COVID-19 Policy Update #107
COVID-19 Policy Update
THURSDAY 9/17
TOP THREE
CDC Thresholds for Risk and Interventions: CDC quietly released last night new indicators and thresholds for risk of introduction and transmission of COVID-19 in schools. This guidance had been long sought and comes late given that most states and schools have already had to develop their own criteria for reopening. That said, it's welcomed and should help to inform decisions later this year as school systems consider moving from remote learning to some form of in-classroom learning. CDC recommends the use of three indicators, including two measures of community burden – the number of new cases per 100,000 persons within the last 14 days and the percentage of tests that are positive during the last 14 days – as well as one self-assessed measure of schools' ability to adhere to various mitigation strategies. As a reminder, Harvard has also published a framework which several states have been using.
New York City:
The in-person start for K-5 and K-8 schools will be pushed back eight days, to Sept. 29, while middle and high schoolers will now start Oct. 1; 3-K, pre-K and special education will start in person on Monday as scheduled.
NYC Department of Education officials walked back "a promise to offer daily live online classes, like Zoom lessons, for 600,000 students alternating between in-person and remote learning."
Utah: Salt Lake City School District reported that only 9,000 of the district’s 20,995 students signed in to the learning portal. About 3,000 children who have not yet attended classes online.
FEDERAL
Phase 4:
The Niskanen Center endorsed the Problem Solvers Caucus proposal.
After House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR) said to Speaker Pelosi “We can’t leave town without a package," Pelosi reportedly agreed, saying “We have to stay here until we have a bill.” She later confirmed this in an interview on CNBC, saying the House would not adjourn until another package passed. Hoyer later clarified that Pelosi meant lawmakers would not be required to stay in Washington, but only subject to a 24-hour recall to vote on legislation.
It increasingly looks unlikely Congress will pass another package before the election.
STATE
California: Sonoma-based outbreak in 13 preschool and home-based child care centers that have infected 62 people.
Illinois: Eight Chicago Public Schools workers have died of the coronavirus and another 250 have tested positive.
Massachusetts: Almost 30 teenagers have to quarantine after parents sent their child to a Massachusetts school despite knowing they were positive with COVID-19, according to Attleboro Public Schools and the town's mayor.
Texas: 59% of FBISD students will remain online, while 40% will return for in-person learning.
INTERNATIONAL
Learning Renewed: New report outlining a safe way to reopen schools in the Global South (H/T to Nathan Martin)
EU: The WHO has warned that coronavirus cases are surging alarmingly in Europe, as a "very serious situation" unfolds across the continent.
ECONOMIC RECOVERY
The Fed: Updated their economic projections, including an expectation of GDP dropping by 3.5% this year instead of the 6.5% projected in June. They also see the unemployment rate falling to 7.6% by the end of the year vs 9.3%.
Unemployment: Another 860,000 people applied for unemployment insurance last week, a decrease of 33,000 from the previous week's revised level but still represents the 26th-straight week that unemployment claims remained above a pre-pandemic record dating to the 1960s.
Outdated UI Systems Hindering Delivery: Via AAF: "With the number of unemployment claims increasing substantially due to the current coronavirus pandemic, state unemployment insurance systems have been struggling. Many of these systems are outdated and unable to deal with anything more than flat-rate benefits, a limitation that continues to be a concern for many states as plans for unemployment supplements continue to evolve but are unable to account for state-by-state, let alone worker-by-worker, variation."
Income Share Agreements: Survey: Many college students are interested in ISAs as an option, with 51% desiring a government-run ISA alongside traditional student loans. About 21% of respondents said they would “strongly consider” an ISA, while another 46% would want to learn more first.
LEARNING PODS
Adams 12: More than 5,380 students in Adams 12, CO applied to be placed in a learning pod. The district placed 4,312 in pods.
RESOURCES
Drop in College Enrollments: "Low-income students are the most likely to drop out or not enroll at all, raising fears that they might never get a college degree. Some 100,000 fewer high school seniors completed financial aid applications to attend college this year, according to a National College Attainment Network analysis of FAFSA data through August."
COVID Testing: Manufacturers are sharply increasing production of cheap, fast - but less accurate - COVID-19 tests, aiming for 100 million per month by year end that will enable schools and workplaces to significantly expand testing.
Assessments: Via Fordham: Why state assessments matter, even in a pandemic
EdTech Evidence Exchange: New initiative designed to surface insights from industry leaders into the challenges -- and opportunities -- of effective edtech implementation. It was developed by the EdTech Genome Project, a collaborative effort of more than 100 education research and advocacy leaders dedicated to helping schools and districts make better-informed decisions about selecting and implementing edtech tools that will work well in their contexts.
Text Messaging: New Federal study finds that text messages to parents can reduce chronic school absences in elementary school. This was conducted pre-COVID but could have implications for schools seeking ways to engage parents and students during periods of remote learning. IES files.
Overcoming Digital Divide: Brookings post outlining how schools can partner with local communities to overcome digital inequalities during COVID-19:
Schools and local governments should transform vacant local establishments into classrooms and immediately deploy unused business equipment through partnerships or one-time tax credits
Federally subsidized housing and homeless shelters should offer free Wi-Fi and school buses enabled with Wi-Fi can be parked in harder to serve areas.
Digital parking lots need to be reconfigured into local digital parks.
Utilize local organizations to help solve digital challenges.
Vaccine: Chinese vaccine developer Sinovac Biotech has plans to expand the clinical trial of its COVID-19 vaccine trial to children and adolescents later this month.
As A Reminder: Wear a mask. It's ruff, but important.