“This summer’s racial justice protests were historic in scope and many involvedwere organized by young people. The protests and the incident that sparked them (the brutal, filmed killing of an unarmed Black man named George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police) shifted public opinion dramatically and brought issues of race to the forefront of public discourse. In addition, evidence has continued to accumulate about racial disparities in COVID-19 contraction, hospitalization and death rates. Regardless of whether schools resume in person or online this fall, issues of race and racial justice will almost certainly be of interest to many students. How, then, should teachers effectively and appropriately address such concerns, especially as they pertain the systemic and historic nature of racial discrimination and stratification in our country? This summer’s protests, after all, were not a sudden and unprecedented occurrence but rather the latest chapter in a long history of discrimination and resistance.” Read article
Sep 05
Taking attendance for online schooling a team effort: an example from Maricopa Unified School District
“All MUSD students must submit a weekly log to the school “for evidence of learning time.” Each student must also either be present for the daily synchronous lessons or submit work for the day on an online platform. “The attendance procedures are working,” said Jennifer Robinson, Ed.D., principal of Maricopa Elementary School. “Taking attendance throughout the day helps us collect real-time data and gives us opportunities to reach out and connect with parents.” Read article
Sep 04
How White Educators Can Approach Antiracist Work:Striving to understand the origins of the concept of race and the effects of implicit biases are good initial steps.
“Although we may not feel adequately trained to become antiracist educators, for me, remaining silent isn’t an option. I believe that, as Dr. Ibram X. Kendi says, we are all “either racist or antiracist; there’s no such thing as ‘not racist.’” Moreover, as painful as it may be to admit, I believe that each and every one of us has deeply held racial biases as a result of growing up in a society that privileges Whiteness. Beth Pandolpho, Edutopia. ” Read article
Sep 03
By establishing routines that address the challenges of online learning, teachers can help students in grades 3 to 8 feel a sense of belonging.
“Creating a strong classroom culture is priority number one during the first weeks of school. This year should not be any different—in fact, creating connections and a sense of belonging has never been more important. And yet, as coronavirus numbers soar, many schools are opting to return at least partly to remote learning in the fall. So, how can we create a positive classroom culture when we can’t even see our students face-to-face?It’s going to take a mixture of adapting the old tried-and-true beginning-of-the-year traditions to digital media and creating whole new practices and activities.Edutopia” Read article
Sep 02
Use Live Class Time to Center Relationships: By delivering content to students working at home, teachers can save live classes for what’s most important—the personal interactions that solidify learning.
“Think back to your own experiences as an elementary, middle, or high school student. What made going to school meaningful?For both of us, that answer is simple: It was the human connections we made. Yes, we liked learning new things—but, more often than not, our enjoyment came from the support we received from caring teachers and the satisfaction of discovering new ideas with friends.” Read article
Sep 01
Online classes make some kids anxious, but building relationships with them can go a long way toward helping them feel secure.
- Connect with reluctant remote learners STEP by STEP:
- STEP ONE: LET’S GET TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER
- STEP TWO: USING WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT STUDENTS TO SPARK ENGAGEMENT
- STEP THREE: STUDENT PARTNERSHIPS CAN ADVANCE PARTICIPATION
- STEP FOUR: USING SMALL GROUPS TO INCREASE ENGAGEMENT
- STEP FIVE: CHECKING IN AND LETTING THE STUDENTS LEAD Read article
Aug 31
Measuring Daily Attendance and Participation During COVID-19 – An Invaluable Tool for Reducing Educational Inequity
“Until new research examining absenteeism in blended or distance learning settings can be conducted, we advise continuing to monitor which and how many students miss 10% or more of “learning opportunities.” A learning opportunity is an instructional or learning activity that takes place in person or during synchronous or asynchronous distance learning. Attendance should be taken for each learning opportunity and absence rates calculated by dividing the total number of missed learning opportunities by the total number of learning opportunities offered. ” Attendance Works
For example, in one week of school, a student has the opportunity to participate in twenty learning opportunities: ten synchronous distance learning sessions, six in-person sessions, and the submission of four asynchronous assignments. Missing three of these would mean missing fifteen percent. This is similar to tracking secondary school period attendance in many districts. Read Article
Aug 30
Promising Practices Brief:Improving Student Engagement and Attendance During COVID-19 School Closures
“This promising practices brief explores research on
monitoring and promoting attendance and engagement
in online learning and summarizes the findings from
conversations with a small number of school districts
about their transition to remote learning as a result of
the COVID-19 pandemic. The brief provides a resource to
states and districts on promising practices in measuring
and improving attendance and engagement during
extended school closures.” Dana Chambers, Jenny Scala, David English Read article
Aug 29
A guide to planning transitions to school – Transition Attendance Analysis Tool
“Developing a Plan: The results of the Transition Attendance Analysis Tool can show the team whether you are just beginning to put a plan in place or are well on the way. If you have a plan, the results can serve as a checklist to make sure you’ve addressed inequities, haven’t missed a critical ingredient and anticipated what might happen during the next school year. The key is to agree as a team about the strategic priorities and action steps, and communicate them effectively to all who need to know. Use the results from Analysis Tool to help fill in the Transition Planning Tool, and help your team take the next steps. Attendance Works” Read article
Aug 28
During the COVID-19 crisis, restorative practices can help
“While the coronavirus is a medical issue, a large part of what we are experiencing is a social crisis. Therefore, the relevance of consciously being relational becomes even more important. As many restorative practitioners understand, restorative thinking and practice isn’t just reserved for the workplace. We take restorative practices wherever we go. Now that so many of us are confined closely with our nuclear families, we can really focus on how to interact with our loved ones using a restorative lens, as we navigate this crisis together. IIRP” Read article