Top Three
U.S. Suicide Rates Rose in 2021 After Two Years of Decline: WSJ on new CDC data.
"The suicide rate last year increased 4% compared with the rate in 2020. The rise was driven largely by suicides among men."
"Males ages 15 to 24 experienced the sharpest increase at 8%."
Student Absenteeism Skyrocketed in the Pandemic as Test Scores Plunged:Via the Washington Post.
"At least 10.1 million students were chronically absent during 2020-2021, the first full academic year of the pandemic, according to federal data analyzed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the nonprofit Attendance Works. That’s 25 percent more than the typical 8 million chronically absent students each year."
"Already, four states — Connecticut, Ohio, Virginia and a subset of California — have posted figures for 2021-2022 that show the doubling that he and others predict."
"Researchers also created a state-by-state comparison, showing a wide range of chronic absenteeism. The highest rates, of more than 30 percent statewide, were reported in Kentucky, Arizona, Nevada, Rhode Island, Oregon and New Mexico."
Michigan School Districts Are Flush With Cash, but Wary of a Downturn: "Grand Rapids Public Schools received $104 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding, an enormous one-time cash infusion equal to about half its annual budget."
"The district used the money for tutoring, extra summer programs and coaching for teachers. But now, facing an uncertain economy and the expiration date of the federal funds, the district is shifting its focus from spending to saving."
“Yes, we have a lot of money right now, but it is one-time money,” said Rhonda Kribs, chief financial officer of Grand Rapids Public Schools. “We’re on a cliff, so we need to be planning for what the district looks like in two years."
"They’re heeding warnings from school finance experts of a “perfect storm” of economic uncertainty fueled by inflation, enrollment declines, the threat of recession and expiring federal aid."
Federal
ED: Released their estimates of the cost of loan forgiveness, stating that it would cost an average of $30 billion annually over the next decade. CBO assumed 95% take-up rate whereas ED assumed a 81% take-up rate.
ED: Released a new report, “Advancing Digital Equity All." More via EdWeek.
Covid-19 Research
Losing the Battle Over Best-Science Guidance Early in a Crisis: COVID-19 and Beyond: Via Science
mRNA in Breastmilk. That's Okay: Via Katelyn Jetelina:
"Two studies looking for vaccine mRNA in breast milk have been unable to detect it (here and here). Three studies were able to detect it at very low levels. One study found mRNA at 2 parts per billion in 3 out of 10 milk donors. Another study found mRNA in 4 out of 31 milk donors at a maximum of 0.17 parts per billion, and the third study found mRNA in 3 out of 11 milk donors at a maximum of 0.011 parts per billion. You can read an explanation of what “parts per billion” means here, but the latest study means this is roughly equivalent to a single tear in an Olympic pool. (Note that mRNA is part of our everyday life, outside of vaccines. For example, it’s in meat we eat, and our stomach acid is strong enough to break it down.)"
COVID-19 Hospitalization Among Children <18 Years by Variant Wave in Norway: Study
"We do not find clear evidence that different variants have influenced the risk of hospitalization with acute COVID-19 among unvaccinated children and adolescents in Norway. The lower risk of this outcome with Omicron and Delta may reflect changes in other factors over time, such as the testing strategy, maternal vaccination and/or hospitalization criteria. The emergence of Omicron has reduced the risk of MIS-C"
State
Illinois:
Chicago school board moves ahead with plans for new high school, despite enrollment drops.
5 takeaways from the Chicago Teachers Union’s latest policy paper
"In the face of emerging COVID variants, the union is recommending students, staff, families, and visitors entering any school building be vaccinated and boosted, if eligible."
"Reopen mental health clinics shuttered by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel or turn them into affordable housing."
Michigan: Kevin Stotts on learning loss:
"The pandemic left a wide wake of damage, some of it far beyond the control of schools: staffing shortages, anxiety and mental health threats to children, for example. But this is all the more reason we need comprehensive, collaborative strategies to make up for lost learning — and to resume our forward progress."
"This will not be easy. Fortunately, West Michigan is home to several proven education innovations that were in place before the pandemic. At TalentFirst, where our K-12 Working Group brings business and education leaders together to collaborate on solutions, we are proud to have partnered with and advocated for several of these innovations."
"Competency-based education: One leader in this movement is Kenowa Hills Public Schools, one of seven districts statewide selected in 2017 to launch a pilot program. The success and leadership of Kenowa is informing our advocacy, alongside groups such as the Future of Learning Council, for state policy to support development of competency-based education programs."
"Reading Now Network/Michigan Transformational Learning Collaborative: This West Michigan-led innovation was formed by 20 superintendents across the region to improve early literacy."
"Center for Sound Literacy: This Grand Rapids nonprofit founded eight years ago by John and Nancy Kennedy works within K-5 schools to combine continual literacy coaching for classroom teachers with direct intensive interventions for students that are based on their individual level of reading proficiency."
New Jersey: "Newark’s trends showed that students had better results in English language arts than they did in math. This spring’s district scores showed math passing rates ranging from 11% to 33% depending on grade level and course. In English language arts, passing rates ranged between 19% to 33% for students in grades 3-9."
International
What if We’re Already Fighting World War III?: Susan Glasser:
“Nuclear blackmail, illegal annexation of territory, hundreds of thousands of Russian men rounded up and sent to the front lines in Ukraine, undersea gas pipelines to Europe mysteriously blowing up. After endless speculation, we can now say it for sure: this is how Vladimir Putin responds when he is backed into a corner.”
“Throughout seven awful months of war in Ukraine, President Joe Biden has held to a steadfast line when it comes to the Russian invasion: his goal is to help Ukraine win while also insuring that victory does not trigger a Third World War. But as Russian forces have experienced U.S.-aided battlefield setbacks in recent days, Putin has reacted by ratcheting up the pressure. It’s far from clear how Washington will be able to continue to pursue both goals simultaneously, given that Putin is holding Ukraine—and the rest of the world—hostage to his demands.”
Related: CFR and FP had articles raising this back in the spring.
Inflation Hits Double-Digits in Europe: Consumer prices in the 19-country eurozone rose a record 10% in September from a year earlier, up from an annual 9.1% in August. Only a year ago, inflation was as low as 3.4%.
Resources
Cheers: First premiered 40 years ago today, on Sept. 30, 1982 — with last call more than a decade later, on May 20, 1993.
Funny: French TV show invited people with unusual laughs to sit together.