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Oct. 15, 2020

ALAS UPDATES

SCHOOL LEADERS NEWS

How district administrators can drive student success in the COVID 'tech rush' eSchool News Following an abrupt shift to remote learning this past spring, school and district administrators have had their fair share of summer homework as they prepare for a technology-first fall term. From filling out funding applications to reworking classrooms to promote social distancing, to choosing the right technology for hybrid learning environments, they've been working diligently to prepare for a school year that drives student engagement. 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

MULTIBRIEFS EXCLUSIVE The pandemic has taught us that school facilities need attention By Brian Stack The pandemic continues to expose weaknesses in various parts of our educational system. This fall, one of the most debated was one that is often forgotten: The state of our 100,000 elementary and secondary public school facilities. America seems to have a love-hate relationship with its school facilities. They are costly to replace, yet when they are in disrepair, they can be expensive to maintain. For many communities, however, they are some of the most heavily used community resources. READ MORE

Hurricanes, wildfires, COVID-19: Emergency tactics guiding administrators in turbulent times Education DIVE Being able to lead through a crisis as a administrator comes with the job description — but many spent 2020 navigating several at once. While adjusting to the COVID-19 pandemic and the emotional toll of protests over systemic racism, many district and school leaders have also faced everything from windstorms and wildfires to hurricanes and earthquakes. 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

Helping English language learners excel despite the distance Verizon Qasim Almjareesh uses technology to continue his studies during the COVID-19 pandemic. It's hard enough to learn in a second language without a pandemic keeping you out of the classroom. But Qasim Almjareesh — a newly minted eighth-grader at Newburg Middle School in Louisville, Kentucky — hasn't let that stop him. Our discussion with the Syrian immigrant and native Arabic speaker brought to light his experience with distance learning after COVID-19 pushed his school to shift to teaching virtually last spring. READ MORE

5 ways America's public schools could survive the coming fiscal storm Education Week With K-12 revenue having cratered, school administrators, policymakers and school funding advocates are now devising strategies to help school districts survive the coronavirus-sparked recession. After this year's election, politicians at the federal, state and local levels will begin to debate in earnest how to cope with an anticipated $500 billion budget hole. At issue is which districts should absorb the most pain, whether to restructure school funding policies and tax revenue sources, and how to cut while also boosting academic outcomes. 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

Districts: Here's how to get some help with the E-rate Education Week Ed tech officials: Confused about the E-rate? The State Educational Technology Directors Association is on the case. The nonprofit, which represents U.S. state and territorial tech leaders, is launching a new feature, E-rate Training: Ask the State Experts. The trainings are aimed at supporting tech leaders with applications and implementation of the E-Rate program for schools, districts and libraries so they can get the most for their money in fiscal year 2021, which started Oct. 1. READ MORE

Adapting assessment to personal learning Language Magazine The shift to online learning calls upon educators to reimagine the ways we structure our courses and facilitate the learning experience. With that comes the imperative to modify the way that we assess student learning. Even this fall term will be different from the swift move to online that many instructors experienced in the spring, now that we’ve had some months to get used to the idea of teaching online and have some experience under our belts. READ MORE

5 tips for integrating coding into your science curriculum District Administration Magazine (commentary) Stephanie Oster, a contributor for District Administration Magazine, writes: "As a middle school science teacher, I'm always looking for ways to make life science and biology more fun, engaging, and interesting for my students. Even though I don't have a background in computer science, I've been able to integrate computer coding into our science curriculum. I learned about the CoderZ League through its related curriculum. I jumped right on board and now they can't make me quit if they tried!" READ MORE

POLICY CORNER

Federal per-pupil spending map gives rundown for each school and district THE Journal The United States Department of Education has launched an interactive map that shows how much money each school spends per student. So far, districts and schools in 20 states have been added to the map. The idea, according to the agency, is to "radically increase transparency as parents and local leaders seek to understand funding levels and differences between schools." ESSA, the Every Student Succeeds Act, requires each state to provide the data on "per pupil expenditures" as part of its public "report card" for each education agency. READ MORE

10 post-COVID policy issues facing education eSchool News A new report from the Aurora Institute examines the top 10 K-12 education policy issues that have surfaced in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report, Education Policy Issues for the COVID-19 Era: Policy Actions and Responses to Leverage the Moment for Future Readiness, offers insight into effecting high-level systematic change for the future of teaching and learning. READ MORE

EDUCATION HEADLINES

Why schools need safety management more than ever District Administration Magazine Student safety and security have always been two of our key district goals, but when the global pandemic shut down our physical schools and forced everyone to learn remotely, we quickly found ourselves in unfamiliar territory. Like any district that was focused primarily on in-person learning, ours not only needed a way for teachers to interact effectively with students online; it also had to be responsible for ensuring users' safety as they navigated this “new normal” learning environment. READ MORE

How much learning have students lost due to COVID? Projections are coming in, but it's still hard to say Chalkbeat There is good reason to fear that this spring's school closures hurt students' academic progress. But how much learning, exactly, did students lose? On a national level, we don't yet know. State tests were canceled last spring, and this year's tests won't be given for many months, if they happen at all. That's prompted researchers to release their own projections of learning loss — and they paint a grim picture. READ MORE

Making access and equity a reality for diverse students eSchool News Large school districts in different parts of the United States have now developed systematic ways to increase diverse students' access to advanced courses, and the districts are also providing other important aspects of equity, including an education that prepares the students for 21st century careers. During a recent edWebinar, hosted by AASA, The Superintendents Association and AASA's Leadership Network, Dr. Christine Johns, Superintendent of the Utica Community Schools in Michigan, and Dr. Ann Levett, Superintendent of the Savannah-Chatham Public Schools in Georgia, explained how their districts were achieving better outcomes for their student populations and offered recommendations for other district leaders. READ MORE

Parent training: 5 ways to help parents support distance learning District Administration Magazine District leaders acknowledge that the many passwords, platforms, schedules and assignments associated with virtual learning are overwhelming to parents who are assisting their children this fall. Parents are exhausted by managing their child's classwork in addition to taking care of their other responsibilities, such as work demands, says Naomi Tyler, director of the IRIS Center, a technical assistance center funded by the Office of Special Education Programs. But, she adds, "The data is clear: When there's collaboration between school and home, the outcomes for students are so much better." READ MORE

The learning curve: Distance learning poses more challenges for English learners Voice of San Diego A small, select group of San Diego Unified's most vulnerable students will be eligible to be come back to school for appointment-based, in-person learning. The group includes special education students and those who have fallen behind in their learning. One group it doesn't specifically include: English language learners. English learners are students with a different home language, who are not yet proficient in English. They make up nearly 20% of the roughly 500,000 students in San Diego County. Their unique learning needs make them less likely to be served well by online school, experts say. READ MORE

CAREERS

New Postings Every Week on ALAS Website! ALAS 10/12/20 — Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership (PK-12), California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 10/12/20 — Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, Durham Public Schools, Durham, NC 10/12/20 — Assistant Superintendent of the Department of Human Resources, Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, VA 10/12/20 — Partner, School Design, Transcend Education, Multi-Region 10/12/20 — Project Manager, Hopkintin School District, Hopkintin, NH 10/12/20 — Superintendent of Schools, Dover-Sherborn Public Schools, Dover, MA 10/02/20 — Deputy Chief of Schools, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago, IL 10/02/20 — Executive Director of Technology, Kermit Independent School District, Kermit, TX 10/02/20 — Superintendent, Seminole County Public Schools, Seminole County, FL 10/02/20 — 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 VISIT ALAS WEBSITE FOR MORE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES & INFORMATION!!

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