Insights from Educate, 3rd Edition
A midweek dose of professional learning and inspiration with the latest news and research from the education industry.
Welcome to the 3rd edition of Insights from Educate. Keep reading for a recap of the recent articles published on Educate., a glimpse into the latest news in education, and a roundup of professional learning ideas to keep you inspired and motivated.
It was a busy week. According to Gen Z, the laughing emoji or “lol” is no longer cool. Neither is Facebook, according to my high school students. I still don’t know how to Tik Tok.
We landed on Mars. This video proves it.
Working moms are feeling overworked and under-appreciated:
“We live in a country … that has left it to individuals to figure out their family caregiving arrangements on their own. … There were never the structures in place to help us and to provide for working families in this country in the way that there are elsewhere.”
Times are tough, but we do the best we can.
The Latest on Educate.
Falling Behind? The Worthlessness of How We Measure Children by Ira David Socol
Liberal Arts School Quietly Cuts the Humanities by Emily Hanscam
Transformative Professional Development Through Integrated STEM by Knowles Teacher Initiative
The Trouble With Hybrid Models for Reopening K-12 Schools by Brianna Donaldson
Education in the News
If the NFL can manage mitigation protocols, why can’t schools?
The reopening of schools continues to dominate the educational conversation. The CDC recently released new guidance for the reopening of schools, prompting experts to chime in on whether mitigation strategies are enough.
Dr. Joseph Allen, associate professor and director of the Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard University, posits that community spread should not dictate whether schools should open:
“The reality is these community spread metrics don’t predict that. Right? We’ve seen examples where schools have stayed open and have been effectively open with very little in-school transmission, even in communities with high community spread. In fact, CDC’s own report has shown that. We’ve also seen the opposite. We’ve seen low community spread, poor controls in school and cases.”
The CDC maintains “studies do indicate higher levels of disease in the community increase the risk that a case will be introduced in the school setting.”
The American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten asserted that the teacher union does want schools to reopen, albeit safely: “If the NFL could figure out how to do this in terms of testing and the protocols, if schools are that important, let’s do it.” She claims that mitigation, testing, and vaccines are crucial elements in following CDC guidance lending a “road map” to school reopening.
Some states are vaccinating teachers.
California is setting aside 10% of weekly vaccine allotments for teachers, although CDC guidance does not specifically require it. Oregon schools have been closed for nearly 10 months, but Governor Kate Brown is looking to reopen schools as quickly as possible by prioritizing teacher vaccinations.
Students with learning needs continue to struggle with remote learning.
There is evidence that students and adults with ADHD are bearing the brunt of unstructured days and a lack of engaging environments.
“Numerous studies have shown an increase in symptoms during the pandemic for both kids and adults with ADHD, according to a recent review in the Journal of Adolescent Health from researchers who included Rosanna Breaux, a professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg.”
Silverlining: online learning requires executive functioning skills, such as organization and planning. Students are receiving ample practice in strengthening these skills in a remote environment.
Teachers are instructing online and in-person — at the same time.
In Washington D.C., Virginia, and Minnesota, teachers are tasked with engaging students online and in-person to alleviate staffing concerns in districts. The American Federation of Teachers President noted, “It is not humanely possible to engage kids in person and online at the same time with the attention that is needed.” She continued on with the obvious statement that “teachers are very, very frustrated.”
Is online college worth the full tuition?
Kansas says no. Lawmakers are proposing a 50% refund on tuition for online classes due to the pandemic. A muted professor delivered a two-hour lecture on Zoom and a student in Canada discovered the class continued despite the passing away of the professor. If lawmakers decide that online education is valued at half, then what does that mean for an entire industry devoted to online courses?
The ongoing student debt cancellation debate.
Biden flat-out refuses to consider a $50,000 student loan debt cancellation proposed by Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer. He will, however, consider a $10,000 cancellation. Although this would be beneficial, it is worth noting 45 million Americans owe $1.7 trillion in student loans. Among the many arguments for cancellation include a boosted economy and a decrease in the racial wealth gap. Critics disagree.
Professional Learning and Inspiration
5 Things We’ve Learned About Virtual School in 2020
In this 4 minute listen, Anya Kamenetz discussed her findings after interviewing six teachers across the U.S. Each teacher is feeling the inevitable “burnout” but there are key lessons that have been learned along the way. Each lesson ties back to connection — the importance of keeping students engaged in the learning process.
50 Black Young Adult Novelists You Should Read, from Angie Thomas to Walter Dean Myers
Mary Cadden, at USA Today, with input from librarian and adjunct professor, LaKeshia N. Darden, compiled a list of 50 black YA novelists not to miss.
“These authors not only “show Black teens dealing with the same coming of age issues that any teen would deal with — falling in love, finding your place in the world, coming to terms with their sexuality,” but also “navigating issues like systemic racism and microaggressions,” says LaKeshia N. Darden.”
The curated list span genres and decades of YA authors. Well worth a look.
Covid-19 Has Shown Us It is Time for a New Grading System
Rachel Rudi at The Educator’s Room discusses the history of the grading system, and why it is a good time to reassess how we evaluate students in the midst of a pandemic. The author contends that disparities have always existed, and now we have a firsthand look at how students are supported at school and at home. A new grading system is in order — one that measures individual student growth.
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About Educate.
Educate is a new publication on Medium focused solely on the education industry.
Educate magnifies the voices of changemakers in education. We empower educators to share their stories, ideas, insights, and inspiration. We are dedicated to the fusion of research + education policy and practice.
The mission of this publication is to inform education policy and practice through the authentic voices that are directly involved in education. We do this by using research to drive ideas and insights.
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About the Editor
Jennifer Osborne is an experienced educator with graduate degrees in Educational Leadership and Guidance and Counseling. She has taught in five different countries across a wide variety of classrooms and schools. Jennifer is passionate about authentic education for students and personalized professional learning for teachers.
Read her Educator’s Bio at Jennifer Osborne Writes.
Insights from Educate, 3rd Edition was originally published in Educate. on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.