Educating Through a Pandemic: From a Kansas Showdown Over Campus Closures to California鈥檚 New Tool to Measure Learning and New York鈥檚 Surge in Homeschooling Families, 11 Ways Schools & States Are Adapting to COVID-19
This update on the COVID slide collects and shares news updates from the district, state and national levels as all stakeholders continue to work on developing safe, innovative plans to resume schooling and address learning loss. It鈥檚 an offshoot of the Collaborative for Student Success鈥檚 COVID Slide Quick Sheet newsletter, which you can !
As the coronavirus pandemic continues into the final months of summer, pressure is building on school districts nationwide to formulate their reopening plans. States such as Arizona, Texas and California, where cases are steadily increasing, have seen their in the fall. In early hot-spot cities like and , more schools are moving toward a hybrid option, with online and in-person learning occurring on alternating days, while case numbers slowly decrease.
Regardless of in-person or remote instructional plans, district officials, teachers, advocates and researchers are also heavily engaging in conversations around student assessment, citing grim findings on the impact of school closures on children鈥檚 academic achievement.
In a virtual with the Collaborative for Student Success, Luke Ragland, president of ReadyCO, stated that 鈥淎merican education has just been dealt a once-in-a-lifetime blow鈥 and that the students who have been impacted by these school shutdowns will suffer 鈥渓ifelong consequences.鈥 Ragland cites the , which found that elementary students in other countries who lost 80 to 90 days of instruction were 鈥渉armed permanently, including lower educational attainment and lower labor market earnings as adults.鈥 Considering that children have been away from the classroom since March, Ragland states that there is a dire need to understand how much children have fallen behind to make up for lost time.
Here are 11 updates from across the country about how school systems are working to preserve student learning amid the coronavirus pandemic:
1. LOUISIANA 鈥 Who controls when schools reopen? In Louisiana, local educators have the final say
As Louisiana鈥檚 state school board and education officials continue to provide guidance and recommendations, on school reopening dates, as well as how instruction will be structured upon reopening.
2. CALIFORNIA 鈥 State Superintendent Tony Thurmond announces implementation tool for assessing student learning
Earlier this month, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond announced that on diagnostic and formative assessments as a resource for schools. Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the California State Board of Education and the Learning Policy Institute, said, 鈥淎s they create a safe and welcoming environment, it will be important for schools to take stock of students鈥 social, emotional and academic needs when students return to school.鈥
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3. GEORGIA 鈥 Georgia鈥檚 Department of Education and Verizon will enable distance learning for up to 12.5 million students across 10 states
A new partnership between the Georgia DOE and Verizon is in the neighboring states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia and will help provide discounted service plans, mobile device management and CIPA-compliant security applications.
4. COLORADO 鈥 No statewide test this fall to assess what Colorado students missed
After 10 Colorado education organizations penned a letter to the Colorado Department of Education calling for statewide use of a diagnostic assessment when schools reopen, Education Commissioner Katy Anthes replied that she agrees that schools and students ought to have the right support to make up learning loss, but that 鈥.鈥
5. KANSAS 鈥 Board of Education rejects governor鈥檚 order to delay reopening schools
In a 5-5 vote, the Kansas Board of Education . In response, Gov. Kelly stated that the vote 鈥減uts our students, faculty, their families and our economy at risk.鈥
6. NEVADA 鈥 Clark County trustees approve distance education to start the school year
The Clark County School Board of Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday evening . The decision, many months and contentious meetings in the making, comes amid a rise in COVID-19 cases locally around Las Vegas and across the state.
7. NEW YORK 鈥 Some parents are considering homeschooling for the first time amid pandemic uncertainty
Parents in New York are joining throngs of communities across the nation rather than sending students to schools struggling to solidify a plan to address COVID-19 risks.
8. GEORGIA 鈥 In educating kids, do 鈥榩andemic pods鈥 threaten equity efforts?
As 鈥減andemic pods鈥 and other alternatives to public schooling increasingly gain news coverage and spark discussion, New York Times writer and creator of the 1619 Project .
9. MICHIGAN 鈥 Lawmakers debate distance education plans, and how 鈥榮chool days鈥 will be counted, ahead of school year start
Republican and Democratic lawmakers are sparring over a package of bills Lawmakers are particularly concerned with ensuring internet access for the more than 10 percent of Michigan students who lack broadband internet access.
10. ARIZONA 鈥 Schools need virus data to reopen campuses
Arizona Superintendent of Public Education Kathy Hoffman said the state鈥檚 school districts rather than trying to commit now to a specific opening date.
11. EDLECTION 2020 鈥 Biden鈥檚 school reopening plan: national guidelines, local decisions, more funding
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee that called for increased funding and guidelines from the federal government but that rests decision-making power with local officials.
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