Make Some Noise 

Immediately after the Covid19 crisis began, the main focus in schools shifted towards access to food and social emotional support. In my experience, I observed many colleagues and staff alike moving swiftly to reach out to their school/classroom community to make sure families did not feel alone, and that they had access to the resources that were offered by the district, and the county.

How COVID Affects Parents of special needs children The COVID-19 pandemic has given parents an entirely new set of challenges in how to entertain and educate their children while in quarantine. Being a parent is never a cakewalk, but parenting during a pandemic is an entirely new challenge for millions of American families of children with special needs. "Everything has radically changed," said Melissa Winchell of West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, whose 10-year-old daughter Moriah has both Do

Millions of U.S. grandparents care for young kids — and are high risk for covid-19 Cassandra Gentry, 68, has lupus and takes medications that suppress her immune system. She is also raising two grandchildren, and she’s been especially worried since Monday, when a pharmacist handed her medications to her and urged her to lie low:

Administrators at Dorchester School District Two in suburban Summerville, South Carolina, were well aware of the digital divide when they decided to give students both paper and online resources after shuttering schools because of coronavirus. But even their best efforts have some educators worried, especially those who teach English to speakers of other languages (ESOL). Katie Crook, Newington Elementary School’s only ESOL teacher, didn’t hear back from many of the parents she texted early on.

Millions of U.S. grandparents Virtual Pushout PPU Stands Strong with this Assessment! We are Great Grands who are home schooling a 3 and a half year old. Distant and (still?) Unequal: Parents and Educators on #DistanceLearning during COVID-19 Posted April 17, 2020 by Tafari Melisizwe Over the last month, schools nationwide have transitioned to various forms of online learning. Under the banners of ‘remote learning’, distance learning,

The Achievement Gap is 'More Glaring Than Ever' for Students Dealing With School Closures BY KATIE REILLY MARCH 26, 2020 7:37 AM EDT When New York City closed schools to combat the coronavirus outbreak and ordered remote learning for its more than 1 million students, English teacher Stephanie Paz wasn’t worried about how she would virtually teach her ninth-graders to take notes in the margins of their books or how they would discuss each other’s essays without being in the same room.

By Emma Dorn, Bryan Hancock, Jimmy Sarakatsannis, and Ellen Viruleg Open interactive popup COVID-19 and student learning in the United States: The hurt could last a lifetime Open interactive popup New evidence shows that the shutdowns caused by COVID-19 could exacerbate existing achievement gaps. DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES Open interactive popup Article (PDF-605KB) The US education system was not built to deal with extended shutdowns like those imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers, administrat

New York, NY — As the nation continues to navigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, students, parents and educators are being haphazardly ushered into a “new” reality for public education. As our schools have closed and transitioned to ‘distance learning,’ ‘virtual classrooms’ and the like, this “new” reality is well stocked with decades-old inequities in education access, quality and outcomes. These emerging circumstances are only amplifying pre-coronavirus realities, as we knew they would.

Oregon’s Teacher of the Year is sounding an alarm. Mercedes Muñoz has won accolades for her work as a special education teacher at Portland’s Franklin High School. It’s a career that follows a remarkable turnaround. She dropped out of high school when she was young, then went back, eventually graduated, and continued on to college. Special education teacher Mercedes Muñoz at Franklin High School on Oct. 23, 2019, in Portland, Ore. Special education teacher Mercedes Muñoz

Remote Learning: It Didn’t Work The Wall Street Journal The Wall Street Journal•June 5, 2020 The Results Are In for Remote Learning: It Didn’t Work More The pandemic forced schools into a crash course in online education. Problems piled up, including lack of access to technology and trouble keeping students and teachers connected. Story continues

EQUITY OR ELSE We live in the neighborhoods where decades of systemic inequity were ignored, and our schools were closed – harming the education of our children. We are exhausted, but unbowed. We demand that schools are opened safely and equitably. You can find our letter to the President below. Take a moment to click the link and sign our petittion.

Parents and teachers are voicing concerns about schools reopening, with the new academic year only weeks away. An online petition gaining traction says Indiana schools should not reopen without more strict health measures in place. Marion County teacher Amber Seibert is part of the group telling the state not to reopen schools – unless lawmakers and local officials require more safety regulations for everyone. She says teachers want to come back, but many are unwilling to risk their and their

Teachers in Florida are suing the state to block an emergency order requiring schools to open next month with in-person instruction. They say, with the surge of coronavirus cases, the order violates a provision in the Florida Constitution requiring the state to ensure schools are operated safely. The emergency order, issued this month by Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, says all school districts "must open brick and mortar schools at least five days a week for all students." The

How will the schools keep teachers safe?' Parents, educators and more weigh in on their opinion about kids in classrooms this fall