Top Three
Updated CDC Operational Guidance for K-12 Schools and Early Care and Education Programs: Quietly released on Friday ahead of a holiday weekend. Details here.
Schools should consider adding masks and other prevention measures when CDC-defined risk levels indicate an increase in disease burden is particularly if the level is medium or high.
As Summer Begins, COVID-19 Cases Six Times Higher Than Last Year: Via The Hill.
"Despite the rising infection rate, COVID-related deaths were down from last year, a sign of increased immunity through vaccines and prior infections, along with wider availability of treatments."
Via Katelyn Jetelina: "We are in the middle of our second largest case surge and our fifth largest hospitalization surge. If you don’t want to get sick and/or want to protect those around you, wear a good mask. If you do get sick, even the sniffles, test yourself. Trust the positive test; if you’re negative, retest in 24-48 hours."
Via WSJ: "Why a Massive New Covid Wave Has Escaped the Data"
IES: School Pulse Panel
70% of public schools reported that the percentage of students who have sought mental health services increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
29% reported that the percentage of staff who have sought mental health services increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
56% reported they moderately or strongly agree that their school is able to effectively provide mental health services to all students in need.
Federal
White House: President Biden: "My Plan for Fighting Inflation" in the WSJ. Kicks off a month long economic campaign by the Administration to communicate their economic accomplishments.
Covid-19 Research
Covid-19 Can Leave You Infectious After Five or Even 10 Days: Via the WSJ:
"The CDC recommends five days from first symptoms or diagnosis as a minimum isolation period before infected people can return to public activities while maintaining certain precautions. Yet some people continue to test positive for the Covid-19 virus on rapid tests beyond those five days. Some even test positive after 10 days and after symptoms have resolved."
"The question then becomes: How long are people infectious? Into the pandemic’s third year, as new, more infectious variants continue to circulate widely and more people have built-up immune defenses, researchers aren’t totally sure when or how long individuals with Covid-19 might be contagious and shedding virus, particularly at the end of an infection."
"Most people with Covid-19 will still test positive on a rapid test at five days, and a “fairly large percentage” test positive after 10 days, CDC spokeswoman Jasmine Reed said. Infectiousness drops significantly at eight days, with few people remaining contagious at 10 days, she said."
"One recent study found that only 17% of vaccinated college students had culturable virus beyond day five, while a separate study of people with mild Covid-19 cases found more than 50% had culturable virus at day five and 25% did at day eight. Neither study has been peer-reviewed."
Reinfection and Long COVID: Great long piece from Emily Oster.
Why Won’t the FDA Let Doctors Prescribe Fluvoxamine for Covid?: Via the WSJ
The Omicron Wave Was Deadlier Than Delta for Older People in the U.S.: Via the NYT.
State
Illinois: Vaccine could have averted 75% of COVID deaths in some Chicago areas according to a study.
New York: Mayor Adams announces "NYC Test & Trace and Department of Education Have Administered Over 2 Million Covid-19 In-School Surveillance Tests This School Year."
Washington:"From Chromebooks to Google Classroom, Lexia, Prodigy and Zearn, student devices and digital education tools are giving teachers the flexibility and real-time data to meet students where they are and help them catch up."
Economic Recovery
U.S. Consumer Confidence Slips In May:
“U.S. consumer confidence edged lower in May as Americans’ view of their present and future prospects dimmed in the midst of persistent inflation,” the AP reports.
“The expectations index, based on consumers’ six-month outlook for income, business and labor market conditions, also declined in May.”
Why Gen Z Cares Less About Getting a 4-year College Degree: Via Fast Company.
"Gen Z is the first generation to be born after the iPhone, and their whole lives they’ve had access to technology and more information than any generation before them. This has changed their outlook on the value and price of education. With resources like Kahn Academy and Ivy League online courses with video content from the best and brightest, high quality education is at their fingertips for free or at a fraction of the cost. They can learn whatever they want, wherever they want, and at their own pace."
"As a result, many Gen Zs are bucking the idea of a traditional education path. As of January 2022, only 51% of Gen Z teens are interested in pursuing a four-year degree, down from 71 percent in May 2020, according to a recent study by ECMC Group. And over two years, there was a 6.6% decline in total undergraduate enrollment between fall 2019 and fall 2021."
Housing: Via Mark Zandi, "Sky-rocketing house prices are set to come back to earth as higher rates crush affordability."
Is Hybrid Working Here to Stay?: Fascinating report from the UK’s national statistics agency, the ONS:
The Unluckiest Generation in U.S. History: Via the Washington Post.
Resources
How to Make Up the Covid Learning Loss: Roland Fryer in the WSJ
"As it turns out, there’s a way to improve student learning that even sullen teenagers won’t complain about: Give them financial incentives to study hard."
"The trick isn’t to pay for a final outcome, such as a grade or a test score. What worked was to incentivize the key inputs—the behaviors and habits that create good outcomes down the line. Paying students to read books (and pass easy tests to verify the reading took place) substantially boosted reading comprehension. Rewarding mastery of math objectives was even more successful. Paying students based on their attendance, good behavior and homework completion boosted achievement more generally."
School Counselors on How to Help Students Recover From Pandemic Stress: Via the NYT.
"94% of the counselors said students show more signs of anxiety and depression than before COVID ... 88% said students are having more trouble regulating their emotions ... Almost three-quarters said kids are having more difficulty solving conflicts with friends."
Parents Aren't All Right: Via Axios
The Lincoln Memorial Rose from the Mud of the Potomac 100 Years Ago: Great piece by the Washington Post with some fascinating early concepts of the memorial.
Taps Across America: Via Steve Hartman.
Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. I spent part of it experimenting with a new pizza oven with some relatively positive results. Paired well with a Sbagliato. The only downside was that Teddy grabbed the bag of cornmeal, chewed it up, and then promptly ran through the house leaving a trail behind him. Related: email me if you’re interested in a slightly preowned Bernese Mountain Dog.
And Top Gun: Maverick lived up to hype. It was a welcomed escape and hit on all the right notes of a summer action flick that requires you to suspend some disbelief but delivers on the ride along with some surprisingly emotional nostalgic moments. The action sequences are pretty astounding and best experienced in the theaters. If you can’t see it on IMAX, definitely see it in Dolby Cinema which creates a more immersive experience. Some great behind the scenes of how they filmed the aerial shots. And how Darkstar may have fooled the Chinese.