MCGRAW HILL NEWS Mathematical Discourse Promotes Educational Equity Mathematical discourse can promote educational equity in K-5 math classrooms when educators use "talk moves" to question and probe when supporting student discussion and discourse. Skillfully empowering all students to talk about their thinking with their peers can create a more inclusive math classroom. Learn more about how to promote mathematical discourse and find classroom examples in this blog. Read More NATIONAL NEWS Cardona backs mandatory school COVID vaccines Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said Thursday he supports mandatory coronavirus vaccinations for older teenagers, saying vaccines are critical to keeping students in school and that governors, not school superintendents, should implement such mandates. “I wholeheartedly support it,” he said. “It’s the best tool that we have to safely reopen schools and keep them open. We don’t want to have the yo-yo effect that many districts had last year, and we can prevent that by getting vaccinated.” Mr. Cardona pointed to the effectiveness of the measles vaccine, which is required for children in childcare or public schools in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., in protecting against infections as reason why the coronavirus vaccine should be mandatory for schoolchildren. Meanwhile, a federal vaccine advisory committee has voted against recommending a booster shot for essential workers, including K-12 school staff. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s advisory committee on immunization practices voted Thursday to recommend a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 65 and older and those ages 50 and older with underlying medical conditions; however, it declined to recommend that adults younger than 65 who live or work in settings where the burden of COVID-19 infection and risk of transmission are high, including schools, receive a booster dose based on an assessment of their individual benefit and risk, which typically means a conversation with their doctor.
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DISTRICTS Federal government picks up school board salaries in Alachua The U.S. Department of Education has provided almost $150,000 to the Alachua County School Board to cover a state penalty targeting board members’ salaries. "We should be thanking districts for using proven strategies that will keep schools open and safe, not punishing them," asserts Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. Florida has withheld two months’ worth of pay for four dissenting board members “so far.” The federal education department said the $147,719 provided to Alachua is the first grant under what it is calling Project SAFE, or Project to Support America’s Families and Educators.
WLRN
Leon County Schools looks to community for substitute teachers Leon County Schools is encouraging community members to contribute as substitute teacher, inviting parents and guardians to apply as subs amid a nationwide shortage. While one parent, Kera Smith, acknowledges: "Personally I would say it's a little alarming, simply because you don't necessarily have to have the proper education," Leon Classroom Teacher's Association president Scott Mazur is on board: "I think it's a very creative way in trying to make sure that there are people in place to help serve." LCS currently requires applicants to be 21 years of age, have a high school diploma and pass a level two criminal background check. Additional training will be provided and applicants can select the school of their choice. Superintendent Rocky Hanna comments: "We're having to be creative and combine classes which we don't like to do. We're asking our paraprofessionals to go in and act as a substitute teacher, which we would rather not do because we're pulling them off of their assignments."
Tallahassee News
St. Johns County maintains top rating The St. Johns County School District was in the minority of those voluntarily submitting to state analysis for the 2020-21 academic year. St. Johns County outperformed its peers across the board, maintaining an overall grade of "A" as it has for well over a decade. Only about 30 of 200 school systems opted in to receive an overall district letter grade, as well as individual grades by school, this year. "I just felt it was appropriate to do that, so that we can identify any areas where we need to focus or improve upon," Superintendent Tim Forson asserts.
St. Augustine Record
New School Guardian Program alleviating Osceola's deputy shortage A new guardian program is helping to alleviate the deputy shortage in Osceola County Schools. Some 25 Safe School Officers have now been hired through the new School Guardian Program.
Fox 35 Orlando
CLASSROOM How districts can support students with disabilities amid mask debates Disability advocates in at least half a dozen states are filing complaints in court, arguing statewide policies prohibiting mask mandates discriminate against students with disabilities and deny those students equal access to education. Some school attorneys and special education experts agree but say as the lawsuits weave their way through the courts, there are proactive steps districts should take to address the individualized needs and safety of students with disabilities. Jose Martín, an attorney with the Richards, Lindsay & Martín law firm in Austin, Texas, which represents school districts, said he advises districts to have mask policies. Where that’s not possible, he recommends schools consider potential alternatives, such as remote instruction, based on each student’s circumstance. But, he said, even that's not a good alternative. "If you don't have a mask requirement, you're forcing some vulnerable special ed students to have to do remote learning even if it's not a good learning environment and more restrictive than necessary," Martín said.
K-12 Dive
OTHER Providing a welcoming classroom for students from Afghanistan Assisting in international evacuations is beyond the usual scope of school district employees’ work. As education officials across the nation prepare for new arrivals from Afghanistan - with funding requested to resettle 65,000 people from the nation by the end of September - experts say having systems in place to welcome refugee students and continuously support them will be key. While newly arrived families are often first helped by resettlement agencies, schools then quickly pick up the work of helping families adjust to their new homes and feel supported going forward, said Cristina Burkhart, an English-learner program specialist at San Juan USD in California. That means tending to students’ academic needs, but also doing things like providing donated food, clothing, and wheelchairs for students. The work also extends to helping parents gain agency, including teaching them things like how to schedule doctors’ appointments and how the school grading system works. Fostering a welcoming environment for refugee students is something teachers can do in the classroom as well. At Travis Heights elementary school in Austin, Texas, Shayna Bright, a 2nd grade English-as-a-second-language teacher, keeps a journal where she jots down Pashto and Dari words her Afghan students teach her. So while they learn English, she learns more of their home languages. “That buy-in with the children has really made a big impact,” Bright said. “They see that I care not just about their education, but about them and their culture.”
Education Week
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