WBL - Promising Practices in School Districts' Reopening Plans and Other News

9.25.2020 Headlines

• Promising Practices In School Districts’ Reopening Plans
• More COVID-19 Resources
• Education News You May Have Missed 

Promising Practices In School Districts’ Reopening Plans

A brief from the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) reveals the insights of a review of school reopening plans nationwide by a group of expert panelists. According to the brief, school districts offered varying levels of support for students, staff, and parents; different academic programs; different types of expectations and resource transparency; and varying plans for connectivity and technology. The brief highlighted a number of southern districts for strong school reopening procedures. 

• Miami-Dade County Public Schools (Florida) - The brief highlighted this district for its support systems for staff, students, and families.
• Baltimore City Public Schools (Maryland) - The brief highlighted this district for its strong communication with parents and families regarding resources available for students, and for its transparency regarding its use of CARES Act funds.
• Prince George’s County Public Schools (Maryland) -  The brief highlighted this district for its effective data tracking and collection system and academic programs for students.
• Kansas City Public Schools (Missouri) - The brief highlighted this district for its support systems for staff, students, and families. 
• Guilford County Schools (North Carolina) - The brief highlighted this district for its strong communication with parents and families regarding resources available for students. 
• Tulsa Public Schools (Oklahoma) - The brief highlighted this district for its effective data tracking and collection system and academic programs for students.
• Houston Independent School District (Texas) - The brief highlighted this district for its strong communication with parents and families regarding resources available for students. 
• San Antonio Independent School District (Texas) - The brief highlighted this district for its effective data tracking and collection system for students. 

COVID-19 Resources

• COVID-19: Federal Efforts Could Be Strengthened By Timely And Concerted Actions - This report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) shows that portions of CDC’s guidance on reopening K-12 schools are inconsistent, and federal guidance has been misaligned to CDC’s risked-based approach to school reopening procedures. 
• What We Know About Coronavirus Cases in K-12 Schools So Far - This tracker from The New York Times illustrates the number of reported COVID-19 cases in K-12 schools across the country. 
• How Small Grants Are Empowering Parents Of Underserved Students To Form Pandemic Microschools - This article from The 74 discusses ways in which students from low-income families have been able to access the “learning pod” model of education during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• COVID-19 And State Education Budgets: The Story Behind The Numbers - This post is part of the Learning Policy Institute (LPI)’s Learning in the Time of COVID-19 blog series, which explores evidence-based and equity-focused strategies and investments to address the current crisis and build long-term systems capacity.
• Reopening Schools: Fostering A Safe And Effective Learning Environment - This episode of the McKinsey Podcast features a conversation between Diane Brady and McKinsey partner Jimmy Sarakatsannis about how school systems can keep students safe and engaged as they embark on a school year unlike any other.

Education News You May Have Missed

National

• Miseducation Of America? What’s Behind Trump’s Attacks On Black History And The 1619 Project - On Thursday, President Trump gave a provocative speech about the teaching of American history, slamming the prize-winning 1619 Project and promoting a new strategy of “patriot education.” (Forbes) Read More
• Vouchers Over Virus: How The Department Of Education Prioritized Private School Vouchers Over Responding To COVID-19 - Amid the outbreak of the coronavirus in the United States this winter, schools faced their greatest disruption in generations with the abrupt switch to remote learning for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year. (Center for American Progress) Read More
• Telling the Truth About Slavery Is Not ‘Indoctrination’ - Last week, at the White House Conference on American History, President Donald Trump denounced the way “the left has warped, distorted, and defiled the American story with deceptions, falsehoods, and lies,” attacking Howard Zinn, critical race theory, and The New York Times’ 1619 Project. (The Atlantic) Read More
• America’s Founders Recognized The Need For Public Education. Democracy Requires Maintaining That Commitment - Even before the United States had a Constitution, its founders were advocating for the creation of public education systems. (TIME) Read More
• Hitting Close To Home - HBCUs are getting high student compliance with social distancing and mask wearing and are reporting lower coronavirus infection rates. College leaders partly credit Black college culture -- and student awareness of the toll of the pandemic on Black, Latinx and Indigenous communities. (Inside Higher Ed) Read More
• A Novel Proposal To Help Millions Of Kids Struggling With Online School - Millions of students across the country are once again going to school from home, as they did last spring when the novel coronavirus arrived in the United States. (The Washington Post) Read More

Southern Region

• Alabama’s First Class Pre-K A Bright Spot In State’s Black Belt, Report Finds - Alabama’s Black Belt communities continue to be hard-hit when it comes to unemployment and a declining population, but according to a report released Tuesday, the region’s Pre-K program is a bright spot. (Alabama Political Reporter) Read More
• State Revenue Shortfalls Raise Education Funding Concerns - The Florida Education Association took a hard stance in a Friday news conference against the state’s ongoing approach to school reopening, criticizing the Governor’s Office and Department of Education for creating chaos, confusion and instability. (Tampa Bay Times) Read More
• State Board Sets Education Priorities In Budget Request - As school district leaders statewide fret possible revenue cuts, the Florida Board of Education on Wednesday unveiled a legislative budget proposal that would protect current spending levels. (Tampa Bay Times) Read More
• Grambling State’s Education Department Recruits Black Men To Teaching Profession - Grambling State University’s Black Male Teacher Initiative has joined forces with Clemson University’s nationally known Call Me MiSTER? program to aid in the recruiting and development of more Black men into the teaching profession. (The News Star) Read More
• Educators Discuss Concerns Related To PPE, Coronavirus Testing In Reopening Plans - Maryland's local school systems received a passing grade on their reopening plans, but there are still some key concerns districts may be facing when it comes to coronavirus testing and personal protection equipment. (WBALTV) Read More
• Across North Carolina, The Barriers — And Solutions — To Broadband Internet Access For Students And Families Are Multi-Layered - As families embark upon a school year like none before, most public school districts in North Carolina are largely relying on a household’s ability to access a high-speed internet connection to provide students their constitutionally guaranteed access to a sound basic education. (EdNC) Read More
• Pandemic School Funding Debate In South Carolina Rekindles Jim Crow-Era Controversy - As schools across America wrestle with COVID-19, the pandemic has fueled a debate over funding for private and public K-12 schools. (Chronicle Tribune) Read More
• Tennessee Education Commissioner Testifies Before Committee After Call For No-Confidence Vote - State lawmakers aired grievances over missteps by the Tennessee Department of Education to Commissioner Penny Schwinn as she appeared before the House Education Committee on Tuesday to provide an update on school reopening. (The Center Square) Read More
• Lawmakers Grill Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn On State's Response To Reopening Schools Amid COVID-19 Pandemic - Lawmakers on Tuesday grilled Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn while hearing from educators about the state's response to reopening schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (The Tennessean) Read More
• Tennessee Department Of Education Has 33% Turnover Rate Under Schwinn - Under the leadership of Commissioner Penny Schwinn, Tennessee’s Department of Education and its affiliates have experienced turnover of one-third of its employees, department data shows. (Gallatin News) Read More
• Texas Has The Widest Digital Divide In The Nation. What Does That Mean For The School Year? - Texas has the widest digital divide in the nation, and Mathews’ son is one of the 1.8 million public school students in Texas that lack necessary broadband access. (Texas Observer) Read More
• Texas Has Yet To Spend Nearly $6 Billion In Federal Coronavirus Funds. Lawmakers Demand Gov. Abbott’s Plan - Both Republicans and Democrats in Texas are pressing Gov. Greg Abbott for his plan to spend nearly $6 billion in remaining federal coronavirus funds, which must be used before the end of the year. (KXAN) Read More
• Virginia House Bill To Guarantee Free School Meals To Students Advances To Senate - The Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill this month to provide free school meals for 109,000 more public school students in the commonwealth. (WTKR) Read More
• With Costs Up And Revenue Down For Public Colleges During The Pandemic, One Governor Has A Plan: Refinance - Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam offered relief to public colleges and universities in the state Tuesday with a refinancing plan that could save the institutions more than $300 million over the next two years, delaying debt payments as they grapple with the coronavirus. (The Washington Post) Read More

Please stay safe and take care of yourselves during this difficult time. If there is anything we can do to help, please let us know. 

Take Care,

Fred Jones - Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy 

Sujith Cherukumilli - Legislative and Research Analyst