COVID-19 Policy Update #223
COVID-19 Policy Update
FRIDAY 3/19
TOP THREE
CDC Updates Guidance: On social distancing:
Under the new framework, students could be spaced at least three feet apart in elementary schools.
Middle and high school students would be spaced at least three feet apart in communities with lower community transmission.
However, middle and high schools should resort back to the 6 feet standard in communities of higher transmission if cohorting students is not possible.
Maintain 6 ft between adults (teachers and staff), and between adults and students
The CDC also updated their scientific brief with an impressive list of studies backing the revision. Some examples:
"Studies from Switzerland, Australia, Italy, the U.K., and Germany similarly found limited transmission for K-12 schools, using 1-meter distance between individuals (students, teachers, and staff)."
"Greater physical distancing (at least 6 feet) should be prioritized whenever masks cannot be used (for example, while eating)."
"Consistent with recommendations from WHO and the American Academy of Pediatrics, using a distance of at least 3 feet between students in classrooms could provide a feasible definition of physical distancing so long as other prevention measures are maximized."
"A study of the 94 pre-K–12 schools in the Chicago Archdiocese, the largest private school system in the United States, reported that the attack rate for students and staff participating in in-person learning was lower than the rate for the community overall: 0.2% among these students compared to 0.4% among all Chicago children. The COVID-19 reopening guidelines for the Chicago Archdiocese schools require 6 feet between cohorts but not for students within cohorts, as well as masking, hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfection, daily symptom monitoring, contact tracing, and 14-day quarantine for close contacts."
"In summary, the preponderance of the available evidence from U.S. schools indicates that even when students were placed less than 6 feet apart in classrooms, there was limited SARS-CoV-2 transmission when other layered prevention strategies were consistently maintained."
“While we hope the CDC is right and these new studies convince the community that the most enduring safety standard of this pandemic—the 6-foot rule—can be jettisoned if we all wear masks, we will reserve judgement until we review them, especially as they apply in districts with high community spread and older buildings with ventilation challenges."
“Until today, the literature on reducing distancing has been inconclusive at best and misleading at worst. The studies so far have often approached distancing in a vacuum, without measuring the effect of changes to other mitigation strategies, including masking."
More via this CNN interview.
EdTrust: Released three new resources:
The Pandemic’s Remote Learning Legacy - A Lot Worth Keeping: Good piece from the Christian Science Monitor
"The superintendent in Lincoln, Nebraska, says a district survey this past fall found that 10% of parents liked remote learning – pandemic or not. Nationally, nearly a third of parents say they are likely to choose virtual instruction indefinitely for their children, according to a February NPR/Ipsos poll."
“We’re really excited” about districts taking this seriously, says Ms. Ali, co-author of a report on the tech gap. “The benefits of digital equity go far beyond education. ... They have an implication for how students and their parents’ quality of life will be.”
"Remote options give students better access to school services like tutoring – something that, by nature, was limited and complex in the past because parents had to schedule pickups and drop-offs"
"The pandemic has increased mental health awareness, says Dr. Lubelfeld in Illinois. His district began one-on-one check-ins between students and mental health professionals last summer over Zoom, as well as home visits as needed. He expects the practice to continue beyond the pandemic. “Everybody needs a check-in. And if someone hasn’t been heard of in a day or two, we need to have a triage."
"I wouldn’t want to go back to a world where we didn’t prioritize parental convenience,” says Success Academy's Dr. Moskowitz."
FEDERAL
ED: Secretary Cardona said vaccines will likely not be mandatory for teachers in order to reopen schools.
"My experience was when schools had to close, it wasn’t because COVID spread within the schools. It was because we had to quarantine educators. We had to quarantine teachers,” he explained. “Having the vaccination will help keep those doors open. Not only about opening schools, it’s really about making sure they stay open.”
Commerce: NTIA hosting a webinar series in April through July 2021 in connection with the three new broadband grant programs authorized and funded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021: The Broadband Infrastructure Program, the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, and the Connecting Minority Communities Program.
Infrastructure Package: New Navigator poll showing bipartisan support for an infrastructure package, including investments in childcare, workforce training, and broadband.
COVID-19 RESEARCH
IHME: Weekly update:
Model projects 596,000 cumulative deaths on July 1, 2021. This represents 63,000 additional deaths from March 15 to July 1
By July 1, they project that 89,700 lives will be saved by the projected vaccine rollout.
STATE
Georgia:
Cobb Schools giving parents choice of in-person or virtual learning next year
Marietta City Schools featured on 60 Mins.
"Have been offering in-person learning four days a week at all grade levels since November. The school system kept operating through the highest period of infection in its community."
"In December and January, CDC researchers conducted extensive tests and interviews in Marietta to identify cases of school-based transmission of the coronavirus and try to understand how it had spread."
Massachusetts: Parents helping hundreds of teachers get vaccinated.
"Parents have volunteered their time to help teachers secure COVID-19 vaccination appointments."
"One Needham group has booked hundreds of teacher appointments just in the past week."
ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Up to 30 Million in U.S. Have the Skills to Earn 70% More. Via NYT:
"The findings point to the potential of upward mobility for millions of Americans, who might be able to climb from low-wage jobs to middle-income occupations or higher."
“Companies have to see this talent pool and mainstream it,” said Byron Auguste, chief executive of Opportunity@Work. “Systems change in the labor market has as much to do with employers practices as public policy.”
Google Has a Plan to Disrupt the College Degree: Google's new certificate program takes only six months to complete, and will be a fraction of the cost of college.
"College degrees are out of reach for many Americans, and you shouldn't need a college diploma to have economic security," writes Kent Walker, senior vice president of global affairs at Google. "We need new, accessible job-training solutions--from enhanced vocational programs to online education--to help America recover and rebuild."
RESOURCES
What The EduTech Industry Can Learn From The Shift To Online Classes: Via Jack Tai, CEO and co-founder of OneClass.
Trying to replicate in-person education doesn’t work
A one-size-fits-all approach ignores technological advantages.
Online learning requires better digital communities.
Fast implementation of tech solutions results in a rocky experience.
The Tutoring Revolution: How it could transform education via the Christian Science Monitor
"We’ve done a review of research about summer school; we’ve used others to look at the outcomes of after-school programs and extended day – at adding time to the school day – all of which are the kinds of things people are talking about,” says Robert Slavin, director of the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins University. “All of these things, on average, produce positive results. But nothing compared to tutoring.”
"A national year of service could both close educational achievement gaps and enhance a sense of civic engagement. “It shows that being a citizen and being part of democracy is not just about your rights and participation in a political process, but participating as a citizen,” Dr. Balfanz says."
"Bringing hundreds of thousands of young people into schools, expanding learning communities to include professionals across the world, re-imagining the schoolhouse walls and even incorporating new technology, such as adaptive learning and artificial intelligence, into the tutoring process has the chance to fundamentally transform education."
How Schools Can Meet Students’ Academic and Emotional Needs at the Same Time: Via Jenee Henry Wood and Jeff Wetzler.
Growing Evidence Indicates It Is Safe to Reopen School Buildings: Via Emily Tate.
Rescue Dog: Saves the life of her owner.