The Education Policy Hotlist
Top News in U.S. Education Policy for the Week of January 17
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service!
I am a scrooge about resolutions most years. I don't like to set goals that I know I may not achieve. But, this year I decided to spend some time reflecting on the things I can do to shine more in 2022.
I've aged a decade during the pandemic and I know that some changes in mindset may go a long way to shed the pandemic worry and pressure. These are things, from a 30,000-foot view, that I am looking forward to doing this year.
Enjoy my friends and make new ones. Simply, I want to have lunch and coffee with my old and new friends more often. At a higher level, bringing people together for a common purpose is deeply fulfilling. There have not been many opportunities to do that during that pandemic. This is going to change in 2022.
Hold space for others and help them see their own growth. I became a teacher because I enjoy building relationships and holding space for others. Watching others evolve and grow brings me peace of mind throughout a lot of chaos.
Use my emotional endurance to build justice for future generations. I've always said that I am happier with a fuller plate; the moment I get bored I turn into a total bummer. This year, I am looking forward to using my innate perceptiveness and emotional strength to take on more challenges for others. I am not sure what that looks like, yet. But, there is no absence of challenge around me and I have some ideas of ways to serve.
Big picture, these are big things. They are big things that will serve me and others. And, I am acutely aware of this charge today on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
At home, I have some pretty simple habits that I'd like to practice (and don't hesitate to hold me accountable in our next meeting). I want to golf more with my husband. I want to walk my kids to school in the morning. I want to turn off my phone at a decent evening hour and stop scrolling. I want to sleep more and wake up early to enjoy the morning. And, I am looking forward to finding time to spend with you all, too!
COVID-19 HEALTH AND SAFETY
White House | The Biden-Harris team released a fact sheet on federal support for COVID-19 testing.
NYT | COVID-19 Omicron case rates are flatlining in some areas where the virus hit first this winter. Scientists suggest that the typical size of our social networks may be the reason.
"Scientists don’t fully understand Covid’s cycles, but the explanation probably involves some combination of the virus’s biological qualities and the size of a typical human social network."
K12Dive | Special educators are balancing complicated safety protocols during in-person instruction.
NYT | School-based testing programs are being tested. In Portland, Oregon a chief is administering PCR tests across the district.
FEDERAL EDUCATION POLICY
USED | The Department of Education released details for the full-service community schools grant program. The Department also released a list of proposed priorities for comments by February 11, 2022.
The Hill | Families are losing the child care tax credit benefit soon.
USED | New federal guidance on supporting newcomer students.
"SEAs and LEAs may use funds under the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund and the Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on recently arrived children, including leveraging these funds to develop culturally and linguistically relevant instructional materials as well as materials and assessments in other languages."
EdDive | The Supreme Court blocking vaccine mandate takes the pressure off of schools.
The74 | NPU President, Kerri Rodrigues, is not convinced that the US Department of Education is taking parent concerns.
AEI | Hess' scholar rankings are in for 2022!
Ed Dive | The US Department of Agriculture will supplement the school meal program with $750 million.
USED | The White House is providing schools with more COVID testing supplies.
SCHOOL CLOSURES
Burbio | More schools closed last week.
Axios | When it comes to closing schools for Omicron, Americans are split. Fifty-six percent of families believe we should close schools, while 44% want them to remain open.
Annenberg | States' decisions to leave reopening plans to their districts opened the way for students’ experiences to be shaped by their area's partisanship.
EdWeek | It is more difficult for some states to move to virtual learning due to state policies.
Brookings | Doug Harris covers the path to keep schools open during the Omicron surge.
The Daily | This week, the NYT Daily Podcast covers the Chicago school closure story.
ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
TestingHQ | Dale points out that California's statewide assessment process and outcomes are problematic. And, the federal government may have a role in reifying expectations.
ECDataWorks | A mini-documentary reviews challenges and lessons learned in early-childhood data systems.
EPIC | A new study reveals that “average test scores increased from fall to spring (20-21) regardless of how instruction was delivered, [but] the growth was consistently larger in districts that offered in-person instruction all year than in schools that were remote all or part of the year.”
STUDENT WELL-BEING
EdWeek | Another COVID-19 tension in schools is how to handle extracurricular activities during remote learning.
R4A | Results for America and the Annenberg Institute released two new briefs on high-quality counseling and instructional coaching.
Stateline | Pandemic aid is a resource for implementing counseling services. Especially important for students who've lost a caregiver to COVID-19.
STATE AND LOCAL EDUCATION POLICY
AZ | Treasury Department warns Arizona it has 60 days to remove policies that ban mask requirements.
AP | Using federal aid, Georgia will provide state-funded preschool teachers with another $1,000 bonus.
KS | The state board of education voted to remove barriers for teacher substitutes.
NM | New Mexico Governor may ask the National Guard to help with staffing shortages due to COVID-19.
CA | Governor Newsom signed an executive order that will allow flexibility for teacher hiring. The order expires in March.
TN | Tennessee receives US Department of Labor approval for the first state-registered apprenticeship program for teachers.
CO | The Colorado legislature will review three proposals for school funding changes.
NC | Guilford County will partner with public transportation to get kids to school.
Chalkbeat | Tennessee will decrease remote learning options down to five calendar days. Rolling back Delta policies is a key step to adapting school response for Omicron.
TEACHING AND LEARNING
FutureEd | Our country's youngest children are missing from schools. A new report covers how we can respond to this crisis.
Shanker Institute | Three pillars are necessary to rebuild our literacy infrastructure: curriculum, professional development, and leadership.
GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP
ECS | Tools to use in 2022 from Education Commission of the States.
EVENTS
Wednesday, January 19 at 3 PM EST | Alliance for Early Success is hosting The Power of Louisiana's Shared Voice.
Wednesday, January 19 at 3 PM EST | edWebinar hosts Connecting the Science of Reading with the Science of Learning for Equitable Outcomes.
Thursday, January 20 at 1 PM EST | The Partnership for America's Children and the Coalition on Human Needs is hosting How School Leaders Can Connect Families to the Expanded CTC.
Dr. Christine M. T. Pitts serves as Resident Policy Fellow at the Center on Reinventing Public Education, overseeing policy leadership at the intersection of research, advocacy, and government relations. A former teacher and administrator, she previously led research and evaluation for Portland Public Schools and served as Policy Advisor at NWEA where she oversaw state and federal lobbying for the advancement of equity and innovation in educational assessment. Follow her on Twitter @cmtpitts.