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Are K-12 schools on the brink of financial disaster?
Patrick Gleeson EducationWhat financial impact will the COVID-19 pandemic have on K-12 schools? Opinion is mixed, ranging from guardedly optimistic to disastrous beyond belief. As usual in our sharply divided country, opinions link to politics. But this is more than a funding disagreement.
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Leading with equity to support our most vulnerable students
Sheilamary Koch EducationHarm to our nation's most vulnerable children is likely to extend far beyond missed learning. New evidence reveals that staggering numbers of students could fall months to a full year behind, be locked out of experiential science learning and drop out of school. With the real threat of racial disparity increasing exponentially, educators and advocates across sectors are rallying to make equity the center of plans for next school year and beyond.
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8 US museums you might not know about
Dave G. Houser Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementAmerica loves its museums. There are more than 35,000 of them scattered across the country, and while many are temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, we can look forward to their reopening soon. The nation’s museums range from opulent and influential to obscure and offbeat. It is the latter category that most intrigues us. Here are eight such museums.
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Do what has to be done
Debra Josephson Abrams EducationIn "Make something good happen," we looked at how the BBC series "My Perfect Country" can work in conjunction with project-based learning activities to nurture students' critical analysis and inventiveness in service of ameliorating or eliminating manageable problems that affect them. Now, let’s look at another BBC series, "People Fixing the World," and focus on the episodes "Kids Fixing the World" and "New Uses for Old Solutions" so we can encourage and assist students to do what has to be done.
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The best tools and teaching methods for continued virtual learning
Alyssa Abel EducationAs you prepare your lesson plans for the coming year, you might need to do twice the work. Many districts have yet to finalize reopening plans, and it pays to prepare for continued virtual learning. What are the ultimate tools and strategies for online learning? As you gear up for the 2020-21 school year, add these gems to your arsenal.
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Why teachers’ salaries will fall as unemployment rises
Patrick Gleeson EducationAn April 2020 overview of K-12 job losses notes that, more than 10 years after the Great Recession, employment in public schools hasn't fully recovered from 2008’s Great Recession. The research further indicates that without support from the federal government, the revenue shortfalls related to the current crisis will be dramatically worse. The Economic Policy Institute’s researchers, for instance, anticipate a "revenue shortfall of nearly $1 trillion by 2021."
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Increasing your remote learning instruction skills
Brian Stack EducationAs the clock starts to click down on summer vacation, many educators are still left wondering exactly what the 2020-21 school year will bring as a result of the pandemic. Will things finally settle down and allow schools to return to normal? Will we see a spike in COVID-19 cases, thus leading to significant changes to school operations? Can teachers ever get "comfortable" with their situation, their schedule, and their routines?
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Restarting school: Unfinished teaching and learning for emergent bilinguals,…
Erick Herrmann EducationAt this point in the year, teachers have finished with their teaching duties for the academic year. Some are embarking on teaching summer school, and most of those doing so are likely engaging in distance or virtual learning due to the global pandemic. In either case, questions about returning to school loom: will classes be in-person with face-to-face instruction? Will students only be allowed to be physically in school part time, with distance or virtual learning playing a significant role?
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Outdoor classrooms could improve student mental health
Sheilamary Koch EducationAs the nation’s school districts plan strategies to keep students safe when schools reopen for the 2020-21 school year, repurposing outdoor areas as learning spaces is getting growing support from parents and others. Expanding the physical space used for education beyond its brick-and-mortar facilities may not only help schools meet physical distancing requirements aimed to protect students’ physical health but could also promote better mental health.
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Schools and police: How strongly do teachers believe Black students’…
Patrick Gleeson EducationIn the wake of George Lloyd’s killing, Americans have become increasingly critical of their police. The presence of police in K-12 schools in the U.S. has been particularly criticized. From the perspective of the Black Lives Matter movement, police in schools are more a threat to black students than a means of protection. Responding to this, some school districts have begun plans to remove police from schools. Somewhat surprisingly, a clear majority of 1,150 teachers, principals and district leaders surveyed in a June Education Week poll still favor keeping police in schools.
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