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.PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP
Strategies to help new teachers thrive
Edutopia
New teachers are often full of excitement and energized by their classrooms, but they can simultaneously be filled with anxiety as they transition from the studying of pedagogy to its practical application. As a school leader, you can help mitigate stressful emotions by using differentiated growth opportunities and strategies that meet new teachers where they are — and provide them with resources and support both in person and online.
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COVID learning loss in math hits hard in grades 4-8
THE Journal
Research on the scope of learning loss during the pandemic has a new addition. Education technology company Illuminate Education examined assessments done by students who use its programs and found "modest reading losses" in grades K-8, "modest math" losses in the early elementary grades and "substantial math losses" in grades 4-8. These came about, the research suggested, as a result of COVID-19 disruptions, including delayed school openings, changes in instructional format, lack of universal access to technology, the "ramp up" to distance learning and "compromised" student engagement.
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Two-thirds of parents worry about long-term impact of pandemic on kids
UPI
Two-thirds of parents of children under 18 are worried about the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their child's mental health, according to the findings of a survey released Wednesday by Nationwide Children's Hospital. More than half of parents surveyed said they are running out of ways to help their children stay positive during the pandemic and the life changes that have come with it, including school closings and restrictions on social gatherings, the survey also found.
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Promoted By
Erlab
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Promoted By
Apothepack
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5 ways to address the shortage of subs in special ed
District Administration Magazine
Special education teachers, including subs, must meet certain state-set qualification standards, making planning for classroom coverage during COVID particularly challenging.
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Brief proposes alternatives to seat time as a measure of student learning
THE Journal
Is "seat time" really the optimal way to measure attendance during a pandemic? There are better alternatives, according to a new brief from the Aurora Institute. The nonprofit advocates for "breakthrough policies" in K-12 education, including promoting competency-based education, which promotes a shift away from classroom time as an indicator of academic growth and towards showing mastery of concepts as a replacement.
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'Stretched thin': Superintendent survey highlights concerns with teacher burnout, learning loss
Chalkbeat
Young students are struggling to learn to read, and teachers are burning out as Colorado schools slog through the ninth month of the pandemic. Those issues emerged as top concerns in a survey of 140 superintendents conducted by the nonprofit Colorado Education Initiative and the Colorado Department of Education. The needs assessment updates a similar survey conducted in the spring and reflects the challenges of educating students learning both in person and remotely while managing conflicting health and safety guidance and frequent quarantines.
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5 impactful ways eLearning coaches can support teachers
eSchool News
e-Learning became a household term in the spring of 2020 when the classrooms moved from schools to living rooms. Just as teachers have had to adapt the way they deliver instruction to their students, those of us who have the role of coaching them need to adapt the ways we support teachers in our new roles as e-Learning coaches.
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Will a COVID-19 vaccine be mandatory for students?
Education Week
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to upend schooling across the country, many educators, policymakers, parents and students have staked their hopes of returning to normal on the development of a vaccine. There are three coronavirus vaccines that show promising results from late stage trials, and two — from drug makers Pfizer and Moderna — that have applied for emergency authorization from the federal government. But once a vaccine becomes widely available, will lawmakers leave it up to families to choose to get inoculated or will they require schoolchildren to get a COVID-19 vaccine to attend school?
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• Empower and engage students with instant feedback
• Solve for digital access issues
• Use for in-person, virtual, and seamless hybrid learning
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Reopening rollercoaster: Stay open, go home, come back?
Tech & Learning
As coronavirus cases surge across the U.S., school districts have had to respond quickly to local outbreaks. Approaches range from going completely virtual through the end of the calendar year to only closing affected schools and grades to shutting down for a few days and reopening for certain students, particularly those with special needs.
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How schools are navigating meal logistics during pandemic
Education DIVE
Feeding students can be a logistical challenge even under normal circumstances. As the coronavirus pandemic has forced schools to close or operate modified schedules, food service directors are running multiple programs to meet students' needs — curbside pickup, on-site meals in classrooms and gymnasiums and packaged items to take home for "off days" in a hybrid model.
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Education matters, but staying safe at Christmas matters more
Forbes
Pressure is mounting for schools to switch to online learning in the run-up to Christmas — but a determination to keep children in classrooms until the last possible minute could put lives at risk. Unlike in much of the U.S., where schools have mostly closed and bars and restaurants remain open, students have largely been attending class in person during recent COVID-19 lockdowns in Europe.
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5 leadership errors you can't afford to make during COVID-19
Inc.
If there's ever been a time to lead, it's now. No entrepreneur alive has navigated a global pandemic. COVID-19 has caused leaders to reflect on their leadership as they see their companies through this unprecedented time. And with a second wave washing onto U.S. shores, the worst may not be over yet.
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8 soft skills that make you an even better leader
Entrepreneur
Businesses tend to overlook soft skills and focus on hard skills. When LinkedIn released their list of most in-demand hard and soft skills of 2020 earlier this year, unsurprisingly, the hard skills were dominated by computer skills. With the pandemic hitting the world back in March and the forced shift from brick-and-mortar to work-at-home that trend will only accelerate.
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Covid-19 spreads indoors via microscopic droplets in the air. Therefore, increasing the rate of ventilation in your classrooms is critical.
But how do you know if your ventilation is sufficient? Aranet4 – an easy to use CO2 monitoring device lets you know the rate of air exchange is good!
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.EDUCATION POLICY
Department of Education portal gives snapshot of CARES Act education funding
THE Journal
The U.S. Department of Education has launched on online portal intended to show how much states have spent of their CARES Act education allocations for K-12 districts and colleges and universities. However, because the site is relying on data submitted by schools up to Sept. 30, the numbers don't tell a complete story yet.
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What educators need to hear from Biden on COVID-19
Education Week
President-elect Joe Biden's COVID-19 plan aims to quiet the political storms that have made it difficult for school leaders to know how to reopen buildings and left teachers and families unsure who to trust about their safety. But a national public health crisis requires tremendous cooperation and collective action from the public. Ten months since the first virus case emerged in the United States, polls show that Americans' response can often be traced back to who they voted for, what media they consume, which federal officials they trust and where they live.
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Coronavirus pandemic forces postponement of Nation's Report Card Assessments
U.S. News & World Report
The branch of the Department of Education that conducts national assessments announced that it is delaying next year's tests because of the disruption the coronavirus pandemic has caused in student learning. The National Center for Education Statistics said it would postpone the National Assessment of Educational Progress reading and mathematics assessments, scheduled to start in January 2021 for fourth and eighth grades, until 2022.
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CDC shortens COVID-19 quarantine periods. Here's what that means for schools
Education Week
Shorter COVID-19 quarantine periods, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends, could ease some of the burdens that have made in-person learning difficult for schools, but challenges remain.
The new recommendations, announced Wednesday, would allow for close contacts of people diagnosed with the virus to resume normal activity after 10 days if they don't show symptoms, or as little as seven days if they test negative. The ideal quarantine period is still 14 days, but federal health officials hope that offering shorter options will encourage more people to cooperate by reducing the burden of being away from work and school for extended periods, they told reporters on a conference call.
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.SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY
Getting the best of both Office 365 and G Suite for Education
EdTech Magazine
Though many might think that the productivity suites by Microsoft and Google represent strictly an either-or scenario, the truth is that many school districts are hybrid users of both. This can come about because there are certain use cases for one over the other, or because people use one in their professional lives and another in their personal lives. We spoke with two K–12 IT leaders to get their perspectives on Microsoft Office 365 and Google's G Suite for Education and to share ideas on how the two solutions can complement, integrate and harmoniously coexist in K–12 environments.
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6 questions to ask when looking for the right ed tech tool
District Administration Magazine
Due to COVID-19, there has been a massive shift in education around how students are learning and how educators are teaching. This transition has led to the rapid adoption and deployment of technology tools among teachers, schools and districts across the U.S. and the world. At the beginning of the pandemic, research showed that the downloads of education technology tools in the U.S. surged by more than 120% — above the worldwide average of about 90%. And, this trend continues.
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 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.
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Schools aren't doing enough to protect their networks, top cybersecurity official warns
Education Week
The nation's top cybersecurity official during a Senate hearing urged K-12 schools to take advantage of federal resources for safeguarding their networks and lamented that only a small fraction of schools have done so. Only 2,000 of the 13,000 U.S. school districts have signed up for free membership in the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center, which offers government organizations, including school systems, network vulnerability assessment, cyberthreat alerts and other related services. Only about 120 schools are using a no-cost federal service called "malicious domain blocking," which helps prevent IT systems from connecting to harmful web domains.
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7 free tools for deeper online learning
eSchool News
Spring's shift to online learning was sudden and unexpected, and despite pockets of schools that have resumed in-person learning or moved to hybrid learning, most schools are still fully online. While many mourn the loss of in-person learning opportunities, there are still ways to create deeper online learning experiences.
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5 questions to ask about data privacy during remote learning
EdTech Magazine
More teachers are integrating technology as well as digital tools and free apps to better engage students in instruction — whether that happens in person, online or both. But as tech integration increases, so do concerns about — and threats to — student data privacy. While many apps and tools created for education factor in safeguards for student data, this practice isn't universal. Educators must navigate apps and websites with caution to prioritize the physical and emotional well-being of all students.
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| Promoted by
McGraw-Hill |
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Identify and Address Individual Learning Gaps
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Many students will experience learning losses and have gaps in their knowledge and skills.
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With Rise, long-term learning loss doesn’t have to be one of the consequences.
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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
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.PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Sustaining curiosity, collaboration and connectedness in a pandemic
eSchool News
Real-time polling, original instructional videos, virtual conferences and live on-screen annotation are just a few new skills teacher Jonathan Delgado is adding to his teaching toolkit this school year. When Delgado begins his high school Spanish class at The Village School each day, he's learning to manage many new things simultaneously in this year's hybrid learning environment. With some students on campus and others at home, his classroom looks a lot different.
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Basing STEM lessons on real life disasters
MiddleWeb (commentary)
Anne Jolly, a contributor for MiddleWeb, writes: "Disasters always held a morbid fascination for my students, and with good reason. Our location near the Gulf Coast put us on alert — and often in the path – for annual hurricanes. Even when we escaped a devastating hit, students frequently had friends and family who were walloped by high winds, storm tides and flooding."
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Despite safety assurances, school reopenings are taking a serious toll on teachers
EdSurge
Pamela Kramer had been careful. The Illinois elementary school teacher stopped going to grocery stores and restaurants when the coronavirus pandemic began to surge in March. When she was ordered back into her Highland Park classroom to teach her remote fourth graders, Kramer arrived on campus early each morning and wore two masks. She even stopped drinking water during the day to avoid trips down the hall for bathroom breaks.
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ELLs are at risk of becoming 'invisible' in the classroom. Here's how we keep that from happening
The Hechinger Report
Eric Nolan, a contributor for The Hechinger Report, writes: "I entered my classroom in the Bronx, N.Y., for the first time this school year to find nine of my students spread out around the room, wearing masks and positioned behind plastic bubble shields. The nine middle schoolers were all English Language Learners, and several had immigrated to the United States within the last year. They already faced enough obstacles in their pursuit of academic achievement — and now there was this."
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4 criteria for effective directions
Edutopia (commentary)
Rachel Fuhrman, a contributor for Edutopia, writes: "One of the most important, yet initially harsh seeming, pieces of advice my principal gave me was this: If multiple students aren't following the directions, it most likely isn't their fault, it's yours. It quickly made me reevaluate the ways in which I gave directions to my students during class."
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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
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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
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.EDUCATION RESEARCH
Children with dyslexia show stronger emotional responses
University of California - San Franciscovia Science Daily
Children diagnosed with dyslexia show greater emotional reactivity than children without dyslexia, according to a new collaborative study by UC San Francisco neuroscientists with the UCSF Dyslexia Center and UCSF Memory and Aging Center. In the study, published in Cortex, children with dyslexia who watched emotionally evocative videos showed increased physiological and behavioral responses when compared to children without dyslexia.
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Report: More schools trending toward integration but challenges persist
Education DIVE
Research shows students who attend schools with diverse populations perform better academically on average and have reduced levels of racial prejudice. But even though the landmark Brown v. Board of Education school desegregation case was decided 66 years ago, many Black and Latinx students still are disproportionately attending schools that are predominately segregated or underfunded, according to the foundation report.
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.IN THE STATES
This entire second-grade DC class fell behind in reading. Now what?
The Washington Post
Zalaunshae leaned close to the laptop camera, her oversize pink bows filling the computer screen. The teacher asked students to name characters in "The Enormous Turnip." Zalaunshae raised her hand first. This was second grade. The 7-year-old already understood the strange sound a "c" and "h" made when they sat next to each other in a word. She could speed through basic sentences. And she knew how to break down an unfamiliar, complicated word, snapping her fingers with each syllable.
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Air pollution spikes linked to lower test scores for Salt Lake County third graders
University of Utah via Science Daily
More frequent exposure to air pollution spikes were associated with reduced test scores for third graders in Salt Lake County. Schools with a higher proportion of students of color and from households experiencing poverty were exposed to more peak pollution days than were schools serving middle- to upper- class and predominately white students. The results stress the need for legislators to enact policies to reduce the number of peak pollution days.
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Milford schools 'building bridges' with English learners
Delaware State News
The English learner population in the Milford School District continues to grow, making up a significant part of the district's student body. Sometimes, however, the language barrier can prevent EL families from getting the most out of their educational experience, said Sharlitta Gilbert, an EL teacher for the district.
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Newark schools spend millions on safety supplies while students wait to return
Chalkbeat
Piled high inside Newark's vacant school buildings are heaps of mostly unused safety supplies. They include more than 720,000 face coverings, 35,000 desktop barriers, and over 3,000 gallons of hand sanitizer that district officials bought in preparation for students' return this fall, according to a Chalkbeat analysis of purchase orders from July through October. Yet despite the huge stockpile of supplies, most students haven't come back to school.
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.ASSOCIATION NEWS
Women in leadership: Taking temporary leave
NAESP
When my husband and I found out I was pregnant in January 2019, there was excitement, joy, and happiness. Then reality kicked in: I was going to go on maternity leave just one month into a new school year. As a single administrator, you can only imagine the anxiety that I felt.
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When grieving students trigger adults
NAESP
No one has gone unaffected by the coronavirus pandemic, and school communities have been hit particularly hard. Aside from navigating a new normal with virtual learning, students and teachers alike are grappling with what this means for them, their education and their families.
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