TOP THREE
Teachers' Lessons From the Pandemic Will Last: According to a YouGov poll for Khan Academy (more via Axios)
58% said they're more confident trying out new ideas to engage students.
56% are more confident about collaborating with their colleagues.
52% are more confident in communicating with families.
50% are more confident using technology to engage students.
FDA Approves Rapid Antigen Test: The FDA approved a new test will soon double the nation's limited supply of non-prescription tests.
ACON expects to make 100 million tests per month by the end of this year. Production could double to 200 million monthly tests by February, according to the FDA.
Arizona Put On Notice: "The Biden administration warned Arizona on Tuesday that it could lose some of its state and local recovery funds because it has been using money meant to combat the pandemic to undercut mask requirements in schools."
"The Treasury Department is giving Mr. Ducey 30 days to change or end the programs, otherwise the federal funds invested in them could be clawed back."
FEDERAL
Reconciliation:
Sen. Manchin signaled he is open to a budget reconciliation bill in the ballpark of $1.9 trillion to $2.2 trillion, above the limit he set just last week of $1.5 trillion, The Hill reports.
“Democrats in both chambers are now eyeing a price tag in the roughly $2 trillion range, down from the initial $3.5 trillion,” Politico reports.
Via WSJ, "Democrats Wrangle Over How to Shrink $3.5 Trillion Proposal." Lawmakers consider trims to package of healthcare, education and climate-change programs
NIH: Director Francis Collins announced that he will step down. FBI/DOJ: “Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday ordered federal law enforcement authorities to huddle with local leaders in the coming weeks to address what the nation’s top prosecutor called a recent ‘disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence’ against educators and school board members,” Politico reports. Letter here. Rotherham re-reacts here. More via The 74.
COVID-19 RESEARCH
States Banning COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements: Via Politico
COVID Vaccines Cut the Risk of Transmitting Delta — But Not For Long: Via Nature.
"People who receive two COVID-19 jabs and later contract the Delta variant are less likely to infect their close contacts than are unvaccinated people with Delta."
"The latest study examined the effect of vaccines on transmission more directly. It analysed testing data from 139,164 close contacts of 95,716 people infected with SARS-CoV-2 between January and August 2021.
"A person who was fully vaccinated and then had a ‘breakthrough’ Delta infection was almost twice as likely to pass on the virus as someone who was infected with Alpha. And that was on top of the higher risk of having a breakthrough infection caused by Delta than one caused by Alpha."
"Unfortunately, the vaccine’s beneficial effect on Delta transmission waned to almost negligible levels over time. In people infected 2 weeks after receiving the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, both in the UK, the chance that an unvaccinated close contact would test positive was 57%, but 3 months later, that chance rose to 67%.
AstraZeneca: Seeks approval for drug cocktail to prevent COVID.
"The AstraZeneca therapy, designed to last several months to a year, could protect people who do not have a strong enough immune response to COVID-19 vaccines due to, for instance, chemotherapy or anti-rejection drugs after organ transplants."
Pfizer: Their vaccine effectiveness drops after 6 months according to a new study.
"The data suggests that the drop is due to waning efficacy, rather than more contagious variants, researchers said."
"Vaccine effectiveness against all infections of BNT162b2 waned during the six-month study period, from 88% during the first month after receiving two vaccine doses to 47% after six months."
COVID-19 Long-Haulers Plead for Government Action: Via The Hill.
"Their requests range from direct funding for long-haulers to a 9/11-style commission to investigate how the pandemic led to hundreds of thousands of deaths and potentially millions of long COVID-19 cases."
Is the Coronavirus Getting Better at Airborne Transmission?: Asks the NYT
"Newer variants of the coronavirus like Alpha and Delta are highly contagious, infecting far more people than the original virus. Two new studies offer a possible explanation: The virus is evolving to spread more efficiently through air."
This is a bit funny: "To compare how different variants spread through the air, his team asked participants with mild or asymptomatic infections to recite the alphabet, sing “Happy Birthday” loudly or shout out the University of Maryland slogan, “Go Terps!”
STATE
DC: Via Washington Post: How strict should requirements to participate in virtual learning be? D.C. Council and Bowser feud over the answer.
Florida: Florida is the only state to not submit a plan to ED for ARP funds.
"FDOE’s delay raises significant concerns because of the unnecessary uncertainty it is creating for school districts across the state and because it is hindering their ability to confidently plan for how to use these funds to address the needs of students," said Ian Rosenblum, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Programs for the U.S. Department of Education, in a letter dated Oct. 4."
Texas:
Schools facing shortages of teachers, substitutes, and cafeteria workers.
Katy ISD votes to end virtual learning for kindergarten through 6th grade students.
Vermont: An in-school COVID-19 testing program designed to keep children in school after coming into contact with someone who has the disease should be ready within the next couple of weeks.
Virginia: Fairfax County Public Schools is surveying parents to see if they plan to vaccinate their kids once they're eligible.
Washington: Seattle Public Schools' enrollment dip to cause $28 million loss in state funding.
INTERNATIONAL
UK:
COVID-related school absences increase by two-thirds. An estimated 204,000 students, or 2.5% of all pupils were off for COVID-19 related reasons on Sept. 30, up from 122,000 on Sept. 16.
Via NYT: "England took a high-stakes gamble when it sent millions of students back to school last month with neither vaccines nor a requirement to wear face masks."
"Government officials insist their hands-off approach is vindicated by the numbers. Even with the large number of Covid-related absences, 90 percent of the 8.4 million students in state-supported schools are in class, and the schools are functioning close to normally. The majority of absences are because of reasons other than Covid. It is also unclear how many, if any, of the cases reported on Sept. 30 were also included in those reported on Sept. 16."
ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Exit Strategy? Via McKinsey:
"More than 15 million workers have quit their jobs since April 2021."
"They surveyed employers and employees in Australia, Canada, Singapore, the UK, and the US to find out what’s driving this mass exodus."
"40% of the employee respondents said they are at least somewhat likely to quit in the next three to six months."
RESOURCES
An Experiment at the Crossroads: In Year Two, Pandemic Pods ‘Find Their Legs’ — and Face Their Limitations: Great long piece via The 74
"In July, Tyton Partners, a consulting organization, released a survey on the durability of such alternative schooling models. Of the 2,500 parents responding, three-quarters of those who chose pods last school year — like the Monsours — planned to stick with them. The authors estimated that enrollment in pods and microschools, which are larger but still offer personalized instruction, would reach 1.5 million this fall."
Transforming Mental Health Care in Schools: Via California Health Care Foundation:
"Jennifer Maldonado, a licensed clinical social worker, spent the summer counseling high schoolers in Stanislaus County as part of a pilot program using virtual therapy to close the gap in mental health services for young people."
"“Students had a lot more trauma and historical mental health issues than I was expecting,” said Maldonado, who has worked in community mental health for more than 20 years. In a county with a population that is nearly half Latinx residents, the need for culturally competent mental health services is great — and largely unmet."
"Hazel Health has been making inroads into school districts in 12 states. Today, almost two million students can access culturally competent telehealth services via an iPad that connects to a remote network of pediatricians and medical professionals."
“The idea was, if we can turn schools — where kids already are 180 days a year, 30 hours a week — into care delivery sites, we could help solve a bunch of those health care access gaps, keep kids healthier, and help keep them in school,” Golomb said. “Ensuring students can stay in school has multiple benefits, including decreased absenteeism and increased learning time. In California, school districts are partly funded by average daily attendance figures, so students in school means more funding for schools.”
How Parents Are Rethinking Work-life Balance Amid the Pandemic: Via Bethany Mandel
"It sounds like a plot from a Hollywood sitcom: A new mother decides to leave her lucrative job and, along with her husband and baby, moves in with her immigrant parents who are working to keep the family business afloat. But this isn’t a script. It’s a daring, dramatic life change Erika is currently considering with her husband, thanks to the pandemic."
"New research from an Institute for Family Studies/Wheatley Institution survey found that more than half (53%) of mothers say COVID-19 has made them more likely to prefer to work from home either most (34%) or half (19%) of the time. That’s a 20% jump in 15 years since another survey of American mothers was conducted."
"For the families I spoke with, the lesson of COVID-19 was that while we can’t entirely control our circumstances, we have more control over our life choices than we sometimes realize. The disruption of routine forced many into extended periods of togetherness; and while difficult, it also often became a gift that few wanted to squander."
As Students With Long-haul Covid Return to School, Many Districts Don’t Fully Know How to Help: Via Washington Post
"In July, the Biden administration announced that long-haul covid-19 could be considered a disability under federal guidelines. The Department of Education released guidance outlining when children with this condition could be eligible for school accommodations — either modifications to instruction or changes in how the student receives that instruction — under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973."
Boys of Color Were Hit Hard by the Pandemic. What Do They Need Now?: Via Chalkbeat
The Ultimate Halloween Candy Power Ranking: Via FiveThirtyEight. I strongly agree with Peanut Butter Cups but also feel root beer barrels are underrated. Pop Rocks coming in at 60 is surprising. I had a great cocktail with Indiana Sec. Blair Milo a few years ago that featured Pop Rocks.
Education Activist Dirk Tillotson Was as Real as They Come: Via Courtney Martin.
We All Have Bad Days: So find yourself an Owen who shows up when you need them.