蜜桃影视

This is our weekly briefing on how the pandemic is shaping schools and education policy, vetted, as always, by AEI Visiting Fellow John Bailey. Click here to see the full archive. Get this weekly roundup, as well as rolling daily updates, delivered straight to your inbox 鈥� sign up for 蜜桃影视 Newsletter.

Homeschooling Surge Continues Despite Schools Reopening: Via .

• “In 18 states that shared data through the current school year, the number of homeschooling students increased by 63% in the 2020-21 school year, then fell by only 17% in the 2021-22 school year.”
• “The rising numbers have cut into public school enrollment in ways that affect future funding and renewed debates over how closely homeschooling should be regulated. What remains unknown is whether this year鈥檚 small decrease signals a step toward pre-pandemic levels 鈥� or a sign that homeschooling is becoming more mainstream.”
• “Minnesota, for example, reported that 27,801 students are being homeschooled now, compared to 30,955 during the last school year. Before the pandemic, homeschool figures were around 20,000 or less.”
• “Black families make up many of the homeschool converts. The proportion of Black families homeschooling their children increased by five times, from 3.3% to 16.1%, from spring 2020 to the fall, while the proportion about doubled across other groups, according to U.S. Census surveys.

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The Big Three 鈥斅燗pril 22, 2022

Pfizer Says Its Booster Shot Strengthens the Immune Response for Children 5-11 Years Old: and

• “A third dose produced a 36-fold increase in neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron variant and a 6-fold increase in neutralizing against the SARS-CoV-2 wild-type strain.”
• “Pfizer and BioNTech plan to submit a request for Emergency Use Authorization of a booster dose for children ages 5 through 11 in the U.S. in the coming days. The companies also plan to share these data with the European Medicines Agency and other regulatory agencies around the world as soon as possible.”
• 鈥淚 think a bottom line is that in order to protect from the Omicron, we know from studies and from adults and adolescents that you need three doses,鈥� said Dr. Kathryn M. Edwards, a pediatric vaccine expert at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.She predicted regulators would authorize the companies鈥� request.”

As Teen Mental Health Worsens, Schools Learn How to Help: Via .

• “Last year, 38 states enacted nearly 100 laws providing additional resources to support mental well-being in K-12 schools, according to the National Academy for State Health Policy, a Portland, Maine-based policy research group. Dozens of additional school mental health bills became law this year in at least 22 states, according to the group.”
• “At least 16 states, from Alaska to Massachusetts, plus the District of Columbia, now require K-12 teachers and other school staff to take training courses on how to recognize mental distress in students and what to do when they see it.”
• “California, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Rhode Island, Utah and Washington enacted new laws recommending high school students take mental health training courses so they can help their friends, family and classmates.”

Hospitalizations of Children Aged 5-11 Years:

• “Among 397 children hospitalized during the Omicron-predominant period, 87% were unvaccinated, 30% had no underlying medical conditions and 19% were admitted to an intensive care unit.”
• “The cumulative hospitalization rate during the Omicron predominant period was 2.1 times as high among unvaccinated children as among vaccinated.”
• “Non-Hispanic Black (Black) children accounted for the largest proportion of unvaccinated children (34%) and represented approximately one third of COVID-19-associated hospitalizations in this age group.”

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Federal Updates

New ESSER Expenditure Dashboard: From Edunomics that .

Masks Mandates:

• 鈥淎 federal judge in Florida has ,鈥� the AP reports.
• “
• : “It is CDC鈥檚 continuing assessment that at this time an order requiring masking in the indoor transportation corridor remains necessary for the public health. CDC will continue to monitor public health conditions to determine whether such an order remains necessary. CDC believes this is a lawful order, well within CDC鈥檚 legal authority to protect public health.”
• Public opinion: “A new finds 59% of voters support the CDC鈥檚 original extension of the federal travel mask mandate. Only 32% oppose the extension.”
• Related: SARS-CoV-2 Transmission on Planes: by Katelyn Jetelina.

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City & State News

California:

• California .
• .

Idaho: Students in rural high schools , thanks to a gift from Direct Communications.

Maryland: .

New Jersey: . Includes a database of district data.

• “The number of students in the Camden City School District who missed 10 or more school days 鈥� the definition of chronically absent 鈥� jumped to 57% that year, up from 34% during the 2018-19 school year.”

New York: .

Texas: picks up steam in rural Texas districts.

Utah: .

• “The da Vinci XI robotic-assisted surgical systems, which are used for surgeries in American Fork Hospital, include a training game that keeps track of a user鈥檚 score.”
• “The sales representatives consistently score in the mid-90s on the game, but several Lone Peak students scored a 99 out of 100 the first time they touched the equipment.”

Wisconsin: .

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COVID-19 Research

School Closures and Effective In-Person Learning during COVID-19: When, Where and for Whom: and .

• “We match cell phone data to administrative school records and combine it with information on school learning modes to study effective in-person learning (EIPL) in the U.S. during the pandemic.”
• “We find large differences in EIPL for the 2020-21 school year. Public schools averaged less EIPL than private schools. Schools in more affluent localities and schools with a larger share of non-white students provided lower EIPL. Higher school spending and federal emergency funding is associated with lower EIPL.”
• ” These results are explained in large part by regional differences, reflecting political preferences, vaccination rates, teacher unionization rates and local labor conditions”

Moderna Says Redesigned COVID Booster Provides Better Protection: Moderna said its modified COVID-19 booster shot, designed to target two strains of the coronavirus, generated a strong immune response against multiple variants of concern, including Omicron. and .

• CNBC reports: “The company said the modified shot appeared to , which is still formulated to target the original form of the coronavirus identified in late 2019.鈥�
• “Health officials have made clear that giving boosters every few months isn鈥檛 the answer to the mutating virus. . Just switching to a vaccine that targets the latest variant is risky, because the virus could mutate again. So Moderna and its rival Pfizer both are testing what scientists call 鈥榖ivalent鈥� shots 鈥� a mix of each company鈥檚 original vaccine and an Omicron-targeted version,” the AP reports.

CDC Forecasting: “”

• ” ‘We think of ourselves like the National Weather Service, but for infectious diseases,’ said Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist and associate director for science at the initiative, run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
• “About 100 scientists will analyze technical data and communicate policy options to decision-makers and the public about how the virus is behaving and who is most at risk 鈥� in user-friendly terms.”

COVID Hasn鈥檛 Given Up All Its Secrets. Here Are 6 Mysteries Experts Hope to Unravel: Via

• How will the virus evolve next?
• What will future waves look like?
• If you鈥檝e never had COVID, how worried should you be right now?
• How, exactly, does the virus transmit from person to person?
• Will we get a new, better generation of vaccines, therapeutics and tests?
• How long before we understand long COVID?

The Case for Testing Pfizer’s Paxlovid for Treating Long COVID: Via .

Upper Airway Infections in Kids With COVID-19 Rose with Omicron Surge: “Rates of upper airway infections such as croup and bacterial tracheitis among pediatric COVID-19 patients, though low, rose after the Omicron variant became dominant in December 2021, , estimates a today in JAMA Pediatrics.”

An Omicron Outbreak in a Primary School in Geneva: .

• “Among the children without indication of previous infection or vaccination who were tested, 20 (50%) of 40 were infected. Five (50%) of 10 teachers and one (20%) of five non-teaching staff members at the school tested positive during the Omicron outbreak. Two (13%) of 15 staff members were not vaccinated against COVID-19, and both tested positive.”
• “We also investigated the introduction of SARS-CoV-2 infections in 24 households of children who tested positive. 52 household members were tested once or twice within the week after their child or sibling tested positive.”
• “Infections with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant were found in 15 (63%) of 24 households and 25 (48%) of 52 investigated household members (which increased to 27 [50%] of 54 if including probably cases), a household cumulative infection incidence that was similar to the findings of another report from South Korea.”
• “In summary, this prospective, school class-based study provides evidence of higher transmission of infections in school settings with the Omicron variant than was reported with previous variants. Children appear to be an important source of extra-household infections and have a key role in community transmission.”

FDA Authorizes First COVID-19 Diagnostic Test Using Breath Samples: The InspectIR COVID-19 Breathalyzer delivers results in less than three minutes. .

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Viewpoints

The Time Has Come for Truly Personalized Learning 鈥� With a Navigator to Make Sure Each Child Succeeds: Paul Reville and Geoffrey Canada in 蜜桃影视.

• “The concept of navigator has some modest footholds in education. There are guidance counselors who can in theory play such a role but are undermined by unworkable student-counselor ratios. A few schools feature advisories that provide some navigation services.”
• “Special education students have Individualized Education Programs. But even so, navigation and success planning are rare in schools. Personalization is not the norm as it is, for example, in medicine, where patient navigators 鈥� primary care physicians 鈥� advocate for the unique needs of each individual and guide families in producing better health outcomes for their loved ones.”
• “To implement a navigator strategy, leaders must create a system that enables a designated adult to reach out to a particular student on a regular basis to see how they鈥檙e doing, with an emphasis on making kids feel seen, heard, understood and cared for. Such an initiative, which could be funded using abundant federal COVID relief funding, meets the urgent, immediate need of providing a quality adult relationship that connects each student and family to supports and opportunities while enhancing their sense of belonging to a community.”

Unlocking Innovation in Schools:

Pods in Action:

VELA Micro Grants: .

Dubious Research, Vexing Guidance: CDC Struggles to Help Schools During Pandemic: Via Matt Barnum in

Schools Spend Millions in Pandemic Funds on Tutoring, Often with Little Proof It Will Work: Via

How You Can Avoid Missing Out on COVID Relief Money:

Has Federal Crisis Spending for K-12 Schools Served Its Intended Objectives?: Asks

Educating English Learners During the Pandemic: Via

Rediscovering 鈥淭hird Place鈥� Friendships in a Post-Pandemic World: Via

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鈥� And on a reflective note

Love and Underdog: .

• “When Robbie goes to the animal shelter, he gravitates toward the seemingly oldest of the bunch.”
• “Robbie, who was adopted out of foster care, says he knows 鈥榟ow it feels to not be loved or cared for 鈥� and I don’t want any pet of mine to feel that way.鈥� “

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ICYMI @The74

Weekend Reads: In case you missed them, our top five stories of the week:

• Immigration: ‘Without Papers, Without Fear鈥�: Meet the NM Activist Dedicated to Lifting Up Undocumented Young People 鈥� Just Like Him
• Research: Babies Born During COVID Talk Less with Caregivers, Slower to Develop Critical Language Skills
• Commentary: This Is a Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity to Expand High-Quality Tutoring for all Students Who Need It. Our New Nonprofit鈥檚 Grants Can Help
• Critical Race Theory: Political Science Research Suggests That More CRT Bills Could Come to Washington Next Year
• Teacher of the Year: National Winner Kurt Russell to Emphasize Diversity as Lawmakers in His Home State of Ohio Rail Against 鈥楧ivisive鈥� Topics

For even more COVID policy and education news, .

Disclosure: John Bailey is an adviser to the Walton Family Foundation, which provides financial support to 蜜桃影视.

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