This message was sent to ##Email## To advertise in this publication please click here November 27, 2020 .PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP What principals have learned from COVID-19's 'stress test' Education Week When schools and districts shut down abruptly in the spring, principals jumped into action. They knocked on doors to find students, packed meals for families, scrambled to set up remote learning programs, and, in some cases, even provided money to families struggling to make ends meet. READ MORE New poll finds parents want better distance learning now, online options even after COVID, more family engagement The 74 While many school leaders focus on bringing students back into in-person classrooms as they were, a majority of parents want them to develop new and better ways of teaching, prioritize high-quality distance learning now and continue to offer virtual instruction even after COVID-19 recedes, a new poll finds. READ MORE Why educators want to stick with video beyond COVID District Administration Magazine Despite COVID's disruptions, only 5% of educators hope to return to the pre-pandemic classroom where online learning was rare, according to a report. More than two-thirds want to stick with a hybrid of in-person and online learning while 27% of educators "want to rethink education entirely," according to the State of Video in Education Survey by cloud video provider Kaltura. A large majority of educators said that video has bolstered student achievement and many teachers also reported positive impacts on their own job satisfaction. READ MORE English learners: 4 principles for principals MiddleWeb (commentary) Tan Huynh, writes: "Much of my work is at the grassroots level to empower teachers who work with children like I was. This is life-giving work, yet I am haunted by comments made repeatedly by teachers all around the world about how some policies and procedures at their schools inhibit their work with language learners." READ MORE VIDEO SHOWCASE Mitigating the Risk of Aerosolized Transmission Promoted By Erlab Boost Your School's Immunity Promoted By Apothepack How grief training is helping educators manage pandemic-related trauma in schools NBC News During a standard history lesson this year, a student in Alexandra Hinkson-Dutrevil's fourth grade class spontaneously burst into tears and revealed that his young cousin, who lived with him, was on a ventilator after having contracted COVID-19. The student then revealed to the class on Zoom that he and the rest of his family had to leave the home they shared with the cousin in Frederiksted on the U.S. Virgin Islands to quarantine and that he wasn't sure he would ever return to his home or see his cousin again. READ MORE Remote learners feel shortchanged in districts pressured to reopen in person The Hechinger Report It was the second week of the fall semester when Cassandra Wooten realized her teenage daughter was sinking. The high school junior often spent hours a day on her computer for online school, only to tell her mom at the end of the day that she wasn't sure she'd learned anything at all. She felt she was trying to teach herself. One night in mid-August, she came to Wooten's room and proposed going back to in-person classes at her high school in northern Mississippi. READ MORE Use data to address inequities, assessment challenges District Administration Magazine Students are learning via a variety of instructional modalities, including face-to-face, virtual and hybrid instruction. As COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are rising again, schools are shifting between instructional models to flex with changing health safety guidelines and local community dynamics. Educators at all levels are making Herculean efforts to keep up with these challenges and to provide the best possible instruction for students. READ MORE  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. A School Leader’s Guide to Crisis Communication Free 3 PD Hour Course: Building Relationships in Online Learning Free 3 PD Hour Course: An Exploration into Social and Emotional Learning Teacher Resources: Supporting Students of Color and Battling Racism Appropriate Ways for Principals to Build Relationships with Teachers In these reopened schools, students exceed expectations following safety rules EdSurge Milford High School, in Massachusetts, developed detailed return-to-school plans and safety procedures in preparation for this school year. School administrators proactively communicated to students and families about what returning to classrooms would look like. But even the best laid plans can go awry if students flouted rules and protocols. READ MORE School reopening 'churn' distracting district leaders from focusing on improved remote education and student engagement, researchers find The 74 School districts' responses to the pandemic continue to be thrown off course by leaders' assumption that things will soon return to "normal," researchers at the Center on Reinventing Public Education conclude in their latest snapshot of reopening plans in 100 U.S. school systems. READ MORE The 7 Impossibilities of gratitude Leadership Freak Gratitude makes many bad things impossible. The 7 impossibilities of gratitude: No. 1. Worry. You can't worry and be grateful in the same moment. Don't worry about overcoming worry. Just notice and acknowledge benefit or advantage every day. READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE Bakpax: Hybrid Learning on Any Device • Empower and engage students with instant feedback • Solve for digital access issues • Use for in-person, virtual, and seamless hybrid learning LEARN MORE These are the interview questions candidates hate the most Fast Company If you're ever in a position to be interviewed by Elon Musk for a job at Tesla or SpaceX, chances are he'll ask you this: "You're standing on the surface of the Earth. You walk one mile south, one mile west and one mile north. You end up exactly where you started. Where are you?" READ MORE 9 surprising things holding you back from being successful Forbes (commentary) Laura Garnett, writes: "As an expert in helping people be who they are and build the habits that are critical for success, I can confidently say that, most times, people aren't even aware of what's truly holding them back. You may think you're doing everything you possibly can, but sometimes, it takes slowing down and practicing deep mindfulness and self-awareness — like many of us are doing as we reflect on the past year and plan for the one ahead — to see your blind spots." READ MORE Disagreement doesn't have to be divisive Harvard Business Review A well-functioning organization, like a well-functioning society, requires employees and leaders alike to have productive conversations, even in the face of different views and opinions — in fact, especially in the face of such differences. READ MORE  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by Tangible Play (Osmo) Whether you’re teaching in-person, online, or a mix of both, Osmo can make a difference. Explore the many ways Osmo can integrate with mainstream curriculum, special education, and more. Learn about the Osmo for Schools difference: educator resources for an educational environment. 7 better alternatives to 'how are you?' for the time of COVID-19 Inc. "How are you?" was never a great question to kick off a meeting or conversation. As author and Wharton School professor Adam Grant pointed out on Twitter, "How are you?" rarely starts a meaningful conversation. It prompts us to summarize our emotions instead of sharing the stories and insights behind them." It's an even worse opener during the current crisis. As psychologist Jane Dutton explained on the TED Ideas blog, the question falls particularly flat on Zoom. "People are pretty tired of the same old 'How are you doing?' question," she observes. READ MORE Creating and leading high performing teams The Lead Change Group A team is a small number of people who are committed to working together to achieve the desired goal. Working together includes talking, sharing ideas, debating issues, collaborating, making decisions, establishing goals, providing feedback and celebrating success. Teams, like personal relationships, go through stages. Teams don't become great performers overnight. It takes time to develop trust, learn to collaborate and understand each other's thinking styles and behavior patterns. READ MORE How to actually encourage employee accountability Harvard Business Review Fewer words in corporate vernacular induce a tighter wince than "accountability," and for good reason. Companies and leaders have grappled with what it is and how to achieve it effectively for decades. Ask anyone if they look forward to their performance evaluation or periodic check-in with their boss, and most will give an emphatic "no." READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE Don't Go It Alone 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 LEARN MORE Does practice always make perfect? The surprising answer Fast Company If you're a relentlessly upbeat thinker, you may be enamored of the 10,000-hour rule, which holds that if you simply practice something regularly for a long enough time, you'll eventually achieve mastery. For a marketing professional who's striving to be more creative, for example, this might translate into sitting down with a notepad and pen every morning and spending a few minutes jotting down as many ideas for new product names as you can. READ MORE 22 qualities that make a great leader Entrepreneur (commentary) "It's been said that leadership is making important but unpopular decisions. That's certainly a partial truth, but I think it underscores the importance of focus. To be a good leader, you cannot major in minor things, and you must be less distracted than your competition. To get the few critical things done, you must develop incredible selective ignorance. Otherwise, the trivial will drown you." READ MORE .EDUCATION POLICY 4 steps to creating contingency plans to implement IEPs District Administration Magazine As school buildings reopen to students only to be closed again because of renewed COVID-19 outbreaks, it's clear that all school districts nationwide must have contingency plans. They must prepare for how they are going to implement students' IEPs when they aren't able to operate under standard conditions. READ MORE .SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY How IT teams can better manage devices for remote learning EdTech Magazine With the shift to remote learning, many school districts have encountered an unprecedented challenge. How can they best manage the flood of new devices connected to their networks? Students at home may be using Chromebooks or tablets. They may be working on school-issued devices or on family-owned machines shared by multiple siblings. All this creates a management challenge for IT teams trying to ensure equity and a uniform learning experience across student populations. READ MORE What is Grackle and how can districts use it to increase accessibility Tech & Learning Grackle is a software designed to help make digital files more accessible. It makes sharing files easier and everyone will be able to open and see anything they're sent. Grackle Suite is made up of several add-ons that work with Google. These are Grackle Docs, Grackle Sheets, and Grackle Slides. For this reason, Grackle is really useful for an districts or schools that are using G Suite for Education and want to ensure accessibility beyond that platform. That means even those that don't use the Google suite of software will have access. READ MORE Report: 67% of schools lack recommended connectivity speed Education DIVE While organizations such as Connect K-12 and Education Superhighway help connect students in classrooms, the need for distance learning due to the novel coronavirus pandemic has exposed the depth of the digital divide that drives the homework gap. To help with aligning these resources and services, Connected Nation's website breaks down each district's internet service providers and costs. READ MORE  FEATURED ARTICLE   Benefits of an Early Childhood Leadership Certificate from Bank Street   A child’s first few years of educational experiences set the stage for how they will learn for the rest of their lives. The Bank Street Early Childhood Leadership Advanced Certificate Program is designed for mission-driven educators seeking to advance their professional opportunities and fill the need for exceptional leadership in early childhood education. Areas of study within the program include curriculum and development, social justice, systems thinking, progressive education and law. LEARN MORE   The do's and don'ts of cleaning school-issued devices EdTech Magazine With a hybrid education model, which includes both in-person and online classes, students and teachers are likely to use the same devices at school and at home. Traveling between different spaces will require regular cleaning and disinfection of those devices to minimize the spread of germs and viruses. Schools will need to do that with care to avoid damage; laptops, tablets and other mobile devices can be expensive. Here are some tips for how to properly clean and disinfect school-issued devices for remote or hybrid learning. READ MORE .PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 7 evening routines to help you transition sut of your teaching day We Are Teachers Whether you love or hate your commute to school, it's likely you had a solid routine in place before COVID-19 knocked it down like a tsunami. For many of us, the trip from school to home was sacred. It marked the end of the school day and allowed us to wind down after a busy, loud day with the kids. READ MORE Supplementing remote learning with non-traditional education eSchool News 99% of K-12 teachers are facilitating remote instruction. The shift to remote learning has proven to introduce new challenges for both students and educators at all levels. Zoom fatigue, lower engagement (which varies across racial and economic lines), and minimal information retention have created a subpar learning environment that often needs to be supplemented with varying forms of learning outside of the virtual classroom. READ MORE  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by McGraw-Hill Identify and Address Individual Learning Gaps Many students will experience learning losses and have gaps in their knowledge and skills. With Rise, long-term learning loss doesn’t have to be one of the consequences. An adaptive math and ELA supplemental solution for grades 3-8 with over 1,100 learning objectives Rise can be used as independent practice work for progress monitoring, request a sample The challenges of special needs assessments during remote and hybrid learning Tech & Learning "One of the most difficult tasks regarding remote learning is in the area of assessment," says Cassie Gillespie, Special Education Middle School Teacher at Wolf Branch SD 113 in Swansea, Illinois. "Often, students' IEP goals are based on social, emotional or self-management needs that are school specific which makes it difficult, if not impossible, to record progress while students are in the home setting." READ MORE Reflecting on and being grateful for what we can control Teaching Channel In challenging times, it can be easy to dwell on the negatives — especially as an educator trying to navigate this new remote world. Of course, it's okay to mourn the loss of normalcy and have concerns for the future, but as we head into the holiday season, focusing more on what we can control can lead to a greater sense of gratitude and positivity. READ MORE How to keep students organized in a hybrid model Edutopia With the right systems in place and explicit coaching, middle school students are better prepared to stay on track with their assignments. READ MORE 25 2nd grade STEM challenges to help kids think creatively We Are Teachers We're a big fan of STEM challenges for kids and the way they give students a chance to grow through hands-on learning. This collection of second grade STEM challenges encourages young learners to problem-solve as they explore more about how the world works. Plus, these activities are so easy to set up! Post one of these second grade STEM challenges on your whiteboard or projector screen and give kids the simple supplies. Then step back and watch them go! READ MORE Do students with disabilities receive quality instruction in general education classrooms? The Brookings Institution Students with disabilities are likely to spend the majority of their school day in the general education setting. But more likely than not, their teachers have only had a single course on how best to support this student population. And while we have considerable research about how teacher quality overall is distributed within and across schools, we know comparatively little about who teaches students with disabilities, and what factors contribute to these students' access to high-quality instruction. READ MORE Good teaching is not just about the right practices Edutopia Good teaching isn't about following a "rigid list of the most popular evidence-based tools and strategies," veteran high school English teacher Renee Moore tells Kristina Rizga for The Atlantic's On Teaching series. The most effective teaching tools, Moore suggests, are intangible qualities that directly address the fundamental human needs of a diverse classroom community — traits like empathy, kindness and a deep respect for the lives and interests of individual students. READ MORE PRODUCT SHOWCASE Enter for a Chance to Win! PCS Edventures is awarding 8 winners, $12,000 in STEM curriculum & materials. Hurry, the entry period ends on December 7th, 2020. Enter sweepstakes at: https://contest.edventures.com   LEARN MORE   Create a Safe Learning Environment 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   .EDUCATION RESEARCH Parents and students worried about readiness for school and work THE Journal "Busy work" was the way most students and parents might classify K-12 instruction last spring, during the first spate of remote education. In a survey most students (80%) said they had more work to do at least some days in their remote settings than they had in their traditional classrooms. However, two-thirds off parents (67%), six in 10 students (60%) and almost all teachers (94%) said that assignments were either "new and easy" or "something already learned [or taught]." Students were six times more likely than teachers to say that assignments were "new and hard" (40% compared to six%). READ MORE Across the US, fewer students are being identified as homeless. Educators say that's actually a bad sign. Chalkbeat Across the country, school staff are reporting a "shocking drop" in the number of students who are identified as homeless and are therefore entitled to critical support from their school. Advocates worry that means many children are going without access to things like food, health care referrals, and laundry services. They also worry that could indicate many students aren’t enrolled in school at all right now. READ MORE What the research says about the academic power of friendship MindShift For years, education research focused on time-on-task as a measure of effective instruction, says Scott Gest, a professor at the University of Virginia. Through that lens, friends in elementary school appeared to be a negative, an impediment to focus and a catalyst for disruption. Even when the value of strong social ties gained recognition, friendships stood to the side conceptually, as developmentally important but not germane to academics. READ MORE .IN THE STATES Cut off: School closings leave rural students isolated The Associated Press The midday arrival of a school bus at Cyliss Castillo's home on the remote edge of a mesa breaks up the long days of boredom and isolation for the high school senior. The driver hands over food in white plastic bags, collects Castillo's school assignments and offers some welcome conversation before setting out for another home. The closing of classrooms and the switch to remote learning because of the coronavirus have left Castillo and other students in this school district on the sparsely populated fringe of the Navajo Nation in New Mexico profoundly isolated — cut off from direct human contact and, in many cases, unconnected to the grid. READ MORE To bring back struggling students, districts campaign to convince parents schools are safe The 74 When officials in San Antonio's largest school district threw open the schoolhouse doors in September, they wanted the most vulnerable students to return first. Instead, families at schools where more students are white have been eager to send their children back for in person learning. In poor, largely Black and Latino communities hit hardest by the pandemic, parents have been reluctant to take on the risk of in-person instruction, leaving many vulnerable students out of their teachers' reach. READ MORE The great outdoors: Here's how learning outside could become a lasting fixture in American education The 74 When students at Anser Charter School in Garden City, Idaho returned to in-person classes Sept. 28, everything about school looked different than six months ago. Anser is an EL Education school, meaning it focuses on learning through projects and expeditions that regularly take students outside the school’s walls. Learning away from the classroom is nothing new for veteran Anser students. What is new, for at least part of many days, is that the classroom itself will be outside the school walls as well. It's an accommodation designed to decrease risk of COVID-19 transmission at the 375-student, K-8 school. READ MORE COVID-19 budget woes pose challenge for Ohio's long-awaited school funding overhaul The 74 Ohio legislators hope to end a two-decade fight over the constitutionality of school funding this fall with a much-anticipated new formula for state aid that would give schools an estimated $2 billion more annually when fully implemented. But the recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is adding an extra challenge to an already-difficult fix, raising the possibility that Ohio may not have enough money to pay for it. READ MORE .ASSOCIATION NEWS Advocacy update: Presidential election analysis NAESP Federal education funding could look much different under a Biden administration. During the campaign, Biden put forward proposals to triple funding for the Title I program, provide new funding for school infrastructure, dramatically increase federal spending for special education, and provide federal supports for funding universal prekindergarten for all 3- and 4-year-old children. He has also said he would double the number of psychologists, counselors, nurses and social workers in schools. READ MORE National Aspiring Principals Academy: Deadline Dec. 15 NAESP Are you a teacher leader, an assistant principal or an early career principal searching for quality professional learning to take your leadership to the next level? If you are an aspiring leader who is committed to building your leadership knowledge, skills and dispositions to create a culture for improved student learning, then the National Aspiring Principal Academy will support your goal. READ MORE   Principal Insights Connect with NAESP Dennis Hall, Director of Publishing, MultiView, 469-420-2656 | Download media kit Hailey Golden, Senior Education Editor, 469-420-2630| Contribute news National Association of Elementary School Principals 1615 Duke Street|  | Alexandria, VA 22314  800-386-2377  |  Contact Us  |  www.naesp.org Click here to unsubscribe.  Learn how to add us to your safe sender list so our emails get to your inbox. ADVERTISE SUBSCRIBE PAST ISSUES   7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063