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.PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP
How should schools quarantine students exposed to coronavirus? An explainer
Education Week
The answer to this question has been a moving target as research on COVID-19 evolves. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month tweaked its own guidelines to districts — which most states have mirrored in their own guidance — to recommend that those who have had close contact with anyone infected with COVID-19 quarantine themselves for 7 to 10 days after their exposure, down from the prior recommendation of 14 days.
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5 tips for finding the best PD platform for your district's teachers
EdTech Magazine
As K–12 schools and districts continue to address remote and hybrid learning, it's important that administrators recognize the need for professional development and carefully analyze the platforms available to them. More devices are being used for teaching and learning than ever before, and new software features are being released quickly to accommodate the continued effects of the pandemic on educators and students.
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6 school stability best practices for homeless students
District Administration Magazine
School stability is an essential component for a student's academic success. It's even more important for students who are homeless because of emotional and social attachments, explains Barbara Duffield, executive director of SchoolHouse Connection, a national nonprofit working to overcome homelessness through education.
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Promoted By
Erlab
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Promoted By
Apothepack
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Where to find guidance on reopening safely as COVID spreads
District Administration Magazine
District leaders can turn to a leading medical school for guidance and best practices on bringing students and teachers back to classrooms safely even as COVID continues to spread. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and School of Medicine has released a series of online modules on reducing COVID risks as administrators reopen classrooms and other school facilities.
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Education groups urge CDC to prioritize teachers, school staff for coronavirus vaccine
U.S. News & World Report
An alliance of labor organizations and trade groups representing teachers, principals and support staff is pressuring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prioritize access to a coronavirus vaccine for the country's 5 million public school employees as the first approved immunizations hit the market in the U.S.
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4 ways superintendents will address snow days post-COVID-19
K-12 DIVE
With COVID-19 upending in-person learning and acclimating schools and students to virtual models, could snow days soon be a thing of the past? "If we know anything, teachers and students love snow days," said Donna L. Wright, director of schools at Wilson County Schools in Tennessee. Historically, Wright's district, which serves about 18,500 students, stockpiled 13 days for inclement weather or illness. But there will be no snow days in the district going forward when the weather necessitates staying home.
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3 ways to address performance deficits in mask wearing
District Administration Magazine
Having a skill deficit means you can't do something, whereas having a performance deficit means you choose not to. For example, a student skill deficit may be, "I can't perform algebra," whereas a performance deficit would be, "I'm electing not to do algebra," explains Joseph Ryan, a professor of special education at Clemson University. If a student is not wearing a mask when required because of a skill deficit, teach and reinforce the appropriate behavior, he says. For example, students with sensory issues may need to build up a tolerance for having the mask on for an extended period.
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'A lost generation': Surge of research reveals students sliding backward, most vulnerable worst affected
The Washington Post
After the U.S. education system fractured into Zoom screens last spring, experts feared millions of children would fall behind. Hard evidence now shows they were right. A flood of new data — on the national, state and district levels — finds students began this academic year behind. Most of the research concludes students of color and those in high-poverty communities fell further behind their peers, exacerbating long-standing gaps in American education.
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How can districts maintain teacher coaching remotely?
K-12 DIVE
Teacher coaching is continuing remotely, with one area of focus on distance teaching skills and ed tech tools that aid remote teaching. Some district-based ed tech coaches are implementing virtual office hours and giving presentations on learning management systems for teachers and parents, with a focus on both improving understanding of the LMS platforms and strengthening distance learning lessons.
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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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This year has taken a toll on educators. Let's make sure to support them in 2021.
EdSurge
If hindsight is 20/20, what do we hope for educators in 2021? The rapidly evolving conditions for teaching and learning in response to COVID-19's collision with other, simultaneous disasters — natural and man-made — disrupted and overturned everything we thought we knew about educating our students, maintaining a positive school climate and community, and supporting educators' and students' health and well-being.
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Schools find new ways to deliver free lunches during pandemic
Marketplace
Thirty million kids in the U.S. qualify for free or reduced meals at schools, and that was before the increased economic woes we're experiencing now across the country. Missed meals will have a long-lasting impact on kids and on school finances. As a result, schools have gotten creative about getting those meals to kids who need them. There are about 400 school bus stops scattered around Savannah, Georgia. Some are in the city, others further out. It's a network that winds through neighborhoods and connects thousands of families to schools.
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3 ways to bounce back from stress and being overwhelmed
Entrepreneur
Do you ever feel like some days as a leader you are in complete flow, where business is easy and enjoyable? Yet other days it feels like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, feeling as though you are drowning in tasks that you don't yet have a solution for?
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Extrinsic vs. intrinsic rewards: What's a better motivator?
Inc.
Since the recent economic downturn, there have been more nuanced discussions surrounding what kinds of benefits, rewards and incentives really attract and satisfy employees. At the heart of motivation are two overarching categories: extrinsic and intrinsic. Here's what business leaders must know about each to deliver what employees desire and what will inspire their best performance.
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From restless to rest: 3 steps to find meaning in 2020
The Lead Change Group (commentary)
"While 2020 draws to a close, one prevailing sentiment is, 'Good riddance.' As a leader, you may be growing restless to wrap up this year and move forward to a better year in 2021 (whatever that means). Not so fast, I say. Don't overlook the opportunity to discover meaning from a year that no one anticipated, and not many want to repeat. Here are three steps to find meaning as you approach the end of 2020."
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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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How to handle salary questions in an interview
Forbes
Job interviews can be nerve wracking. One contributing factor is that candidates are often unprepared for or unsure of how to handle the ever-dreaded salary question. It's anxiety-inducing not only because our livelihood is at stake, but also because it can feel so personal — like an assessment of our value as a person, versus that of our contribution, is being made.
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.EDUCATION POLICY
Biden might please the K-12 world by picking an education secretary from outside it
Education Week
President-elect Joe Biden has repeatedly promised to appoint an education secretary with public teaching experience, and it has been widely believed he is referring to a former K-12 teacher when he makes that pledge. But there is an open door for Biden to appoint someone from the higher education sector instead. And a college or university president, particularly one who voices support for public schools, may be preferrable to an outspoken K-12 schools chief for some of his closest allies, like teachers' unions.
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CDC: Schools, daycares can prevent COVID-19 spread with hygiene, distancing
UPI
Schools and daycare facilities can effectively operate with hand hygiene, mandatory mask-wearing and social distancing protocols in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Education and childcare facilities operating under the Head Start and Early Head Start programs implemented initiatives designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 within their facilities based on CDC guidelines.
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.SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY
5 questions your cybersecurity assessment must answer
EdTech Magazine
Where Are Our Processes Not Working? Good security is a marathon, not a sprint. The way to win the race is by implementing solid security controls with repeatable processes, and consistently maintaining them. Make sure the assessor isn’t focusing on finding that single server with an expired certificate. The assessor should look for places where you’re making repeated errors.
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3 alternatives to requiring video in online learning
District Administration Magazine
School districts are being asked to loosen mandatory video requirements for online learning because of privacy and equity concerns. Compelling students to turn on their webcams during online learning sessions raises issues of increased data collection, implies a lack of trust, and conflates students' school and home lives, according to new recommendations from The Future of Privacy Forum and National Education Association.
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3 crucial ways edtech providers can support virtual learning
eSchool News
It's 8:45 a.m., and you're helping your child log into their virtual classroom for another day of math, spelling and history. But the username and password combination isn't working. You try again. Incorrect. You reset the password. Error message. In the background, your second grader is throwing Teddy Grahams at the TV. You message customer support via the "Help" chat on the education platform, and the customer service agent asks for your school's unique code. "Who knows where that is?" you mumble in frustration.
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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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Cybersecurity a K-12 essential, from protecting data to prepping students for jobs
K-12 DIVE
In a virtual panel during the annual ISTE conference last week, Nathaniel Evans, cyber analysis and research lead for Argonne National Laboratory, led a group of educators through a discussion of the importance of cybersecurity awareness in K-12 and also where the subject can fit in curriculum. Cybersecurity has grown as a concern for school districts in recent years, with K-12 among the most popular targets for ransomware, and it typically fits into one of three categories for school districts: traditional information technology, digital citizenship or cybersecurity workforce.
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10 ways to make online learning work
THE Journal
While there's not anything new in, "10 Ways to Make Online Learning Work," the report is a good reminder that education quality shouldn't go by the wayside even during a pandemic. Among the topics: connecting all learners with devices and high-speed internet, supporting teachers by providing the professional development they need and then recognizing their efforts with "credits and compensation," following best practices for online programs from sources such as ISTE, SETDA and the National Standards of Quality and rethinking the use of instructional time "to take advantage of the strengths of both synchronous and asynchronous learning."
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Get schooled in cybersecurity
eSchool News
School is back in session. For many students this year, that means learning from their homes using devices like Chromebooks, tablets and smartphones, rather than returning to the classroom. But with technology now at the center of how education is being conducted — hybrid or fully-virtual — students, teachers and administrators are faced with cybersecurity challenges.
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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
The empty gradebook: As students struggle with remote learning, teachers grapple with Fs
Chalkbeat
When Ana Barros drew up a list of students who were about to fail her class this fall, it was longer than she expected: 22 students out of 86. What most distressed Barros, who teaches sixth-grade social studies at a charter school in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was that her list included students who didn't seem like they were struggling — students who had been participating in virtual class, but hadn't turned in assignment after assignment.
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How is COVID-19 affecting student learning?
The Brookings Institution
The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced uncertainty into major aspects of national and global society, including for schools. For example, there is uncertainty about how school closures last spring impacted student achievement, as well as how the rapid conversion of most instruction to an online platform this academic year will continue to affect achievement. Without data on how the virus impacts student learning, making informed decisions about whether and when to return to in-person instruction remains difficult.
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6 ways teachers continue to promote student voice this year
Edutopia (commentary)
Cheryl Abla, a contributor for Edutopia, writes: "We all know the disruption the pandemic has caused in education, but as a consultant who has continued meeting with clients around the world — via videoconferencing, of course — I can report a positive trend that I've witnessed: Teachers are finding innovative ways to incorporate student voice into lessons."
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How educators are tweaking grading approaches in response to the pandemic
K-12 DIVE
For 10 years, Kaitlin Jenkins graded her high school English students according to the traditional A-F model she grew up with and was taught in educator preparation courses. But when a student asked her why an assignment marked with an 89.2% (a B) was not a 90% (an A), she struggled to justify the grade.
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How teachers can understand and help students with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder)
We Are Teachers
Third-grader Aiden is having a tantrum as his classmates look on, and his teacher Ms. Garcia is out of ideas. This is Aiden's third outburst this morning, this one brought on just by asking him to close his Chromebook and line up for P.E. Every day is like this with Aiden, and Ms. Garcia is at the breaking point. She's talked to Aiden's parents time and again, and they simply say he's like this at home too, defiant at every turn. Finally, the school counselor meets with Aiden and suggests he might be one of many students with ODD — oppositional defiant disorder.
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5 keys to a successful summer reading initiative
eSchool News
Planning now for summer programs is more important than ever as schools face widening learning gaps due to the pandemic. A few years ago, the summer reading options my district, Elizabethtown Independent Schools, offered were fairly meager. We had a summer school program for students who were struggling, but we didn't really have a program designed to reach all of our students and prevent the summer slide students experience during the long break. Our students were falling behind. We had approximately 50% reading at grade level by third grade. We knew something had to change.
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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
AAP says children should wear masks while playing most sports
Healio
The AAP now says that children should wear masks while participating in most sports. In updated recommendations, the AAP encouraged athletes to wear cloth face coverings "at all times for group training, competition, and on the sidelines." Previously, the AAP recommended that face coverings be worn only on the sidelines, but it updated the guidance based on evidence that masks can decrease transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
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Survey: During pandemic, teachers are working more and enjoying it less
Forbes
Horace Mann Educators Corporation, a financial services company "focused on providing America's educators and school employees with insurance and retirement solutions," today released a survey of U.S. teachers and their reactions to working conditions during the pandemic, "The Hidden Impact on COVID-19 On Educators." The short form of the results: teachers are working more, enjoying it less, facing financial challenges, and, in some cases, thinking about retiring rather than continuing under these conditions.
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Pupils can learn more effectively through stories than activities
University of Bath via Science Daily
Storytelling — the oldest form of teaching — is the most effective way of teaching primary school children about evolution, say researchers at the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath. A randomised controlled trial found that children learn about evolution more effectively when engaged through stories read by the teacher, than through doing tasks to demonstrate the same concept.
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Playful learning: A new path to education reform
The Brookings Institution
"The American education system is not preparing all children to thrive," say the guests on this episode, adding that many schools continue to operate according to an early 20th century "factory model" that aimed to mold students for the industrial economy.
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.IN THE STATES
.ASSOCIATION NEWS
Principals' professional learning: Current status and future needs
NAESP
NAESP recently teamed up with the Learning Policy Institute to conduct a national principal study surveying 1,000 principals to learn more about their access to high-quality professional development opportunities. The report had some key findings, including that few principals had participated in authentic learning opportunities (e.g., applied learning experiences, mentors and coaches, and networking with colleagues) despite the literature affirming that these authentic, job-embedded learning opportunities are associated with positive student outcomes.
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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.
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