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Commentary: My company’s text message tool shows a 150% spike in families’ fears about school violence. 3 way to head off that trend

During my years as a teacher and school administrator, I remember wishing several times that I could have seen a problem coming while I still had time to change course. My job now is to help schools do just that by soliciting regular feedback and gaining insight into what’s on the minds of parents and...
By Amanda Richards | November 3, 2021
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Amid vaccine mandates and CDC calls to ramp surveillance, schools from LA to Philadelphia confront logistics of mass testing

In the “isolation room” at Indian Springs High School — the command center for any COVID-related issues on campus — Janak Kaur seals the school security officer’s swab sample in a plastic bag. Meanwhile, the officer fills out a registration on a website where he’ll get his results in a day or two. As the...
By Linda Jacobson | November 2, 2021
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World leaders to explore girls’ education as climate crisis solution at upcoming United Nations conference

An “unprecedented” level of interest in girls’ education as a climate solution is growing worldwide, advocates say, as youth empowerment and gender are set to take center stage at the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference. From Oct. 31 through Nov. 12, roughly 20,000 international leaders and climate advocates will gather in Glasgow, Scotland for...
By Marianna McMurdock | November 1, 2021
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CDC approves Pfizer shots for kids ages 5 to 11, roll out to begin Wednesday

Updated, Nov. 2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Tuesday evening endorsed the unanimous vote of a CDC vaccine advisory panel recommending Pfizer-BioNTech’s pediatric coronavirus vaccine for use in children ages 5 to 11. Her sign-off means shots can begin Wednesday for some 28 million children in this younger age group. The...
By Asher Lehrer-Small | October 28, 2021
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Analysis: Out-of-school STEM programs inspire, empower and engage children. What teachers can learn from them

Even before the pandemic, it was common for teachers to grapple with the challenge of teaching students varying in mastery of academic skills, with as many as seven grade levels represented in one room. The pandemic has only widened that gap, particularly in math, with the most disadvantaged students experiencing the most difficulties. A recent...
By Gemma Lenowitz and Britt Magneson | October 27, 2021
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New report: How to build culturally affirming schools, according to over 100 Black teachers

Recruiting a diverse staff and building a “family-like” school culture are among the key action steps more than 100 Black educators recommend school leaders follow in a recent report released by Teach Plus and the Center for Black Educator Development. The paper presented the findings of focus groups conducted during the spring and summer of...
By Asher Lehrer-Small | October 26, 2021
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Analysis: Acceleration vs. remediation, closing the achievement gap, keeping academic growth going — insights from math learning in the pandemic

The pandemic has been devastating for students and families on so many levels. It also produced insights that constitute urgent news for schools, both as they contend with the next wave of coronavirus and in the longer-term future. Today, a quarter of elementary school students in the U.S. use the Zearn platform and they have...
By Shalinee Sharma | October 25, 2021
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Exclusive analysis: CDC COVID youth vaccination figures clash — sometimes by double-digits — with locally reported rates

As schools work to mitigate COVID spread in classrooms and get a handle on how many teens have been immunized, they may not be able to rely on vaccination data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In many cases, CDC numbers clash with locally reported vaccination rates, an analysis from The 74...
By Asher Lehrer-Small | October 21, 2021
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Commentary: Better listeners make better readers and more successful students. It’s time to bring the science of listening into the home & classroom

Speaking and listening account for the overwhelming majority of how we receive information in our daily communications. Yet, average listeners may understand and recall as little as 10 percent of what they hear, as people are often distracted, preoccupied, or forgetful. As vital as listening is in our education, jobs, families and virtually every aspect...
By Malbert Smith | October 20, 2021
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When graduating isn’t enough: New KIPP scholarship will help first-gen college grads at risk of being ‘underemployed’

The KIPP charter school network’s announcement of another scholarship program designed to launch their alumni into successful careers — and avoid the underemployment problems of years past — represents the latest mile marker along a steep learning curve. The nation’s largest group of K-12 charter schools said last week that the Ruth and Norman Rales...
By Richard Whitmire | October 19, 2021