The Education Policy Hotlist
Top News in U.S. Education Policy for the Week of August 17
The past week has brought on a mix of emotions from my kids and family. Last night I explained to my husband that it felt like someone kept increasing the incline on the treadmill, sometimes it is difficult to get on top of the day before it speeds by. There are no boundaries between time spent on work, family, service, and personal well-being and it is confusing.
We are all anticipating returning to school (I still need to contact our principal about a device for incoming kindergartener) and as a community we are trying to collectively show up for our families and children. All during a time of what we are commonly referring to as "uncertainty." What does this really mean? How are you finding clarity and grounding your decisions right now? Where do you go to understand the best decisions?
FEDERAL FUNDING AND REOPENING SCHOOLS
The funding decisions made by congressional leadership and the White House are increasingly swayed by the November 3rd presidential election. It is more important than ever for school and state leaders to ground in pragmatic and strategic guidance that is free from political rhetoric and spin. While the White House and Congress seem to be at an impasse on funding, education advocates have provided clarity around planning for next year.
- Schools Should Safely Reopen
- Democrats say White House isn't budging in coronavirus relief stalemate
- Schools face big virus test as students return to classroom
- Completing Your 2020-2021 Reopening Plan: A Practical Workbook for School Leaders
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING
This week there was a departure from the typical rhetoric about remediation, acceleration, and reopening plans; we saw an uptick in how our partners were addressing social and emotional learning. Recommendations from our policy partners and leadership communities included topics like home visiting, student engagement, and restorative practices. Among these recommendations, one common call to action is that schools must open their virtual “doors” to families and community-based organizations. In doing so, they can ensure they are protecting the civil rights and well-being of students.
- How to strengthen home-school partnerships for remote literacy learning
- Reducing the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences
- Supporting a Restorative Opening of U.S. Schools
ASSESSMENT
Many agree that what we do to address academic learning loss in the fall will determine the long-term success for this generation of students. There are a host of trade-offs we will need to consider like remediation or acceleration and diagnostic testing or formative assessments. Regardless, next is an opportunity for our state and local leaders to take up the mantle of education data and equity. What we know is that data will provide us with a pathway for moving forward and a vehicle for building trust and transparency in our communities.
- The Opportunity and Counseling Corps: Helping K-12 Students and Young Adults Recover From the Coronavirus Crisis
- The value of assessment in an uncertain school year
- The Achievement Gap Has Driven Education Reform for Decades. Now Some Are Calling It a Racist Idea
- To Test or Not to Test: Students Missed a Lot of Learning This Spring, but Experts Disagree on How — or Even Whether — to Measure ‘COVID Slide’
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Dr. Christine M. T. Pitts is a Policy Advisor at NWEA. As an Oregonian, raised by a multicultural family of educators, she brings a decade of progressive strategic leadership experience, a transformational vision, and analytic skill to crafting state education policy. An educator, leader, and researcher by training, she has conducted legislation, governance, and policy analyses on a wide array of education issues using social network analysis and mixed methods research. In addition, Dr. Pitts is a facilitative leader who deeply understands and executes transformative partnerships and convening across stakeholder groups. Dr. Pitts currently coordinates across policymakers and state leaders to investigate and advocate for policies that prioritize equity in education. Follow her on Twitter @cmtpitts.