Friday News Roundup

It’s been a while since I’ve released a Friday News Roundup, so, with the beginning of the school year, we have a lot to catch up on regarding news that impacts learning. So here we go…

U.S. Education Secretary Cardona: How to Fix Teacher Shortages, Create Safe Schools (EducationWeek)

Right before school started, EducationWeek reporter Libby Stanford interviewed Miguel Cardona, the current U.S. Education Secretary. Stanford’s article reports:

“U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona has a lot on his mind as students return to the classroom for the 2022-23 school year.”

“The head of the U.S. Department of Education has directed his focus on schools’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic for the past two years. Now that pandemic concerns have started to wane, Cardona is facing increased pleas for help with academic recovery efforts; advice for dealing with emotionally charged public debates over the discussion of race, gender, and sexuality in classrooms; and ideas for addressing local teacher shortages.”

“In an interview with EducationWeek on August 23 in his Washington office, Cardona said greater respect for teachers, mental health and social support for students, and partnerships between parents and educators are key to navigating the complex challenges facing schools. In the past year, the Education Department has established a national parent council, launched an initiative to bring in 250,000 tutors to American schools, and released proposed Title IX changes that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the federal sex discrimination law.”

Except for the Title IX changes, it would be safe to say the impact Secretary Cardona and his department has made on making America’s kids smarter and stronger as learners has been disappointing. And, to be fair to Cardona and his staff, it’s been like that for several years.

The failure of President Obama’s Race to the Top initiative signaled the beginning of the end of federal influence when it comes to the local school. Today, all educational power and decision-making rests with state legislatures and local school boards.

New Poll: Majority of Adults Don’t Trust Educators to Handle Sensitive Topics (The 74)

According to The 74:

“New polling on the American education system shows widespread approval of local schools – along with ominous signs of dissatisfaction among both parents and the public at large.”

“In a report published [recently] by PDK International, a professional organization for teachers, over 1,000 adults expressed higher levels of faith in their community’s public schools than have ever been recorded in the survey’s 48-year history, with 54% giving them an A or B. That figure represents an 11-point increase from 2018 and a robust show of support given the extraordinary challenges of post-COVID learning recovery.”

“But respondents also showed only modest trust in educators to deliver capable instruction on potentially controversial subjects like race, gender, and sexuality.”

This one is a head scratcher. It’s always been the case that local schools receive the highest favorability ranking, compared to the public school system in general.

But these numbers come after two years of public schools, both singular and “en masse,” struggling to provide quality learning to our nation’s children. Yet, these schools receive the highest rating ever measured by PDK International.

At the same time, respondents don’t trust those educators to handle sensitive topics.

Go figure.

Many Remote Learning Options Shutting Down as School Reopens for Fall 2022 (The 74)

Recently, The 74 reported:

“Even as COVID-19 infections continue to fluctuate, roughly one-third of the country’s largest school districts are ending their remote learning programs this fall, according to a new review by the Center on Reinventing Public Education.”

“Another third are continuing longstanding programs that had been in place before schools shuttered, and the remaining third are operating new virtual programs created during the pandemic, the review found.”

“The distinct approaches of America’s 100 largest districts suggest that most are jettisoning remote learning entirely, or reverting back to programs that existed before the pandemic forced them to swiftly provide all families with some sort of online option.”

I guess the good news here is that 33% of the nation’s 100 largest districts are continuing to operate new virtual programs created during the pandemic.

My read on the 1/3 that quit that option is that they probably weren’t very good at it from the start.

“Too Good to Be True”: New Hampshire Gives Student $1,000 for Tutoring – Yet Sign-Ups Lag (The 74)

The 74 reports:

“The state is entering its second year offering the “Yes, Every Student” scholarship, which uses a digital wallet to provide $1,000 for private tutoring to any young person whose education was negatively impacted by the pandemic. The scholarship is available to all students, regardless of need, and can be applied toward tutoring from state-approved educators.”

“But families in New Hampshire have tapped into less than a third of the available scholarship funds. So far this academic year, 724 young people have received scholarship – accounting for just $724,000 out of a $2.5 million total funded by federal COVID relief cash. Upon inception, the state granted scholarship eligibility only to students from low-income families, but with signups lagging and substantial funds remaining, they made access universal.”

Elliot Washor, co-founder of the MET School and Big Picture Learning, says that tutoring is successful only when a relationship is built between the adult tutor and the young learner. Maybe this is what New Hampshire needs to focus on – developing learning relationships between adults and kids. If that’s accomplished, then maybe their tutoring money will eventually disappear.

L.A. Teachers Union Files Labor Complaint Against Voluntary Extra School Days (The 74)

The 74 recently reported that:

“United Teachers Los Angeles will boycott the first of four planned voluntary school days meant to provide additional instruction to students struggling academically.”

“Though the days, scheduled in October, December, March and April, are entirely optional and teachers will be paid their normal rate, the union refused to participate. In statements, the union called the plan a ‘misuse of educational funding’ and a ‘$122 million stunt.’”

I don’t know how good of an idea this is, since the traditional system is so out of touch with how time can be used to impact learning.

But, this story continues to show us that the traditional system is still one where “adults rule” and kids don’t. As long as the traditional system continues to demonstrate these types of behaviors, then a new system of learning definitely has a chance to grow.

Experts Say Kids Are Far Behind After COVID; Parents Shrug. Why the Disconnect? (The 74)

The 74 recently reported:

“The headlines on the effects of COVID on kids could hardly be gloomier. Students are ‘far, far behind,’ argued Harvard professor Tom Kane in The Atlantic. The New York Times described how kids will need ‘at least three years’ to catch up to where they should be. The warnings are dire on nonacademic outcomes, too – the surgeon general issued an advisory late last year on the ‘mental health crisis’ affecting America’s youth.”

“Yet, parents don’t seem worried about any of this. And that upbeat outlook is making it nearly impossible for education leaders to address the very real negative effects of COVID on students.”

“The Education Next national survey found that parents of only 9% of K-12 students were very or somewhat concerned their child would ever catch up to where they should be. In fact, parents of 43% said their kids experienced no learning losses at all! The Understanding America Study found only about 15% of parents were concerned or very concerned about the amount their child was learning or their psychological well-being. And the PACE/USC Rossier poll of California voters found that 54% of parents think their kids’ academic performance is better than before COVID, versus just 23% who think it’s worse.”

I smell a rat.

Could it be the educational establishment has produced a “learning crisis” here to make sure Americans endorse and support the current public school system (see above New Poll: Majority of Adults Don’t Trust Educators to Handle Sensitive Topics)?

Wouldn’t you think parents themselves would know best whether their children are in good shape academically and emotionally?

It’s evident this “learning loss” debate is an American favorite right now.

Maybe we should focus our efforts on “learning” instead of “learning loss” and see where that gets us.

Have a good weekend. SVB