This message was sent to ##Email##
To advertise in this publication please click here
|
|
|
.PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP
MULTIBRIEFS EXCLUSIVE
Principals: Don't forget to take care of yourself!
By Brian Stack
 Even on an average day, the challenges a principal can face can seem daunting. Add a global pandemic into the mix and one piece of bad news can be enough to make principals feel helpless, lost, or ready to throw in the towel. As we celebrate National Principals Month, we need to remember to take care of ourselves so that we don't fall victim to the challenges that will prey on our weaknesses. As a fellow principal, I feel your pain and I offer you these tips to help you keep your focus, momentum and, most importantly, your sanity through all of this.
|
|
5 simple ways to manage stress this year
Edutopia
Educators this year are faced with a multitude of decisions and reflexive reactions as schools and communities try to create the safest plans for the return to school, and the chronic unpredictability of this situation wears on our nervous systems. Why is this? Our brains and bodies are being flooded with millions of bits of sensory information every day, but with an increase of anxiety and worry, these sensations can trigger our stress response systems, causing our bodies and brains to move into a survival state where we find ourselves feeling chronically unsafe, dysregulated and stressed.
|
|
Students' 8 leading safety concerns, other than COVID
District Administration Magazine
While most high school students report feeling safe in their schools, ACT test-takers said in a survey that administrators could do more to protect them. While 75% of students said they felt safe, they also want their schools to provide more mental health resources and they also want to have more voice in decisions that impact them, according to "What Do Students Say About School Safety" by ACT's Center for Equity in Learning.
|
|
What the research says about school reopening and COVID-19 transmission
MindShift
Despite widespread concerns, two new international studies show no consistent relationship between in-person K-12 schooling and the spread of the coronavirus. And a third study from the United States shows no elevated risk to childcare workers who stayed on the job. Combined with anecdotal reports from a number of U.S. states where schools are open, as well as a crowdsourced dashboard of around 2,000 U.S. schools, some medical experts are saying it's time to shift the discussion from the risks of opening K-12 schools to the risks of keeping them closed.
|
|
|
Promoted By
Erlab
|
|
|
|
Promoted By
Apothepack
|
|
|
|
America faces a substitute teacher shortage — And disadvantaged schools are hit hardest
The Brookings Institution
Substitute teachers are an important (yet oft-ignored) group of educators in the U.S. school system. The reason is simple: Substitute teachers spend substantial time with K-12 students. Like other professionals, teachers are absent from work for various reasons, such as sickness, professional development or personal issues. Based on one estimate drawn from a sample of large U.S. metropolitan districts, teachers miss an average of about 11 days out of a 186-day school year. This means that students spend, on average, approximately two-thirds of a school year with substitute teachers during the entirety of their K-12 schooling — not a trivial amount of time.
|
|
3 COVID-19 education trends set to persist post-pandemic
Education DIVE
When the pandemic is over, there will be COVID-19-related practices many school administrators will happily like to see vanish and never return, such as mask wearing and social distancing. But there are some new or refined activities that — while forced upon the education world due to COVID-19 — should have staying power because they have the potential to improve student outcomes and school operations for the long term, some administrators predict.
|
|
A first 100 days agenda for K-12 education
Center for American Progress
In November, amid a global pandemic and economic crisis, voters will choose the next president of the United States. Clearly, there will be no shortage of pressing issues to tackle within the first 100 days of the next administration. Addressing COVID-19 and the economy will certainly be top agenda items, but regardless of this election's outcome, the next administration must also prioritize and take immediate action to dismantle the structural inequity in the K-12 education system and provide schools much-needed relief in the pandemic recovery.
|
|
Are aspiring teachers learning classroom management? It varies
Education Week
For many first-year teachers, getting a handle on classroom management can be one of the hardest parts of the job. Yet the National Council on Teacher Quality, a Washington-based group that advocates for more rigorous teacher preparation, has found that just 14% of traditional teacher-preparation programs require candidates to demonstrate their ability in five research-based classroom management strategies. 35% of programs require candidates to demonstrate their ability in four of the five strategies that NCTQ says have been proven to lead to positive effects on students' behavior.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
This book helps you & your staff: understand sources of trauma identify signs of trauma guide conversations take necessary action reduce anxiety improve student mental health
It addresses the traumas of 2020 & helps you plan for future crises.
|
|
3 strategies for authentic decision-making leaders
Forbes
As a leader, you have many crosspoints to consider when making decisions. To guarantee that your associates, peers and others will follow through, you need to be authentic. Authentic leaders take decision-making seriously, even when the stakes seem low. They understand that some small choices can have a big impact on an individual, team or organization. Authentic leaders reflect on what they are trying to accomplish, who will be affected, what consequences may occur and how their decision aligns with their mission and values.
|
|
Being a great leader requires deliberate practice, every single day
Inc. (commentary)
David Finkel, a contributor for Inc., writes: "As a business coach, I talk to thousands of leaders every year. Great business owners who have built and scaled businesses to serve their industry and their customers. Yet almost everyone I talk to wishes that they could be a better leader in some aspect. Whether that means being able to coach and support their team members, hire more efficiently, work with outside vendors to get the best results possible or something else, there is always something that they wish they could get better at."
|
|
Bridging differences for better mentoring
The Lead Change Group
As the workplace has become more diverse, mentoring has become more challenging. Mentors and mentees may come from very different backgrounds and have a limited understanding of each other's cultures and outlooks. But mentoring remains the most powerful tool for creating meaningful relationships, furthering professional development, and increasing engagement and retention. Younger workers and emerging leaders, in particular, are demanding it.
|
|
3 tips to help your employees deal with conflict
Fast Company
In the era of remote work, getting into productive conflicts is one of the most important ways to grow engagement and trust. To help your team become more comfortable with conflicts, leaders need to encourage constructive communication about them. Easier said then done? Consider these three steps to get ahead of unproductive and morale-depleting conflicts.
|
|
Asking a question costs less than having an answer
Leadership Freak
Control freaks fear freedom. But treating people like robots never inspires. Control-freak-leaders deliver narrow results. Choices inspire ownerships and instill responsibility. Every decision you give someone communicates trust, confidence and respect. Respect invites partnership. Disrespect creates disengagement.
|
|
How to be a leader who brings unity and calm to your team
Entrepreneur
Life got messy in 2020. It's not just the virus. It's the way the virus has changed everything we once took for granted — from the way we work to the way we get to work. Or don't get to work, as the case may be. Although forecasts and timelines vary, one thing is clear: COVID-19 is here to stay. The rest is largely unknown: particularly regarding decisions made by businesses and individuals.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
The learning landscape is changing. Let us help you navigate it. Our experts are available for early-morning check-ins, or late in the evening as you reflect on your day. Bottom line: Leadership doesn’t have to be lonely. We’re here, day and night, to help you lead your schools into the future. Learn more
|
|
.EDUCATION POLICY
How will the 2020 Biden-Trump election impact K-12?
District Administration Magazine
The homework gap and connecting all students to the internet will remain one of the key K-12 challenges facing either Don Trump's or Joe Biden's administration after the 2020 election. The second HEROES Act provides $12 billion for Internet access, hotspots and computing devices. This would cover the current emergency, but a more permanent solution is needed to close the homework gap, says Jon Bernstein, an education, technology and communications lobbyist who is president of the Bernstein Strategy Group.
|
|
Ed Dept civil rights data shows restraint, seclusion, sexual assault on the rise
Education DIVE
A bevy of statistics about school enrollment, discipline practices, academic offerings and more from the 2017-2018 school year was released by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights as part of the biennial Civil Rights Data Collection. The self-reported collection from 17,604 public school districts and 97,632 public schools and educational programs includes up to 1,700 data points — often broken down by race, gender, disability status and other demographics — is used by school, district and state education systems to measure trends and plan for improvements.
|
|
|
|
.SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY
4 ways to launch a data initiative — Or get one back on track
EdTech Magazine
Data-driven initiatives have helped schools improve student learning outcomes and measure technology ROI. The School District of Palm Beach County in Florida, for example, relies on its data systems to spot which students may be falling behind and need more academic support in a school that may be doing well as a whole. "We use data to make sure we can drill down to every student and every other facet of the organization," says Superintendent Donald Fennoy II.
|
|
The ABCs of preventing and mitigating DDoS attacks
District Administration Magazine
It wasn't that long ago that kids looking to get out of a big test or fessing up to the fact that they didn't have their homework ready to turn in might have pulled the fire alarm to cause total disruption and maybe, if luck was on their side, an early dismissal. But in 2020, many classrooms are virtual, and there's a new fire alarm to take down learning platforms. Distributed Denial of Service attacks, where a target and/or its nearby infrastructure is overwhelmed with internet traffic, are proving just as adept in getting students out of classwork and potentially earning the perpetrator (or perpetrators) a sizable ransom.
|
|
Which states have the biggest home internet access gaps for students?
Education Week
Mississippi, Arkansas and New Mexico have the highest percentages of students who lack adequate home technology for remote learning, a new analysis from the National Education Association found. NEA, the nation's largest teachers union, worked with the research firm Public Policy Associates to synthesize 2018 Census data on household internet and digital device access. The groups used those figures to approximate the number of students who don't have internet access, a working digital device, or both, at home.
|
|
| |
 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.
|
|
|
What is Adobe Spark for Education and how does it work for teachers and students?
Tech & Learning
Adobe Spark for Education is a smart yet simple to use digital tool that allows students and teachers to create visually engaging graphics, web pages, and videos. The Spark system is made up of Adobe Spark Post, Adobe Spark Page and Adobe Spark Video, all of which can be accessed easily through a web browser. That means this works on most devices, from smartphones and tablets to laptops and desktop computers.
|
|
Best practices for protecting data and keeping online learning secure
eSchool News
As the global pandemic extends into the fall, it's clear that most schools and universities will continue to rely on online instruction in the near term. However, although online instruction can help minimize health risks, it also introduces heightened security risks and highlights the importance of protecting data. This was certainly true in corporate environments, where more than 80% of companies saw "slightly to considerably more" cyberattack attempts in the first half of 2020. As the threat landscape continues to evolve, higher education will continue to become an increasingly target-rich environment.
|
|
How to ensure data remains safe in the age of ransomware
EdTech Magazine
Whether you are a teacher, parent, student or IT professional, you have witnessed the extraordinary transition the education sector has recently undergone. Despite schools having already facilitated distance, digital and remote learning for some years now, there is no doubt that the global lockdown has acted as a catalyst for further rapid and momentous change.
|
|
|
|
| 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
|
|
.PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Please stop expecting normal from kids (and teachers) right now
We Are Teachers (commentary)
Julie Mason, a contributor for We Are Teachers, writes: "We are trying to keep things as normal as possible for our kids. But why? There's nothing normal about this school year. I'm going to make the case to please stop expecting normal from kids and teachers right now and to start questioning why we thought normal was so great in the first place. Sure, there’s a lot of comfort in routine and the structure of school, but we are so used to things that we stop questioning why we do them in the first place."
|
|
How can teachers and students discuss the 2020 election?
Teaching Channel
Whether you're ready to admit it or not, this election is going to affect your classroom. You may not teach about voting or even be a social studies teacher, but the reality is that today's political ethos stirs up worry, hope, excitement, and uncertainty in students, and likely, you too. And just wait until the results come in — students will want and need to talk about the implications. So why not channel all of this energy into productive learning about voting?
|
|
How teachers are leaning on each other to stay resilient during COVID-19
MindShift
For the first time in her decade of teaching, Coral Zayas is eating lunch every day. It may sound small, but for her, it's a major victory. "I don't normally eat three meals a day, because I'm usually working and don't even think about it," Zayas said in September. In addition to her new lunch routine, Zayas, who teaches STEM and social studies at a public school in Leander, Texas, has set a regular time when she turns off her computer at night. "I'm working really hard to put what is in my brain of what balance looks like into reality," she said.
|
|
|
Essential Skills has been providing comprehensive and affordable digital learning solutions for over 20 years. Try our popular online learning programs risk-free for 30 days! "Essential Skills has been a phenomenal resource to improve our students' literacy and math skills both at school and through our distance learning initiatives."
|
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
|
Most educators require kids to turn cameras on in virtual class, despite equity concerns
Education Week
The issue of whether students should turn their video cameras on during remote classes has been heavily debated among educators. On one side, cameras can foster student engagement and make teachers feel less like they're speaking into an abyss. On the other, teachers say requiring cameras can make some students feel vulnerable or exposed.
|
|
Real world STEM? Try plastics pollution.
MiddleWeb
The kids you teach have never lived in a world unpolluted by plastic trash. And who would believe it now, but today's plastic plague actually began as an attempt to protect the environment. It started with elephants. In the late 1800s the demand for ivory to make billiard balls threatened the elephant population. An inventor, John Wesley Hyatt, rolled out the first form of plastic as a substitute for ivory and started a revolution.
|
|
How to make time for independent reading in remote learning
We Are Teachers
Back in January, the International Literacy Association released a report in which 70% of educators said there isn't enough time set aside for independent reading. And with so much learning now happening remotely, it's become even more of a challenge to fit in. Independent reading has incredible benefits, from improving reading achievement to boosting confidence to building background knowledge.
|
|
Turning media literacy into civic engagement
eSchool News
Being an informed contributor to America's democratic practices and principles requires strong media literacy skills. Without them, even the most civic-minded will find it hard to assess and interpret the mass of information out in the world. Jeff Knutson, Common Sense Education Content Strategist and Senior Producer, recognizes how challenging it is for students to negotiate media. In an edWebinar sponsored by Common Sense Education, Knutson outlined ways teachers can support students as they strengthen their media literacy to knowledgeably participate in civic engagement.
|
|
Why teaching kindergarten online is so very, very hard
Edutopia
One kindergarten meltdown has become the stuff of legend. In a story that went viral, a defeated 5-year-old sits in front of his computer screen during class time and simply cries in frustration. The post garnered thousands of sympathetic responses from families across the nation. Teaching our youngest children online, as many parents and teachers can attest, is not quite working out.
|
|
Why we need a new generation of special education teachers
The Hechinger Report
For Black and Brown students with disabilities, online instruction has often been a failure. It is also suboptimal for students with disabilities across racial groups, especially as teachers without training have had to shift instruction. Many Black and Brown families include essential workers or individuals who are more vulnerable to COVID-19. Fewer Black and Brown communities are able to access services for students with disabilities and high-quality instruction for their children in public schools.
|
|
|
|
Picturing the pandemic: Helping kids see more
MiddleWeb
When you think about the pandemic, what images comes to mind? What we and our students know about the virus is based on our own personal experiences as well as what "the media" have shown us. Many of us have already seen media images of people wearing masks; interviews with doctors and other medical professionals; people working in labs to produce a virus vaccine, and sometimes, patients in hospital beds.
|
|
Improving your practice through a self-coaching framework
Edutopia
No one has all the answers right now, not even the experts. Too often we use professional learning as a space to try to give the solutions we think teachers need. Instead, we should focus on how we can use the professional learning space to work with teachers as they try to figure out how to solve challenges for themselves.
|
|
.EDUCATION RESEARCH
Study: Participation in afterschool nutrition programs was rising before pandemic
Food & Environment Reporting Network
Even before the pandemic, participation in afterschool nutrition programs was on the rise, according to a report released today from the Food Research & Action Center. The findings highlight the need to ensure meal access when kids aren't in school, particularly as the pandemic drags on. Over 1.4 million children had access to suppers and snacks through the programs on an average day in October 2019, according to the report. That's an increase of more than 86,900 participants from the previous year.
|
|
Report: How to get the good changes to last
THE Journal
How much of the innovation that's taking place right now in education will still be around when the instability of the pandemic has slowed down? That's a question that the Christensen Institute has tried to understand in a new paper published today. The positive changes taking place in schools aren't simply the ones that have to do with the virus, the report noted. They're also tied to the other one confronting America right now: systemic racism, which "perpetuates inequality and injustice." Both types of pandemics "deeply challenge our education system."
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
|
K-12 class sizes have ballooned with online learning. It's not a good thing.
EdSurge
When leaders at Megan Claffey's Colorado district decided to give parents a choice between online and hybrid learning, they didn't expect many to choose the all-online option. But instead of the 100 or so families they had planned for, more than 2,800 opted to keep their kids home full time. Without an influx of new teachers, Claffey and her colleagues were left scrambling to adjust.
|
|
.IN THE STATES
For teachers unions, classroom reopenings are the biggest test yet
Bloomberg
By early August, the Chicago Teachers Union had its fill of magical thinking. After a spring of virtual learning, Chicago, like many cities around the U.S., was pushing toward reopening classrooms in the fall. The revival of the local economy seemed to hinge on parents' ability to get back to work, and plenty were desperate to get their kids somewhere, anywhere, just out of the house.
|
|
California schools see big jump in number of homeless students
EdSource
California's escalating cost of living has led to a 48% surge in the state's homeless student population over the past decade, according to new research released today by researchers at UCLA. Almost 270,000 students in K-12 schools lacked stable housing in 2018-19, numbers that almost certainly have grown since the pandemic and economic downturn began last spring, researchers said.
|
|
.ASSOCIATION NEWS
NAESP HQ: The 2020 election
NAESP
In this edition of the NAESP HQ podcast, NAESP Executive Director L. Earl Franks, Ed.D., CAE, and President of the Education Commission of the States Jeremy Anderson discuss the upcoming 2020 election, specifically changes in state education leadership.
|
|
Take action on federal COVID-19 relief
NAESP
The need for another federal COVID-19 relief package is urgent. Since the passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act in March, national education groups have advocated that at least $175 billion for K–12 schools be included in an additional federal COVID-19 relief package. Experts have consistently agreed that at least this level of funding is needed to support schools now and to prepare for looming state and local revenue shortfalls on the horizon. But Congress has yet to pass another bill, and schools around the country are already facing budget cuts, a lack of resources, and many tough decisions in the weeks and months ahead.
|
|
|
|
|
7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063
|
