TOP THREE
Pfizer: Officially submits data to FDA on their COVID-19 vaccine for younger kids.
But... "That [approval] process may mean the shots may not be available until closer to Thanksgiving, according to a person familiar with the process but not authorized to discuss it publicly. But it is possible that, depending on how quickly the FDA acts, the shots could become available earlier in November, the person said."
Parent Polling on Vaccines: Via Gallup
45% of parents say they would not have their children vaccinated against the coronavirus if a vaccine were approved for those under 12 years old.
55% of parents of kids under 12 say they would get them an available vaccine.
82% of parents who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 say they would vaccinate their child, but just 1% of parents who do not plan to get vaccinated themselves say the same.
83% of parents of children under 12 who identify as Democrats say they would have their child inoculated, compared with 50% of independents and 21% of Republicans.
47% say all students should be required to wear masks at school regardless of their vaccination status; 40% say no students should be required to do so; 12% believe masks should only be required for unvaccinated students.
Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index: New poll:
"Fewer than half (45%) now trust President Biden to provide accurate information about coronavirus, down significantly from when he took office in January (58%)."
"The number who trust in the federal government to relay accurate information has also declined to just under half (49%), compared to 54% two weeks ago."
"Just over one in ten believe attending in-person gatherings with friends and family (13%) or dining in at a restaurant (12%) poses a large risk to their health."
"Parents with children aged 5-11 are split on whether they will vaccinate their kids when eligible. 44% say they are likely to do so, while 42% are unlikely."
"Overall, about three in five (57%) parents of children under 18 say they are likely to vaccinate or have vaccinated their children."
FEDERAL
FCC: Here's the official FCC announcement of the $1.2 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund awards to 3,040 schools, 260 libraries and 24 consortia. And here's a spreadsheet of the schools and amount allocated.
Treasury: Released guidance on the $10 billion Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund. For a Capital Project to be an eligible use of funds, it must meet all of the following three criteria:
The Capital Project invests in capital assets designed to directly enable work, education, and health monitoring
The Capital Project is designed to address a critical need that resulted from or was made apparent or exacerbated by the COVID-19 public health emergency
The Capital Project is designed to address a critical need of the community to be served by it
Infrastructure: The House has concluded debate on the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill.
A vote to clear the bill for the President’s signature has been locked in and must occur within two days, which expires Thursday.
If the Speaker decides to change course, it will take unanimous consent or the adoption of a new rule to delay the vote beyond Thursday.
Sen. Sanders, in a tweet, urged House progressives to vote down the bill President Biden and Speaker Nancy Pelosi want passed and that he has already voted for in the Senate.
Reconciliation: "After meeting with President Biden, Sen. Manchin told reporters the pair had “straightforward” talks but added that he did not tell the president a price tag for the budget reconciliation bill that he would support," CNBC reports.
Senate Parliamentarian: “The Senate parliamentarian, the arbiter of what can be included in Democrats’ sprawling reconciliation bill, will be out for two weeks for surgery to treat stage 3 breast cancer,” Politico reports.
IES:
New report: Variations in District Strategies for Remote Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic - includes descriptions of types of supports, SEL, and tech differences.
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Automated Scoring Challenge
COVID-19 RESEARCH
The Public Continues to Underestimate COVID’s Age Discrimination: Via David Wallace-Wells
"An unvaccinated 10-year-old, who may look like the very picture of COVID vulnerability heading into the school year, faces a lower mortality risk than a vaccinated 25-year-old, whom we might today regard as close to safe as can be."
"All else being equal, an unvaccinated 66-year-old is about 30 times more likely to die, given a confirmed case, than an unvaccinated 36-year-old, and someone over 85 is over 10,000 times more at risk of dying than a child under 10."
"Recent data from the U.K. illustrate the phenomenon neatly: unvaccinated children are safer from COVID-19 death than vaccinated adults of any age"
"This is not to say that unvaccinated children face absolutely no risk from COVID, given that many millions of Americans under the age of 18 have gotten sick, and almost 500 have died, over the course of the pandemic. It’s just that the risk those 73 million minors do face is — relative to the risks faced by their parents and grandparents — very, very small."
KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: New survey results.
"A larger share of vaccinated adults say the information they have seen about boosters has been helpful (54%) than find it confusing (35%), among the unvaccinated almost twice as many find the information confusing as find it helpful (45% vs. 24%)."
"Moreover, most unvaccinated adults see the booster discussion as a sign that the vaccines are not working as well as promised while most vaccinated adults see it as a sign that scientists are continuing to find ways to make vaccines more effective."
New ONS Data: Interesting report. One finding is that those who don't wear masks are around 50% more likely to test positive.
Mapping America’s Hospitalization and Vaccination Divide: Via Washington Post. Green is high vaccination/low hospitalization. Purple is low vaccination/high hospitalization.
STATE
Arizona: School mask mandate ban ruled unconstitutional.
California: Why many students keep missing school
46% of students at Thermalito Union Elementary, a rural district serving mostly low-income families in Butte County, have been chronically absent — up from 8.8% two years ago.
39% of Stockton Unified students have been chronically absent — more than double the rate two years ago.
Almost 33% of Oakland Unified students have been chronically absent.
More than 26% of Elk Grove Unified students have been chronically absent.
Florida: ED awarded a grant of $420,957 to Broward County Public Schools as part of Project SAFE which reimburses school districts that were financially penalized for implementing strategies such as masks.
Illinois: Chicago Public Schools enrollment is down by at least 10,000 students this fall. It has dropped by more than 24,000 since the pandemic began.
Iowa: COVID outbreaks have been traced in at least 25% of Iowa schools, court documents say.
Maryland: 16,559 students have been placed in quarantine since the beginning of the school year and 784 teachers and staff members have also been sent home.
Massachusetts: Not all school districts are implementing COVID Test & Stay Program.
Minnesota: The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis launched a new tool that makes statewide, comprehensive data on student achievement more accessible and transparent.
New York: Judge rules that NYC can proceed with vaccine mandate for educators and staff.
New Mexico: New Mexico Public Education Department says spring testing data won't be released to public.
South Carolina: “Right now we have 13,154 enrollments. Last year at this same exact time, we had 15,317 but the year prior we were at 11,821,” Director of the Office of Virtual Education Bradley Mitchell said.
Tennessee: Metro Nashville Public Schools attributes drop in COVID infections to masks, vaccines, mitigation policies
Texas: Interesting story: "Kids fell behind amid COVID. Here’s what Dallas ISD learned from a signature effort to help students."
Vermont: Teachers are struggling to provide both in-person and online lessons.
Wisconsin: Wisconsin Assembly approves $100 million for mental health.
"The measure approved on a party line 60-38 vote with all Republicans in support and Democrats against faces a nearly certain veto from Evers."
INTERNATIONAL
UK:
More than one in 10 pupils and over a third of school staff with Covid continued to suffer symptoms four weeks after infection, according to new data.
A survey of 27,000 students at 180 schools found half would get the vaccine.
RESOURCES
High School Students Talk About What It's Like to Return: Via NYT
List of Colleges That Require Students or Employees to Be Vaccinated Against Covid-19: Via The Chronicle of Higher Education.
The Pandemic Showed Parents Their Options, Now Public Schools Try to Lure Students Back: Via Inside Sources
Communities Should Use Pandemic Recovery Funds Both Inside and Outside of Traditional School to Benefit K-12 Kids and Families: More from Manno.
Lost by Design: Designing From the Margins Toolkit: New toolkit from Bellwether uses three core design principles to structure a human-centered, inclusive process:
Design from the Margins: Emphasize and include the perspectives of people with the greatest needs
Build Understanding: Bring stakeholders together to foster partnership, empathy, and strong relationships
Shift Mindsets: Develop new ways of thinking to transform practice and sustain solutions
Mama Bear and Cub: Enjoy slides at a school playground in North Carolina.