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National Survey: Black women worry most about children’s education, cite lack of educational opportunities as key barrier to economic success

Safe, high quality in-person schools and access to higher education are top concerns for Black women – nearly as important as protecting voting rights and fighting racism, a new national survey has found. Conducted by brilliant corners Research & Strategies, “Our Power, Our Legacy,” a June survey of 733 randomly selected Black women over the...
By Marianna McMurdock | August 19, 2021
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Peering 30 years into the future, economists see lost earnings for the pandemic generation of students — but summer school might help

The year 2050 may seem a long way off, but in 29 years our current crop of K-12 students will be well into their careers. How will this chaotic school year have affected them? Recent findings from the University of Pennsylvania warn that over the next three decades, our recent COVID-related U.S. school closures, as...
By Greg Toppo | August 18, 2021
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Virtual pre-K filled a void for ‘overwhelmed’ parents last year, but experts disagree about its role — and federal funding — in a post-pandemic world

As in most pre-K classrooms, Geneva Gadsden’s students — known as the All Stars — rotate through different stations, from dress-up corners to building block areas. But the All Stars, the Happy Owls and other groups of preschoolers at the Whitted School in Durham, North Carolina, also take turns with Chromebooks, spending 15 minutes a...
By Linda Jacobson | August 17, 2021
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Barr: Is L.A. County serious about educating homeless kids? Tuesday’s LACOE vote will tell us a lot

It’s no secret that homelessness has reached devastating levels in Los Angeles. The L.A. Times editorial board called the situation “a national disgrace” — and that was three years before COVID and the economic downturn exacerbated the emergency even further. But what some people don’t know or forget is that the crisis goes beyond public health,...
By Steve Barr | August 16, 2021
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Helping students feel seen and heard: Along, a new digital SEL tool, helps teachers engage their pupils — and unlock better learning

Teachers’ ability to connect individually with students went from tricky to downright challenging during the pandemic. But a new digital reflection tool, Along, can help teachers create personal relationships with students while allowing each student to feel seen and understood. After a pilot program with hundreds of teachers last school year, this summer’s launch of...
By Tim Newcomb | August 16, 2021
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Analysis: Parents, civic entrepreneurs rebuild K-12 schooling from scratch in a way that’s student-focused, parent-directed and pluralistic

“Never in my lifetime have so many parents been so eager for so much education change.” So said longtime pollster Frank Luntz after surveying 1,000 public and private school parents on how the pandemic affected their view of schools. COVID-19 forced schools to change from being buildings where teaching, learning and programs were bundled together...
By Bruno Manno | August 12, 2021
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DeBaun: Virtual advising can combat COVID melt and ensure high school students make it to college. 3 steps schools can take

Every year, as much as one-third of college-bound high school graduates never show up to their first day of class. It’s all too easy for students to miss important deadlines, forget about necessary paperwork or get lost in the byzantine financial aid process. Known as summer melt, this phenomenon has long plagued high schools and...
By Bill DeBaun | August 11, 2021
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Art teachers are teaching girls to code

Nancy Mastronardi does all kinds of art with her students at Joella C. Good elementary school in Miami. Some weeks it’s drawing and painting, other weeks it’s weaving and pottery. At the Title 1 school, creativity is on display everywhere you look—from the sunshine-yellow tile mosaic flanking the school’s entrance to the painted superhero vegetables...
By Celeste Hamilton Dennis, Next City | August 9, 2021
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The remote learning paradox: Some educators, parents want to keep online classes option even though instruction suffered

Here’s the paradox about remote learning: During the pandemic it has not gone particularly well. And an increasing number of states such as New Jersey and school districts like New York City are prohibiting public schools from offering a remote option next year. And yet, according to our new surveys, roughly one-third of schools are keeping it...
By Julia Kaufman, Heather Schwartz and Melissa Kay Diliberti | August 8, 2021
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A teacher’s view: What research in my classroom showed about the value of old-fashioned face-to-face teaching and learning

I remember my shock the first time I was working with one of my fourth-grade students who spent most days working asynchronously — on his own — at home during the pandemic. He had completed all the online lessons assigned to him and came to school to take a multiplication test in person. Of the...
By Krystal Clifton | August 4, 2021