Parents throughout California have been forced into a role they never expected by the coronavirus pandemic: They are now their child’s teacher.

With different job pressures and resources at home, families’ responses have varied. Some have put their children on school schedules to give them a semblance of normalcy, while others are reluctant to require too much schoolwork, afraid of elevating their child’s stress level.

Some parents have scoured the internet for resources and supplemented lesson plans when districts have been slow to offer instruction. Others with fewer resources and limited time wait for schools to provide direction. Many struggle to teach some subjects and have no idea how to evaluate their child’s progress.

On one maxim most parents agree: Trained teachers are much better suited to the job.

“I’m not trained to be a teacher,” said Rashida Dunn-Nasr of Sacramento, who spends about two hours each day teaching her four children. “It’s nowhere near as comprehensive of an education as they were getting in school. I’m trying my best.”

EdSource reached out to its community network and other parents throughout the state to find out how parents are coping. Parents from the suburbs of Placer County, near Sacramento, to the coastal city of Oceanside in San Diego County responded. All CONTINUE READING: Parents struggle to find resources, fit into new role as their children’s teacher | EdSource

Wearing a mask and heavy work gloves, and keeping at least six feet away from passersby, Amani Benouardia—a freshman at Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School, a public high school in Massachusetts known as Essex Tech—spent a recent afternoon picking up litter on her street. Her tally included 14 plastic water bottles, 26 bottle caps, and 263 cigarette butts.

Benouardia is in Essex Tech’s environmental-science-and-technology program, which prepares students for careers in fields including wastewater management, ocean resource policy, and wildlife biology. She was supposed to take a school trip to the coast to look for shoreline debris. But with that canceled, Benouardia and her classmates did sweeps across their own neighborhoods, collecting and analyzing trash that could hurt marine life if it travels from storm drains to waterways.

This is career and technical education, or CTE, at a distance. Unlike vocational high schools of previous generations, where students learning trades were split off from their college-going peers, Massachusetts’s CTE schools give academics and workforce preparation equal weight. The 1,300 students at Essex Tech, one of the state’s 56 vocational and technical programs, alternate every two weeks between academics—including the options of honors and Advanced Placement classes—and training in a wide range of professions, such as plumbing, sustainable horticulture, and veterinary science. The school fielded about 1,400 applications for 460 seats in the upcoming freshman class.

At the sprawling campus in Danvers, 20 or so miles north of Boston, Essex Tech students operate large-scale manufacturing equipment, care for the school’s horses and other livestock, raise endangered turtles and brook trout for eventual release into the CONTINUE READING: Remote Career-Technical School in the COVID-19 Pandemic - The Atlantic

Now more than ever, it is fitting that we celebrate educators—teachers and ESPs—and their unwavering fortitude, optimism, creativity, and love for students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bipartisan resolutions, introduced in both chambers to designate May 4-8 Teacher Appreciation Week, note that educators “have stepped up in new ways to support their students and communities, including by coordinating remote learning, supporting students’ mental health, providing meals to students in need, and distributing technology to students.” The resolutions are sponsored by Reps. Sam Graves (R-MO) and Dave Loebsack (D-IA) and Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH). Tell your members of Congress to contact one of them to become a cosponsor.

Become a cosponsor of the Teacher Appreciation Week resolution: May 4-8 is Teacher Appreciation Week - Education Votes

Pasi Sahlberg and William Doyle celebrate the importance of play in their new book, Let the Children Play: How More Play Will Save Our Schools and Help Children Thrive , published by Oxford University Press.

This article, excerpted from their book, features the work of Superintendent Michael Hynes and the Patchogue-Medford school district on Long Island in New York. The article appears in Kappan online.

In 2015, a school district in New York State declared an educational revolution. Teachers and parents decided to rise up and liberate their schools and their children — by giving them more play.

The revolution erupted at the Patchogue-Medford district on Long Island, which serves 8,700 K-12 students, over half of whom are economically disadvantaged, and it is being led by Michael Hynes, the athletic, passionate young district superintendent. He realized that federal education schemes based on the compulsory mass standardized testing of children, schemes like No Child CONTINUE READING: Sahlberg and Doyle on the Play Revolution on Long Island | Diane Ravitch's blog

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and Closing the Digital Divide Task Force Call for Free Internet for California's Students

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced today that his Closing the Digital Divide Task Force is asking the leaders of major internet service providers to provide free guest access to all of California’s students. Executives from these companies will be asked to speak to their commitment to the state’s most vulnerable students and families at the next task force meeting on Monday, May 4 at 4 p.m., which will be streamed live online.

Superintendent Thurmond created the task force, co-chaired by Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino), to help close the technological gaps that put millions of students—including those living in remote, rural areas and students living in poverty—at a further academic disadvantage. Executives from all major service providers, including AT&T, Charter Communications, Comcast, Cox Communications, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon, have been invited to the meeting, which will be livestreamed on the CDE Facebook page.

“California has already come together and stepped up in a big way to provide donations of hotspots, laptops, and other devices to help students access distance learning. But without reliable internet access, too many students are missing out on a high-quality and meaningful education and the ability to connect to their teachers,” said Thurmond. “Going forward, we need to focus on efforts to improve internet access in order to close opportunity and achievement gaps for all California’s students—not just during this public health crisis, but once and for all.”

The Closing the Digital Divide Task Force is working to help facilitate donations, create more publicity, and cast a bigger spotlight on those who can help. Additional task force members include Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg), Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), Assemblymember Autumn Burke (D-Inglewood), Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella), Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), and Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa).

During its first meeting on April 20, the task force heard from cross-sector partners about ways they are working together to strengthen distance learning efforts and close technology gaps for millions of students. The task force also received an update on the CDE’s partnership with the California Public Utilities Commission to distribute a total of $30 million to support internet connectivity as well as updates from Google and Amazon about their donations of thousands of devices and hotspots for students. Thurmond and task force members will continue to meet and use the information and feedback gathered to create a formal plan for closing the digital divide, including timelines, budgetary considerations, and necessary legislative action steps.

The CDE has also partnered with the Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation (CDE Foundation), the private nonprofit partner of the CDE since 2011, to create the California Bridging the Digital Divide Fund. The fund is a joint effort of the Governor’s Office, State Board of Education, CDE, and CDE Foundation. Individual donations may be made at the CBDD Fund page, and corporate and institutional donors may contact Mary Nicely at [email protected].

# # # #

Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is a hard, cruel woman. We all knew she is a billionaire. What was not yet clear is that she is utterly heartless. She drew up a list of students who would not get any federal assistance during the pandemic, although Congress did not authorize her to exclude anyone.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2020

Contact:
Madeleine Russak: 202-224-5398 (Murray)
Will Serio: 202-225-3661 (DeLauro)

Murray, DeLauro Urge DeVos to Reverse Unauthorized Guidance Excluding 7.5 Million Students From Emergency Financial Aid

Murray, DeLauro: “The extreme eligibility restrictions… were added by the Department without any directive from Congress and without any statutory basis”

(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, urged Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to reverse her harmful and unauthorized guidance that will restrict more than 7.5 million students from accessing sorely needed emergency financial aid provided under the under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). In a letter, the lawmakers stressed that the barriers created by the U.S. Department of Education do not exist in the law and will prevent aid from reaching students that Congress intended to support

“Secretary DeVos pushing DACA recipients, undocumented students and other vulnerable students out of needed relief from the CARES Act is cruel. This virus doesn’t discriminate when it comes to the students who are impacted, and our response absolutely shouldn’t either,” said Senator Murray. “It is completely unacceptable that despite such dire need for assistance CONTINUE READING: Congressional Leaders Rebuke DeVos for Excluding 7.5 Million Students from Emergency Aid | Diane Ravitch's blog

Governor Cuomo announced that New York State schools are closed till the end of June, 4800 schools in 700 school districts, CUNY, SUNY and private colleges. Over 4 million students scattered across the state. The decision whether summer schools will be open will be made by the end of May and September openings will be driven by the data as well as whether you can practice social distancing in a school environment. (Watch full press conference here )

Cuomo acknowledged that school opening questions must be addressed: school busing, social distancing in classrooms and the rambunctious nature of kids.

New York City teacher union (UFT) president set a high bar in a Change.org petition,

 National Public Radio (NPR) listed nine pre-conditions for school openings and a 3-minute interview with UFT President Michael Mulgrew. (Read/Listen here)

Chancellor Betty Rosa announced the formation of a task force of stakeholders to CONTINUE READING: How will school districts determine local budgeting priorities? | Ed In The Apple

Dear Friends,

1. On Wed., the Panel for Educational Policy was scheduled to meet and vote on several huge contracts, including school busing for $200 million for March and another $200 million for April, though all buses have been idle since mid-March. The DOE had told Panel members they were legally obligated to pay 85% of the costs, though the NYC Comptroller disputed this. Shortly before the Panel meeting was due to begin, I got word that the busing contracts had been kicked off the agenda and postponed till the following month. Then when the meeting began on Adobe Connect, the technical problems were so immense with DOE officials and Panel members unable to hear one other that it was soon ended. I describe the chaos that ensued here.

That meeting has now been rescheduled for Thursday May 6 at 6 PM.   Instructions on how to join will soon be listed under the link for that date, according to the DOE.  I urge all of you to join if you can, and provide comment against the spending on busing, though that contract may now be held during the May 20 meeting, as well as on other excessive, unneeded contracts still on the agenda, whether that means millions of dollars for professional development that’s not being used, nurses to be hired on staff this year when schools are closed and hundreds of DOE nurses are sitting at home at this time, and pricey consultants. So far, neither the Panel members nor DOE have answered any of the questions I posed here.

DOE has told others they have not yet decided whether to go ahead with the bus contracts for the rest of the year. What we don’t know is if they have already paid for March and April — even though the spending for these months was never approved by the PEP. The Daily News reported yesterday that the state “has stopped reimbursing the city for the 44% of school transportation costs it usually covers,” which is yet another reason for the city to stop wasting hundreds of millions of dollars for unused busing in this time of fiscal crisis.

2. Speaking of fiscal crisis, today is my birthday and I’m hoping that you might make a donation to our organization. Though usually I try to refrain as much as possible from making these pitches, I am very worried about Class Size Matters’ funding at this time. It is unlikely that we will be able to hold our usual Skinny dinner fundraiser dinner in June; and last year, our proceeds from this dinner were stolen by our online processor, NYCharities, as you may recall.

Aside from individual donations, we are also supported by City Council discretionary grants, though now we’ve been told that Class Size Matters may not be reimbursed for any expenses past mid-March unless we are deemed an “essential service.” Our Council funding next year is also at doubt, given the city’s fiscal situation. So please, if you can afford it, consider making a tax-deductible contribution today, to help us continue our work.

3. Finally, I had a great discussion with advocate Matt Gonzales and parent leader Naomi Pena on my WBAI “Talk out of School” show on Wednesday, about the many challenges facing families with remote learning and the city’s new grading system. You can download the podcast here.

Next Wednesday at 10 AM, I will be interviewing UFT President Michael Mulgrew on how he would like schools to be reconfigured next year to ensure the health and safety of his members, and maximize the academic and emotional support they provide to students who will need this help more than ever before. I will ask him if smaller classes should be part of the equation, as he suggested in a recent interview with NPR, and as several countries and other states have proposed.

If you have other questions I should ask him, please reply to this message and I will try to ask as many as I can.

Stay safe, Leonie

THIS WEEK WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE)