This message was sent to ##Email## To advertise in this publication please click here November 5, 2020 .ALAS UPDATES STREAM HERE  SPONSORED VIDEO Reimagine Computer Science Professional Development BootUp is committed to delivering high-quality computer science professional development to elementary teachers that boosts their confidence to teach 21st-century skills in the classroom. More than ever, computer science provides students with invaluable skills for their futures. WATCH VIDEO .SCHOOL LEADERS NEWS Most superintendents say they're not 'very well prepared' to lead race, equity conversations Education DIVE The 2020 survey results, centered on the roles and demographics of school and district leaders, comes at a time when schools across the nation are attempting comprehensive approaches for addressing diversity and antiracist practices. The AASA study also shows student populations are becoming increasingly diverse, although several groups say much more work is needed to improve racial and socioeconomic integration. READ MORE Why empathy is a leadership essential District Administration Magazine The massive shift to remote instruction has, perhaps ironically, driven education leaders to focus more closely on relationships with students, families and staff, says Brianna Hodges. This recommitment to strengthening connections and greater flexibility around when instruction takes place are two lasting impacts COVID can have on K-12 education, says Hodges, an education consultant and Future of Education Technology Conference® 2021 keynote speaker. READ MORE  FEATURED ARTICLE   6 myths about emergent bilinguals Promoted by Renaissance Learning “Unless students start learning a second language early, they’ll never truly master it.” “Bilinguals are really just two monolinguals in one person.” “The best way to promote English literacy is to immerse bilingual students in English-only instruction.” Educators encounter these and other misconceptions all the time. In a new blog, two bilingual educators respond to these and other myths, explaining why it’s so critical to use an asset-based approach when teaching emergent bilingual students. They also provide tips for supporting strong English-Spanish biliteracy, and they share links to helpful research and resources. Explore the myths LEARN MORE   The pandemic's impact on teacher, parent and student attitudes THE Journal Interest by teachers in professional development on how to teach online courses more than doubled when the pandemic arrived, by 120%. Interest in PD on the use of social media to communicate with parents and students grew by 83%. And interest in how to create videos jumped by 74%. Also popular: PD on how to facilitate online discussion forums (53%) and implement a blended or flipped class (52%). READ MORE 9 ways states and schools are coping with COVID-19 The 74 The coronavirus pandemic, through necessitating virtual learning and forcing extended school closures, has beamed a spotlight on the extent of education inequity in the United States. After a nationwide realization that millions of students didn't have the necessary equipment or access to infrastructure to move learning online, researchers and advocates are now following a trend of schools reopening sooner in more affluent communities. READ MORE How far behind did students fall during spring closures? District Administration Magazine Learning losses during remote instruction this spring were more severe in math than in reading, a new analysis has found. Using a model that treated spring school closures like an extended summer break, NWEA researchers found that students likely started school this fall with 37% to 50% of the typical annual learning gains in math. In reading, students began the year with 63% to 68% of the typical learning gains, according to a new research brief from the nonprofit testing company. READ MORE .TECHNOLOGY MULTIBRIEFS EXCLUSIVE Has the pandemic changed the nature of K-12 cybersecurity? By Bambi Majumdar 2020 has been the year of remote learning, which means more digitalization. It also means new security challenges for K-12 students. Thousands of users are using cloud-based applications such as Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Google Classroom, and Zoom. The high volume of users and greater network demands lead to regular technical issues that teachers and schools have to overcome. But these are issues that, albeit annoying, can be handled. More sinister is the fact that online learning has created a new way for cybercriminals to strike. READ MORE What is distance learning's impact on educational IT? EdTech Magazine The global pandemic accelerated K–12 education's digital transformation. With remote and hybrid learning turning mainstream, today's teachers and students are increasingly reliant on mobile devices and digital tools. Efforts to close the homework gap are more urgent than ever, and cyberthreats — particularly ransomware attacks — are only intensifying. These unprecedented changes also make it clear that IT teams must be equipped with the right tools to support the success of students and educators in this new learning environment, according to a report by Absolute, an endpoint security solutions company. READ MORE Students are online like never before. What does that mean for their privacy? EdSurge Technology is enabling learning like never before, with millions of students attending school remotely for some or all of their regular instruction this fall. With this skyrocketing growth in technology use, however, comes greater concerns around student privacy. Which technologies are collecting student data? How is that data being used? Who has access to it? And how long is it kept? READ MORE The gender gap persists in computer science education eSchool News K-12 educators and parents still hold computer science education in high esteem and believe it is a core component of students' future success, according to the latest research from Gallup and Google. While parents in every demographic believe computer science is important for their own child to learn, Black parents and guardians in particular (78%) agree that learning computer science is important or very important for their children. READ MORE Slow responses in shift to remote learning hurting students District Administration Magazine Despite "the great effort" districts have made to embrace remote learning this fall, schools are still struggling to deliver high-quality instruction online and make up academic losses, according to a new report from the Center on Reinventing Public Education. With many districts still operating in fully remote or hybrid models — and the expectation that more will return to virtual environments because of COVID-19 case increases nationwide — the CRPE said schools have provided "insufficient" learning for students, especially to those in underserved or vulnerable populations. READ MORE .POLICY CORNER US Department of Education releases parent and family digital learning guide U.S. Department of Education The U.S. Department of Education released a new Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide, a resource to help parents and guardians understand how digital tools can provide tailored learning opportunities, engage students with course materials, encourage creative expression, and enrich the educational experience. "As technology continues to iterate and benefit every part of our lives, all students need more opportunities to leverage the potential of technology in education," said U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. READ MORE Lawmakers push plan to protect school jobs from pandemic cuts Education Week Amid stalled coronavirus relief negotiations, leading Democrats on a congressional education committee unveiled a proposal this week they say could safeguard up to 3.9 million education jobs threatened by the pandemic and address the effects of interrupted learning. Alarm bells are ringing in school districts across the country about the state of their budgets in an economy hamstrung by the coronavirus. Some states have already made cuts to K-12 funding, but analysts say many of the worst effects of the pandemics on education funding are still to come. Education groups have been warning Congress about this issue for months. READ MORE .EDUCATION HEADLINES Why are some bilingual people dyslexic in English but not their other language? Medical Xpress In the English-speaking world, dyslexia is a familiar learning disorder. Most people are likely to have known someone who found reading and writing trickier than their peers. In fact, more than one in 10 people that grew up with English as their first language are said to have dyslexia, with wide consensus pointing toward a person's genetic history as the leading cause. One, it would appear, is either born dyslexic or not. READ MORE Raising 'the bar' for ELL instruction Education Week What are some of the most common mistakes teachers make when working with ELLs, and what should they do, instead? First, a caveat. As we approached this question, we paused to discuss the phrase "common mistakes." "Common mistakes" is so often used in reference to English language learners' efforts to grapple with a new language. Rather than focus on the common mistakes teachers make, we want to celebrate their creativity and collaboration, particularly in these challenging times. In many schools and districts where we work, 50% of students are classified as ELLs. READ MORE Educators wanted vulnerable students to return first for in-person learning, but a racial divide spoiled their plans The 74 When Northside Independent School District superintendent Brian Woods designed his reopening strategy, he started with the kids who needed to be there most. He felt certain that poor, largely Black and Latino San Antonio families without access to the internet, frontline workers in need of childcare and those struggling to keep food on the table would be desperate to get their kids back into the school buildings. READ MORE Parents are the new remote-school Zoom bombers The Wall Street Journal Remote school has created a whole new group of people for teachers to manage during class time: parents. Now that moms and dads have gotten a new window into the classroom, many are having a hard time staying out of it. Some are asking questions during live video classes or texting teachers while class is in session. Others are sitting next to their kids and asking them questions or prodding them to speak up. READ MORE Applying task-based learning to extended reality Language Magazine Once technology enters the classroom, it rarely leaves. These days, as online learning emerges as the next technology to find a home inside the classroom, we have an opportunity to look further into the future. This is a great time to consider the next digital horizon for education — specifically the emerging fields of augmented reality and virtual reality. Both technologies are already being experimented with for learning in general and language learning in particular. READ MORE .CAREERS New Postings Every Week on ALAS Website! ALAS 11/02/20 — Chief Academic Officer, DeSoto Independent School District, DeSoto, TX 11/02/20 — Chief Financial Officer, Lockhart Independent School District, Lockhart, TX 11/2/20 — Chief of Communications, Lancaster Independent School District, Lancaster, TX 11/2/20 — Chief Financial Officer, DeSoto Independent School District , DeSoto, TX 10/30/20 — Part Time Professor, Dissertation Chair, Northcentral University, Scottsdale, AZ 10/30/20 — Part Time Professor, Educational Leadership, Northcentral University, Scottsdale, AZ 10/30/20 — Part Time Professor, Instructional Design, Northcentral University, Scottsdale, AZ 10/30/20 — Part Time Professor, Social Emotional Learning, Northcentral University, Scottsdale, AZ 10/30/20 — Superintendent, School District of Beloit, Long Beach, Beloit, WI 10/23/20 — Superintendent, East Baton Rouge Parish School System, Baton Rouge, LA 10/21/20 — Chief Executive Officer, Nevada State High School, Henderson and Las Vegas, NV 10/19/20 — Jorge Paulo Lemann Professorship for Brazil Studies, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA 10/19/20 — Superintendent of Schools, Champaign Unit 4 School District, Champaign, IL 10/16/20 — Director of Talent, Transcend Education, Flexible (Domestic travel when safe to do so) 10/16/20 — Superintedent, North Wasco County School District 21, The Dalles, OR 10/16/20 — Usable Knowledge Associate, Transcend Education, Fully Remote/Virtual Team 10/15/20 — Superintendent of Schools, Monroe County Community School Corporation, Bloomington, IN VISIT ALAS WEBSITE FOR MORE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES & INFORMATION!!   ALAS: Leaders in Equity Update Connect with ALAS Dennis Hall, Director of Publishing, MultiView, 469-420-2656 | Download media kit Hailey Golden, Senior Education Editor, 469-420-2630| Contribute news Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents P.O. 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