A St Patty’s Day Special Edition…Finding Rainbows…Driving out Snakes and a much needed Irish Blessing.
THE FORMULA FOR SUCCESS (PANDEMIC or NOT) INNOVATION + OPPORTUNITY = RESULTS
Summer is almost a month old already but the battle for excellence & choice in education doesn’t take a vacation, especially when it’s under attack.
NO TO VIRTUAL EDUCATION. It’s hard to believe that in a day and age where technology drives our world, school districts would actually tell parents who want a virtual education for their children, simply, ‘no.’ Never mind there’s a Covid rebound and parents are worried. Never mind it’s their kids and they should have the option. Who are these districts and why are they so hell-bent against providing options?
FORT BEND, TX parents plead for virtual education, but the district says it’s not funded. Meanwhile, of the $190 billion allocated for Covid education plans, only a fraction has been spent to date on what it was intended for, according to the experts. Some forward-thinking district leaders understand that there are great providers who can help them serve parents both on-ground and online. A big favorite of educators, investors and ed techies is Edmentum, “America’s first online learning company, serving over seven million students globally.” Call them today, Fort Bend, and find out for yourself.
HAWAII also seems to have a shortage of “distance learning seats.” We’re still scratching our heads over how people not in physical schools don’t have seats, but we’ll assume the best of intentions and suggest they consider either the above recommendation or partnering in real-time with an education company like K12, part of Stride Learning, who have every manner of virtual education available to students, at every level.
DATA IS ESSENTIAL. Above are just two of hundreds of organizations, non-profit, for-profit and in between, that provide and offer everything from full school curriculum, to microschool programs to curriculum supplements to proven apps that CER assembled into its Essential Database last year and has continued to build, so that no school, educator or parent has an excuse not to help students have access to every opportunity no matter what.
SPEAKING OF OPPORTUNITY. For almost 3 decades CER has nurtured and advocated for policymakers to adopt one simple platform that would guarantee great education for learners at all levels – INNOVATION + OPPORTUNITY = RESULTS. That simple IO formula… consider it Edreform 10.0 – is happily making its way through states with Governors willing to buck the convention and do what it takes to serve students. From AZ’s Doug Ducey who is giving parents funds to make choices, to paying to support microschools and pods as NH’s John Sununu did, some states are demonstrating their ability to innovate. Others, not so much.
BUT WAIT… Of the massive amount of money the feds allocated to states for education, only a fraction – $3 billion – was available for discretionary spending, and even that was challenged in some cases. Why? Why would the feds restrict how states, families and others seek to educate kids? The answer is buried in this great Associated Press article – TN union president Beth Brown said it was an insult for Governor Bill Lee to spend some of his funds on charter schools (even though, Beth, it was charters who were able to deliver education quicker, better than most during the first Covid wave.) Then there’s House Ed Chair, Congressman Bobby Scott, who said (see above link) that paying for parents to have options takes away from public schools.
Where is the Congressman’s concern over the billions sitting in the Treasury that have yet to be used for developing innovative solutions to address student needs? Call him (202) 225-8351.
EDUCATION UNDER QUARANTINE? Anyone reading the news today knows there aren’t many substantive plans to do it, leading the education rag Chalkbeat to ask the question “What’s the plan to keep quarantined kids learning?” The answer is all over the map. New Jersey seems to think it’s just opening up Zoom. But it’s not. Flip the day, says Michael Horn. Keep a “variant of Hybrid learning alive.” There you go.
GOOD POLICY REQUIRES GOOD DATA. <“Making kids in a school with 90%+ vax rates wear masks in class makes little sense,” tweets media pundit James Surowiecki. Pointing to Mass Governor Charlie Baker’s mask mandate that lifts if vaccination rates are above the threshold, he offers that this “is the right way to do mask mandates in schools if you’re going to do them: Rewards responsible behavior and incentivizes vaccination.” Yep. It’s not a one-size-fits-all for a state.
SPEAKING OF DATA…Also courtesy of Michael Horn, reporting on some things he learned during the ASU+GSV Summit:
- Problem-solving ability increases by roughly 25% if you are well hydrated,
- An extra hour of sleep, according to one study, means the difference of one year of problem-solving ability in math for sixth graders.
- In the decade preceding the pandemic, the mean IQ score on standardized tests for children aged between three months and three years of age hovered around 100, but for children born during the pandemic that number tumbled to 78.
If that last one doesn’t make you want to stand up and protest for more immediate options for families to support their kids, you’re in the wrong place.
Are you on Twitter? Facebook? Instagram? Follow CER and company in real-time to stay up to date with what’s happening nationwide, and to see who else you should follow! @edreform @jeanneallen
Like Podcasts? Visit the town square of public discourse with In Piazza, our latest in partnership with GSV. Speaking of friends and family, enjoy those few remaining summer days before the proverbial school bells ring. If you need a blast of energy, listen to this from the Beach Boys. This oldie, but goodie, is not only fun, Mike Love is a big education opportunity supporter. Be true to what should be YOUR school! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM6GsXP4_3Q
Founded in 1993, the Center for Education Reform aims to expand educational opportunities that lead to improved economic outcomes for all Americans — particularly our youth — ensuring that conditions are ripe for innovation, freedom and flexibility throughout U.S. education. We’re always delighted to hear from our readers…suggestions, questions and even the occasional complaint!