COVID-19 Policy Update #225
COVID-19 Policy Update
TUESDAY 3/23
TOP THREE
AFT: Is not convinced social distancing can safely be cut to 3 feet.
"We are not convinced that the evidence supports changing physical distancing requirements at this time. Our concern is that the cited studies do not identify the baseline mitigation strategies needed to support 3 feet of physical distancing."
"Weingarten also questioned the scientific foundation of the social distancing studies: "[T]hey were not conducted in our nation's highest-density and least-resourced schools, which have poor ventilation, crowding and other structural challenges."
‘I’ve Lost a Lot of Faith’: Suburban Parents Push Schools to Reopen Faster: Via NYT
The Acceleration Imperative: A Plan to Address Elementary Students’ Unfinished Learning in the Wake of Covid-19
COVID-19 RESEARCH
AstraZeneca: Wow - via Stat:
"US health officials raised concerns early Tuesday that positive results that AstraZeneca announced Monday for its Covid-19 vaccine may have been based on “an incomplete view of the efficacy data” from a clinical trial and relied on “outdated information,” throwing another curveball in the saga of the company’s vaccine."
Less Than 1% of Florida Students Got COVID at School: According to the CDC,
"These findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that COVID-19 transmission does not appear to be demonstrably more frequent in schools than in noneducational settings"
Children and COVID: Children who are 10 and younger produce more antibodies in response to coronavirus infection than adolescents and adults according to a new study
Drone Delivery of Medicines and Vaccines to Rural Areas: Blog from UrbanFootprint
It’s Up To You: As an extension of their COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative, “It’s Up To You,” the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative announced the launch of a new campaign in partnership with 13 leading sports leagues and organizations:
American Horse Council, Athletes Unlimited, Major League Baseball (MLB), Major League Soccer (MLS), National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), PGA TOUR, US Open Tennis Championships, Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
STATE
New York: United Federation of Teachers president OpEd: "New federal aid should go to emotional/academic interventions for our students"
"The city should use the new funds to provide psychological and academic help for our public school students, and by embarking on a pilot program to dramatically reduce class sizes in a group of our neediest schools, programs that together cost an estimated $1.2 billion."
"The New York City Department of Education can address these needs by taking part of this new federal money to create teams of academic intervention specialists and social workers/psychologists — enough for each of the 1,800 city public schools."
"The estimated cost for this initiative — reflecting the cost of hiring up to 10,000 new professionals — would be approximately $1 billion out of the estimated $5 billion in federal COVID education aid for New York City."
Washington: A Seattle doctor said many preschoolers won't be ready for Kindergarten in the fall because children missed out on important social-emotional developments during school closures.
LEARNING PODS
If You Like Small Classrooms, You Should Love Learning Pods: Ben DeGrow oped in the Hill
RESOURCES
The Future of Schooling Starts Now Policy Brief: From A for Arizona and the Center for the Future of Arizona focusing on innovations in the K-12 education system during the pandemic.
AP-NORC Poll: Learning setbacks a top concern for parents
69% of parents are at least somewhat concerned that their children will face setbacks in school because of the coronavirus pandemic, including 42% who say they’re very or extremely worried about it
64%, say they are at least somewhat concerned that in-person instruction will lead to more people being infected, but it’s only 33% who say they are very or extremely worried about the risk.
Four Ways to Bridge the Home-Classroom Gap: Via Beth Rabbitt
Perspectives on How Schools Should Spend Covid Relief Aid: Some great perspectives collected by FutureEd
Broadly Shared Concerns Related to Academic Progress: Almost everyone is concerned about K-12 students’ academic progress
It's International Puppy Day: For those who celebrate. Teddy and I spent the day debating the geopolitical implications of the CDC's 3ft guidance.