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.PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP
As schools battle Omicron, billions of federal relief dollars remain unspent
CNN
Some schools are struggling to remain open for in-person learning due to the latest coronavirus surge — but a lack of money isn't the problem. Much of the $190 billion that Congress authorized for schools earlier in the pandemic has yet to be used. In a majority of states, less than 20% of the federal money had been spent by the end of November, according to the latest US Department of Education data.
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Schools desperate for substitute teachers are turning to parents
NBC
A number of schools across the country facing severe teacher shortages are sending unprecedented callouts to parents asking them to apply to be substitute teachers, but while the move might be a good quick fix to keep schools open for now, education experts say this model should not be used as a long-term solution for teacher shortages.
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Promoted By
Boosterthon
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Promoted By
The Daily Mile
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What students are saying about Omicron, acts of bravery and their 'best day' in 2021
New York Times
As students returned to schools last week after the holiday break, a new coronavirus variant was raging, causing major disruptions to in-person instruction. To start off a new year of writing prompts, we asked teenagers how Omicron was affecting their lives. They told us about bracing for remote learning again, the reality of mask-wearing and social distancing in schools, and the things their teachers and administrators were doing to make them feel safe.
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How schools are trying to win the battle for better behavior
District Administration Magazine
The behavioral disruptions are largely driven by anxiety over the pandemic’s constant disruptions and restrictions on community-building activities such as schoolwide meetings, holiday sing-alongs and buddy programs for the oldest and youngest students.
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2 ways schools can ease COVID-19's trauma for students — and one for teachers
Hechinger Report
At the start of the school year last August, I spent several days visiting a first-grade classroom in Austin, Texas, to see how the coronavirus pandemic was impacting teaching and learning after nearly two years of disruption. The academic impact was exactly what experts predicted: students were all over the map in their reading abilities. But I was struck by some less widely reported trends their teacher shared with me, like the pandemic’s impact on non-academic skills, including social-emotional, fine and gross motor skills. Many students were struggling with things like being able to use scissors, work independently and resolve conflicts.
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Are learning gaps stabilizing?
eSchool News
Although wide learning gaps still exist for students across the U.S., those gaps do show signs of somewhat stabilizing, according to new research illustrating the scale and disproportionate nature of the disruption to students’ learning from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report comes from NWEA, a nonprofit research and educational services provider serving K-12 students.
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One state's plan to confront COVID teacher shortages: Easing residency requirements, welcoming back retired educators
The 74
New Jersey lawmakers approved two bills recently intended to help schools struggling with continuing staffing issues amid a new, highly-transmissible coronavirus variant.
One bill (A5576), passed unanimously by both chambers recently, would allow retired teachers to return to the classroom through the 2022-2023 school year and still collect their pensions.
Another measure (S4203) would eliminate the requirement for public school employees to live in the state for three years before they are hired.
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Assessment is critical to helping English learners achieve language and content proficiency, especially as educators continue to work to close gaps caused by disruptions in learning. Learn more about the different types of assessments needed to ensure equitable support and academic excellence for ELs. Read the Whitepaper.
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When it comes to learning loss, don't reinvent the wheel
eSchool News
As we head towards the last half of our second school year in a pandemic, there is no doubt that the impact of learning loss has exceeded all predictions. As reported by McKinsey, students are behind an average of four months in reading and five months in math. Unfortunately, the pandemic widened preexisting opportunity and achievement gaps, hitting historically disadvantaged students hardest. In math, students in majority black schools ended the year with six months of unfinished learning; students in low-income schools with seven.
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Help! Half my class is out with COVID
We Are Teachers
I've been teaching third grade for 12 years. You'd think I'd know what I was doing by now. But nothing could have prepared me for coming back from break and having literally half my class out with COVID. I really don't want to go back to virtual learning. But these kids are going to be so far behind. And I don't want to hold back the ones who’ve been in class the whole time. How am I supposed to plan with so much uncertainty?
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Prediction: The future of teacher evaluations is video
eSchool News
Over the last two years, educators have been forced into all kinds of unplanned experiments as we've searched for ways to keep students safe while continuing to advance their education amid a global pandemic.
At the Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township, we've found that one of the pandemic-related changes we'll be keeping around is the use of video for teacher evaluations. I think it's a change we'll see a lot of other districts making in the next year or two as well.
Based on our experience, here’s how I can see it playing out across the country.
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.EDUCATION POLICY
Lawmakers are rewriting rules as schools grapple with teacher shortages
NPR
It used to be that when Cordelia Watson got an automated call to substitute teach at the Los Angeles Unified School District, there was a specific script that included the name of the teacher she'd be replacing for the day.
Now, she says, there is so much turnover and so many teachers calling out sick or quarantining with COVID, that the system can't keep up. The messages often exclude any mention of a particular teacher.
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.SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY
Schools struggle to reach their education technology goals. Here's why and how to fix it.
MarketScale
The key strategy to combatting this disruption has, naturally, been to create flexible learning environments that rely on quality online learning solutions, gamification, 1:1 technology, and other education technology investments. What was for many schools a “band-aid fix” to a short-term problem, though, is still actively needed during the pandemic, and according to extensive research from the EdTech Evidence Exchange, still hasn’t become a confident part of the learning ecosystem.
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As school communities have struggled to address the mental health needs of their students, the focus has been on treatment. Understandable.
However, we can start proactively helping our students in elementary school. Brain-based mental health literacy & resilience training provide strong Tier 1 support.
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Technology in the classroom: From necessity to opportunity
Education Technology
The onset of the COVID lockdown meant that schools, colleges and universities across the country have had to facilitate home learning for their students and technology has become an unavoidable part of the classroom. For many teachers this has meant a steep learning curve, with new platforms to navigate and teaching techniques to master.
However, nearly two years in, there is evidence that the growth of the "connected classroom" has brought many advances and improvements that should not be forgotten in favor of a return to "normal".
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A digital divide haunts schools adapting to virus hurdles
Associated Press
As more families pivot back to remote learning amid quarantines and school closures, reliable, consistent access to devices and home internet remains elusive for many students who need them to keep up with their schoolwork. Home internet access for students has improved since the onset of the pandemic with help from philanthropy, federal relief funding and other efforts — but obstacles linger, including a lack of devices, slow speeds and financial hurdles.
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50 STEM activities to help kids think outside the box
We Are Teachers
These days, STEM learning is more important than ever. Science, technology, engineering, and math are the keys to many modern careers, so a good grounding in them from an early age is a must. The best STEM activities are hands-on, leading kids to cool innovations and real-world applications. Here are some of our favorites, with challenges that will really get kids thinking about how STEM plays a part in their everyday lives.
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Barriers facing computer science education
Rex Academy
Computer science is no longer seen as just a skill for solving problems. It is now the language of the digital age. As the world advances in technology, students in K-12 need computer science education to be competitive. Studies conducted by Code.org show that U.S schools are missing the mark when it comes to this form of education. Across 37 states, only 4.7% of high school students are enrolled in foundational computer science. There are many reasons behind this, including a dearth of qualified instructors, limited technical support and training, and scanty resources.
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WeVideo Releases WeVideo Classroom for educational multimedia creation
eSchool News
WeVideo Classroom, a cloud-based multimedia creation platform customized for educators to help drive student engagement and ignite deeper learning through the creative process. Developed in response to evolving education demands during an unprecedented year, WeVideo Classroom makes it easy for teachers to incorporate multimedia creation into more enriching daily lessons, further helping students to think critically, collaborate, and gain a deeper understanding of knowledge.
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| Promoted by
Brainfuse, Inc. |
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.PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
How to create a vertical professional learning community
Edutopia
A vertical professional learning community, or PLC, happens when a team of educators come together to see how standards, curriculum, assessment, and instruction align within the school. It's most effective for a vertical PLC to be made up of all teachers within the same department or content area and span across grade levels (for example, in a high school, all of the math teachers — regardless of whether they taught Algebra 1 or AP Calculus—would be part of the math PLC).
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Bringing science to the classroom
Pace University
Science class.
For some of us, it may conjure up memories of vinegar-and-baking soda volcanoes or the oft-repeated and meme-worthy phrase: the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.
But for the School of Education students in Linda Carlson’s Science Methods class, science class has taken on a whole new meaning. They spent last semester investigating methods and approaches for developing an integrated science curriculum for elementary school students.
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Introducing upper elementary students to academic discourse
Edutopia
Student discourse is a fantastic way to hear our students take ownership of their thinking and learning. According to education researcher John Hattie, it’s a very effective classroom practice and positively impacts students. To make this happen for our young students, I know we elementary teachers have to lay the foundational work. But I constantly ask myself, why does it feel so challenging to get started?
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Learn tips and strategies to deliver inspired feedback, master MTSS, and create a culture and curriculum that’s inclusive and effective for every learner. Bestselling author Katie Novak (Innovate Inside the Box and UDL Now!) and Mike Woodlock show you how. Order A UDL Playbook for School and District Leaders today!
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How the pandemic impacts IEP plans versus 504 plans
Patch
The IEP process is difficult under normal conditions. When we are in the middle of a pandemic it can become very overwhelming and confusing. Additionally, many parents do not know what an IEP is or what a 504 Plan is in regards to a child's education. Also many parents are not aware of their rights or their child's educational rights.
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Classroom ideas ask the experts: Differentiation in middle school math
We Are Teachers
A wise person (probably a teacher) once said, "What's equal is not always fair. What’s fair is not always equal." This certainly goes for teaching. Middle school math differentiation of instruction is a key to meeting the individual needs of students and helping ensure their success in learning. We asked a few top middle school math teachers, math coaches, and curriculum specialists to weigh in on common questions middle school math teachers have about differentiating instruction.
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Leadership: Listening to others in volatile times
MiddleWeb
Listening is a key skill for every school leader, especially when faced by the need to mediate complex and often volatile issues. This fall there were countless stories about school principals being confronted by parents unhappy about pandemic procedures and mask mandates.
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Imagination Playground
is a breakthrough playspace designed to encourage child-directed unstructured free play. Unlike traditional hardscape playgrounds, Imagination Playground is low cost, requires no installation, and can be used both indoors and out. Our Blue Blocks are proudly made in the USA from a closed cell waterproof foam, making them durable and easy to clean.
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.EDUCATION RESEARCH
Practice exams for improved learning
Faculty Focus
Studies show that practice exams are the best way to prepare for real exams. This is because they implement spaced retrieval practice, with the learner pulling the information out of their memory when applying it to the question, which hardens that information in memory (Oakley & Sejnowski, 2018). Plus, they alert the student to topics that they do not fully understand and need to study before the real exam.
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Promoted by Stepping Stones Museum For Children
Empower your teachers with exciting new virtual STEAM-powered classes, clubs and workshops at award-winning Stepping Stones Museum for Children. The Stepping Stones Studio makes it easy to inspire and delight young learners with a celebrated lineup of play-filled, brain-building educational offerings now accessible to everyone, everywhere. “This is the most wonderful hands-on experience for children! The Traveling Seeds workshop was extraordinary. The students were engaged and learned a lot. I enjoyed watching the children play and learn at the same time,” a 1st grade teacher, Norwalk Public Schools, Norwalk CT. Click the link here for detailed information: https://www.steppingstonesmuseum.org/app/uploads/2021/12/21-School-and-Groups-Flyer-VIRTUAL-120821.pdf
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.IN THE STATES
Addressing the crisis in arts and music education in California
EdSource
For decades, arts and music education in California has been dying a slow death in many schools, strangled by budget cuts amid an ongoing emphasis on core subjects like reading and math and test scores as the measure of student success.
But now, as educators search for new strategies to excite students about learning, especially during this grim pandemic, there is hope for their revival.
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Texas schools struggle to stay open as teachers and bus drivers call in sick with COVID-19
Texas Tribune
The complicated ritual of dropping off or picking up her three children from their respective schools already took Maze Ikeen about two hours per journey.
Now, after a wave of COVID-19 infections forced the Hutto Independent School District to discontinue regular bus operations for nearly 4,000 students this week, each trip has extended to about three hours — or almost six hours of Ikeen’s day — as parents have few other choices than to drive their children to campus.
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A parents' 'Bill of Rights?' Missouri may give families more influence in classrooms
The 74
The bill stipulates that parents have a right to review information related to their child’s education, like attendance, standardized test results and curriculum. It would also direct the state education department to create a form by which parents could ask to be notified two weeks in advance whenever a "divisive or controversial topic that may conflict with a parent’s belief that all persons, regardless of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, or ancestry, should be treated equally" will be taught.
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.ASSOCIATION NEWS
Announcing Conference Keynote Speaker Inky Johnson
NAESP
At the 2022 Pre-K–8 Principals Conference in Louisville, Inky Johnson, former collegiate football player injured on the field, will inspire you to embrace adversity and live life with a greater purpose. Visit naespconfere.org now to learn more and register.
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Apply to NAESP Grassroots Advocacy Network
NAESP
The NAESP Grassroots Advocacy Network (GAN) consists of NAESP members who volunteer to help advance NAESP’s advocacy priorities and become a more engaged principal advocate at the local level. As a grassroots advocacy leader, you are joining principals from across the country to ensure principals’ interests are reflected in public policy at all levels—federal, state, and local. Joining the network will provide you with advocacy training, access to exclusive grassroots advocacy content, opportunities to hear from national advocacy experts, and networking.
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