COVID-19 Policy Update #271
COVID-19 Policy Update
TUESDAY 6/8
TOP THREE
Some Students Want To Continue Online: Great piece from Erin Richards at USA Today.
"Just over half of Black and Latino eighth graders nationwide were enrolled in fully remote programs in March, compared with 24% of white eighth graders, the most recent government data shows."
"Virtual students got through less material and received less instruction in English, math and science this year compared with students at schools that operated mostly in person, a RAND survey results shows"
"Whether in-person or virtual, most schools are not designed to support students of color, said Kimberly Smith, the executive director of the League of Innovative Schools, an education innovation effort under the nonprofit Digital Promise."
"In Massachusetts, a recent survey about how federal recovery money should be spent showed 70% of parents wanted their child to learn in person this fall. But among Black parents, only 54% preferred full in-person learning, another 29% preferred hybrid learning, and 12% preferred staying remote."
Accelerator for America: Released American Rescue Plan Federal Investment Guide and their framework for establishing Stimulus Command Centers — 18-month, executive-level task forces with leaders from the public, private, and civic sectors to serve as the local go-to points for planning, prioritizing, and coordinating the deployment of federal relief and recovery investments.
Helping Kids Manage Anxiety and Ease Back Into Activities This Summer: Via WSJ
Provide accurate and age-appropriate information
Identify childrens’ core fears
Prioritize social connections
Practice for the upcoming school year
Focus on the basics
Teach—and model—positive coping strategies
FEDERAL
Infrastructure: Infrastructure negotiations between President Biden and a group of Republicans led by Sen. Capito have officially broken down, and Biden now plans to turn his attention toward striking a deal with a separate, bipartisan group of senators.
The President also called Sen. Cassidy today which suggests he is still looking for Republican negotiating partners and that does not yet have the 50 votes needed to move an infrastructure deal through reconciliation.
CDC: Fully vaccinated higher education campuses can mostly drop coronavirus safety measures
"Campuses without entirely vaccinated populations should use prevention strategies, such as mask-wearing and physical distancing."
NTIA: Launched the $1 billion tribal connectivity grant program. Applications are due by Sept. 1, 2021.
Child Tax Credit: Treasury is sending letters to more than 36 million families who may qualify for monthly payments. The IRS said it will receive a second letter that will estimate their monthly payment amount, which will begin hitting bank accounts on July 15.
White House: Love this video of a Marine teaching another the elaborate process and ritual of opening the door to the West Wing.
COVID-19 RESEARCH
Pfizer: Will start large study to test COVID-19 vaccine in children below 12. The study will enroll up to 4,500 children at more than 90 clinical sites in the US, Finland, Poland and Spain.
Moderna: CEO expects COVID-19 vaccine to be available for kids as young as 5 by early fall.
J&J Vaccine Drive Stalls Out in U.S After Safety Pause: "Close to half of the 21 million doses produced for the United States sitting unused."
Teens Mental Health: In a population study of 13- to 18-year-old Icelandic teens, mental health worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Virologic Features of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Children: New study that showed that “age is not a predictor of viral infection dynamics, and that children of all ages can have high SARS-CoV-2 viral loads.”
WHO: High vaccination rates can help reduce risk of variants.
"A top World Health Organization official estimated Monday that COVID-19 vaccination coverage of at least 80% is needed to significantly lower the risk that “imported” coronavirus cases like those linked to new variants could spawn a cluster or a wider outbreak."
Medicaid and Children's Recovery: New report from the National Association of Medicaid Directors shows how Medicaid can support children's recovery from pandemic.
"With 77 million American students experiencing partial or total school closures due to the pandemic — and over 40% of children who are still not experiencing in-person learning as of April — the academic losses and the multi-dimensional impacts of social isolation are inevitable."
Recommendations include:
Connect with and understand the current realities for children, caregivers, and pediatric providers.
Launch a “sprint” team to respond to what you learn about the needs of children and families, share ideas, and get input on possible solutions. Take action to prepare children to return to childcare, preschool, school, and other activities this fall.
Act urgently and plan for sustained focus on supporting the mental wellbeing of children and their caregivers.
Advocate for children and families in COVID vaccine planning.
Ensure accurate eligibility and enrollment of children, parents, 5 and caregivers.
STATE
Maryland: As Montgomery County and Prince George’s County public schools return to full-time in-person learning for the 2021-22 school year, both districts will offer limited virtual learning programs online.
New York: Salamanca schools will launch an online STEM academy.
Wisconsin: Madison Promise Academy will feature honors courses, tutoring online
INTERNATIONAL
China: Allows preschoolers to get emergency Sinovac Biotech's coronavirus vaccine, becoming the first major country to grant approval for those as young as three.
RESOURCES
The Post-Pandemic Role of Education Philanthropy: Via Anu Malipatil
Five Pandemic-era Education Practices That Deserve To Be Dumped In The Dustbin: From Mike Petrilli at EdNext
Roomies and Zoomies Simultaneously
Waiving Seat-Time Requirements
“Asynchronous” Days
Grade Inflation
Diploma Devaluation
We Must Fully Reopen Schools This Fall. Here’s How: OpEd By Tracy Beth Hoeg, Monica Gandhi and Daniel Johnson
One Big Reason Schools Are Ditching Remote Learning: The Cost: Via EdWeek
The Recovery Plans We Need and How to Develop Them: Via Emily Freitag
Challenge 1: Wanting to do it all.
Challenge 2: Strategies not feeling bold or impactful.
Challenge 3: Good intentions for a process hampered by the reality of time.
Rituals For Hypergrowth: A peek insight how YouTube tackled the 2008-2014 hypergrowth years with a unique set of rituals for everything from strategic planning to effective meetings. Some great insights useful for any organization,
Large Survey of Homeschooling Families: From EdChoice
New Survey Which Offers Insights on School Reopenings: New Yahoo News/YouGov poll which was focused on testing sentiment around Black Lives Matters, but has some interesting data in the crosstabs on schools and vaccines:
Do you favor schools requiring proof of COVID-19 from students:
Favor: 47% / Oppose: 39%
Favor: 45% (white), 49% (Black), 54% (Hispanic)
Favor: 72% (Democrats), 28% (Republican), 39% (Independent).
Favor: 65% of those who are vaccinated. Only 22% of those who are not vaccinated
How would you describe your personal situation regarding COVID-19 vaccines?
18% will not get vaccinated
Will not get vaccinated: 8% (Democrats), 14% (Republicans), 16% (Independents)
Will not get vaccinated: 15% (Males), 21% (Females
89-Year-Old Retired Virginia Teacher Becomes Viral Sensation: After her virtual tutoring lessons go international. Here's a segment on GMA.
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