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By Brian Stack (commentary)
 When they write the history books a generation from now, 2020 may get its own chapter. We are not quite two-thirds of the way through this year and it is already proving to be one that has thrown us, as school leaders, more curveballs than we can count. While some may choose to only focus on the negative, I’d like to think that our experiences have given us clarity in our mission and our purpose as educators and as learning communities.
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District Administration Magazine
Older students and those in the Black, Latinx and LGBTQ communities are suffering higher rates of depression and anxiety during COVID and online learning, the latest Youth Truth survey has found. Just more than half of high school students reported feeling emotionally impacted by COVID, compared to 39% of elementary school students. High school students were also less likely than younger children to say they learned something almost every day.
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THE Journal
The American Federation of School Administrators recently issued a new guide for reopening schools safely. Developed by a group of school leaders from around the country, the report suggests that districts are in an untenable position. There's no way to create a perfect environment, "no matter how many safety protocols are put in place," the report stated. "Children and adults will get sick." As a result, schools will need to shut down, even temporarily, which "will impact education and the social-emotional well-being of communities and families."
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By Bambi Majumdar (commentary)
 In some areas where school has already started, a rash of COVID-19 cases has led to a chaotic start to the new academic year. There are already reports of teachers and students bringing the virus to school with them in the South and the Midwest, triggering quarantines. While infections continue to rise in several parts of the country, reopening schools with in-person learning may foreshadow dire results.
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District Administration Magazine
A new tool kit offers guidance for principals in assessing and leveraging climate data to boost equity and create safer environments as schools reopen over the next several weeks. Coming Back to Climate, from The Aspen Institute Education & Society Program, is designed to help principals support students who've experienced the COVID-19 pandemic and a heightened awareness of racism.
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By Keith Carlson (commentary)
As the summer of 2020 wanes and the school year begins, there is understandable fear, confusion, and existential dread regarding the coronavirus pandemic. Myriad questions remain unanswered regarding how to keep our students, teachers, and staff safe amidst the desire to regain some semblance of a normal educational experience. Debates, lawsuits, and mixed governmental messages rage on, and uncertainty is the order of the day. Where do we go from here?
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Edutopia
While the global pandemic continued to wax and wane, some schools quietly piloted on-site learning for small groups of students this summer — experiences, they say, that will help inform their decisions and protocols for the challenging school year ahead.
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Our extensive online curriculum includes over 280 graduate-level, self-paced courses in 20 different subject areas. Get help with:
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Education DIVE
Mark A. Griffith said he hasn't slept much since the COVID-19 crisis first hit in March. The director of schools for rural Marion County, Tennessee, has had all of his attention focused on reading recommendations on how to safely reopen schools. The district has delayed its start from August to after Labor Day as cases increase in the area. When students arrive, they'll find their classrooms look different, with plexiglass separating teachers from the group and in between desks
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We Are Teachers
Yearbooks are not only treasured keepsakes. They're also a powerful way to document the history of a school. And while every class's yearbook is a special piece of the school's narrative, this year's edition will be unique. Because students, teachers and staff are all living together through a historical moment in time that’s directly impacting schools.
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Language Magazine
COVID-19 has created an unprecedented challenge for America's K-12 schools. As policymakers and practitioners struggle to respond, they are weighing significant uncertainty and trade-offs that arise because of education, health, and budgetary concerns. The consensus is that students learned less during the spring's school building closures, and the learning losses were especially great for students with less access to devices, internet, quiet study areas, home and community resources and those with learning challenges.
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Education Week
For all educators, the start of this school year will be daunting. But for substitute teachers, there are, in many ways, even more question marks. School districts are increasingly choosing to start the school year remotely, which could reduce the need for short-term substitutes. But for districts that are doing in-person instruction at least some days of the week, substitutes will be in high demand. There's already a substitute shortage in many places.
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Forbes
Leadership expert Robin Sharma once said, "Anyone can lead when the plan is working. The best lead when the plan falls apart." For most, any plan we had for 2020 has likely fallen apart. This feels like a watershed month as we come to terms with the fact that the past few months may have only been the pre-season. With an election, second (and third) waves of COVID-19, and immense economic uncertainty looming, leaders are pausing to ask the questions that are critical to every organization: How can we move past merely enduring it all, to functioning effectively and even thriving?
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Harvard Business Review
Uncertainty breeds anxiety, and we are living in uncertain times. Between rising numbers of COVID-19 cases, questions about whether or not to reopen economies and businesses, the ongoing protests in the wake of George Floyd's murder, and the economic fallout of the pandemic, we don't know what will come next. And that's taking a toll on our mental health, including at work.
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Fast Company
In virtual communication we don't get the nonverbal cues we normally get from in-person conversations. And people are often muted, or appear on multiperson screens that make it difficult for us to actively listen. Yet no audience is in greater need of being listened to than a virtual audience. They crave the human experience that typifies face-to-face situations, and they deeply want to know that you are listening, and that you care about what they are thinking and feeling, and are ready to respond.
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Leadership Freak
Self-reflection done poorly distorts reality and limits potential. Real self-reflection exceeds navel gazing like rib eye steak exceeds veggie burgers.
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Inc.
For those who follow thought leader and business writer Ryan Holiday, the pitfall of ego is not news. It figured prominently in his books, "The Obstacle Is the Way and, more recently, Ego Is the Enemy." Holiday's perspective on this is clear: In an era marked by ubiquitous participation awards, constant affirmation via social media and seas of validating memes, it's easy to put oneself on a pedestal. This also makes us vulnerable — our worth falls to pieces when spotlights, affirmations and commendations don't land squarely on us.
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As we head into the new school year, it is going to be essential to have the flexibility to provide both in-class, as well as distance learning opportunities. Online curriculum resources will play an important role in helping to support teachers and students.
Essential Skills has been providing comprehensive and affordable digital learning solutions for over 20 years. We invite your school to try our popular online learning platform risk-free until September 30th.
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Forbes
In the middle of an unprecedented health and financial crisis, businesses across every sector are being tested, moving quickly to adapt to a changing landscape. And within those businesses, individual employees, teams and their managers are also grappling with a variety of unexpected challenges. Facing an uncertain and dynamic future, many employees are rallying around company leaders more than ever before — looking to them to provide a sense of security, a vision of hope and an actionable path forward.
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District Administration Magazine
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance concerning the use of cloth face masks in K-12 schools. To mitigate the novel coronavirus pandemic, the federal agency recommends people wear cloth face coverings, not face shields, in public settings and when around people who live outside their household, especially when social distancing is difficult to maintain. The Aug. 11 update includes a recommendation that schools have a plan in place to prevent and address harmful behavior, such as bullying, discrimination, and stigmatization resulting from wearing or not wearing masks.
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Education Week
A controversial rule on how schools must respond to claims of sexual assault and harassment appears set to take effect Friday after a judge in a multi-state lawsuit refused to halt it. The rule, one of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos' biggest policy shifts, details obligations for K-12 schools, colleges, and universities under Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education.
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District Administration Magazine
For school administrators who had planned for in-person or hybrid instruction, educators must support students "who have been most harmed by the pandemic and by racial injustice," according to a new report from Columbia University. The research, which is based on interviews with superintendents, principals, parents and other educators planning for the school year in Connecticut, has been shared in Google Docs so administrators can customize the recommendations to their districts.
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EdTech Magazine
With the shift to remote learning, schools became increasingly reliant on learning management systems, a central hub for teaching and learning resources. An LMS makes it easier for educators to bring their classrooms online. It also gives them the flexibility to switch between in-person and remote learning. On an LMS, educators can take attendance, deliver virtual instruction, assess student work and communicate with students and their guardians. Some states even plan to offer a statewide LMS to ensure equitable access to remote instruction across districts in the coming years.
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eSchool News
As we approach a fall semester that most probably is going to continue to be, at least in part, a virtual experience for many of us, there are many issues for information technology managers to consider. Cybersecurity is one of those. Over the past few years, cybersecurity has become a prime concern at all levels of society, from small town municipalities to the development of cyberwarfare commands in all branches of the military. Passwords are quite literally the key to many IT systems.
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Tech & Learning
With schools moving classes online, a lot of new challenges have arisen as educators engage with their students through a screen. One of the first challenges that has emerged as a result is the ease with which students can record what teachers say during video calls and then manipulate the images or recording and post it online.
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eSchool News
Ransomware has evolved into one of the biggest cyber threats facing organizations in every sector, and education is no exception. According to Armor, more than 1,000 schools were impacted by ransomware attacks in 2019, which doesn't just put student data at risk — it also has the potential to impact learning.
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The Hechinger Report
As the start of the 2020-2021 school year approaches, states and school districts are wrestling with decisions about when, how and whether school will take place inside brick-and-mortar classrooms. No matter the Day One plans in your local area this fall, every school district must be ready for partially or fully remote school days. Last-minute decision-making is the new normal, as schools and districts vet a multiplicity of strategies and applications to support their reliance on digital learning in a pandemic.
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EdSurge
Too little technology makes remote instruction nigh impossible. Too much makes it a hassle. Such was the two-sided dilemma that many educators experienced in the spring. Computers, hotspots and other devices were in short supply. At the same time, the number of digital tools used across schools and districts seemingly multiplied.
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Education Week
As a growing number of school districts decide to start the school year entirely remotely, teachers will have to answer an important question: How many of their classroom norms and rules will they enforce when students are home? Teachers grappled with this question in the spring, when school buildings abruptly closed down due to the coronavirus outbreak. Students were suddenly learning from home, and teachers had to quickly decide if they would enforce dress codes or rules about snacking and other behaviors through a webcam. Many teachers pleaded with their peers to be lenient, as students were adjusting to the change in routine and dealing with possible trauma.
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Tech & Learning
Flipgrid is a video discussion tool quite like no other as it's designed with the might of Microsoft to work specifically for teachers and students in a digital classroom. The idea behind this education tool is to use video to create an open platform of discussion and learning that doesn't require a physical classroom to get everyone involved.
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Classcraft
In an effort to adapt to the sudden outbreak of COVID-19, many school administrators are going virtual overnight and are, understandably, feeling slightly overwhelmed. Transitioning from a brick-and-mortar to a virtual school is no small task, and you may find yourself in uncharted territory.
So, where do you start?
Here are five questions you should ask about online learning to help get you started.
The 74
The politically and emotionally charged debate over whether to open schools has left little room for discussion about equitable, high-quality teaching and learning. While the health and safety of staff and students must remain the top priority, the stakes around instruction for the 2020-2021 school year have never been higher. Despite educators' herculean efforts in the spring, internet access issues, families' varying capacity to support their children, language barriers and the need to shift to remote learning on a dime resulted in disrupted and unfinished learning for students across the country.
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We Are Teachers
When parent Diana Viens realized that she had to get ahead of planning for the school year, she started the Facebook Group, MA Parents Seeking Pods, Teacher, Tutors. The group has now grown to over 4,000 parents looking for consistency and collaboration this school year. Creating a learning pod for her two kids, ages 6 and 9, offers several benefits. Viens can provide her kids with consistency, safe socialization and allow them to work daily with a live teacher.
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Edutopia
When Steve Jobs was in third grade, he was such a troublemaker that he got expelled from school. He was constantly playing pranks on his peers — even his own teachers — and attempts to correct his misbehavior would backfire, leading to defiance and even more misbehavior.
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“Together, We Thrive,” the latest series of webinars and resources from Classcraft, is designed to equip educators with the tools they need to support students through MTSS or PBIS, maintain consistency when shifting between in-person and remote learning, actively engage parents, and promote equity. Join us!
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Enhance social distancing during dismissal with student backpack tags & parent car line signs. Different colors for different grades. Visit The Little Sign Company at www.carvisorsign.com
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MiddleWeb
Learning can be risky business. Students are called upon throughout the school day to jump in willingly on a new math concept, to interpret a science experiment or to defend a position in social studies. At every turn, failure and even embarrassment are potential outcomes. Students' brains scan the learning expectations to ascertain the risk level and determine if the reward is worth the potential negative outcomes.
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By Patrick Gleeson (commentary)
 In this time of every kind of uncertainty, one of the most troubling decisions Americans must make is: which is worse, the possibility of exposing teachers and students to a deadly disease or the certainty of impairing the education of an entire generation of students by keeping them out of school? Here are the differing views and why there are no easy choices.
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Teaching Channel
Let's face it: this is not going to be a typical Back to School season. With the tumultuous events of COVID-19, economic issues and antiracism efforts nationwide, students are coming back to us with questions and concerns that are weighing heavily on their minds and hearts. They're also facing the same "quarantine fatigue" that we are, carrying loneliness, grief, overuse of technology, and whatever other struggles they may have dealt with in their homes since we saw them last.
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MindShift
When schools began to close because of COVID-19 in March, teachers and students had to rapidly adjust to learning online. For many students, finding a quiet place at home to learn with reliable technology was difficult, especially when family members were dealing with the pandemic. And teachers tried to figure out what was appropriate for the new online reality when it came to synchronous learning, attendance and grades, among many other issues.
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We Are Teachers
We know that rote memorization isn't the way to go when it comes to math fluency. Kids need more, but how do you bridge the gap between traditional math curricula and what's best for students? The key is to build fluency based on mathematical reasoning. Math Fluency from hand2mind gives you everything you need to do just that — whether you're teaching from home or in person.
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The 74
This spring marked three years since the groundbreaking Supreme Court ruling on a case involving a fifth-grader with autism, Endrew F. The decision set a new standard: School districts must provide an education that allows each student with a disability to make meaningful academic progress.
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THE Journal
A national survey of students in grades 5-12 found that when it came to the spring school closures, the kids aren't necessarily all right. Large numbers were able to navigate the mechanics of accessing and turning in their schoolwork (87% and 79%, respectively). Nearly six in 10 (57%) said they spent more time than usual on activities they enjoyed. And half reported that they were able to focus on their learning.
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Ohio State University via Science Daily
Young children will pass up rewards they know they can collect to explore other options, a new study suggests. Researchers found that when adults and 4- to 5-year-old children played a game where certain choices earned them rewards, both adults and children quickly learned what choices would give them the biggest returns. But while adults then used that knowledge to maximize their prizes, children continued exploring the other options.
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We Are Teachers
Bitmojis are fun, entertaining and completely educational. At least they are for these teachers, and especially during distance learning. Teachers have gotten super creative with their Bitmoji classrooms and Bitmoji lockers, but they also are using them for classroom management, virtual field trips and more!
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Super Star Online: Phonics, Reading & Math. Engaging and Affordable interactive online courses for campus and distance learning.
“Your Kids will Love Learning with Super Star”! MORE
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MindShift
Jamie Wong Baesa had been dreaming of her first year as a teacher since she was 7 years old, when she would line up her stuffed animals and launch into a lesson. Mikia Frazier, too, spent years envisioning the day she would get to walk into her own classroom. Kids from the neighborhood would often stop Frazier's mother, a school principal, in the supermarket to tell her how much she'd changed their life. Each time that happened, Frazier was that much more certain that teaching was what she wanted to do.
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Public News Service
School districts across the state are navigating how to ensure kids are being fed as school reopening is delayed or learning is shifted entirely online for fall. According to federal data, around 600,000 Kentucky kids are eligible for free and reduced-priced lunch. That's about 80% of children in participating schools.
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Chalkbeat
After the Adams 12 district north of Denver announced it would start the school year fully remote, an official raised a novel idea: school-run learning pods. Administrators in the district of 39,000 students, where about 40% of children are eligible for subsidized meals, were initially overwhelmed at the thought of creating pods akin to those formed by wealthy families to handle remote learning and home schooling during the pandemic, said Tara Peña, the district's executive director of middle schools.
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Sneeze Guards allow for proper social distancing while keeping maximum capacity in the classroom. Made from clear acrylic, set up is easy. Made in Michigan. Variety of different sizes available.
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Salem Reporter
Salem students who receive special education services, are learning English or don't have reliable Internet access could see the inside of a classroom much sooner under updated Oregon school guidelines. All Oregon schools can hold classes in person for students in those groups, even if counties are still having too many coronavirus cases to fully open schools. Students in career technical education programs, where hand-on learning is a major part of the curriculum, could also spend several hours per week in a school building.
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NAESP
On behalf of elementary and middle school principals from across the country, the National Association of Elementary School Principals calls on the Trump administration and congressional leaders to resume negotiations on a coronavirus response package and reach an agreement that includes at least $175 billion in unconditioned funding to safely reopen schools.
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NAESP
NAESP's new principal panel is the first and only national program dedicated to gathering and sharing the experiences of new principals in rural, urban and suburban schools across the country. Panelists participate in online surveys each year on a relevant topic, which take less than 10 minutes to complete. Panelists receive the survey results and resource recommendations from their peers.
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7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063
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