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September 15, 2020

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PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP

For many students, online learning may not have improved much

eSchool News
As the start of school inches ever closer — and is already underway in some places — many teachers have yet to be trained how to be more adept with online learning. School district leaders spent so much time over the summer trying to create reopening plans that would meet safety guidelines for classes inside school buildings that they had little time to focus on improving online academic offerings. And millions of students nationwide still lack devices and Internet access. READ MORE

The return to remote learning this fall came with system outages, cyberattacks and other problems

CNN
For the dozens of school districts forced to kick off the new academic year with online learning, the remote classrooms have come with their own set of challenges. Schools across the country have reported system outages, cyberattacks and other issues that prompted some districts to postpone the first day of class. The COVID-19 pandemic drove many U.S. education leaders to opt for virtual learning, hoping it could help curb an already rampant spread of the virus. READ MORE

Bus stops: 9 school busing realities to recognize

District Administration Magazine
What individually does the work of 36 cars and collectively transports nearly 26 million kids a day? It's the school bus, and like everything else related to education in the past six months, it has experienced major bumps in the road. "You take the nation's largest system of mass transit and shut it down overnight — that's going to have a ripple effect," says Mike Martin, executive director of the National Association for Pupil Transportation. Martin was a co-administrator on a project that pulled the school bus transportation industry together in an effort to help school district leaders plan for fall reopenings. READ MORE

Children don't all learn the same way, or on the same timetable. So why should our education system be one-size-fits-all?

The 74
Prior to COVID-19, education in America was absolutely equal for every child. Are you done laughing yet? Good. Now let's get serious. Prior to COVID-19, education in America was absolutely not equal for every child. Whether you are comparing state to state, city to city, district to district, school to school, or even classes within schools. As COVID-19 wreaked its havoc across the country, Americans were forced to admit that some schools were better prepared, some teachers went the extra mile and, yes, some parents had the resources to either stay home and help their children with remote learning or hire someone who would do it for them. READ MORE

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Hotspots no silver bullet for rural remote learning

The Hechinger Report
Back in April, as schools across the country shifted to online instruction to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Scott Muri saw firsthand just how damaging lack of internet access can be for students and families. A team of fifth grade teachers at an elementary school invited Muri, the superintendent of Ector County Independent School District in West Texas, to participate in an online scavenger hunt they had designed for students. Muri logged into the session and immediately noticed that even though there were five fifth-grade classrooms, only 27 students were in the virtual room. After the scavenger hunt, Muri asked the teachers why the rest of their students were missing. Their response shocked him. READ MORE

5 skills teachers need during COVID-19

eSchool News (commentary)
We find ourselves working in some interesting places these days. Today, my office is the home of my great-grandparents in a small Minnesota town. It’s a simple house, and full of reminders of what life and education would have looked like nearly a century ago: a one room schoolhouse, with one teacher but students of varying ages, in the midst of the Great Depression. READ MORE

Infographic: How arts education benefits kids outside the studio

By Neve Spicer

A well-rounded education is unarguably an important part of childhood development. While math, science, and reading courses get due credit for conveying important knowledge, the benefits of arts education are often overlooked — and the result is a reduction in time and funding devoted to arts education within the curriculum. It's this important knowledge that's the driving force behind National Arts in Education Week, taking place this year from Sept. 13-19. READ MORE

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Report: Most educators aren't equipped for student-centered learning

Education DIVE
COVID-19 and virtual learning have created "the perfect combination of catalysts for a rapid conversion to student-centered schooling," according to a new report from the Christensen Institute. However, the authors write, most K-12 educators aren't equipped with the skill sets needed to run student-centered schools. For student-centered learning to be adopted, educators must be trained for student-centered competencies, but current approaches to educator development also fall short in this area. READ MORE

How parents can spot signs of learning disabilities during remote learning

Education Week
Special education has emerged as one of the most significant concerns for families and schools during the global pandemic, with much of the focus on the plight of students who are separated from the teachers and specialists that ensure they have equal opportunities to learn. But students with undiagnosed learning disabilities may also be missing out on services and supports during distance learning. READ MORE

Why mass notification systems can help during the pandemic

eSchool News
The ongoing pandemic has forced schools and districts to change the way they operate. Depending on local guidelines, the new school year will look very different for many teachers and students. Some schools are reopening with precautions in place, others are sticking to virtual learning and some are mixing in-person and virtual strategies. Whatever a school or district decides to do, there is a need for strong communication to do it successfully — and mass notification systems play an important role. READ MORE

How schools can transition to virtual education overnight

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.

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Most voters see digital divide as problem, want federal funds to expand access

Education DIVE
According to new poll from the Internet Innovation Alliance and Morning Consult, 95% of U.S. voters view the lack of home broadband internet access that impedes remote learning for an estimated 12 to 15 million students, based on separate estimates by the Senate Joint Economic Committee and Common Sense Media, as a problem that needs to be addressed. READ MORE

5 principles to guide adaptive leadership

Harvard Business Review
The COVID-19 pandemic is constantly evolving, with leaders facing unpredictability, imperfect information, multiple unknowns and the need to identify responses quickly — all while recognizing the multi-dimensional (health-related, economic, social, political, cultural) nature of the crisis. READ MORE

Do you trust your instincts?

Forbes
Instincts, intuition, an inkling, a spidey sense — whatever you call it, it's that feeling you have in your gut pushing you toward or away from something. Do you recognize and trust yours? Whether you're cognizant of it or not, as you’ve been progressing through your career you've been developing not only your domain expertise but your instincts as well — how you assess people, feasibility and approaches. READ MORE

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The secrets to maintaining employee morale through the pandemic

Fast Company
A sense of fulfillment seems like some far-off fantasy right now. Something of days past when work and life didn't blur into one; at the very least, a time when you could have your morning coffee without interruptions. As we've seen the last few months, the pandemic has upended notions of well-being and happiness, especially around work and its separation from our our personal lives. READ MORE

Letting go of uncertainty

The Lead Change Group
For the second time in six years, my heart had gone on the fritz. This time was different in that the medical reason for the malfunction wasn't immediately clear. Several possibilities existed, so my cardiologist laid out a series of diagnostic tests and medication trials. What played with my head was that this science experiment would take a month. A month! That's a long time to live with the uncertainty of not knowing. Our brains perceive uncertainty as a threat. We prefer the comfort of certainty, so we go to great lengths to block out the indefinite, the unknown or ambiguous. We develop fixed habits, adopt strong views and create absolute truths. We meticulously define right and wrong, invent unambiguous rules and prize consistency. READ MORE

How to support your returning workforce

Entrepreneur
The landscape of the modern workplace was, and continues to be, drastically restructured by the COVID-19 virus. Millions of workers were laid off or furloughed across the country, and many low-wage workers (including teachers) now earn more money from unemployment than they did on the job. For employers, recalling the workforce in the most ethical way — the way that most benefits companies and employees alike, while minimizing COVID-19 exposure — is a complicated conversation. READ MORE

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6 issues students face in remote learning

MiddleWeb (commentary)
Barbara R. Blackburn, a contributor for MiddleWeb, writes: "When we are teaching in a remote learning setting, we'll see students facing a variety of struggles. Some of these are specific to remote learning, such as not feeling connected with the teacher or not knowing how to handle the level of independent work. However, there are also issues students wrestle with that may be true in the traditional classroom, but they are magnified during online learning. In those cases, we need to address them by adapting our regular classroom strategies to remote learning. Let’s look at six common issues." READ MORE

How to adapt special education to the remote-learning reality

Disability Scoop
When the pandemic forced schools to transition to remote learning in the spring, some families struggled more than others. Families of students in special education programs were suddenly expected to adapt to an online learning environment that was often inaccessible to children with a variety of physical, emotional or developmental needs. READ MORE

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Should teachers accept Facebook friend requests from parents?

We Are Teachers
You know the drill. You open Facebook to wind down at the end of the day and there it is. A notification that your student's parent has sent you a friend request. You pause and debate whether to accept because we all know that teaching is most effective when we have strong relationships with students, parents and caregivers. But we also know that when those relationships shift from professional to personal it can be difficult, if not impossible, to maintain boundaries. READ MORE

Student assessment during COVID-19

Center for American Progress
Schools face enormous challenges regarding how to operate efficiently and safely for the 2020-2021 school year. As part of that response, some state leaders are asking the U.S. Department of Education to waive the annual federal testing and accountability requirements for 2021, which are key to understanding and addressing gaps in education among students. This call follows the mass request and granting of waivers of the federal annual standardized test requirements in the spring of 2020, when schools physically closed, and tests could not be administered. READ MORE

Strategies for assessing students remotely

Tech& Learning
Assessments can be particularly challenging in a remote learning environment. How can you verify that the students just aren't Google searching everything? What if their parents are completing the projects for them? These and many other questions plagued educators in the spring (pardon the pun). While there is no easy answer for assessing students in a monitored setting, there are strategies that educators can use to make sure students are demonstrating their knowledge and understanding of their learning. READ MORE

Providing access to SEL for students with disabilities

District Administration Magazine
The extended isolation and unrest associated with the continuing pandemic and protests for social justice have made it crucial for schools to focus on students' social-emotional learning as they return to school. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, in partnership with about 40 other organizations, recently released Reunite, Renew, and Thrive: Social and Emotional Learning Roadmap for Reopening School to guide schools on how to support staff and students in the transition back to school. READ MORE

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Planning reading intervention for your most vulnerable elementary students

We Are Teachers
Reading intervention for elementary students who need it is a must-have for an effective literacy program. Bolstering struggling readers’ skills with strategic supplemental instruction was essential before COVID-19. With the frantic shift to online learning during the spring of 2020, researchers estimate that students may only retain 70% of a typical year's reading progress when they start the 2020-2021 school year. READ MORE

Distrust of science in the coronavirus era reminds us why we must boost elementary science education

The Hechinger Report
At this moment in history, we must acknowledge that the United States has not risen to the great challenges brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. Rather than lean into a society-wide effort to protect the most vulnerable from COVID-19, we have allowed this event to expose and expand divisions within American society. These differences appear in personal actions, such as wearing masks (or not), and governmental policies, such as those that make testing and equipment freely available (or not). READ MORE

Virtual STEM: Some pitfalls and possibilities

MiddleWeb (commentary)
Anne Jolly, a contributor for MiddleWeb, writes: "When I set out to write this post, my goal was to offer practical insights for leading STEM lessons online with your students. The idea was to help you get through this uncommon time — and perhaps you'd be able to incorporate some of what I shared as part of your 'normal' teaching routine — whether you find yourself in a normal classroom setup, online in synchronous and asynchronous modes, or in a hybrid model." READ MORE

How to foster creativity, no matter where learning takes place

EdTech Magazine
As you laugh to yourself at that classic scene, imagine the feeling most educators experienced when they quickly transitioned to emergency remote learning in the spring. When the use of webconferencing solutions exploded, many educators found themselves in that same predicament: feeling as though they were talking to a wall. Yet educators were resilient. They stayed vigilant in their quest to provide the best level of service for their students. If the past few months have proved one thing, it's that an educator's capacity to explore and experiment never ceases to evolve. READ MORE

How this teacher harnesses student curiosity with hands-on learning experiences

EdSurge
Tools are powerful. Pedagogy is powerful. When combined appropriately, they are transformative. First grade teacher Byron Gilliland has combined Rigamajig (the right tool) with Deeper Learning (the right pedagogy) to facilitate a learning environment that sees all students embrace their curiosity, creativity, critical thinking and collaborative abilities to own their learning at a higher level. READ MORE

Virtual office hours: How to make the most of this time with your students

We Are Teachers
Now that we are teaching online, virtual office hours are becoming part of the weekly school schedules for middle and high school. Chances are you've done your homework and checked all the boxes. You surveyed your students and found out what times work best. You decided how often, and whether students will drop in or sign up. So why aren't students showing up? Before you give up and spend office hours answering emails, hear me out: we can make this work, and here's how. READ MORE

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Outdoor learning is safer, but how are schools doing it?

Education DIVE
As schools ease into the new academic year, many district administrators are sending students and educators outside to abide by social distancing rules and minimize the risk of coronavirus transmission. Although the Center for Disease Control recently urged schools to look for ways to utilize outdoor spaces for expanded learning opportunities, outdoor classes are nothing new: Open-air learning spaces were successfully used in the early 1900s to prevent the spread of tuberculosis. Current studies show COVID-19 is also less likely to spread outdoors. READ MORE

Nurturing a classroom community during distance learning

Edutopia
Loren, a middle school language arts teacher about to start his sixth year in the classroom, recently emailed me. In part, he asked, "I'm at a loss and feeling anxious about the coming school year — have you thought about how teachers and students will build relationships and classroom communities during virtual learning?" READ MORE

9 ideas for making virtual learning joyful and fun

We Are Teachers
No one wants to see our kids sitting in front of a computer screen all day. In the classroom, we make learning fun using stations, hands-on learning, and small group work. There are opportunities to connect, laugh and play. So, how can we make virtual learning joyful and fun? We were inspired by teachers across the web who are finding creative ways to do just that. READ MORE

EDUCATION RESEARCH

Report: Schools need 176 million tests each month to safely reopen

U.S. News & World Report
The U.S. needs as many as 176 million coronavirus tests each month in order to reopen and operate schools safely, according to a new estimate by the Rockefeller Institute — a far cry from the current testing landscape, which stands at about 21 million tests each month for the entire country. READ MORE

Why micro-credentials will fuel student-centered learning

District Administration Magazine
Online and hybrid learning require more student-centered approaches, and micro-credentials for teacher professional development may be the most reliable way to get there, education researchers say in a new report. The new modes of instruction necessitated by the COVID pandemic have only accelerated the efforts of district leaders who have been shifting to more personalized and competency-based learning in recent years, says Heather Staker, an adjunct researcher for the Christensen Institute think tank who co-authored the report, "Educator competencies for student-centered teaching." READ MORE

Why speaking English may spread more coronavirus than other languages

Forbes
New research suggests that English speakers put more droplets into the air when they talk, which may make them more likely to spread COVID-19. Since the novel coronavirus is spread by droplets, how spitty a language is may contribute to different rates of the disease. It all comes down to something called aspirated consonants, the sounds we make that spray more droplets of saliva into the air. In college, everyone knew which professors spit the most when they lectured. The front rows of their classes were always empty after the first day of class, because the high achievers who sat there had been bathed with the lecturer's saliva. READ MORE

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IN THE STATES

The next big hurdle: California schools grapple with how, when or if to reopen campuses

EdSource
Just as students and teachers across California are adjusting to distance learning, many districts are bracing for a new challenge, one that may be even more daunting: How — and when — to re-open campuses safely. Although the coronavirus continues to spread in California, some districts have reopened for in-person classes, and others may be able to welcome students back to campus as soon as this month. Those in areas with the highest infection rates will stay closed for the foreseeable future. READ MORE

In bilingual classrooms, teachers are anxious to build relationships, close digital divide

Houston Public Media
For months, Jocelyn Ramos imagined how she'd decorate her very own classroom for her first year of teaching: bright colors and a warm, rainbow theme. She just never expected it'd be at her house. "This is probably my favorite part because it just feels welcoming," Ramos said in a video tour. "It's a welcome bulletin board. It says 'Bienvenidos.'" READ MORE

ASSOCIATION NEWS

Be bold in times of uncertainty

NAESP
Schools and principals have never been in this exact predicament — having to close schools, say goodbye to in-person instruction, and switch on a dime to virtual learning to keep students and staff safe. Doing so has shined a spotlight on issues that have plagued many schools across the country for decades: inequity, funding challenges and mental health. READ MORE

COVID-19 and schools: Sneak peek at the data dashboard

NAESP
The National Association of Elementary School Principals has partnered with Emily Oster, Brown University, Qualtrics, the School Superintendents Association, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals in the creation of the National COVID-19 School Response Dashboard to systematically map schools' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Formal data collection starts Sept. 14, and the data dashboard will go live on Sept. 21. Districts and schools can enroll in the dashboard at any time. This webinar will your first chance to walk through the dashboard and its data. READ MORE

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