instructional support this fall. "The data are telling us what we already suspected: this fall, educators need to be ready to use the appropriate tools to identify and contend with student learning loss, particularly in grades K-2," said Dr. John Bielinski, Illuminate Education's senior director of research and development. READ MORE

CAREERS

New Postings Every Week on ALAS Website! ALAS 09/25/20 — Superintendent, DeKalb Community Unit School District No. 428, DeKalb, IL 09/23/20 — Chief Communications Officer, Judson Independent School District, Live Oak, TX 09/16/20 — Assistant Superintendent, Wissahickon School District, Ambler, PA 09/16/20 — Chief of Communications, Lancaster Independent School District, Lancaster, TX 09/16/20 — Superintendent, Bend-La Pine Schools, Bend, OR 09/16/20 — Superintendent of Schools, Verona Area School District, Verona, WI 09/14/20 — Assistant Superintendent, Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, VA 09/09/20 — Bilingual Consulting Partner, English Learner Academics, TNTP, Southwest, TX 09/09/20 — Elementary Principal, Lower Gwynedd Elementary School, Ambler, PA 09/09/20 — Leadership Coach, TNTP, Southwest, TX 09/08/20 — Superintendent, Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District, Oyster Bay, NY 08/31/20 — Director of Human Resources, Plainfield Public Schools, Plainfield, NJ 08/31/20 — Principal, Plainfield Public Schools, Plainfield, NJ 08/20/20 — Curriculum Writers, Public Consulting Group, Inc., Boston, MA 08/20/20 — Principal – Carlin Springs Elementary School, Arlington Public Schools, Arlington, VA 08/17/20 — Executive Director of Human Resources, Santa Paula Unified School District, Santa Paula, CA 08/14/20 — Partner, Southeast, The New Teacher Project (TNTP), Southeast Region (USA and Puerto Rico) 08/13/20 — Director, Academics- Southwest and Southeast Regions, The New Teacher Project (TNTP), Multi-Regional (LA, TN, FL) 08/11/20 — Assistant Principal, South Monterey County Joint Union High School District, King City, CA 08/07/20 — Executive Director of Literacy, K-12, Fort Worth Independent School District, Fort Worth, TX 08/07/20 — Executive Director of Mathematics & Science, K-12, Fort Worth Independent School District, Fort Worth, TX VISIT ALAS WEBSITE FOR MORE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES & INFORMATION!!

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