ABCFT - YOUnionews - October 23, 2020
MEMBER VOICES - INSTRUCTIONAL DELIVERY SURVEY RESULTS
A month ago ABCFT began working with members about creating an instructional delivery survey that would provide a clear picture of the state of education in ABC. After weeks of deliberation on what to include in the survey it was released. The ABCFT leadership truly appreciates the 676 members who responded to the survey. ABCFT is sharing the results of this survey with all ABCFT members, principals, school board members, district administrators, and members of community organizations such as the PTA. We are also sharing these results with the California Federation of Teachers, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association.
It is the belief of the ABCFT leadership that the current conditions in our public schools needs to be known to our communities and our support organizations so that they can better understand the challenges of virtual instruction but also we want to highlight the incredible resilience and thoughtfulness of ABC Teachers and Nurses. We hope that you will take a moment to examine these results and if inclined we hope that you will take a moment to email us your thoughts or comments @ abcft@abcusd.us
Here is the Instructional Delivery Survey Results
BE AWARE OF THESE KEY NEWS ARTICLES
CDC expands social distancing guidance
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new guidance on social distancing during the pandemic, expanding the pool of people considered at risk of contracting COVID-19 by changing the definition of who is a “close contact” of an infected individual. The CDC now defines a "close contact" of someone with COVID-19 as anyone who was within six feet of someone infected, for a total of 15 minutes over the course of 24 hours. Previously, a close contact was someone who was close to an infected person for 15 minutes continuously, a rule that has led to confusion in schools about how best to limit exposure. The clarification will likely mean a change in how schools prevent or trace coronavirus outbreaks. The CDC also noted that students and teachers should still be considered "close contacts" even if they wear masks. Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, called the updated guidance an important change. “I expect this will result in many more people being identified as close contacts.”
Education Week Washington Post
Hybrid school: the worst of both worlds?
An article in Vox looks at some of the drawbacks of the hybrid learning model being used by schools across the nation. While hybrid teaching reduces the number of students in schools at any one time, limiting viral spread while still giving students crucial in-person time with their teachers and peers, it also creates problems for working parents looking to arrange childcare. Parents unable to stay home with their children will be forced to send them to child care centers, camps, pods, or other group arrangements, all of which increase their potential exposure to the virus, which they can then bring into their schools. “I do wonder if we are actually creating more problems through the hybrid model because now we are allowing more time for more exposures to occur,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins. Hybrid education doesn’t necessarily reduce the number of students each teacher has contact with, since they may teach multiple cohorts. That’s concerning because adults are at much greater risk of serious illness or death from the virus than children are. “Really, who we’re concerned about most in terms of reducing risk in a school environment is the teacher,” Nuzzo said.
CALL TO ACTION FOR EQUITY COMMITTEE MEMBERS
It’s not too late to get involved in making a difference as we join with other organizations in the desire to seek solutions and solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement that has been sweeping the nation. This invite is for any ABC teacher that is interested in creating an all teacher/nurse Equity Committee to discuss how we can support changes in education that will improve the racial equity of all stakeholders. Click here to register your interest and together we will build a committee that will take on this important issue that impacts our classrooms and our communities.
The first Equity Committee will meet Wednesday, October 28th from 3:30-5:00 pm
KEEPING YOU INFORMED - ELECTION 2020
11 Days Until the Election - No Need to Wait Vote Today!
What’s Your Plan to Vote?
Now that registered voters have received their ballots be sure to make your plan to vote. Seal, sign, and date your ballot. Secure your ballot inside the official return envelope provided by your county elections office. Make sure the signature on the return envelope matches the one you provided when registering.
You have multiple safe, secure, and reliable options for returning your ballot:
Mail – No stamp is required to return your ballot through the US Postal Service. Make sure your ballot is postmarked by November 3, 2020.
Dropbox – Many counties will offer secure drop boxes to return your ballot. Make sure your ballot is deposited by 8:00 p.m. on November 3, 2020
In-person – You can return your ballot to a polling place, vote center, or your county elections office by 8:00 p.m. on November 3, 2020. Many counties will have early voting locations available before Election Day. Voting locations will offer voter registration, replacement ballots, accessible voting machines, and language assistance.
You can also take action to ensure a smooth voting experience
Sign up for ballot tracking alerts. You can sign up to receive updates on your vote-by-mail ballot via text (SMS), email, or voice call through the state’s official “Where’s My Ballot?” tracking tool at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov
Double-check the address on your registration. To make sure you get your ballot, you can confirm your address at VoterStatus.sos.ca.gov
Click below to learn more about
California’s Election and Voters Guide
Register to vote
Learn how to vote
Check your voter status
Official Voter Information Guide
The CFT Educators Choice Voters Guide
The ABCFT YOUnion Needs Your Support For School Board Elections - Sign up for COPE
Committee On Political Education (COPE):
Did you know that there are some school districts that have their online school from 9:00 to 3:30? Is it important to you that our union works to always fight for fair working conditions? Then, please support COPE, where your investment goes towards a school board that supports fair working conditions, higher wages, and excellent medical benefits. Collected COPE funds exclusively support ABC School Board elections. To become a COPE member today, click on this link → ABCFT COPE Membership
In this year’s election cycle there are four ABC School Board Trustees seats that are up for election. Thanks to the generous support of ABCFT members we are able to spend $50,000 on this election to support candidates who support teachers and students. This money does not come from your union dues because it is for political actions. ABCFT works hard each election cycle to make sure that we have school board trustees that support good wages, good health plans, and good working conditions for their employees. If teachers are supported then their students are supported by the learning environment they deserve. Elections campaigns are expensive but the cost of losing an election is far greater. Sign up and become a proud ABCFT COPE Contributor and ensure that we have a school board that listens to their teachers and nurses.
TOSA TIDBITS
Call for presenters!
Do you have an idea or topic that you would like to present during our Wednesday Professional Development sessions? Teachers have shared that they would like their colleagues to present during these sessions to make them as meaningful as possible. You will receive support and compensation for your planning time. If you are interested, please contact Eric at Eric.vieira@abcusd.us to discuss possible session options and dates.
Building a Mathematics Community
Youcubed.org (www.youcubed.org) has resources such as lessons, parent resources, fun tasks, posters, and videos addressing students’ identity as a mathematician and growth mindset. The site has a section under tasks called the Week of Inspirational Maths and contains resources such as, “And I’m a Mathematician…” that helps students identify and share how they describe themselves as mathematicians. A free (short) online course is offered to students through this website about math and mindset. Information about the course can be found at the following URL, https://www.youcubed.org/
KEEPING YOU INFORMED - CDE ENGAGEMENT FORMS
Thank you to the office staff from Leal Elementary and teacher, Stacey Hamagiwa for sharing the documents used to complete the new CDE reports and attendance record
keeping. If you would like to use the forms click on each document and simply make a copy of each.
Weekly Engagement Certification
Aeries Weekly Instructional Minutes How To
Weekly Attendance Directions and Elementary Codes
MEMBER BENEFITS - WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS
Maintaining our mental health and well-being is important for all of us. ABCFT will be offering Wellness Wednesdays. Wednesdays from 3:00 to 3:30 pm members will have an opportunity to virtually participate in Guided Meditation and Chair Yoga. These weekly sessions will give members a chance to practice self-care.
In partnership with Kaiser Permanente, you can also access mindfulness resources for all ABCFT members. For Kaiser members, you have free access to the app Calm and myStrength which offers personalized self-care programs based on the cognitive behavioral therapy model.
Please be kind to yourself and find time in your busy schedule to take care of yourself.
This week, Donna focuses on gratitude by having participants reflect on another person and why you are grateful for this person and then reflect on yourself and how you may be grateful for your body and mind. Another way to practice gratitude is to think about what you are grateful for. This can be done first thing in the morning, anytime during the day when you need a moment, and lastly right before bed jot down 3 things you are grateful for. Tai Chi was also practiced with the focus on balance.
ABCFT PRESIDENT’S REPORT - Ray Gaer
Communication is a union’s most important tool for advocating for its members at the bargaining table. Every conversation with the membership is focused on the end result of negotiating for the future prosperity and wellbeing of ABCFT members. This weekly report aims to keep the membership informed about issues that impact their working/learning conditions and their mental well-being. Together we make the YOUnion.
Wow, super duper Membership Coordinator Tanya Golden and myself started working on the YOUnionews like we always do and it just kept getting longer because there is so much happening right now. Instead of writing a long story about how my four cats somehow have driven me to extremes like normal I’m going to keep it short.
On Monday, all of the employee groups will see a presentation that will illustrate what information is going to go out to parents about the virtual and hybrid models that we are planning to implement in January as long as the necessary county health requirements are met. On Wednesday, there will be a chance for all teachers to see this presentation. The ABCFT E-Board will meet on Thursday to discuss these presentations and what we can do to provide additional information for all stakeholders. On the following Monday, November 2nd ABCFT will have a special live YOUnion Chat to discuss and answer member questions.
Let me reassure you that there are no significant changes to the district’s hybrid model. ABCFT and ABCUSD are still working on the employee conditions but the basic model for parents is complete. For transparency and communication ABCFT and ABCUSD have worked together to ensure that employees will get to see these informational presentations prior to the community. This is the beginning of an important preparation for in- person instruction and I am pleased to say that we are being methodical and collaborative as we prepare for this possible change.
In the meantime, have a good weekend and we look forward to seeing you or hearing from you soon.
In Unity,
Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT
CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
Click here for the ---> LEGISLATIVE ACTION UPDATE
Governor signs 10 important bills to close unprecedented session
The latest CFT articles and news stories can be found here on the PreK12 news feed on the CFT.org website.
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
Educators Say COVID-19 Has Greatly Exacerbated the Grief Support Crisis in Schools, According to New Survey
Despite Feeling Unprepared to Address Students’ Growing Emotional Needs, Educators Remain Committed to Providing Grief Support, Express Strong Interest in Training
For Release:
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
NEW YORK and WASHINGTON– America’s educators see an urgent need to provide greater social-emotional support to students as COVID-19 amplifies the increasing prevalence of grief in our nation’s schools, according to a national survey of educators released today by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the New York Life Foundation.
Even before COVID-19, grief in the classroom was an all-too common occurrence, with an estimated one in 14 children in the U.S. experiencing the death of a parent or sibling by age 18[1]. Educators echo this experience: when asked how many students each year typically need their support due to the loss of a loved one, 87% said at least one and 25% said six or more. Now, as students return to the classroom, educators anticipate the potential for these numbers to increase. Of the educators surveyed, more than one in four (26%) report that a member of their school community (including direct family members of students, teachers or staff) had died from the coronavirus.
“COVID-19 is powerfully and poignantly illustrating the challenges our nation’s educators already faced in confronting grief in the classroom each and every day. As the need grows, we all have a critical role to play in providing greater bereavement support to students wherever and however our school communities come together,” said Heather Nesle, president of the New York Life Foundation, one of the largest corporate funders of childhood bereavement support.
Click here for the full story and charts
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
DeVos Says It Is Not Education Department’s Job To Track School Districts’ Reopening Plans, COVID-19 Cases
The Hill (10/20, Axelrod) reports that on Tuesday, Education Secretary DeVos “said...it is not the job of her department to track school districts’ reopening plans or the number of coronavirus cases they are grappling with as districts look for guidance as to how to conduct classes safely during the pandemic.” The Hill adds, “President Trump and other administration officials have been bullish that schools should reopen, expressing doubts that the coronavirus could spread among younger students who could more effectively combat the illness,” a stance that “has received pushback from top activists across the country.” For instance, National Education Association President Becky Pringle wrote in September, “Donald Trump’s disregard for science has already cost 200,000 American lives during this pandemic. Secretaries Alex Azar and Betsy DeVos are accomplices in this malicious incompetence.
U.S. News & World Report (10/20, Camera) reports that during “an event hosted by the Milken Institute,” DeVos said, “I’m not sure there’s a role at the department to collect and compile that research. ... The data is there for those who want it,” in reference to “the various state and county public health databases.”
'Not my job’ to track schools reopening, DeVos says
Betsy DeVos said Tuesday that it's "not her responsibility or that of the federal government to track school districts, their coronavirus infection rates and how they're reopening." Speaking at an event hosted by the Milken Institute, she said: "I'm not sure there's a role at the department to collect and compile that research. The data is there for those who want it," referencing the various state and county public health databases. Noelle Ellerson Ng, associate executive director of policy and advocacy at AASA, the Superintendents Association, was disappointed by the rhetoric however: "This is a significant missed opportunity. It represents a continued lack of leadership. And while we often talk about the importance of local control, when it comes to a pandemic, leadership should start at the top and go down."
----- DISTRICT REOPENINGS -----
LA County unveils new waiver policy
Los Angeles County officials have made it easier for elementary schools to reopen for their youngest students, dropping a requirement for schools to provide a letter of support from employee unions as part of their waiver applications. The elementary waiver would apply to students in transitional kindergarten through second grade. The move, previewed by county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer in two conference calls with school and school district leaders Thursday, came a day after county Supervisor Kathryn Barger announced that all schools in L.A. county are now allowed to bring on campus up to 25% of a school’s enrollment to serve students with special needs, especially students with disabilities or students who are learning English.
Los Angeles Times
Back to school in the nation's largest school districts
Of the United States' 50 largest school districts, almost half (24) have now resumed in-person classes for large groups of students and 11 others plan to do so in the coming weeks. Many are in Florida and Texas, where Republican governors are requiring in-person classes, however schools are also open in New York City, Greenville, S.C., and Alpine in Utah, the state’s largest district. In Broward County, Florida, schools have offered one of the most successful online education programs in the country following years of investment in online learning. Superintendent Robert Runcie nonetheless asserts that in-person classes remain the "gold standard." Some large districts, including Los Angeles USD and Chicago Public Schools, have no plans to reopen however. Eleven of the largest 50 school districts are still fully remote and have no plans at present to change that.
Washington Post
LAUSD Super questions LA County’s priorities
Los Angeles USD Superintendent Austin Beutner has taken issue with the priorities of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the Board of Supervisors in choosing to allow certain business sectors to reopen before the vast majority of schools. While campuses remain closed, and the county is struggling to bring down its coronavirus case rates and advance into the less restrictive Tier 2 category, outdoor casino cardrooms, breweries and parks as well as indoor malls and nail salons have been allowed to open. “Here in Los Angeles, it would be helpful to know more about how the virus is being spread,” Mr Beutner said during his weekly address on Monday. “As card rooms, indoor malls and other venues where groups of people can gather are allowed to reopen, one starts to question priorities. If these can open without causing an increase in the spread of the virus, that makes sense. But if these openings are tied to increased cases and that increase in cases is keeping schools closed, I’ve a problem with that.”
Los Angeles Daily News
Study Suggests Politics Is Driving School Reopening Decisions
The Seventy Four (10/20, Mahnken) reports that according to education commentators, “one major factor determining school reopenings is politics.” The latest evidence, “released this month as a working paper through Brown University’s Annenberg Institute for School Reform, indicates that partisanship...drove reopening plans ‘far more’ than public health conditions.” Researchers also highlighted “a connection between reopening decisions and organized labor, according to two metrics: the size of a district (prior research has shown that higher student enrollments are correlated with greater union strength) and whether it permitted collective bargaining.”
Teachers Across US Campaigning For Protections As Schools Open Amid Pandemic
Bloomberg (10/20, Eidelson) reports the country’s failure to prepare its public schools for a new year amid the pandemic “has left teachers, students, and parents facing impossible choices.” As a result, teachers across the US have “spent weeks campaigning against reopenings.” Under pressure from teachers unions, many of the largest US school districts have delayed reopening schools for in-person instruction. By utilizing a “playbook that was pioneered in Chicago and has evolved elsewhere, teachers have fought – both within their unions and without – to make sure their communities can’t ignore the risks they’re being asked to take.”
New reports question risks of reopening schools
A trio of new reports question whether the risks of reopening schools safely are as high as currently feared, with one of the studies, from Yale University, showing no elevated risk to childcare workers who stayed on the job. It tracked 57,000 childcare workers, located in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, for the first three months of the pandemic in the United States. About half continued caring for very young children, such as the children of essential workers, while the other half stayed home. The study found no difference in the rate of coronavirus infections between the two groups, after accounting for demographic factors. It echoes the findings of research by the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Spain, which found no evidence of a spike in cases coinciding with school reopenings in September, and a non-peer reviewed report from the Insights for Education foundation, that found no consistent pattern in school reopening dates and coronavirus trends.
Researchers Estimate Up To Three Million Children Have Gone Without Education Since March
U.S. News & World Report (10/21, Camera) reports Bellwether Education Partners researchers estimated in a new report that as many as 3 million children in the US have not receive any education since their schools closed in March. The researchers were able to estimate “the total number of students experiencing the worst consequences of school closures and the shift to distance learning by identifying groups of students most at risk and then calculating a likely percentage of those groups not in school, based on media reports and available data.” In particular, they “focused on students with disabilities, English learners, students in foster care, migrant students and homeless students.” Reasons explaining why so many students “have been cut off from education include lack of access to the internet and technology devices, lack of available supports for English learners and students with disabilities, the economic pressures that have forced some students to get a job.”
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
Trump and Biden parry over reopening schools
Boston Public Schools' decision to shift to a fully-remote learning was referenced as President Donald Trump maintained his position for reopening schools amid the coronavirus pandemic while debating Joe Biden Thursday night. Moderator Kristen Welker at one point asked the president: “What is your message to parents who worry that sending their children to school will endanger not only their kids but also their teachers and families?” to which he insisted that he still wants schools to reopen. “We have to open our country. This is a massive country with a massive economy. People are losing their jobs,” he asserted. Biden said lawmakers must provide resources for reopening the country safely however. "We ought to be able to safely open, but they need resources to open,” he insisted.
DeVos suggests her policy changes will be difficult to undo
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has stressed that school choice will remain key if President Donald Trump is reelected and she remains on his Cabinet. Speaking at an education roundtable at Hillsdale College in Michigan, she said a federal tax credit to broaden choice would be a priority in advancing school choice at the federal and state level. The goal of the tax credit would be “to really prime the pump and give a lot of rocket fuel to what states are doing.” She has put forward the Education Freedom Scholarship Initiative, which would establish a $5bn federal tax credit that states could opt into, allowing school districts to “augment or create” school choice programs. The tax credit, if passed by Congress, would be added to the funding already given to a state that chooses to opt-in. Mrs DeVos also said that should Mr Trump be defeated in November, a new education secretary would find it difficult to reverse policy changes she has made. “We have been very methodical about our rulemaking and regulatory moves to do everything according to law, so that if there are changes, they have to be done by law as well," she said.
Financial losses mount at school meal programs
A new survey from the School Nutrition Association (SNA) highlights the severe financial toll school meal programs have incurred as they adapt to safely meet the nutritional needs of students during the pandemic. It found that 54% of responding school districts reported a financial loss in School Year (SY) 2019/20, and 62% anticipate a loss this school year, with an additional 28% of respondents unsure of what to expect. During COVID-19 school closures in March and April, schools served almost 400m fewer meals compared to the prior year, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report. The resulting drop in federal meal reimbursements and corresponding loss of a la carte and catering revenue left school meal programs struggling to manage rising costs and new expenses, including meal packaging and personal protective equipment. “With food insecurity on the rise in communities across the nation, school meal programs offer a critical safety net to families struggling to put food on the table during the pandemic. Congress must act to ensure these school meal programs remain on solid financial footing,” said SNA President Reggie Ross, SNS. “We urge the Senate to pass the Heroes Act 2.0, providing desperately needed emergency relief funds for school meal programs to support America’s students.”
School Nutrition Association Impact of COVID-19 On School Nutrition Programs
----- STATE NEWS -----
Majority of California parents uncomfortable with in-person classes
Nearly two-thirds of California parents are uncomfortable sending their children to in-person classes and do not believe schools will be sufficiently safe, according to a poll released by the California Teachers Association. Sixty percent of those polled said these safeguards and access to a nurse, daily health screenings, smaller class sizes and continued distance learning for students and teachers with medical conditions are all essential to reopening schools. The poll found that 85% of California voters surveyed expect school districts to make “major changes” to prevent the spread of the virus. In addition, 65% of parents said they are not confident in their school's safety right now and 67% said they were not confident their school would be safe by November. Most voters, 63%, support the state’s four-tiered system that allows counties to reopen schools if infection rates in the community are low. Four out of 10 said that schools should not reopen without a vaccine, although most would make an exception for small group instruction for special needs students, according to a summary of the findings.
California schools see big jump in number of homeless students
California’s escalating cost of living has led to a 48% surge in the state’s homeless student population over the past decade, according to new research released today by researchers at UCLA. Almost 270,000 students in K-12 schools lacked stable housing in 2018-19, numbers that almost certainly have grown since the pandemic and economic downturn began last spring, researchers said. Disproportionate numbers of California’s homeless students were Latino and Black: 70% and 9%, respectively. Latinos make up 55% of the overall student enrollment, and Black students 5.3%. “We knew the numbers would be up, but we were surprised at the scope and severity of the crisis,” said Joseph Bishop, director of UCLA’s Center for the Transformation of Schools, which compiled the report. “Looking at these numbers was really a ‘wow’ moment.” Describing a “tidal wave of factors,” Bishop cited the skyrocketing cost of housing in many parts of California, widespread economic instability, a jump in day-to-day living expenses and over-burdened social services such as low-cost mental health counseling or access to affordable housing.
California Teachers Unions Fight Calls To Reopen Schools Amid Pandemic
The Los Angeles Times (10/16) reported that “as parents express widespread dissatisfaction with distance learning, two influential California teachers unions are pushing against growing momentum to reopen schools in many communities, saying that campuses are not yet safe enough amid the pandemic.” Leaders with the California Teachers Association, “with 300,000 members, and United Teachers Los Angeles, representing 30,000 in the state’s largest school district, said that districts do not have the resources to provide the level of protection they say is needed to bring teachers and children together in classrooms.”
----- DISTRICTS -----
LAUSD Super questions LA County’s priorities
Los Angeles USD Superintendent Austin Beutner has taken issue with the priorities of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the Board of Supervisors in choosing to allow certain business sectors to reopen before the vast majority of schools. While campuses remain closed, and the county is struggling to bring down its coronavirus case rates and advance into the less restrictive Tier 2 category, outdoor casino cardrooms, breweries and parks as well as indoor malls and nail salons have been allowed to open. “Here in Los Angeles, it would be helpful to know more about how the virus is being spread,” Mr Beutner said during his weekly address on Monday. “As card rooms, indoor malls and other venues where groups of people can gather are allowed to reopen, one starts to question priorities. If these can open without causing an increase in the spread of the virus, that makes sense. But if these openings are tied to increased cases and that increase in cases is keeping schools closed, I’ve a problem with that.”
Los Angeles Daily News
Orange County school districts reopen for students
The reopening of hundreds of Orange County schools for in-person instruction over the last month, the largest return to school in a major metropolitan area in California so far this year, is likely to be a test case for the rest of the state Thirteen of the county’s districts began in-person instruction in a hybrid model, which splits students into two groups that rotate onto campus either a few days a week or every day for a few hours. By the end of the month, six more of the county’s 28 districts are expected to reopen campuses. That would leave nine school districts in the county offering instruction completely via distance learning. Orange County has been at the epicenter of pandemic-related skirmishes over everything from mask requirements to school reopening plans. In June, county health officer Nichole Quick resigned after opposition to a countywide mask order she enacted in May became hostile enough for the Sheriff’s Department to provide her security. In July, the Orange County Board of Education voted to recommend to the county’s districts that they reopen schools with no mask or social distancing requirements. Their recommendations were rendered moot a few days later when Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that schools in counties with high COVID-19 infection levels, like Orange County, would have to begin the school year in distance learning. The county board of education responded with a lawsuit against Newsom to overturn his order. The state Supreme Court ruled in the governor’s favor.
New Jersey Teachers Union Wants Halt To In-Person Classes After Uptick In COVID Cases
NJ News (10/20, Strunsky) reports that a Woodbridge teachers union “representing 1,800 public school teachers and staff in Woodbridge says it wants in-person classes suspended after the district reported that 10 of its members and five students had tested positive for the coronavirus following the switch from remote to hybrid learning last week.” Said Woodbridge Township Education Association (WTEA) president Brian Geoffroy, “Our concern is the safety of the students and staff, and we are quite alarmed by the numbers coming out of the first week.”
Riverside County schools adjust reopening plans
Riverside County’s return to the most-restrictive purple tier of the state’s coronavirus reopening rules means school districts with plans to bring students back onto campuses in the near future will have to make adjustments. In the purple tier, transitional kindergarten, kindergarten and elementary schools can do in-person instruction if they apply for a waiver and get that plan approved by the county and state health departments. Although the majority of districts have chosen to stick with distance learning into 2021, Corona-Norco, Murrieta Valley and Temecula USDs planned to resume in-person instruction for many students over the next month. Those plans will now need updating after Tuesday’s announcement.
----- CLASSROOM -----
Not all aspiring teachers benefit from classroom management education
For many first-year teachers, getting a handle on classroom management can be one of the hardest parts of the job. To compound the difficulties, the National Council on Teacher Quality, a Washington-based group that advocates for more rigorous teacher preparation, has found that just 14% of traditional teacher-preparation programs require candidates to demonstrate their ability in five research-based classroom management strategies. Those strategies are: establishing rules and routines that set expectations for behavior; maximizing learning time; reinforcing positive behavior; redirecting off-task behavior without interrupting instruction; and addressing serious misbehavior with consistent, respectful, and appropriate consequences. While establishing rules and routines and maximizing learning time are the most commonly taught classroom management strategies, fewer than a third of programs teach candidates how to reinforce good behavior with praise. Research shows that when done well, praise from the teacher can improve student behavior and increase a student's self-motivation to learn.
Educators working longer hours, student absence rates climbing
The EdWeek Research Center’s monthly coronavirus survey reveals that fully remote instruction is losing ground. Student absence rates are rising, even where kids have returned to school buildings, the survey says, while teachers are working longer hours than they were in the spring. Full-time in-person learning is significantly more popular among administrators than teachers and also receives more support from white educators than from Black educators, from rural educators than urban educators, and from educators who work in private schools and in majority-white school districts. Overall, a hybrid of remote and in-person instruction is now by far the most common model in use, with 69% of district leaders saying they have adopted this approach. Teachers say they are working an average of 10 hours a day now, principals say they are working 10 hours a day, while district leaders report putting in an average of nine hours daily.
Black students miss more instructional time due to suspensions
A new report from researchers at UCLA has found that, while California has made progress in school discipline reform, some districts are still suspending disproportionate numbers of Black students. The Civil Rights Project analysed in-school suspension data from every district in the U.S. for the 2015-16 school year, the most recent data available through the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. Breaking down the data by race, gender and disability, researchers found that Black high school students nationwide lost nearly five times the number of instructional days that white students did due to out-of-school suspensions. In California, Black students lost 57 days of instruction per every 100 students in 2015-16. Missouri had the highest rate, with Black students losing 198 days of instruction. “We wanted to look at suspensions from an educational perspective, ” said Dan Losen, co-author of the report and director of UCLA’s Center for Civil Rights Remedies. “What we learned is that suspension is a non-intervention. Nothing will happen except a loss of instructional time.”
----- LEGAL -----
No constitutional right to civics education
A Rhode Island District Court judge has ruled that the U.S. Constitution does not ultimately include a right to civics education. The case, Cook v. Raimondo, saw a group of plaintiffs sue Rhode Island Education Commissioner Ken Wagner and the state Board of Education, arguing that the state failed to provide an education that adequately prepared students to participate in civic life. While Judge William E. Smith ruled in favor of the education commissioner and the board, among other state leaders, he said the case "highlights a deep flaw in our national education priorities and policies" and hoped "others who have the power to address this need will respond appropriately." The latest decision in the Rhode Island case left open "a legal road to appeal" that plaintiff attorney Michael Rebell said has the potential to end at the steps of the Supreme Court, decades after justices in San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez decided education was not a constitutional right.
Why the recession may boost legal push for more K-12 aid
School finance lawyers say that the pandemic, and its economic fallout, could add fuel to the legal battle for more K-12 aid, and the overhaul of state funding formulas. The pandemic has had a massive impact on the state sales and income tax revenue on which property-poor school districts are heavily reliant. Without a substantial federal bailout, low-income districts are expected to lose millions of dollars in the coming years; while school funding advocates have pinned their hopes on state courts as a backstop to budget cuts, cases take years to wind themselves through lower courts. “Advocates for public education, educators, civil rights organizations, have to really step it up now even more so than ever before to make sure that state legislatures don’t cut K-12 aid during this pandemic,” said David Sciarra, the executive director of the Education Law Center, which has litigated several school funding cases, including one in Flint, Mich., regarding aid for children diagnosed with lead poisoning. “We know that when they do, that the poorest and most vulnerable districts are always going to take it on the chin.”
----- SCHOOLS -----
'Insane’ lack of federal school reopening guidance
Kate Taylor profiles the experiences of Corner Canyon High School in Utah as typical of the challenges faced by school districts across the country amid the ongoing pandemic. She describes how the nation’s 13,000 school districts are struggling to find "workable policies" in the absence of clear standards from the federal government and many state governments. Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, comments: “We’ve forced every school district to figure out how to respond to a pandemic on its own, and it’s insane.”
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Fourth graders 'more tech-savvy' than their parents
Parents feel that their child will exceed their own level of tech-savviness by the time they enter fourth grade, according to a new survey by Vtech, which sought to better understand the technology gap among age groups, the long-term effects of tech on education and career development amid the pandemic-prompted pivot to online learning. The tech firm's president, Andy Keimach, comments: "When kids are introduced to technology at an early age, they become more comfortable and familiar with it, making it easier for them to adapt. Technology is an integral part of distance-learning, and with so many children learning from home this school year, it is more important than ever for kids to be fluent in technology."
Equity concerns over virtual class cameras
A new Education Week Research Center survey found that more than three-quarters of teachers, principals, and district leaders whose schools or districts provide live remote instruction say that if students have working cameras on their devices, they must keep them on during class. Of the 77% who say cameras must be kept on, 42% said they might make exceptions based on the age of the student, the preference of the student, and other considerations. Sixty percent of teachers, principals, and district leaders say students face consequences if they turn off cameras during class. Parental notification is the most common consequence, followed by losing participation points or facing a lower grade, and being marked partially or fully absent. Oregon State University's Center for Teaching and Learning created a list of the pros and cons of requiring students to turn on their cameras during virtual classes: negatives include invading students' privacy, making students feel self-conscious, and feeling exhausted by staring into faces at close range for a long period of time. Trevor Toteve, an Advanced Placement U.S. History teacher in Houston, said many of his students are economically disadvantaged or live in a home with multiple generations. "Not all of my students have an office or a room available ... to just turn the camera on and let the world in," he said. He encourages students to ask questions and talk in t
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LGBT+ students face abuse in the U.S.
Almost all LGBT+ students in the United States have heard offensive remarks about their sexuality or gender identity, according to a new study published by GLSEN, a national LGBT+ education advocacy group. A fraction under 99% of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender students aged between 13 and 21 reported hearing disparaging comments, according to the 2019 National School Climate Survey, which surveyed 16,700 LGBT+ students between April and August last year, while almost 92% said the remarks had made them feel “distressed.”
Visalia to host first-ever retreat for Black students
Visalia USD is hosting its first-ever retreat for Black students today, designed to support “students who identify with Black or African American culture.” The 70- to 90-minute retreat will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.; participating students will connect with faculty and staff and meet students from similar backgrounds and experiences. It will be followed by a special session for parents.
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Becky Pringle profiled
A profile of Becky Pringle, the incoming president of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest union, who is now the highest-ranking black female labor leader in the country. Politically-motivated Pringle has previously called for the resignation of Betsy DeVos and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar over suggestions of "meddling" in school reopening guidance. She argues that students’ rights have been “dismantled” under DeVos, as have teachers’ collective bargaining rights and health care entitlements. Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, says Pringle “walked in the door with a level of empathy that's needed, while at the exact same time she's respected among her peers, both in rural and urban school districts.”
NTA Life Insurance - An ABCFT Sponsor
About three years ago ABCFT started a working relationship with National Teachers Associates Life Insurance Company. Throughout our partnership, NTA has been supportive of ABCFT activities by sponsorship and prizes for our various events. This organization specializes in providing insurance for educators across the nation. We have been provided both data and member testimonials about how pleased they have been with the NTA products and the opportunity to look at alternatives to the district insurance choice.
To All Members of the ABC Federation of Teachers,
National Teacher Associates (NTA) is committed in our efforts to helping educators through tough times. It’s what we do. After all…in our eyes you are the heart and soul of our communities.
Protecting you and your families has been our goal for over 45 years. Despite the current global pandemic, we are not about to slow down now. We know that many of you have had our programs for years and sometimes forget the intricacies of how they work. NTA wants to help facilitate any possible claims for now and in the future. Fortunately, all claims and reviews can be done by phone and on-line. I personally want to offer my services to guide you in the right direction with your NTA benefits.
We also apologize for not being able to finish the open enrollment for those of you who wanted to get our protection. We are still able to help by extending our enrollment window for the near future. Again, this can be done over the phone, email, or on-line.
Please contact Leann Blaisdell at any time either by phone or email.
562-822-5004
