COVID-19 Policy Update #231
COVID-19 Policy Update
MONDAY 4/12
Tonight's update pairs well with Stanley Tucci teaching us how to make a Negroni. What's fun about this cocktail is that the underlying structure is simple: a base spirit, sweet vermouth, and a bitter liqueur, often (although not always) in equal parts. But you can produce some incredible variations by switching out the base spirits and changing the ratios which can produce something like a Mezcal Negroni for example. For those missing the ambiance of a bar, I Miss My Bar lets you create a bit of background noise customized to your liking.
TOP THREE
Fireside Chat With CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky: On the topic of Safely and Sustainably Reopening Schools and the Economy.
The event will be on April 23 from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm ET.
Hosted by the COVID Collaborative, the Infectious Disease Society of America, the Council of the Great City Schools, Chiefs for Change, and the American College Health Association, and Governors Dirk Kempthorne and Deval Patrick.
Invitation is extended to all of your staff, chapter members, and affiliates of your organization. Please share with your networks.
AFT: In a reversal, announced that it will accept the CDC's recommendation of 3 feet for social distancing.
Blue States Are Failing Their Students by Not Reopening Schools. Here's How They Got It So Wrong: Via Paymon Rouhanifard
"But our Achilles’ heel has once again been a knee-jerk retrenchment to ideological and political fault lines, allowing public-health and education decisions to be sucked into the all-consuming vortex of partisan politics."
"Public policy is about trade-offs, and federal, state and local political leaders have a responsibility to determine an optimal balance of complicated benefits and drawbacks in our decision-making. Instead, it’s become a manifestation of negative partisanship driven by a desire to deny a political win to our opponents. Both sides bask in their righteousness, holding steadfastly to an absolute position, whatever the downstream effect."
FEDERAL
ED:
Released COVID-19 Handbook: Roadmap to Reopening Safely andMeeting All Students’ Needs. Includes promising practices for SEL, learning acceleration, and use of technology.
Announced additional staff:
Levi Bohanan, Special Assistant, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
Amy Loyd, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (serving as Acting Assistant Secretary)
Rachel Bird Niebling, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs
Alexander Prowda, Confidential Assistant, Office of Communications and Outreach
Jorge Santiago, Confidential Assistant, Office of the Secretary/Office of the Deputy Secretary
Nick Simmons, Senior Advisor for School Reopening and Recovery, Office of the Secretary
Rachel Thomas, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications, Office of Communications and Outreach (serving as Acting Assistant Secretary)
Serena Walker, Confidential Assistant, Office of Communications and Outreach
COVID-19 RESEARCH
South African Variant: The COVID variant from South Africa was able to ‘break through’ Pfizer vaccine in an Israeli study:
What to Know About COVID-19, Variants, and Children: Via Healthline
STATE
California:
LAUSD proposes a 2-week school year extension for student learning loss, trauma
Connecticut: Governor announced the Learner Engagement and Attendance Program (LEAP) which will use Federal funds to reengage K-12 students who struggled during the pandemic. Goals are:
Bridge students back to their school communities for the final months of the school year.
Support student enrollment in upcoming summer camps and summer learning programs.
Facilitate for families in need a seamless transition back into their school communities for the 2021-2022 school year. Engaging with families through home visits will also enable officials to address other critical needs of students that are identified, such as behavioral and mental health services, housing stability, access to childcare, technology and internet connectivity, transportation, and additional educational support services.
Florida: Palm Beach County public schools to end distance learning this summer
Georgia: Atlanta Public Schools will spend $15 million dollars toward its summer school program, aiming to enroll about 20,000 students - more than half of its total student population.
Hawaii: Incoming kindergarteners who missed out on preschool and other early education activities because of the pandemic may have an opportunity to catch up with a free three-week summer program aimed at helping them acclimate to classroom routines and social interactions
Massachusetts: 16% of parents would consider holding their child back according to a Pioneer Institute Poll.
New York: Governor released Interim Guidance for In-Person Instruction at Pre-K to Grade 12 Schools.
The guidance includes this line (but only for physical distancing): "Ultimately, the school/district’s decision to move to shorter physical distances will come down to a local community’s risk tolerance based on its unique circumstances."
North Carolina: Wake County school system will offer online learning for all grades next year.
Ohio: Youngstown City School District will provide a five-week in-person class curriculum available to all students from June 7 to July 9.
Tennessee: Gov. Lee sets expectations of student-centered investments from federal education funds.
Wisconsin: Students learning virtually are more likely to be in urban areas.
INTERNATIONAL
Canada: Ontario schools closing to in-person learning indefinitely as COVID-19 cases soar.
ECONOMIC RECOVERY
The Other Reason the Labor Force Is Shrunken: Fear of Covid-19: Via WSJ
"U.S. Census survey conducted in the second half of March found that about 4.2 million adults aren’t working because they are afraid of getting or spreading the coronavirus."
"Indeed, if fear of the virus keeps people out of the work force, it could add inflation pressure as employers seeking to meet stimulus-fueled demand are forced to raise wages to hire enough workers or keep those they have, and pass those costs on to customers."
"However, many economists assume a successful vaccine rollout would send a surge of people rejoining the labor force, enabling the economy to potentially thrive without inflation caused by supply bottlenecks."
"A Franklin Templeton-Gallup Economics of Recovery study in October concluded that Black women were about twice as concerned as white women about the pandemic getting worse and the possibility of dying from Covid-19. That finding had a basis, in that Black and Latino workers are more likely than whites to be in jobs where teleworking isn’t feasible, according to the Labor Department, as was the case for the McLaurins."
How the Pandemic Has Affected Municipal Budgets in Philadelphia and 12 Other Cities: Via Pew
"In planning for fiscal 2021 last spring, officials in these cities projected budget shortfalls ranging from 1.9% to 17% of the prior year’s general fund adopted budget. Philadelphia estimated its shortfall would be almost 15%, roughly $749 million."
"Cities with a stronger reliance on property taxes for revenue generally faced smaller projected shortfalls. About 15% of Philadelphia’s general fund revenues typically come from property taxes, on the lower end among the comparison cities."
LEARNING PODS
U.S. Money Reserve (USMR): Created their own school.
"Essentially we offered our employees and their kids the opportunity to create their own pandemic pods and set up classrooms in our conference rooms for our employees and their kids."
"We hired teachers assistants, or TAs, for each classroom and set up learning stations for each student. They have regular breaks throughout the day, and lunch is provided. Kids are grouped by age and grade, so we can help offer the right kind of social interactions for them."
"In some cases, classes start as early as 7:30 a.m. and wrap up at the normal time. That way, while kids are in school, parents can head to their desks to work, and everyone at the office follows the proper guidelines for masking, cleanliness, and social distancing."
"This setup aims to allow parents to have the time and space they need to get their work done while offering them peace of mind, knowing that their kids are in a safe environment."
RESOURCES
Learning Loss Due to School Closures: New study that utilized a natural experiment that occurred as national examinations in The Netherlands took place before and after lockdown to evaluate the impact of school closures on students’ learning.
"We use the fact that national examinations took place before and after lockdown and compare progress during this period to the same period in the 3 previous years."
"The Netherlands underwent only a relatively short lockdown (8 wk) and features an equitable system of school funding and the world’s highest rate of broadband access."
"Still, our results reveal a learning loss of about 3 percentile points or 0.08 standard deviations. The effect is equivalent to one-fifth of a school year."
"Losses are up to 60% larger among students from less-educated homes, confirming worries about the uneven toll of the pandemic on children and families"
Preparing Early Learners: Considerations for Supporting the Kindergarten Class of 2021: New NWEA report. Outlines four considerations:
"Greater age differences in kindergarten (and some first grade) classrooms: More students will enter kindergarten later or will enter the school system at first grade, creating larger and more split-age classes for both first grade and kindergarten cohorts. In addition, many more students will be unfamiliar with in-person classroom routines."
"Wider skill disparities upon entry"
"Summer learning opportunities will be important for young learners"
"Data is key to driving evidence-based resource decision making and understanding long-term implications."
Pets: Mars survey found
39% of children read to their pets.
83% of the parents surveyed reported that their family pet helped their child feel less lonely during COVID-19 related stay-at-home orders.
"When asked if they believed pet interaction should be used in schools, 80% of parents said they agreed, with 3 in 4 saying there should be more investments supporting pets in the classroom programs."
8 States Join NGA's Learning Network Supporting Child And Family Well-Being Throughout The Pandemic. States: Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‘i, Kansas, New York, Virginia and West Virginia.
Spotlight on Charter Management Organizations: Barriers, Supports, and Approaches to Distance Learning: Via AIR
COVID Provides a Rare Chance to Transform Public Education: OpEd by Bobby Jindal and Joe Ricketts
Unicorn: A stray dog kept stealing a stuffed unicorn from a Dollar General, so animal control bought it for him