This message was sent to ##Email## To advertise in this publication please click here July 9, 2021 ##\member## .PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP What leaders can do to prepare for 2021-2022 MiddleWeb Across America and around the world you could hear a big sigh of relief as the school year began to end. It was one of the most remarkable school years in history and left many teachers and principals, as well as students and their families, exhausted. READ MORE Parents deeply divided on K-12 students getting vaccines District Administration Magazine A new report released by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that 34% of children ages 12-17 have received the first dose of COVID-19 preventive vaccines, a 10% rise from May data. Another 8% of parents say they will get their kids doses as soon as possible. However, that leaves a sizeable gap between the vaccine haves and have-nots and a lot of questions for states and K-12 school districts as they make plans for the fall. READ MORE With majority of students unvaccinated, schools mull fall COVID-19 measures K-12 DIVE A survey from the COVID Collaborative, Ad Council and Council of the Great City Schools released in May tells a slightly different story. It found 61% of parents would allow their child to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, 27% would not, and 12% were still undecided. Additionally, 59% of respondents supported requiring students to get vaccinated, and 73% would be more likely to vaccinate their child if it was required. READ MORE Job-related stress threatens the teacher supply eSchool News (commentary) Nearly one in four teachers may leave their job by the end of the current (2020-2021) school year, compared with one in six who were likely to leave prior to the pandemic, according to a new RAND Corporation survey. Teachers who identified as Black or African American were particularly likely to consider leaving. READ MORE VIDEO SHOWCASE Principals say this is the go-to fundraiser for the upcoming school year. Promoted By Boosterthon Positive Environment for All Students Promoted By HONORABLE CHARACTER How does the Delta variant figure into schools' opening plans? Education Week Even the best-laid plans to reopen in-person instruction for the 2021-2022 school year likely will need to adapt to the reality of a rapidly changing pandemic virus. READ MORE Schools use home visits, calls to convince parents to choose in-person classes in fall The Washington Post As the school year ends and summer approaches, the persuasion campaign to convince families to choose in-person learning this fall is on with a vengeance. In Florida, the superintendent of the state's largest district is knocking on doors to talk up the benefits of face-to-face instruction. In Topeka, Kansas, school officials are traveling around neighborhoods hosting mobile vaccination clinics, where they deliver shots alongside reminders about the effectiveness in-person schooling. In Virginia, a principal visited the homes of 50 of her remote learners to assuage their fears about in-person schooling next semester. READ MORE How can schools make the most out of virtual PD? K-12 DIVE When creating a virtual professional development event, school leaders should design it to fit its unique intended purpose and not expect it to look the same as an in-person event, according to an Edutopia article by Katie Novak, an education consultant and University of Pennsylvania graduate instructor, and Katie Martin, chief impact officer at Altitude Learning and author of "Learner-Centered Innovation." READ MORE  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by Peaceful Playgrounds Enter the U.S. Map Contest. It’s free to enter Playground Stencils A Recess Program that Works Ten Reasons Why Recess is So Important The Benefits of PA in Schools Many schools don't teach about the science of vaccines. Here's why they should Education Week There is a tremendous amount of focus right now among public health experts and school and district leaders on how to assuage parents' and students' concerns about the COVID-19 vaccines. Polling shows a large share of families remains reluctant to get their children inoculated against the coronavirus. READ MORE Educators: Returning to 2019 is a mistake Tech&Learning Some school districts are permanently muting their remote learning programs. States such as New Jersey, Massachusetts and Illinois, and large districts from Florida to New York, are eliminating virtual learning options or greatly limiting programs. READ MORE Union will defend teachers in 'critical race theory' fights The Associated Press One of the nation's largest teachers unions vowed to defend members who are punished for teaching an "honest history" of the United States, a measure that's intended to counter the wave of states seeking to limit classroom discussion on race and discrimination. In a virtual address to members of the American Federation of Teachers, president Randi Weingarten said the union is preparing litigation and has a legal defense fund "ready to go." READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE Back-To-School 2021 Toolkit In the coming year, student data can drive learning plans that help all students catch up and move new learning forward. We’ve put together resources, worksheets, and other tools to help your team identify student needs, guide student-centered instruction and intervention decisions, and accelerate each student’s growth. Open free toolkit. Top 3 leadership skills to maintain in a post-pandemic world Entrepreneur COVID-19 has transformed life as we know it, impacting everyone personally and professionally. As we begin adjusting to a new normal, leaders must not forget the skills they honed to get through the crisis. Instead, leaders must use this time as an opportunity to adapt and grow and lean even harder into three critical leadership skills that got many through the pandemic's trials and tribulations: empathy, agility and data-driven decision making. READ MORE This one thing could be seriously sabotaging your productivity Fast Company Team projects are notorious for taking far more time than expected, which means you don't have to go far to find some famous examples. Apple pushed off the launch of its HomePod because it needed "a little more time" to refine it. Windows continuously delayed an anticipated feature for Windows 10, before quietly axing it altogether. Even construction of the Sydney Opera House was only supposed to take 4 years. It ended up taking 14. READ MORE Leadership is 360 degrees and 365 days The Lead Change Group As we study math and science we learn a great deal about measurements. When we discuss 360 degrees, we can recognize this as a reference of measurement in angles, a circle's circumference. If we compare to the temperature in Fahrenheit, it is above 212, the temperature of boiling water. If we include a calendar year, it contains 365 days. Leadership encompasses all of these components. READ MORE  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by Tangible Play (Osmo) Osmo for Schools is a 2021 EdTech Digest Curriculum & Instruction Solution Award WINNER! Osmo for Schools is offering a FREE webinar June 16, 2021 on Osmo best practices. Apply for a $2000 Osmo for Schools grant for Osmo products for your classrooms. Your employees stepped up in a crisis. What happens when it's over? Harvard Business Review Coming out of the COVID-19 crisis, many well-intentioned senior executives are pushing to turn systems back on and restore operations. They want to see the organization return to "normal," running the way it ran before COVID-19. Arrayed across those same companies are some new heroes of the business, who brought forward their expertise and acted swiftly when the company needed it most. READ MORE What does it take to lead people? 3 habits centered on emotional intelligence Inc. Entrepreneurs are told to be prepared to handle any situation and expect the unexpected. But when the country went into lockdown and a real-time death count was displayed on the news channel, it seemed impossible to prepare for what was next. READ MORE To be successful, lead with inclusion Forbes An abundance of passion, integrity and innovation is how many have described Dr. Sun after working with him over the past 2 decades. Leveraging his two doctorate degrees, one in psychology and another in business management, Dr. Sun is the founder and President at Transcontinental University in Ohio and Transcontinental Institute of Higher Education in the European Union. READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE Create a Culture of Literacy Dr. Don Vu examines six conditions for building a school’s culture of literacy to create an environment where immigrant and refugee children can thrive. Vu’s work is a testament to the transformative power of reading—a key to opening the door for all to realize the American Dream. LEARN MORE .EDUCATION POLICY ED presses states to apply for $600M for homeless students District Administration Magazine The U.S. Department of Education is urging states to finish their applications for Round 2 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021's Homeless Children and Youth Fund, which will deliver a collective $600 million in additional support to students in dire need this summer and before the start of the school year. In April, ED through the ARP-HCY Fund gave states $200 million to help school districts offset the disparities homeless students faced during the pandemic, both in terms of learning loss and other inequities further fueled by COVID-19. READ MORE US Department of Education focuses on equity Language Magazine Recently, the U.S. Department of Education held the first installment of its Equity Summit Series, "Building Equitable Learning Environments in Our Schools." The program featured First Lady Jill Biden, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten, leaders and educators from across the country, and student performances. READ MORE How might the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework impact schools? K-12 DIVE Biden has indicated he would sign the deal even if it is not accompanied by his requested American Families Plan, saying he intends to pursue the passage of the plan "with vigor." READ MORE Feds OK first state plans for remaining share of $122 billion in K-12 virus aid Education Week Federal officials gave six states and the District of Columbia the greenlight to spend billions of dollars in K-12 relief aid, and also outlined the application process for a separate fund targeted toward the needs of students experiencing homelessness. READ MORE .SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY 5 ways IT leaders can inspire digital transformation post-pandemic eSchool News The past year propelled IT teams and leadership into the spotlight with never-before-seen digital transformation and multi-year technology plans executed practically overnight. After a year of awe-inspiring progress, Hillsborough County Public Schools CTO Jeremy Bunkley believes K-12 IT leaders need to keep the momentum going to ensure the year's gains translate to long lasting technology and culture transformation. READ MORE Cloud computing in education and the impact on K-12 classrooms EdTech Magazine With more than 300 million COVID-19 vaccines distributed, life across the U.S. is slowly shifting toward the next, new normal. For many K–12 schools, this means a return to in-person classes in the fall that are less disrupted by pandemic pressures. But even as in-person learning ramps up, remote education won't vanish. Recent survey data found that 45% of parents would still opt for partial virtual learning given the chance. READ MORE  FEATURED ARTICLE   Benefits of an Early Childhood Leadership Certificate from Bank Street   A child’s first few years of educational experiences set the stage for how they will learn for the rest of their lives. The Bank Street Early Childhood Leadership Advanced Certificate Program is designed for mission-driven educators seeking to advance their professional opportunities and fill the need for exceptional leadership in early childhood education. Areas of study within the program include curriculum and development, social justice, systems thinking, progressive education and law. LEARN MORE   6 strategies for preventing lost and broken technology District Administration Magazine In some districts, keeping track of all the laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots distributed urgently to students was yet another of COVID's myriad challenges. How big a challenge that continues to be in the coming school year depends on a range of factors, says Lenny Schad, CIO of District Administration. READ MORE Virtual reality headsets see explosive growth THE Journal Virtual reality headsets grew more than 50% in the first quarter of 2021 compared with the same period last year, according to a new report. Facebook, which has owned Oculus since 2014, was one of the key driving factors. READ MORE Getting disconnected students access to their online classrooms EdTech Magazine One Thursday evening in March 2020, we learned that, because of the pandemic, the state of Texas would begin shutting down schools on the following Monday. Four days later, the Ector County Independent School District began educating 34,000 children in a virtual environment. However, for many of our students back then, virtual learning was impossible; 39% of K–12 students had little or no internet access in their home. So, early on, we printed out thousands of paper packets for parents to pick up. READ MORE  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by McGraw-Hill Identify and Address Individual Learning Gaps Many students will experience learning losses and have gaps in their knowledge and skills. With Rise, long-term learning loss doesn’t have to be one of the consequences. An adaptive math and ELA supplemental solution for grades 3-8 with over 1,100 learning objectives Rise can be used as independent practice work for progress monitoring, request a sample Easy-to-use supports for students in Google Workspace Edutopia During the pandemic, many teachers turned to Google Workspace for instruction. They used Google Classroom to distribute assignments and grade work and Google Docs and Google Slides to create interactive tasks for their learners. The ease of use and collaboration possibilities within Google Workspace have made it a staple for virtual, hybrid and in-person instruction. READ MORE How to use cybernetics in education Tech&Learning Feedback loops and understanding systems are key components of cybernetics that lend themselves to classroom learning. READ MORE Lithium-ion UPS system benefits for K-12 districts EdTech Magazine The uninterruptible power supply system ensures districts experience safe, smooth and continuous operations. In the event of a power outage or disruption, the UPS system's battery allows networks to continue running or shut down properly. In K–12 schools, improved batteries in UPS systems offer a range of advantages. READ MORE PRODUCT SHOWCASE Promoting Sanitary Schools With Quad-Sinks Keeping students' hands clean can increase school attendance rates by 29%-57%. The Personal Protected® Quad-Sink™, a high volume mobile hand wash station comes equipped with social distancing barriers, touchless dispensers, and can service 120 students in just 10 minutes. Prevent illness by providing safe convenient hand washing.   LEARN MORE   Connect From Anywhere Stepping Stones Museum for Children brings its reputable, multidimensional learning approach to the Stepping Stones Studio. The Studio gives students access to a virtual world of brain-building, STEAM and fun-infused learning experiences, whether they are learning in the classroom or at home.   LEARN MORE   .PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 6 tips for setting up virtual professional learning sessions Edutopia Virtual gatherings for professional learning are convenient and likely to continue, but they should be designed differently than in-person gatherings. READ MORE Help! I've lost my mojo, and I don't know where it went! We Are Teachers (commentary) "Dear WeAreTeachers: I just finished my first year of teaching at 33 years old. I teach math at an alternative high school. Maybe it's since the shutdown happened last spring or since I got married or since I started teaching, but I feel so frumpy! I was a bartender for years and years and would put effort into my appearance for tips." READ MORE Building momentum with long-term English learners Edutopia Many of us have new-to-English learners who, well, aren't so new anymore — long-term English learners, students who have participated in dedicated English Language Development programs for six or more years without exiting. More than a quarter of English language learners become LTELs. READ MORE  FEATURED ARTICLE   Expert Strategies to Help Children Become Confident, Joyful Readers Promoted by Scholastic Eric Litwin, the original author of the best-selling Pete the Cat series, and Dr. Gina Pepin, an award-winning teacher, share practical tools and strategies to transform your classroom into a “reading playground”—a space where children read, sing, dance, and celebrate words and texts. The Power of Joyful Reading provides research-based solutions to implement successful shared reading experiences in daycare, preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary classrooms. These tools build students’ foundational literacy skills and help them learn to love books and see themselves as successful readers. LEARN MORE   Let's give unaccompanied immigrant children a better chance in school The Hechinger Report (commentary) Lorena Tule-Romain, a contributor for The Hechinger Report, writes: "In August of 1999, when I was 9, my mother, sister and I arrived in this country after an arduous eight-hour walk across the Arizona desert. The hot summer night of our journey will forever be ingrained in my childhood memories, along with countless moments when I felt unwelcome and unsafe at school after arriving. As difficult as this was, I was one of the lucky ones — I traveled and arrived with a parent and was able to stay with relatives in Texas." READ MORE 25 second grade art projects full of imagination and creativity We Are Teachers Second grade art students are learning to express themselves through their creativity. At this age, they love to try out new materials and ideas and enjoy the chance to see themselves reflected in the art they create. These second grade art projects use a wide variety of media to produce results kids will love to take home and display. READ MORE Trauma-informed schools to support all students MiddleWeb For educators it has been a year like no other. As we struggled to respond personally and professionally to the shock of the pandemic and adjust to "a new normal," the murder of George Floyd reminded us of the deep injustices in the old normal and brought racism to a new level of national consciousness — even as it inflicted additional trauma on Black, indigenous and other people of color. READ MORE How project-based learning can teach empathy Edutopia When PBL is personal to students, it can provide more than just content knowledge — it can also foster important connections. READ MORE Micro lessons: What they are and how they can combat learning loss Tech&Learning Micro lessons seem like a simple educational concept: Targeted lessons for students based on their knowledge of the subject matter rather than grade or age. "It sounds very obvious, but it almost never happens in education," says Noam Angrist executive director and co-founder of Young 1ove, a Botswana based organization that implements evidence-based health and education policies in Eastern and Southern Africa. READ MORE These 33 edible science projects are educational and yummy, too We Are Teachers Kitchen and food science are very popular these days, but not every experiment is fit to eat when you're done. Fortunately, we've put together a menu of edible science activities you'll be happy to snack on! Most of them are easy enough for anyone to tackle and can be completed with items you already have on hand. Bon appétit! READ MORE PRODUCT SHOWCASE Become a Leader in a Field You Love Join an online, cohort-based program in educational leadership. Excel in critical areas such as school improvement and leadership, data analysis, human resource and fiscal management, professional collaboration, and more. Take the next steps in your career with a Master's degree in Education Leadership from ODUOnline.   LEARN MORE   Career Exploration in Middle School FableVision’s Creativity to Careers programs are designed to engage students in creative career explorations at the middle and high school level to increase graduation rates and most importantly, jobs. Both 18 Week courses Exploration in Animation and Engineering & Production are approved Florida’s Department of Education Digital Tools. CTE certification available.   LEARN MORE   .EDUCATION RESEARCH Study: Children slept over an hour more with mindfulness training CNN Elementary schoolchildren who took mindfulness training two times a week for two years slept an average of 74 extra minutes a night, a new study found. That boost in total sleep time included an additional 24 minutes of rapid eye movement, the dream stage of sleep when memories are consolidated and stored. READ MORE The pandemic will worsen illiteracy. Another outcome is possible Education Week The data on the foundational literacy skills of the class of 2032 — the children who were in kindergarten during the shutdown and 1st graders during this bumpy and inequitable 2020-21 school year — are terrifying. According to one commonly used reading assessment, the DIBELS benchmark measures, the percentage of students falling into the "well-below benchmark" category that predicts future reading failure grew from 26% in December 2019 to 43 percent in December 2020. READ MORE .IN THE STATES Chicago teachers union wants a fall deal with student vaccination targets, housing help Chalkbeat Chicago's teachers union wants school district officials to agree to help vaccinate the majority of eligible students and to guarantee teleworking options for some teachers before reopening schools this fall. In the proposal made public, the district would work with city health officials to vaccinate 80% of eligible students before Oct. 1 through a mix of school-based clinics and coordination of home-based vaccination visits. READ MORE Special education sees 'historic' boost in new funding EdSource Special education in California has been showered with more than $1 billion in new state and federal money in recent weeks, enough to potentially transform a system that's been underfunded for decades. READ MORE .ASSOCIATION NEWS Conference Kicks Off Celebrating a Century of NAESP NAESP This year, NAESP is proud to celebrate 100 years of service, leadership, and advocacy for elementary and middle-level principals. On this landmark occasion, we embrace our rich history and generate momentum toward our exciting future. We want you to engage, celebrate, and serve, as we raise awareness about our great profession and enshrine a proud legacy for future generations. READ MORE Celebrate the Nation's Top Principals and Assistant Principals NAESP This year's conference brings a special treat: Talented elementary and middle-level principals from across the nation and abroad will be honored as NAESP National Distinguished Principals® and National Outstanding Assistant Principals. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, NAESP did not hold its annual NDP celebration and gala in Washington, D.C., and is holding them instead in Chicago at the 2021 NAESP Pre-K-8 Principals Conference. READ MORE SUGGESTED COMPANIES Landscape Structures @Landscape Structures © Introduce a revolutionary swing forward in inclusive play experience with We-Go-Swing™. Read more   First No–Transfer Inclusive Swing   Promoted by Landscape Structures Stepping Stones Museum For Children © Explore space, travel to prehistoric times or enjoy our other STEAM-focused virtual workshops and camps. Read more   EXTRAORDINARY Virtual Learning Opportunities   Promoted by Stepping Stones Museum For Children GE Healthcare @GEHealthcare © We provide medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Read more   Healthcare Collaboration   Promoted by GE Healthcare   Principal Insights Connect with NAESP Jason Zimmerman, Director of Publishing, Multiview, 469-420-2686 | Download media kit Hailey Golden, Assistant Executive Editor, MultiView, 469-420-2630 | Contribute News National Association of Elementary School Principals 1615 Duke Street  |  Alexandria, VA 22314  800-386-2377  |  Contact Us  |  www.naesp.org Click here to unsubscribe.  Learn how to add us to your safe sender list so our emails get to your inbox. ADVERTISE SUBSCRIBE PAST ISSUES   7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063