COVID-19 Policy Update #267
COVID-19 Policy Update
WEDNESDAY 6/2
TOP THREE
Power of Peers: A new report from the Christensen Institute emphasizes the value of positive peer connections for high school students and says the benefits extend not just to social belonging, but to academic encouragement and emotional wellbeing and can contribute to strong post high school and college outcomes.
"Peer-to-peer relationships are often an underutilized asset in schools, and as educators look to boost students’ academic, social and emotional status during the COVID-19 recovery."
White House: Announced additional support as part of the Month of Action with vaccines.
Free child care for parents while they get a shot
Vaccines given at barbershops, sporting events
Pharmacies open 24 hours on Fridays
City competitions
Free beer once vaccine goal is met
COVID-19 College Challenge, where colleges and universities can take a pledge and commit to taking action to get their students and communities vaccinated
California: Parents frustrated by pandemic education launch activist group to raise their voices
FEDERAL
IES: “Mapping State Proficiency Standards onto the NAEP Scales: Results From the 2019 NAEP Reading and Mathematics Assessments”
Surprising how many states are still setting lower bars for proficiency with reading and mathematics.
COVID-19 RESEARCH
Easing Mask Requirements Has Not Led to Virus Spread: Via David Leonhardt:
“First, new Covid cases have continued to decline at virtually the same rate as during the month before the CDC announcement, which came on May 13… Overall, daily new cases have fallen by almost 75 percent since mid-April and by more than 90 percent from the peak in January.
“On the other hand, the CDC’s change has had a noticeable effect on behavior in a positive way… For the previous month, the number of daily shots in the U.S. had been falling, as the country began to run out of adults who were eager to be vaccinated. Within a few days of the mask announcement, the decline leveled off.”
INTERNATIONAL
UK: Boris Johnson’s schools czar quits over coronavirus catch-up funding.
"Kevan Collins — who was unveiled as the U.K. government’s education recovery commissioner just five months ago — said a £1.4 billion package of help for English schools risked “failing hundreds of thousands of pupils.”
ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Stimulus Checks Substantially Reduced Hardship: New study and more via NYT.
"A new analysis of Census Bureau surveys argues that the two latest rounds of aid significantly improved Americans’ ability to buy food and pay household bills and reduced anxiety and depression, with the largest benefits going to the poorest households and those with children."
A Criminal Record Shouldn’t Be a Life Sentence to Poverty: New paper from CAP on Clean Slate
Rework America Alliance: Released “Unlocking Experience-Based Job Progressions for Millions of Workers” (summary / full report) co-authored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Markle, McKinsey & Company, and the National Urban League.
77% hidden Gateway occupations have proved to be springboards to economic advancement and could improve racial representation.
Gateways and other good, viable occupations will likely account for nearly 20 percent of employment growth in the next year, but the shape the recovery will take is uncertain, and competition for these roles is likely to be intense.
A new Job Progressions tool developed by McKinsey & Company to help career coaches use historical job progression data to connect job seekers to good jobs, aligned with their experience.
A new Rework Community Insights Monitor from The Center for Workforce and Economic Opportunity at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta to provide a metro-level view for policymakers and workforce
RESOURCES
Online Learning: OpEd in Washington Post: Virtual learning is the right choice for some D.C. charters
They Kept Schools Running as Covid Raged: ‘We Had to Be Here’: Via NYT
Top-down Juggling POV: This is mesmerizing.