COVID-19 Policy Update #142
COVID-19 Policy Update
WEDNESDAY 11/4
What to Expect When You're STILL Electing: Where things stand:
Keep refreshing the NYT results. They also have a handy running tally of which media outlets have called the race in each state.
Biden is edging toward 270. We'll know more about AZ and GA results tonight. PA and NV tomorrow.
President Trump’s statements last night and tonight were reckless, outrageous, and wrong.
This wasn't the Blue Wave most had expected.
Democrats underperformed across the board particularly in some of the most expensive Senate races in the country (SC, KY, ME, TX).
Democrats will remain in control of the House, but Republicans outperformed in many races and are likely to gain seats.
The Senate looks likely to remain in Republican control, but we may not know for certain until a Jan. 5 runoff in GA. That will be a significant check/balance to a Biden-Harris administration in both legislative agenda (e.g. Tripling Title I, free college, economic relief packages) and also in confirmation of cabinet and senior agency positions.
About 80% of the nation’s 7,383 state legislative seats were up for grabs yesterday. NCSL estimates that only four chambers will flip, the lowest number since 1946. "Republicans controlled about three-fifths of all 98 partisan legislative chambers. If no other chambers flip as new results come in, that Republican dominance will not change."
As Axios said today, "Have some humility about what you think you know about America."
What does it mean for education?
The 74 has a good live blog of ongoing results and education implications.
Video from today's AEI webinar with Nat Malkus, Jason Delisle, Lanae Erickson, Donna Harris-Aikens, Rick Hess, and Roberto Rodríguez.
EdCounsel event on Nov 12 with Nathan Arnold, Jennifer Castagna, Denise Forte, Mildred Otero, Scott Palmer, and Yvette Sanchez Fuentes.
FEDERAL
Phase 4:
“Senate Majority Leader McConnell said that Congress should approve a coronavirus relief package before the end of the year. “We need another rescue package. Hopefully the partisan passions that prevented us from doing another rescue package will subside with the election and I think we need to do it and I think we need to do it before the end of the year."
COVID-19 RESEARCH
Parents Do Not Face Greater Risk From Children: Researchers from the University of Oxford and London’s School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine studied 12 million adults in the UK between February and August to understand the risk of COVID infections for those with and without children. They found that living with children does not carry greater risk and in fact appears to lower the risk of dying from COVID.
INTERNATIONAL
France: 'Our classes are packed': Paris school kids clash with police in COVID-19 protest.
UK: The “Escalation App”, created by the National Education Union, provides teaching staff with a step-by-step guide to challenge head teachers attempting to keep classrooms open during lockdown.
ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Workforce Development Accelerator: TechStars, ZomaLab, Strada Education Network, and Colorado Thrives have launched a new workforce accelerator. Participants include:
Caresplit — Provides community enrichment for kids while filling care gaps for working parents. Built specifically for flexible work patterns, the platform connects families to vetted activities and learning near their new office — their homes.
FutureFit AI — A reskilling and outskilling platform that partners with employers and governments to provide an AI-powered career GPS to individuals as they navigate career transitions. The company’s program allows people to understand what skills they have, identify possible career paths in the labor market, and craft a personalized roadmap of learning programs and other support resources to make a successful career transition.
Grit — An educational capital service that increases the fundability of under-tapped communities for the future of work.
Honest Jobs — Helps people with criminal records find employment fast. The company works with employers nationwide as well aggregating fair-chance opportunities from other job sites. The company’s proprietary “PassCheck” technology makes it possible and practical for employers to offer fair-chance employment by reducing risk and helping companies stay within the EEOC guidelines.
Mentor Spaces is a virtual mentorship company for emerging Black and Latinx professionals that helps companies scale their diversity and inclusion efforts while advancing the careers of underrepresented minorities. Companies use Mentor Spaces to build a diverse talent pipeline, improve retention and enhance corporate culture.
AdvanceEDU (Nonprofit) — An innovative higher education model that seeks equity gaps in credential attainment and career mobility for “New Gen” (first generation, low-income, and BIPOC) Coloradans.
LEARNING PODS
El Paso: The El Paso Independent School District has announced that they will be opening learning pods at all district campuses on Monday, November 9. Students who have been identified as having a priority need will be in the learning pods.
RESOURCES
U.S. EdTech Engagement - February through September 2020: New analysis from Learn Platform which tracked usage of over 8,000 edtech tools by 2.5 million students across 17 states, found that districts where more than 25 percent of students qualify for free and reduced-price lunch use digital learning programs at half the rate than their more affluent peers in September.
6 Lessons Learned About Better Teaching During the Pandemic: Via EdWeek:
Educators have no choice but to be flexible these days, and that’s a good thing.
Targeted support and explicit instructions are key.
Students may need extra guidance managing schedules and completing assignments.
Project-based learning is still possible when done virtually.
Students still need opportunities to speak up and collaborate.
Remember that the challenges are helping build more independent learners.
Udacity: Which provides online courses and “Nanodegrees," secured $75 million in the form of a debt facility. Udacity said that part of the business is growing fast, with Q3 bookings up by 120% year-over-year and average run rates up 260% in H1 2020.
As Saxsquatch Reminds Us: Everybody wants to rule the world.