This message was sent to ##Email##
|
|
|
|
|
By Dorothy L. Tengler (commentary)
 One of the most debated and important issues concerning COVID-19 is the reopening of schools. A recent study shows that children carry high levels of the virus even without falling ill, which may impact the spread of the virus to others, especially those at high risk. One important strategy that school administrators can consider about opening schools is cohorting or forming pods, in which groups of students and sometimes teachers or staff stay together throughout the school day to minimize exposure.
READ MORE
The Conversation
While only a fraction of the country's 50 million public school kids headed back to school in-person this month, many have already found themselves back at home. Within two weeks of opening, multiple states reported school-based COVID-19 outbreaks and thousands of students and school staff have been quarantined following possible exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
READ MORE
We Are Teachers
Here are 15 Zoom games for school staff meetings to help you introduce the element of play and bring your dedicated staff closer together. All of these ideas are teacher-tested and approved ... but you know your audience best. You might even have them vote on a game to play!
READ MORE
Education DIVE
Leading a school with a high population of underserved students in one of the nation's poorest cities is difficult enough in normal times, let alone in the midst of a pandemic and a period of high civil unrest. But it's a task Richard Gordon, principal of Paul Robeson High School in Philadelphia, is continuing to perform to great success.
READ MORE
|
Promoted by
|
|
|
|
 |
EdSurge
Like nearly everyone else, children have experienced enormous disruption during the pandemic. Their schools closed months ago and, for many, remain closed. They stopped seeing friends and teachers on a regular basis, or had to get used to seeing them through a screen. Many of the things they love or look forward to have become unavailable or, at minimum, altered.
READ MORE
The Hechinger Report
The calls started at 6 a.m., and Patrick McCauley was ready, having retreated to the privacy of his garage where he sat waiting for Angelenos to share how they're coping with the stresses of the coronavirus pandemic. For the last 14 years, McCauley has worked as a mental health counselor and consultant in the Los Angeles Unified School District. In April, he began staffing a new hotline the district created to reach students, parents and teachers in need of mental health supports and other services as the virus forced people into isolation and cost jobs and lives.
READ MORE
The New York Times
On the first day of school in Camden County, Georgia, local Facebook groups were already buzzing with rumors that a teacher had tested positive for the coronavirus. The next day, a warning went out to school administrators: Keep teachers quiet.
READ MORE
 |
|
Our extensive online curriculum includes over 280 graduate-level, self-paced courses in 20 different subject areas. Get help with:
• Online Instruction
• Social/Emotional Learning
• ESL/ELL
• Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Learn more about Advancement Courses!
|
|
By Maggie Kimberl (commenary)
 For years we've heard that screen time is toxic to kids and we should curtail it as much as possible. To that point, 85% of parents worry about how much time their kids spend online and more than half think their children may be addicted to screens by the end of the coronavirus pandemic. But now it seems that screen time may be more about quality than quantity. Find out more with this infographic.
READ MORE
Education Week
As students shift to remote learning, superintendents nationwide are laying off thousands of paraprofessionals, hourly, mostly low-paid workers often tasked to help students with disabilities. Paraprofessional groups, which have quickly organized protests to denounce the layoffs, have argued their members will be critical in the coming months to help students catch up academically and teachers manage oversized, virtual classrooms.
READ MORE
Edutopia (commentary)
Tracy Edwards, a contributor for Edutopia, writes: "I work at a blended learning school in Southern Nevada. Our school community was heavily online prior to the pandemic, which gives me insight around what works and what may be needed as we reopen schools. One factor that we must keep in mind is the need to keep families in the loop as decisions are made about this year. The language we use when communicating with families is more crucial than ever."
READ MORE
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.
Center for American Progress
The economy is facing a massive economic downturn due to COVID-19. As a result, states such as Nevada and Indiana are slashing their education budgets. But political leaders need to reinvest in education, not cut funding for schools. Indeed, as shown in a new analysis on salaries and education, better learning outcomes can kick-start the economy and lead to massive jumps in income.
READ MORE
The 74
The coronavirus pandemic isn't the first time in recent memory an outbreak forced schools to close. It was just a decade ago that the swine flu killed thousands of Americans and shuttered hundreds of K-12 campuses in 24 states. Though far less disruptive than the latest pandemic, the 2009 outbreak should have been a "wake-up call" that widespread school closures could sweep the nation, said Thomas Chandler, a research scientist at Columbia University's National Center for Disaster Preparedness.
READ MORE
Harvard Business Review
The endless string of demanding tasks at work can leave us running on empty — deadlines, meetings, projects, and ongoing training modules all demanding our effort and limiting our time to refuel. As an energy-saving measure, we may cut corners.
READ MORE
|
Promoted By
Presentation Systems
|
|
|
|
Promoted By
TeachFX
|
|
|
|
Inc. (commentary)
Eric Rea, a contributor for Inc., writes: "Last summer, I took key members of my leadership team to a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean for five days so we could learn about ourselves and each other. Our leader was Jeff Flake, the former Arizona senator, who had been marooned on a tiny strip of land in the Marshall Islands three times before. We didn't take much — just minimal survival supplies like a water-purifying pump, a fishing spear, a satellite phone for emergencies and the clothes on our backs."
READ MORE
The Lead Change Group
Can I give you some feedback? Leaders help people perform at their best. To do that, they provide feedback and identify actions to help people improve. Is your feedback accepted and acted on?
READ MORE
Forbes
Not a board of directors. Not a mentor. But do you need a team of trusted advisors as a sounding board to help you grow your leadership skills. It's an option worth considering. The personal "advisory board" I'm suggesting is a lose network of trusted colleagues from whom you can get advice in all areas of work and life.
READ MORE
|
Promoted by
|
|
|
|
 |
Leadership Freak (commentary)
"Nine years ago I had 3 conversations in thirty days that challenged my perspective and shifted my thinking. Yesterday, I reconnected with one of those people."
READ MORE
Entrepreneur
If you talk to ten people about what it takes to be an effective leader, you will get ten different answers. Every person has a different point of view about leadership and what traits make for a good leader. People usually assign leadership to position, but as Donald H. McGannon, who ran Westinghouse Broadcasting Corporation and served as president of the National Urban League, said: "Leadership is action, not position."
READ MORE
 |
|
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.
|
|
Entrepreneur
Silicon Valley has given modern life many improvements, search engines, social connection, smartphones, online shopping, health monitoring, rideshares and more. It's changed daily life. Can you imagine getting along without a smartphone, which are only fourteen years old?
READ MORE
Fast Company (commentary)
Barbara Shannon, a contributor for Fast Company, writes: "Far far back before COVID-19, before consulting, coaching and founding my first business, I was not what I am now. I was an actress in New York. After years of keeping my thespian roots in the closet, I'm here to belt from the bottom of my heart that all I really needed to know about business I learned in auditions, rehearsals and on stage."
READ MORE
Leadership Freak
The c-suite has little day-to-day impact on the productivity of remote workers. "Remote worker's productivity depends on one role – the manager." Remote work isn't going away. "Our best estimate is that 25-30% of the workforce will be working-from-home multiple days a week by the end of 2021."
READ MORE
|
|
District Administration Magazine
School districts leaders in need of CARES Act funding learned this summer that a specific portion of funds would have to go to nonpublic schools. According to a district court ruling, the U.S. Department of Education can't make that requirement.
READ MORE
The 74
Congressional Democrats and school nutrition advocates are denouncing U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue's decision to end key waivers that have allowed schools and other providers to offer free meals to children during the pandemic. If Congress doesn't step in, schools will return to operating under the National School Lunch Program, which requires families to meet income eligibility guidelines and doesn't include meals for young children. The change takes effect as soon as school starts, as late as Sept. 30.
READ MORE
EdSurge
The K-12 education technology market is at an inflection point. State and local educational agencies are reinventing themselves around remote learning, and tightening school budgets are magnifying the importance of cost effectiveness in spending decisions. Among parents, there's a growing appetite for tools that engage and educate their children.
READ MORE
|
Promoted by
|
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
|
|
 |
EdTech Magazine
In the struggle to implement expanded remote learning, educators are also finding opportunities. Out of necessity, they are integrating more technology into instruction. They're discussing and chipping away at long-standing digital divides. They are leveraging the flexibility to provide on-demand instruction. But with efforts to provide devices and Wi-Fi access, educators still are missing — or inadvertently reducing — opportunities to better serve all students. How many clicks does it take to create barriers to access instruction, specifically for students with disabilities?
READ MORE
District Administration Magazine
California's governor represents one of many officials who have determined their states are not ready for traditional school openings. In California over 30 counties have been added to a watchlist which automatically removes the possibility for schools to physically open their doors. When COVID-19 hit the U.S., schools closed their doors with many electing to either end the year early or attempt to stand up virtual schooling with varying results.
READ MORE
Tech & Learning
Esports can be transformative for every student in the school, according to James O'Hagan, director of digital and virtual learning for Racine Unified School District in Wisconsin. "Start with the ecosystem around esports, which is broader than the focus on games, players, and equipment," O'Hagan said. "Think beyond the games. It's not just a STEM activity. There are other benefits, such as developing social-emotional skills for health and wellness." He recommended that the students on the team represent and reflect the cross-section of students in the school.
READ MORE
eSchool News
By definition, the word hybrid means "composed of mixed parts." Until now, that has meant two parts: in school — where we largely haven't been since mid-March — and at home. When COVID-19 hit, we shut the classroom door and jumped into virtual learning with virtually no planning. Planning includes, but is not limited to, physical preparation and measures, social adaptation, ensuring emotional well-being, reassessing traditional educational standards — seeing them through a new lens — and having flexible systems ready.
READ MORE
EdTech Magazine
Setting up a classroom looks vastly different for many educators this fall with continued remote learning in place. Instead of decorating bulletin boards and planning seating arrangements, most are figuring out how to provide engaging, meaningful learning experiences for their students online. The unexpected shift to remote learning in the spring revealed that many educators are not prepared to teach online. More than half of teachers shared that they don't feel prepared to facilitate learning remotely, according to Class Tag's report on how teachers are turning to technology amid coronavirus school closings.
READ MORE
|
|
“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!
|
|
|
|
|
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
Learn more
|
|
|
|
|
MindShift
Conversation is a cornerstone of Cicely Woodard's classroom. Every day last spring, her eighth-graders at Freedom Middle School in Franklin, Tennessee posed questions, discussed math problems in small and large groups and responded to one another's ideas. Woodard wanted those experiences to continue when her school switched to distance learning during the coronavirus outbreak, but she knew that key elements would be missing.
READ MORE
By Brian Stack (commentary)
 Be honest with yourself. How many of you remember how to factor a polynomial? How many of you have found a use for this skill in the real world? Am I being a little snarky right now? Perhaps. But as a former high school math teacher myself, I'm worried that the profession is doing a disservice to millions of students who are not making the deep connections with math in the same way that they do with other content areas.
READ MORE
eSchool News
In the classroom, routines support student learning and build efficiency. The same is true with online and distance learning. At a time when students — and parents — may be feeling a little anxious, overwhelmed or uncertain about the new school year, routines can provide a sense of structure, stability and control. Routines let students and parents know what to expect and when. This predictability not only reduces stress, but it improves students' learning and their relationships with their teachers.
READ MORE
Edutopia
In every classroom, there are students who always have their hand raised to participate, and those who are hesitant to engage. Whether they're introverted, tend to think awhile before they contribute or are just having a bad day, it can be hard to bring kids into discussions who are reluctant to add their voices.
READ MORE
ADDitude Magazine
Distance learning is not ideal for all students with ADHD. Surviving the coming school year will mean reducing anxiety and tension at home while also maintaining realistic expectations, providing appropriate supports and advocating for our children with eyes wide open.
READ MORE
We Are Teachers
There's something so entrancing about a big box of buttons. You just want to play with them, stacking them and sorting them in endless ways. That's what makes buttons so terrific for learning! Try some of these button activities to help kids build fine motor skills, work on math, make cute crafts and much more.
READ MORE
|
|
Education DIVE
This year's poll provided responses from 1,060 adults, who were surveyed on topics including political attitudes and priorities, testing, problems facing public schools, charter schools and vouchers, and diversity. It's also worth noting that this year's results were gathered prior to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide demonstrations that followed the police-involved deaths of George Floyd and other unarmed Black Americans.
READ MORE
THE Journal
NASEF, the North America Scholastic Esports Federation, has found that students participating in esports showed "significant development" of STEM and workforce skills and social-emotional characteristics. The research was undertaken by the Connected Learning Lab at the University of California, Irvine. NASEF is a nonprofit that promotes the use of esports in schools.
READ MORE
Edutopia
The sudden, unplanned move to distance learning during spring 2020 drove a wedge into the middle of the school year — disrupting academic schedules, putting an end to extracurriculars and undercutting the assessment and academic feedback cycles in most schools. Student motivation, predictably, foundered.
READ MORE
Education DIVE
Regardless of higher levels of job satisfaction, teachers may choose to retire or change fields if schools reopen before they consider it to be safe. That could create a greater teacher shortage at a time when budget cuts are looming. The Economic Policy Institute reports K-12 job losses in April were greater than throughout the Great Recession. Those who lost their jobs included special education teachers, teaching assistants and tutors, as well as custodians, nurses, building maintenance staff and counselors.
READ MORE
NPR (commentary)
"On the morning of March 15, I started getting texts from worried parents at my daughter's New York City public school. Rumors were rocketing around that a second-grade teacher had tested positive for the coronavirus after being out sick for a week. The school hadn't made any announcements, and parents were getting frantic. The tension ended a few hours later when Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that evening that all New York City school buildings would be closed the next day."
READ MORE
|
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.
Learn more
|
|
|
|
|
Reach Your Prospects Every Week
Thousands of industry professionals subscribe to association news briefs, which allows your company to push messaging directly to their inboxes and take advantage of the association's brand affinity.
Connect with Highly Defined Buyers and Maximize Your Brand Exposure
|
|
|
|
|
EdSource
As school districts across California move forward with distance learning, many are navigating the complicated realities of this year's essential back-to-school item: webcams. California state law requires students to interact with their peers and teachers every day during distance learning. Fostering those connections can be difficult without seeing faces, teachers and administrators say, but requiring cameras to stay on during class can be difficult for students who lack a stable internet connection or feel anxious on screen.
READ MORE
Chalkbeat
At 7:50 a.m., kindergarten teacher Liz Blaskowski stood by her classroom door inside Westminster's Skyline Vista Elementary School, ready to greet 17 new students — and take their temperatures. Several miles away, at 8:45 a.m., Denver kindergarten teacher Erika Macias logged on to Zoom to find eight little faces in eight little boxes waiting for her.
READ MORE
Chalkbeat
As schools across Michigan begin an unpredictable new year, teachers are facing what may seem like an insurmountable task: Helping students, particularly the most vulnerable, who've experienced learning loss because of the pandemic. There is little doubt that the disruption caused by COVID-19, marked by an unheard-of shift from physical to remote learning, will leave many students struggling academically. That concern runs especially deep in cities like Detroit, home to long-existing inequities and students whose communities have borne the brunt of the virus's damage.
READ MORE
NPR
A Florida judge ruled against the state's order requiring schools to open for in-person instruction by the end of August, calling parts of it "unconstitutional." He granted a temporary injunction, putting the decision-making power in the hands of individual districts. The emergency order was issued by Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran in early July as the state's coronavirus cases surged, and mandated that all districts open "brick and mortar schools" at least five days a week for families who want to send their students back, or else risk losing already-allocated funding.
READ MORE
NAESP
Join Jess Surles and Lana Santoro, Ph.D., as they introduce a five-part, NAESP-Lead for Literacy Center series focused on supporting literacy leadership in elementary grade settings. They will discuss the Lead for Literacy's Leadership Framework and demonstrate how the elements from the Framework can be used by school leaders, within traditional and distance learning contexts, to implement evidence-based literacy practices within the context of a multi-tiered system of support for reading.
READ MORE
NAESP
Don't miss a unique opportunity to advance your career and strengthen the leadership skills of new principals. Your knowledge and expertise is critical to ensure the success of the next generation of school leaders. As with any career, mentors offer guidance and support to help others become highly effective leaders. Take the time to invest in yourself, your career, and the principal profession with NAESP's National Mentor Training and Certification Program™.
READ MORE
|
|
|
7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063
|
