Top Three
Texas Pandemic Resilience: Children At Risk study ranks Texas public schools on pandemic resiliency (and news story).
Out of the nearly 8,000 Texas public schools evaluated, 27% experienced a decrease in academic performance between academic years 2018-19 and 2020-21.
Only 19% of schools serving predominantly economically disadvantaged students were rated Pandemic Resilient across the state (Almost 40% of schools in Texas serve predominantly economically disadvantaged students).
Across Texas, 64% of campuses had a decrease in total enrollment from academic years 2018-19 to 2020-21 and 4% of campuses had a significant decrease in enrollment.
4.4 Million Americans Quit Their Job Last Month: “A record 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs in September, as job openings remained near record levels according to federal data, a sign of how imbalances in the labor market continue to complicate the economic recovery 20 months into the pandemic,” the Washington Post reports.
"In September, the biggest increases in quits included entertainment and recreation (+56,000) and education and health services (+54,000)."
"So far, roughly 34.4 million people have quit their jobs this year, with more than 24 million doing so since April. By comparison, 36.3 million people quit their job in all of 2020."
Marguerite Roza on How Schools Can Best Spend Covid Aid: Rick Hess interviewed her over at EdNext.
Federal
Reconciliation: Punchbowl's survey of Congressional staff found that "two free years of community college is amongst the least popular provisions in the Build Back Better Act, although, as you may expect, there’s a very deep partisan divide on the issue. Only 44% of staffers believe their member of Congress supports the community college provision. 81% of Democrats supported it while only 5% of Republicans backed the provision."
FDA: President Biden nominated Dr. Robert Califf to head the FDA.
"Since he left the FDA in 2017, Califf has led clinical policy and strategy at Verily, the life sciences arm of Google parent company Alphabet, where he’s focused on guiding the organization’s efforts to modernize data collection and clinical trials, an endeavor he could continue at the FDA if he is confirmed," Stat reports.
"Rob has a unique opportunity to have a more transformational impact that wasn’t possible at the tail end of an administration,” said Mark McClellan, a former FDA commissioner. Califf didn’t achieve everything he wanted to during his first stint at the agency, McClellan added."
But Sen. Manchin announced he would oppose:
“Dr. Califf’s nomination makes no sense as the opioid epidemic continues to wreak havoc on families across this country with no end in sight. 2020 was the deadliest year on record for drug related overdose deaths with 1,386 West Virginians and nearly 95,000 Americans dying from a drug related overdose. I have made it abundantly clear that correcting the culture at the FDA is critical to changing the tide of the opioid epidemic. Instead, Dr. Califf’s nomination and his significant ties to the pharmaceutical industry take us backwards not forward. His nomination is an insult to the many families and individuals who have had their lives changed forever as a result of addiction. I could not support Dr. Califf’s nomination in 2016 and I cannot support it now..."
There were delays in confirming Califf the first time including some Democrats who were opposed.
COVID-19 Research
Why Wasn't the US Tracking the Spread of COVID-19 in Schools?: Asks Emily Oster in this NPR interview.
How Does This End?: David Leonhard in the NYT
"The bottom line is that Covid now presents the sort of risk to most vaccinated people that we unthinkingly accept in other parts of life. And there is not going to be a day when we wake up to headlines proclaiming that Covid is defeated. In many ways, the future of the virus has arrived."
"Wachter told me that he might always wear a mask while grocery shopping or flying on a plane because the costs of having a covered face and a muzzled voice in those settings are virtually zero. He isn’t usually trying to have a conversation with somebody. And a mask can help protect him from all sorts of respiratory viruses."
"Unfortunately, the costs of most Covid interventions are higher. Masks inhibit communication, especially for young children and the hard of hearing. (Wachter also says he expects conferences eventually to be maskless.) Remote school has been a failure. Remote office work hampers collaboration. Social isolation causes mental-health problems."
How Puerto Rico’s Vaccine Drive Turned Into a Success: Via Stat.
"Puerto Rican officials also launched a robust media campaign, using prominent doctors, health workers, actors, and others to promote vaccination to various slices of the population on TV and radio and in newspapers. First responders, mayors of all 78 municipalities on the island, and leaders from over a dozen religious denominations were also recruited to spread the word."
Drones Ferry Pfizer’s Precious, Deep-Frozen Vaccine to Africa’s Remote Villages: Bloomberg covering Zipline.
"Every four minutes, from dawn until dusk, drones operated by Zipline Inc. will depart from its distribution centers bearing the immunizations. It's been tasked with bringing doses to 40% of Ghana's population."
Vaccine Dashboard: From Morning Consult.
State
DC: D.C.-area schools are lacking substitute teachers.
"D.C. Public Schools has seen a 22% decrease in substitute teachers from the 2019-2020 school year to this school year."
Maryland: Montgomery County schools to begin COVID-19 ‘test-to-stay’ pilot next week.
Ohio: Cincinnati schools report most new COVID-19 cases as numbers begin to rise again.
Tennessee:Governor Lee is expected to sign a bill to end COVID-19 mask requirements in schools and businesses.
International
Israel: Israeli 'wargame' sees kids suffering vaccine-resistant COVID strain."
"What I've learned is if you prepare for the next war and not for the previous war, the next pandemic and not the previous pandemic, that means that you are going to be better prepared," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told Reuters from the facility in the Jerusalem hills. "The main lesson is: Move fast, move hard."
Resources
Invest Federal Funds in Families to Help Students of Color Thrive: Via the Christensen Institute's Mahnaz Charania.
With Staff Exhausted, Schools Cancel Class or Return to Remote Learning: Via USA Today
LGBTQI+ Members of Generation Z Face Unique Social and Economic Concerns: New survey from CAP.
Schools in Crisis. Here's How We Can Fix Education in America and Ensure Our Kids Succeed: Jenee Henry Wood and Gerard Robinson in USA Today.
Educate the “whole” child.
Empower students to lead their own learning.
Think outside the (classroom) box.
A Great Expression: When this girl realizes she has superpowers.
This was also how I looked when a friend told me I made it to Friday.