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Supporting student mental health through distance learning

Alyssa Abel Education

Students have faced multiple hurdles throughout the current pandemic. Some of them saw their prom and graduation dreams shattered, struggled with their grades during online learning, or missed out on the comforting social interaction of attending school. Others postponed their plans to go to college or don't know what next year will bring for their college applications. How can you support student mental health while teaching virtually? While distance learning does present unique challenges, the following activities can help you better care for your students.

COVID-19 and pre-participation physical evaluations for high school athletes

Rey Hernandez Sports & Fitness

The COVID-19 pandemic has limited the public’s access to medical care and many healthcare providers are seeing patients only for acute illness and other urgent health issues. All states and the District of Columbia require that student-athletes obtain a yearly pre-participation physical evaluation (PPE) in order to participate in sports during the school year. The specific requirements can vary from state to state. Some states require a PPE on an annual basis, and in others the required time interval can range to as many as every three years.

US employers add 4.8 million jobs in June; jobless rate drops to 11.1%

Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Employers added 4.8 million nonfarm jobs in June after hiring 2.5 million workers in May, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. June’s unemployment rate fell to 11.1% versus May’s 13.3%. Improvement in the labor market for the second straight month was due to a partial resuming of economic activity after nationwide business closures, notably in the hospitality and leisure sectors in March and April, to slow the transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic. That shutdown led to the loss of 22.2 million jobs.

How employers are helping employees reduce student loan debt

Grace Ferguson Business Management, Services & Risk Management

U.S. student loan debt reached a record $1.6 trillion in 2020, according to an article in Forbes. This accounts for 45 million borrowers, making student loan debt the second highest consumer debt in the U.S. — topped only by mortgage debt. Employers are taking notice. To attract and retain talented workers, a small but growing number of employers are offering student loan repayment plans (SLRPs).

Summer school looks different during the pandemic

Brian Stack Education

Summer school is underway in my New Hampshire high school, but it looks a little different from what we have offered in years past, although we have always offered a remote platform. For my school, an in-person summer school is just not practical due to our size, limited staffing resources, and lack of public transportation for students. For years we have relied on online platforms such as Edgenuity and VLACS to provide content and, in some cases, instructors. Our staff have always provided remote technology support. This year, we took a slightly different approach for summer offerings.

Using a historical document as a teaching tool

Douglas Magrath Education

This article, featuring Elbert Hubbard's "A Message to Garcia," may be of interest for instructors teaching higher-level students who need some encouragement to stay on task. It is a great lesson on ethics and loyalty set in a historical time frame over 100 years in the past. It is also a good example of journalistic writing of the period and appeals to a broad audience, not just history buffs. The passage may be used as a reading or a listening comprehension exercise for ESL or as part of a sheltered ESL for history course.

How hip-hop culture can power up student self-worth, engagement

Sheilamary Koch Education

Hip Hop for Change has empowered and educated students remotely these past few months as school administrators have sought out the nonprofit to help motivate students as they tire of online learning. Even in the best of times, whether they're making beats, DJing, rapping, breakdancing or doing graffiti art — kids have a lot of fun learning with hip-hop. "When education so often feels like shoving things down kids’ throats, hip-hop is really a no-brainer," says Khafre Jay, founder and executive director of San Francisco Bay Area-based Hip Hop for Change (HH4C).

K-12 learning is poised for a more tailored approach

Bambi Majumdar Education

It is summer and time for children to relax. Parents this year are finding it hard to relax, though. They cannot help but worry about the COVID-19 risks awaiting their kids in the fall if schools decide to reopen and resume in-person learning. A Morning Consult survey states that a vast majority of parents in the U.S. want schools to be ready to shift to online learning by the fall. K-12 school districts can do this by equipping themselves with better technologies and focusing on robust blended learning for all children.

Increasing motivation: Personalized reinforcers and persuasive comments

Howard Margolis Education

In normal times, it's often difficult to teach struggling learners (SLs). Now, with the life-threatening dangers of COVID-19; the widespread restrictions to daily life; the isolation, loneliness, and anxieties felt by innumerable children, parents, and teachers; and dependence on remote instruction like Zoom and Google Meet, it's even harder. Nevertheless, teachers and parents must do whatever they can to help SLs achieve academic, social, and emotional success. As always, this requires minimizing or eliminating barriers to success while directly promoting success.

Why US school districts require more facility management support

Scott E. Rupp Facilities & Grounds

The career of a facility manager is no cakewalk, and the overwhelming burden placed on these professionals is far greater amidst COVID-19 than before the novel coronavirus' infiltration of the U.S. population. Private and corporate facilities may possess more considerable resources to manage the new burden, and public entities, especially school districts, are in a bind. With summer in full swing after most U.S. schools shuttered in March, district leaders may realize they are woefully underprepared for the facility management tasks ahead.

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