No one knows how much—or how little—students have been learning as U.S. families began “sheltering in place” in March. But data is starting to emerge showing that students in families with low median annual income are taking a bigger hit than others. Curriculum Associates’ i-Ready software is used by more than 8 million students in…
Monthly Archives: May 2020
The opinions in this commentary are those of the author Daniel C. Humphrey who is a member of the Local Control Funding Formula Research Collaborative at Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). When the coronavirus emergency abates, what happens to California’s disrupted education system and how might policymakers respond now? The double blow of fewer…
While many officials expect public schools to reopen in the fall, K-12 education even then may not return to “normal.” Schools in Denmark, which last week became the first system in Europe to reopen, may provide a glimpse at what U.S. classrooms might look like when students return. At one school, students sat at desks placed…
Chronic absenteeism and tracking attendance are rising equity concerns as large numbers of students have not logged in to online classes several weeks after their schools closed due to coronavirus, according to several published reports. Hundreds of thousands of students lack adequate technology to access online classes while many others log on but face distractions…
This update on the Every Student Succeeds Act and the education plans now being implemented by states and school districts is produced in partnership with ESSA Essentials, an ongoing series from the Collaborative for Student Success. It’s an offshoot of their ESSA Advance newsletter. Click here for the full article…
Educators and families have gone to great lengths to ensure students continue learning while at home. But the reality is hard to ignore: Computers and worksheets can’t replace the classroom. Students are losing critical days of instruction. Access and opportunity gaps that existed before are widening. To recover from that loss, we must invest in…
Thermal cameras that take students’ and staff members’ temperatures as they enter a school, flooring with one-way directions and “self-cleaning” windows that use UV light to clean the air inside a room are among the products school operations officials are considering as they begin preparing for schools to re-open — whenever that is. District officials…
Across the country, teachers who are older or medically vulnerable — or who are afraid of putting a family member at risk — are beginning to weigh those risks. Though schools in most places have closed their doors for the school year, the federal government, states, and cities are all beginning to outline conditions for…
California teacher candidates may soon be able to take fewer tests to prove they are ready to teach, if legislation approved by the Assembly Committee on Education becomes law. In its only meeting scheduled this year, the Assembly Education Committee this week approved two bills that would temporarily give teacher candidates the option to use…
We need state leadership to re-start K-12 education
May 15, 2020
Now is the time for state leadership, not more local control. The responsibility for California’s 6 million students cannot fall solely on the shoulders of a thousand local leaders. There should be state-level planning and guidance for summer learning and the safe reopening of schools in areas such as assessment, curriculum, English-learner supports, addressing trauma,…