This message was sent to ##Email##
|
|
|
|
We Are Teachers
This May, Teacher Appreciation Week is definitely going to look a little different. There won't be any snack carts or staff luncheons, but with a little creativity, you can still make those hard-working teachers feel special.
READ MORE
Edutopia
It's suddenly clear to everyone — although teachers have been aware the whole time — that schools are a crucial piece in an ecosystem that keeps America afloat. They aren't just where kids are educated — though that remains their indispensable objective and cultural contribution — they're also where millions of parents start their own days, dropping off their kids before heading out to jobs that pay the bills.
READ MORE
District Administration Magazine
Right now, every organization and company, big or small, is shepherding their workforce through immense change. Operations are being reinvented. Employees are anxious. And things are evolving so quickly that what is true in the morning might not be true by the afternoon. With so much uncertainty, leaders have a critical role to play. A look at trust during the coronavirus pandemic in 10 markets — including Italy, South Korea, the U.K. and the U.S. — conducted by Edelman in early March found that people trust information about the virus they receive from their employer more than that received from government officials.
READ MORE
eSchool News
The global COVID-19 crisis could pave the way for teletherapy to become more widespread among school mental health systems, adolescent mental health experts say. Many students with existing therapy needs are seeking therapy via phone or online platforms, and social distancing and isolation orders have prompted others to seek counseling for new feelings of sadness and anxiety.
READ MORE
District Administration Magazine
While many officials expect public schools to reopen in the fall, K-12 education even then may not return to "normal." Schools in Denmark, which last week became the first system in Europe to reopen, may provide a glimpse at what U.S. classrooms might look like when students return. At one school, students sat at desks placed six feet apart, washed their hands once an hour and could only play in small groups during recess, The New York Times reported.
READ MORE
NPR
Eight-year-old Mariana Aceves is doing her math homework — subtraction by counting backward — while sitting on the bed she shares with her mom, Lorena Aceves. They're sitting on the bed because they have nowhere else to go. They live in an 8-foot-by-12-foot room called a tiny house. It's part of Seattle's transitional housing, where people experiencing homelessness can live until they find a job and a place of their own.
READ MORE
The 74 (commentary)
Vanessa Luna, a contributor for The 74, writes: "I taught this student three years ago in the seventh grade — we used to have lunch together almost every other day. We worked on bulletin boards, organized the classroom for my next classes and completed extra credit assignments. Now a 10th-grader in Queens, New York, my student is grappling with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic while living in the epicenter of this crisis and being a part of a mixed-status immigrant family — her 10-year-old sister is a citizen, while she and her parents are undocumented."
READ MORE
 |
|
Champions is an opportunity to exceed every parent’s expectations of what before and after school can be. Our programs immerse K–6 students in an inquiry-based, whole-child learning environment that supports academic and social-emotional learning. Support your teachers’ goals outside the school day without costing your district’s budget. Learn more
|
|
Chalkbeat
When students used to walk to Aurora's Paris Elementary, the principal and other staff greeted them to music at the entrance. A weekly assembly like a pep rally, recognition of students and staff, and reminders of school values — all contributed to creating supportive enthusiasm at school. "It's that spirit of we love you, we see you," said Susan Gershwin, community school coordinator. "That's just our school culture, so it's like, now how do we carry that on?" Now that school buildings have been closed for the rest of the school year in Aurora, Paris leaders are trying to bring back some of that feeling.
READ MORE
Fast Company (commentary)
Keith Ferrazzi, a contributor for Fast Company, writes: "The first question I get from leaders unexpectedly thrust into managing remote teams is some variation of the following: How do I make sure people are productive? What they're really wondering is: If I can't see my employees — in weekly update meetings, at their desks, taking clients to lunch — how can I be sure they’re doing their work?"
READ MORE
By: Anne Rose (commentary)
 Who's in control? Not you. And certainly not me. Yet most of us seek to control every aspect of our lives: where we live, where we work, who we befriend, how we dedicate our free time. That sounds reasonable, right? But nevertheless, that is a full-time job. If all that isn't enough, we also seek to control the uncontrollable outside ourselves. You should realize that there are many uncontrollable aspects to life. And that fact has shaken and frightened many people who thrive on order, not chaos, in the mistaken notion that they can control the variables of life. Here are some suggestions to keep you focused.
READ MORE
|
Promoted By
Move This World
|
|
|
|
|
|
Entrepreneur
Crisis preparedness is a competitive advantage, and what doesn't kill your business should make it stronger. In March, more than 10 million Americans filed for unemployment as workers stayed home due to statewide lockdowns. The health emergency isn't over, but businesses can (and should) find ways to make their operations stronger when the crisis finally ends. That requires founders, CEOs and employees to become leaders in their respective organizations and communities during a difficult time.
READ MORE
Leadership Freak (commentary)
"I haven't been a fan of all the mumbo jumbo about being present, until recently. Maybe I had too much to do? Stress and anxiety reveal the danger of distraction and power of being present."
READ MORE
Education Week
America's public schools will need $70 billion for three consecutive years in the next round of federal stimulus spending to avoid painful cuts such as teacher layoffs, according to a new analysis. That level of spending — from fiscal analyst Michael Griffith — would help blunt the dramatic budget cuts that districts will likely be forced to make because of the economic fallout brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
READ MORE
|
Promoted by
|
|
|
|
 |
Education Week
In her first three years in office, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos drew attention — and fierce criticism — like none of her predecessors. Now, as the country wrestles with the coronavirus pandemic, DeVos faces circumstances no education secretary has ever confronted. So far, her public actions and messages during the unprecedented shutdown of schools nationwide have demonstrated a mixture of leniency and pressure. But other complex tests await her.
READ MORE
We Are Teachers
Teachers across the nation had a hot second to learn virtual teaching. Literally 48 hours in Ohio. The mind shift from daily student interaction to 100% web and video-based learning sent students and teachers’ minds spinning for a few weeks. They also had to deal with the emotional turmoil of living in a pandemic.
READ MORE
Tech & Learning
No doubt about it, teaching remotely from your home office or kitchen counter is much harder than facing a room full of kids. Using a video link, such as Zoom, can help. Google Meet, however, goes a step or two further with extra security and functionalities such as the ability to add in auto-graded quizzes. Regardless of if it's to teach the history of the Iroquois Confederation, the parts of speech, or how radioactive decay works, a variety of lessons can be presented over video with Meet.
READ MORE
|
|
District Administration Magazine
Every student at Glastonbury Public Schools, a 1 to 1 school district, has been completing coursework using school iPads since March 16 after Connecticut’s governor announced the statewide closures of schools on March 13. The Connecticut district could adopt distance learning quickly and seamlessly because of an earlier iPad program that District Administration's Districts of Distinction program honored in 2016. Before COVID-19, students in grades 7 through 12 already took their school iPads home with them while K-6 students stored their devices in charging carts when not in use.
READ MORE
eSchool News
Distance learning is a way of life for more than 56 million kids in the U.S. right now. With the ongoing concern, it looks like this will be the new norm for the rest of the school year in a lot of places around the U.S. This is a huge change, not just for students, but also for their families, the community, and more than 3 million educators. All of this change can bring stress, anxiety, and uncertainty.
READ MORE
EdTech Magazine
When school buildings close, districts have to think strategically about how they'll continue teaching students beyond classroom walls — especially in times of a crisis. Educators have to adapt lesson plans to their district's chosen remote learning approach, whether that be using learning management systems, collaboration suites, take-home packets or all three combined.
READ MORE
 |
|
School shut down? Looking to expand your teachers' professional learning? IRIS can help. Supported by the U.S. Department of Education, we offer free online PD, covering behavior management, differentiated instruction, accommodations for students with disabilities and more, to increase your teachers' knowledge of evidence-based
practices:
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/pd-hours/
|
|
eSchool News
Millions of students have transitioned to online learning over the past month as a health pandemic sweeps the globe. While that transition is easy for some students, many–including students with special needs–find it difficult. Teachers have done, and are still doing, a fantastic job moving their instruction online, ensuring students without devices or home internet have access to school-provided resources or can obtain paper copies. Many districts are also weaving mental health services and SEL into core instruction to help students process their new learning reality.
READ MORE
Tech & Learning
Digital equity now is an active consideration for educators immersed in remote learning. Thanks to COVID-19, educators should not assume that all students face comparable challenges in terms of being prepared for the school day. The unique challenges and responsibilities that students face at home need to be considered when designing learning activities, assessing mastery and in the way learning support is made available.
READ MORE
The Hechinger Report
On the Friday before spring break at Meigs Middle School, special education teacher Matt Coe was busy preparing new lessons for his students now that schools were set to close due to the coronavirus crisis. But while many districts around the country have moved to remote learning platforms like Google Classroom, Coe was using the school's copy machine to put together printed packets for his students to take home. In this rural Tennessee county of just 12,000 residents, online learning simply isn't an option for most families.
READ MORE
Education DIVE
The loss of these connections and their social-emotional benefits may emerge as one of the greatest negative impacts of school closures. Rather than worrying too much about academic performance, some teachers are working to maintain relationships through online learning platforms. This is particularly crucial for students already at-risk prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
READ MORE
By: Brian Stack (commentary)
 Like most school principals around the country, earlier this year I received a package in the mail from the U.S. Census. The package contained a toolkit for educators, complete with colorful maps and activity books, designed to help teachers incorporate the U.S. Census into their classroom instruction. There are specific areas for K-12 activities, pre-K materials, ELL/adult ESL resources, maps, videos, and tools that are specific to Puerto Rico and the islands.
READ MORE
EdSurge
During the hasty and haphazard transition to remote instruction, helping students and families has been the first and foremost priority for many schools and districts. But what about supporting educators who are tasked with delivering instruction and a modicum of normalcy in an entirely new medium, using online tools they may be trying for the first time?
READ MORE
|
|
Language Magazine
In response to renewed calls to strengthen programs for English learners in California, the Center for Equity for English Learners at Loyola Marymount University and Californians Together have created a set of resources to support educators and community members to ensure schools' efforts to serve English learners are not only comprehensive but also visible. The resources respond to previous reports that English learners' needs were largely "masked" as demonstrated by the limited or weak evidence for EL programs, actions, and services in local LCAPs (Local Control and Accountability Plan).
READ MORE
Edutopia (commentary)
John S. Thomas, a contributor for Edutopia, writes: "In an ideal world, you could get all 30 second graders logged into Zoom at the same time, with everyone seeing and hearing each other and no students fidgeting with their keyboard, crunching pretzels, using the webcam to show their tonsils, or making fart noises. But who's in that world? Not me. I'm still trying to get permission forms back to even try a Google Meet with my first and second graders."
READ MORE
The Atlantic
Lauren Kahn is used to spending her whole day on the floor. She works at the Queens Center for Progress, teaching nonverbal 3- and 4-year-olds with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder, several of whom have visual impairments as well. The class is hands-on, to say the least — they sing, they play, they practice communicating with body language. Well, they used to.
READ MORE
Language Magazine
According to National Center for Education figures, about 30 million adult Americans are functionally illiterate. Clearly, there is room for improvement when it comes to literacy education, and for educators tasked with teaching America's K–12 students to read, technology can be a powerful tool to bridge the gap between yesterday's methods and today's students.
READ MORE
Education Week
States have made modest progress in expanding access to high-quality prekindergarten programs, but budget cuts resulting from the coronavirus crisis could erode or erase those gains, which are already far from what's needed to keep pace with other countries. That's the conclusion of a report released Wednesday by the National Institute for Early Education Research at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education. The organization advocates for early-education funding and "quality benchmarks," like comprehensive learning standards, teacher training requirements, and small class sizes.
READ MORE
Education Next
In the report, the AAP says that "play should be an integral component of school engagement," and "for children who are underresourced to reach their highest potential, it is essential that parents, educators, and pediatricians recognize the importance of lifelong benefits that children gain from play."
READ MORE
THE Journal
Research from the NWEA has projected that current school closures could, indeed, result in major declines in student learning. The preliminary estimates found that math would take a bigger hit than reading, and that some students could return in the fall with less than 50 percent of the typical learning gains. In some grades the decline could put them a "full year behind" what would be expected under normal conditions. NWEA is a nonprofit that creates the MAP series of assessment programs, including MAP Growth.
READ MORE
Vox
As coronavirus has shut down the United States, schools have had no choice but to close and move classes — or at least, some semblance of them — online. But some school services can't be delivered remotely. You can't serve lunch over Zoom. For millions of American families, though, school meal programs are essential, the difference between fed kids and hungry ones. On a regular, non-pandemic school day, the National School Lunch Program provides free or low-cost meals to 29.7 million kids, while the School Breakfast Program reaches 14.6 million students daily.
READ MORE
EdSource
For the first time in more than three decades, the number of students in Los Angeles Unified has fallen below 600,000 students — the continuation of a long trend of declining enrollment that has significant implications for the financial health and staffing of the district. The district is already facing an uncertain financial future amid the coronavirus pandemic, which Superintendent Austin Beutner estimates will bring LA Unified $200 million in unexpected expenses — including the cost of distributing millions of meals and ensuring that students will have access to distance learning.
READ MORE
The New York Times
Many school cafeterias are now operating more like community soup kitchens, even though the federal school meals program won't reimburse districts for meals served to struggling adults.
READ MORE
NAESP
Every school and district leader is challenged to develop immediate and longer term strategic solutions to serve children in these remarkable times. Our goal is to support you in determining what is working, what the next set of effective practices may be and to connect you with colleagues from across the country. NAESP and AASA are here to help! Please join us each Tuesday, with moderators Eric Cardwell and Dr. Gail Pletnick, along with representatives from NAESP and AASA when we go Live at 5 ET to help get your questions answered.
READ MORE
NAESP
During this time of uncertainty and challenges related to the rapid spread of COVID-19, please know that the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the U.S. Department of Education are committed to supporting you and your school community. As such, we continue to accept and fulfill orders for the President's Education Awards Program and the American Citizen Award during school closures so that student recognition can continue seamlessly once in-school presence resumes.
READ MORE
|
|
|
|
7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063
|
