AC&E/Equity & Access - September-October, 2020

PRE K-12 Equity&Access FROM ACE-ED.ORG THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CONSORTIUM FOR EQUITY IN EDUCATION

BACK TO SCHOOL WITH EQUITY FRONT & CENTER PAGE 28:

American College Application Campaign WHY HOSTING A COLLEGE APPLICATION EVENT DURING A CRISIS MATTERS

IN THIS ISSUE: Prioritizing the mental health of students & teachers Can music help stop the COVID slide?

Educational facility designer: three return scenarios

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #AGEOFEQUITY

Nominate a colleague/educator to be recognized as a Champion of Equity

ACE-ED.ORG | SEPT/OCT 2020

How to Reopen Schools so Learners Thrive

Fielding International is a global architecture practice with uniquely integrated teams of Architects, Educators, Planners, and Interior Designers with one primary goal in mind — Designing Schools Where Learners Thrive.

Our firm’s mission is to move school design out of the mid-1950s into the rapidly changing world. This means a paradigm shift from the “cells and bells” model to a more collaborative model. New schools should support multiple modalities of learning including, collaboration, student-directed learning, and many other key 21st century skills. Schools should be nurturing and engaging places for all students and teachers. Most importantly, learning environments must resemble the world we live in now and point to the future, not the past.

In addition to designing schools, we also carry on research, teacher training, and coaching. To understand COVID-19, our teams worked together to develop a set of flexible options that address the various levels of risk involved in the reopening of schools to maintain a sense of safety, belonging, and community.

“A Day in the Life” was developed as a learning tool to help teachers orient themselves in space and time, use school facilities for active, collaborative learning, and demonstrate how COVID safety measures, educational best practices and social and emotional well-being can all be addressed when using the Full Return and Hybrid Scenarios.

A

Alex

Learning Zone 3

4th Grade Student Eden Park Elementary Cranston, RI

4th Grade Eden Park Elementary Cranston, RI

A Day in the life of Alex in the Alternating Return Model

8:00 - 8:15 AM Breakfast and Attendance It is important to build in social and emotional wellness for students.

After Alex arrives at school, he moves to his color-coded learning zone

Full Return Approx. 95% of Students return to in-person learning 5 days a week.

8:15 - 9:00 AM Advisory

9:00 - 9:05 AM Bathroom Break

Advisory is attended synchronously.

When Alex finishes, he washes his hands but forgets his mask. His teacher provides him with a new mask.

Alex needs to use the restroom

9:00 - 9:30 AM Academic and Instructional Assessment

9:30 - 10:30 AM ELA Literacy

Alex transitions to a learning studio in his zone for literacy instruction and individual practice

10:30 - 12:10PM Math Workshop and Rotations

Hand & desk sanitation measures are taken throughout the day.

12:15- 1:00PM Lunch and Recess

Alex has lunch in his learning studio. The teacher distributes the meals and Alex eats at his desk.

The small group room in Alex’s is used for zone for math instructional assessments and peer-to-peer support.

Math is held in one learning studio. Learning stations and small-group practice using hands-on manipulatives and devices.

It is important to ventilate enclosed and move activities outside whenever possible.

1:00 - 2:25PM PBL Prototyping and Teacher Workshops

2:25- 2:35PM Cleaning Alex returns to his learning zone with his class. They clean their spaces and pack-up to leave for the day.

Alternating Return On alternating days, approx. 50% of Students attend inperson, the remaining 50% engage in enrichment activities remotely.

After recess, the students move to an outdoor learning space. The teacher launches a Social Studies project-based learning entry event.

Flexible Return Students who require in-person attendance attend in-person, the remaining engage in blended learning.

CONTENTS FEATURE ARTICLES

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REIMAGINING EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES Brianne Roos & Carey Borkoski

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CAN MUSIC HELP STOP THE COVID SLIDE? Joyce Whitby

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PRIORITIZING THE MENTAL HEALTH OF STUDENTS & TEACHERS Kevin Baird

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FROM EMERGENCY REMOTE TEACHING TO QUALITY ONLINE LEARNING Christine Voelker

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HOSTING A COLLEGE APPLICATION EVENT DURING A CRISIS MATTERS COVER ARTICLE by Lisa King

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SAFELY REOPENING SCHOOLS SO ALL LEARNERS WILL THRIVE Jay Litman, Jill Ackers & Nathan Strenge

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EQUITY & SOCIAL JUSTICE FOR BLACK STUDENTS IN GIFTED EDUCATION NAGC Board of Directors

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EDWEBINAR: PURSUING AN EQUITY AGENDA edWeb.net and AASA

Q&A WITH INDUSTRY LEADERS ANDREA KEITH, VP OF SCHOOL PROGRAMS AT LET GROW - 52 THOM JACKSON, PRESIDENT & CEO OF EDISONLEARNING - 54 MITCH SLATER, CEO OF LEVERED - 16 LANA ISRAEL, FOUNDER & CEO OF MUZOLOGY - 66

ASSOCIATION COLUMNS CCSSO - 14 | EDMARKET - 26 | NAGC - 35 | NSPRA - 44

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The American Consortium for Equity in Education Publisher & Director of Sales LARRY JACOBS 978-712-8187 | Click to email Larry

Consortium Executive Director MAIA APPLEBY 561-427-5092 | Click to email Maia

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS - 68

NOMINATE AN EDUCATOR

CHAMPIONS OF EQUITY - NOVEMBER, 2020 ATTENTION CONSORTIUM MEMBERS*: In the November issue, we’ll be highlighting educators who are doing extraordinary, innovative and impactful things in the fight for equity, access and opportunity.

WHO JUST CAME TO MIND WHEN YOU READ THAT?

Nominate that person to appear in the next issue of AC&E/Equity & Access!

Just click below, fill out the quick form and submit it to us by October 16. We’ll email you to let you know if your submission is selected.

SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATION

*If you want to nominate someone, but you aren’t yet a member of the American Consortium for Equity in Education, sign up for your free membership HERE.

THE TIME IS NOW REIMAGINING EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES

By Brianne Roos and Carey Borkoski

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reform movement (Sahlberg, 2007) may not be as important as we once believed.

According to Education Week (2020), by the third week of March, more than 55 million US public school students found their schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. teachers and caregivers pivoted completely to remote learning within a matter of two weeks.

State accountability tests were cancelled, standards and competences were adjusted, and leaders, teachers, and parents focused on areas of instruction and content deemed most critical to their students’ learning.

As we reflect on this period of triage and crisis, learn from the adaptations and instructional approaches, and make plans for teaching and learning in the fall, we should pause and seriously consider and identify what is essential, what matters, and what we want our post-pandemic educational system to reflect moving forward.

Educators and parents also recognized the importance of listening to, caring for, and connecting with their students. This included setting up time for teachers to connect directly with students, opportunities for peer-to-peer connections, and virtual spaces for parents to talk with teachers and other parents. During this unprecedented crisis, educators and parents alike agreed that state standards, accountability measures and other traditional elements of what researchers call the global education

The pandemic and need to physically distance forced educators into a triage and crisis response mode. Consequently, teaching and learning varied wildly, but crisis mode is not tenable, and leaders and teachers soon shifted to contingency planning for the fall. We suggest that the U.S. education leaders, teachers, and families take advantage of this shock to our education system and reimagine our approaches to teaching and learning using an Understanding By Design framework.

IT’S TIME TO REIMAGINE OUR APPROACH TO TEACHING AND LEARNING

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In this approach, stakeholders consider the question of what students need to learn BEFORE assessments, teaching approaches and standards are identified. Arguably, the US system currently operates in the reverse, with standards and tests often driving classroom instruction and school curricula. UBD focuses on identifying the learning goal, fostering connection and making meaning, and the transfer of knowledge.

Finnish education guide our proposed reimagining of the American education system (Lahdemaki, 2019):

As we reflect on the spring and plan for the new school year, we have a chance to change structures, systems, and policies by considering student goals beyond assessment outcomes.

What if we paused for just a moment and asked ourselves - what do we really want to accomplish with and for our students?

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING

Finland’s collective decision to veer away from global education reform toward a more holistic approach to student development may offer the U.S. some insights. A system that does not emphasize testing and traditional school subjects may be difficult to conceptualize, but Sahlberg (2007) suggested these holistic foci should not be ignored, and that it may be possible to create a system using alternative approaches and policies as demonstrated in Finland.

GOALS OF FINNISH EDUCATION Finnish educators have effectively integrated both the process and outcomes of learning into their curriculum and standards. They attend to and value the way students view school and school-related tasks while also cultivating important student outcomes. This approach to education is anchored in developing students as human beings who recognize their effect on others and the world (Lahedmaki, 2019).

The Finnish learning process includes consistent attention to each student’s place as a citizen of the school, community and world.

Students’ experiences, or processes of learning, are of utmost importance. To that end, Finnish education strongly regards relationships and sustainability. Overall, three central themes of

• Rethinking social and emotional learning as integrative not additive • Cultivating a collective or other-centered school culture • Identifying ways to effectively mix school subjects to promote articulated goals

Finnish educators view learning as a social endeavor. Collaboration is a central emphasis; students learn together and share the joy of discovery. Finland employs project-based learning to facilitate collaboration among students and teacher groups, as projects often span more than one subject area. Teachers model cooperative learning for their students, who then carry out projects that may involve defining and dividing roles, problem solving, and shared decision making.

Social learning contributes to the mission of developing students who understand their role in groups at school, home, and in the community. Rethinking education from a social perspective also includes intentional and ongoing exploration and discussion of feelings, demonstrating an explicit prioritization of social and emotional learning in Finland.

While Finland serves as a model of rethinking social and emotional learning, the concepts are not new to educators in the U.S. Emotional intelligence, or the ability to recognize and understand the emotions and feelings of oneself and others, was established in the American psychological literature by Salovey and Mayer in 1990. However, 30 years later, our schools do not hold students’ social and emotional learning with the same level of regard as academic subject matter.

Brackett (2019) writes about the critical role of social and emotional learning in our schools and describes the process of becoming what he calls emotion scientists. Understanding

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emotion is not intuitive or innate, it is a process that must be learned, just like we must learn math and history. Students, teachers, and school leaders need to invest in becoming emotion scientists because human emotions affect every interaction and human experience — and not just in times of pandemic or crisis.

Brackett cites numerous studies that demonstrate the deteriorating mental health of our students and teachers before COVID-19, and recent work suggests the urgency of addressing social and emotional learning and health in the context of the pandemic (Cipriano & Brackett, 2020). What better time to rethink social and emotional learning in our schools?

SCHOOL CULTURE Finnish schools are also characterized by an intentional focus on school culture and, in particular, connections between each school and its community (Lahdemaki, 2019). Schools in Finland are not siloed. Rather, administrators and teachers at individual schools have agency to interpret and apply the goals of the national curriculum in ways relevant to diverse communities.

One size does not fit all, and the Finnish system recognizes the essential connections between curricular goals and objectives, the people who implement the curriculum, and their communities. Moreover, teachers view students as partners in learning. This partnership creates students’ sense of agency and ultimately a sense of belonging in their school. Finnish schools reflect the values and diversity of their communities and individuals in these communities.

RETHINKING AMERICAN EDUCATION FROM A SCHOOL CULTURE & COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE The events following George Floyd’s death implore us to consider our communities deeply and to situate education in the lived experiences of all our students. We have an obligation to teach about and within the system 10

so that educators and students can identify and consider how their position and experiences contribute to the status quo and can also affect change.

If we consider the Finnish model, school culture and community begin with establishing students’ sense of belonging. All students should be valued contributors to their respective schools and communities. Maslow (1943) placed belonging on his seminal hierarchy of needs that is arranged as a pyramid and depicts basic needs (i.e., physiological and safety), psychological needs (i.e., belongingness and love and esteem), and self-fulfillment needs (i.e., self-actualization).

Tinto (1975, 2010) described belonging in the context of higher education as students’ needs to meaningfully connect with peers, faculty, campus life, and activities through interpersonal relationships.

Best practices in culturally responsive pedagogy demand that we reimagine our school and community cultures to meet the needs of our students by taking antiracist action and prioritizing the value and worth of each student.

SCHOOL SUBJECT AREAS The third theme of Finnish education to consider is rethinking school subjects.

Movement away from traditional school subjects toward seven transversal competencies of education characterizes Finland’s unique approach to education.

Developing students as human beings and citizens is the central mission of the transversal competencies, which include care for self and others, cultural competence, multi-literacy, technological competence, competence for work and entrepreneurship, sustainability, and thinking and learning to learn.

The competencies demonstrate the value of educating the whole student — someone who will become an active participant in society with abilities to progress and contribute to a

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sustainable future. Academic subject matter is embedded in the competencies (e.g., literacy, technology) but subject matter expertise is not the ultimate goal of Finnish education. The emphasis is on transferable skills and attributes such as creativity, social and emotional health for oneself and others, and sustainability.

What can we learn from Finland’s emphasis on the process of learning, collaboration, identity development, and holistic education?

Interestingly, creativity, people management, coordinating with others, emotional intelligence, and service orientation are among the top ten skills that chief human resource and strategy officers value for employment and recruitment in the Future of Jobs Report by the World Economic Forum (Gray, 2020).

WHAT MAKES A PRODUCTIVE TEAM? In a 2016 study on Google and what makes teams high performing, researchers found that productivity was not a function of who was on the team — it was a function of how they worked together. The most productive teams cultivated psychological safety and equal time for team members’ contributions to projects. The importance of these “soft skills” to employers, leaders, and managers is reflected in numerous articles over the past year in publications like the New York Times and Harvard Business Review.

Physical distancing mandates due to COVID-19 forced U.S. educators to reprioritize to meet students’ basic physiological and safety needs.

Educators mobilized to distribute meals and keep students and staff distant to prevent the spread of the virus. Teachers in kindergarten through higher education pivoted to online learning. Now, as we plan for the fall, we have a rich opportunity to reflect in action (Schon, 1991) to reimagine our values and goals.

Separation has taught us how much we crave connection with fellow educators and our students. Trying to live while processing intense emotions of isolation, fear and moments of joy demonstrates the need for improved social and emotional learning. While our nation is in a period of relative stillness, we consider the racism and injustice that pervade our systems, a glaring and painful reminder that we must rethink our cultures and communities along with our students.

Please join us in reconsidering the essentials of education in the US. Let’s reimagine a system that educates the whole student and prepares them to be valued and active contributors to local, national, and global communities.

Carey Borkoski’s graduate research, Ph.D. dissertation and early publications focused on human capital accumulation and the relationship between different levels of education and earned wages. Her current role as an Assistant Professor in the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University remains focused on human capital accumulation but from the standpoint of understanding and improving the experiences and outcomes of all learners.

Brianne Roos is a speech-language pathologist who teaches in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences at Loyola University Maryland. She is also a doctoral candidate in the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University where her dissertation focuses on stress in undergraduate students studying speech-language-hearing sciences.

See more of their work at WhatsOurStory.com.

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SPONSORED CONTENT

PAYING IT FORWARD TO CREATE COUNTLESS NEW SUCCESS STORIES If you looked only at Thom Jackson’s resume, you’d see an impressive list, from key positions at Fortune 100 companies, to roles serving three New Jersey governors, and leadership of major mergers and acquisitions. What you probably wouldn’t guess is that he grew up in Ohio’s 45011 zip code, a high-poverty area where, as a child, he saw violence outside the bedroom window on a consistent basis. Although it was a tough environment, he emerged with a sense of community, commitment and obligation.

Education was not only the great equalizer but the ladder out. “Education is the most significant difference between me and my friends in public housing who remained stuck, some of whom were in the prison system before I finished high school and some of whom never lived to graduate from high school,” he says. “As a result, I'm living proof of how education can change your life.”

Thom started at EdisonLearning as General Counsel, and the company initially intrigued him because it focused on the same needs of the kids from his old neighborhood. He quickly found that he was spending the majority of his time focused on education models, results, and understanding what quality teaching was all about. In 2012, he was asked to become the COO, and by 2013 things changed even more dramatically: the entire company went up for sale and, with the encouragement of his wife, Thom decided to put in a bid. It was a whirlwind

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that was hard to believe, yet an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. “We were directly impacting 12,000 families at the time, and I wanted to continue improving their life stories,” he says.

Thom lives by a clear mission to pay it forward, which all traces back to Dottie Miller, the 8th grade teacher who first believed in him. “I'm on this trajectory because of that particular day when she pulled me aside in the hallway and put me on the right path. I feel obligated to pay back at a scale she wouldn't even have imagined. It keeps me driven,” he shares. Thom’s goal is to keep going until every student has the opportunity to achieve results they deserve, rather than being imprisoned in an environment where they are consistently underserved. Some day, he hopes to see hundreds of thousands of students achieve their dreams.

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VIEWPOINT FROM CCSSO (Council of Chief State School Officers)

LISTEN, LEARN, AND TAKE ACTION AGAINST RACISM

By Annie Holmes

proud to have been recognized two years in a row Children across America are faced with two for championing diversity values in the workplace colliding pandemics: COVID-19, which has had a – we’ve also partnered with state education disproportionate impact on Black and brown chiefs, the leaders working to change communities, and the centuries-long policy at the state level. scourge of racism that has been cast anew in the national spotlight with Our work with chiefs and their state the recent killings of George Floyd, education agency staffs has been Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, SUPPORTING multi-layered and ongoing, and too many other Black PARTNER including creating communities Americans. of practice, offering AMERICAN CONSORTIUM equity-focused learning Despite the equity work we as FOR EQUITY IN EDUCATION opportunities, and developing leaders of a national tools and resources to leverage organization representing state expertise of national leaders. education leaders have been engaged in, this moment has Our approach is anchored in a shown how much more lies ahead forthcoming Anti-Racism Action to dismantle institutional racism. It Plan. We are thinking through levers underscores the imperative that we at chiefs can use to effect systems change the Council of Chief State School at the state level and how CCSSO’s Equity Officers lead the tough work of addressing and Access Office will strategically support the these issues for our country’s children. distinct socio-political and socio-historical landscape.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion work underlies everything we do as an organization, and we made Though we are confident the work we are doing it an explicit priority in the last four years, both will help to address underlying bias in our internally with our staff and with our state education system and ultimately lead to better members. Our 2017 “Leading for Equity: outcomes for marginalized children, we cannot do Opportunities for State Education Chiefs,” it alone. We ask that everyone join us to listen, released with the Aspen Education & Society learn and take action to ensure racism does not Program, explored actions states can take to continue to permeate the education system. If we ensure more equitable outcomes in their states. are ever to realize change, we must work together Our current strategic plan lays out how CCSSO’s to support every child in reaching their goals work will support chiefs’ efforts. without harm, bias, or racism.

In the wake of the killings of Floyd, Arbery, and Taylor, our executive team reiterated our Annie Holmes is the chief dedication in a statement on our commitment to equity officer at the fight racism, saying as leaders in education, “It is Council of Chief State our responsibility to take a long hard look at the School Officers. CCSSO is a systems that continue to oppress vulnerable nonpartisan, nonprofit communities and to take action.” As an organization representing organization, we have committed to leading with the heads of K-12 equity. We have committed to work every day to education departments in ensure all students have access to equitable the states, the District of education opportunities. We have worked to Columbia, the Department facilitate difficult conversations and advocate for of Defense Education Activity, Bureau of policy changes at national and state levels.

Indian Education, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions.

In addition to our internal work on equity – we are 14

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Seeing Is Believing When students can see their own growth, they’re inspired to reach even higher.

Discover how i-Ready helps all students succeed.

i-Ready.com/Discover

PROVIDING FLEXIBLE LEARNING PATHWAYS FOR EVERY STUDENT Q&A with Mitch Slater, CEO of Levered Mitch Slater was a classroom teacher and site administrator for 20 years before starting Levered.

Mitch spent his teaching career focused on developing curricula and instructional strategies to more effectively support and challenge the diverse learners in his own classroom.

WHAT DOES LEVERED DO? Levered provides schools with a complete standards-aligned instructional system for 3rd-5th grade math, built around an online competency-based Common Core curriculum that students work through at their own pace. We took a systems-level approach to reimagine technology supported math instruction.

Real-time assessment data from students’ independent online work drives lesson planning, intervention, and enrichment, so teachers can stop grading papers and photocopying, and focus on data-informed direct instruction when and where it’s needed.

We piloted Levered for three years in California classrooms, starting in 2017. Last year we launched our complete 4th grade curriculum, expanding to the full 3rd-5th grade program this school year. In 2018 and 2019, Title I schools that hit our minimum implementation

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benchmarks saw state test (SBAC) score growth in math increase 70% in their first year, compared to the same grade level cohort the year before.

DOES LEVERED APPROACH PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT FROM AN EQUITY AND ACCESS POINT OF VIEW? While I was still an undergrad, I started learning Spanish so that I would be able to work with English Learners when I became a teacher, and my first full time teaching job was with 34 fifth graders in a Sheltered English Immersion Class in Watsonville, CA. My mother was a special education teacher for most of my life, and I grew up knowing what an IEP was, and why they were important. For us, Equity and Accessibility were not afterthoughts, they were the prime motivations for developing our program and starting our company.

So, the short answer is yes! We started the product design process with Equity and Accessibility as primary lenses. Levered is actually modeled on a self-paced pencil and paper curriculum that I developed and refined in my own classroom for 12 years. Our approach is to provide flexible learning pathways for every student that include review of prior grade level standards, rich visual supports, and built-in intervention and enrichment to accommodate the widest possible range of learners. Adaptive pacing and built-in supports for English Learners were have also been baked into Levered from the beginning.

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HOW DOES LEVERED APPROACH THE NEEDS OF ESL/ELL STUDENTS IF AT ALL? As I’ve mentioned, I started out in the classroom with English Learners, and so we set out from the beginning to design our instructional tools with supports for multilingual students. Levered uses the SDAIE instructional design approach, so new concepts are introduced with rich visual supports, embedded in real-world contexts whenever possible. We also have integrated a GLAD® aligned interactive word wall/glossary that students can access at any time to review key academic vocabulary words for each lesson.

Clicking on a vocabulary word plays a short video with the word’s definition provided via text, audio, with animated visual models and cues. With those scaffolds in place, English Learners in our partner districts in 2019 demonstrated state test (SBAC) score growth in math at 150% of the CA state average for their grade level and subgroup.

IN WHAT AREAS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION DOES LEVERED FUNCTION? Levered is used for 3rd-5th grade math instruction for a wide range of diverse learners, including students in SDC classes, and mainstreamed students in RSP programs. We’ve built specific functionality for RSP teachers by giving them their own Levered teacher dashboard to support all of the 3rd-5th grade students on their caseload. Not only can they access the same

detailed assessment data as the homeroom teachers, but they can also selectively run Levered instructional sessions with their students in a “push-in” model, providing extra support as students continue through their grade level core curriculum. During distance learning, RSP teachers are able to use video conferencing to do virtual “push-in” sessions, monitoring student progress in real time, responding to student requests for help, and modeling relevant practice questions using screen sharing and built-in draw-on-screen capability.

HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE AND TRAIN EDUCATORS TO USE AND WORK WITH YOUR PRODUCT? We built professional development into the 1st and 2nd year student license cost for Levered.

Our mission is to improve outcomes for students, so we felt that adequate teacher training should not be optional in the initial implementation of the program. That means that our per student cost is all-inclusive when schools are onboarded. Starting in year 3, we start to unbundle the P.D., and the cost of student licenses actually drops as we lower the number of included P.D. sessions. In year 5, it drops again, and we move to a completely menu-based P.D. model, where schools and districts have the option to select more personalized P.D. as needed to fit their particular needs.

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3RD-5TH GRADE MATHEMATICS

1ST DAY OF SCHOOL, 2020

THE LEVERED GAZETTE WWW.LEVERED.COM

Teaching may look different, but learning hasn’t changed.

Levered is an integrated 3rd-5th grade math program for standards-based, core instruction with a focus on EL development.

High-quality Web-based Instruc<on ✓ Self-paced, competency-based ✓ Built-in review & enrichment ✓ GLAD® aligned vocab support ✓ SDAIE aligned rich audio/visual instruc1on to support ELs

Teacher Empowered ✓ Ongoing standards-aligned assessment ✓ Real-1me data on usage & progress ✓ Built-in interven1on tools ✓ Support for Planning

Con<nuity of Learning ✓ Independent learning at a distance ✓ Daily teacher support available ✓ Accommodates flexible schedules ✓ Administra1ve engagement reports

Adaptive Online Curriculum

Research-backed 3rd-5th grade math

Small Group Instruction & Intervention

Ac3onable data on where students are struggling in real-3me.

Move Seamlessly to Distance Learning The same work, with be=er tools, in and out of the classroom.

IT’S TIME FOR EQUITY AND IMPACT IN ELEMENTARY MATH At Levered, all means all, and we know growth comes from the right mix of challenge and support. Levered's individually paced core curriculum for 3rd-5th grade math is competency-based, delivering ongoing assessment data to teachers with a clear view of where students are struggling and succeeding.

English Learners get extra support through SDAIE aligned, context-rich instruc1on and interac1ve GLAD® aligned word walls to support language development. For schools dealing with distance learning, teachers have up-to-the-minute, detailed repor1ng, and usage reports to monitor progress and ac1vity.

Students can request a teacher conference from within Levered, to get direct, standardsbased support from their regular teacher, in class or through a video conference.

Results from Chula Vista ESD on the California Smarter Balanced test • ELs showed over 250% of the state

average for growth in their subgroup • Economically Disadvantaged La<no

students showed 2x growth for their subgroup • 37% of mul<lingual students met or

exceeded standards, over double the California average • Students with Disabili<es growth was

175% of the California average

Are you ready to start seeing growth in math for ELs and every 3rd-5th grader?

Visit www.levered.com.

"Levered is a program that uses a lot of SDAIE strategies, a lot of visuals, and vocabulary. So, when the students are engaging in Levered, they're able to not only prac<ce their math skills but also their language proficiency increases because of the way Levered is presented.”

Maria Teresa Manzanedo, Principal, Ap3tud Community Academy For Students with Disabili1es, Resource Specialist Program Teachers can offer extra support through their own dedicated dashboard. This con1nuity allows students to move forward in the same standards-based lessons they are working through in the mainstream classroom.

Levered is focused on suppor1ng all of the learner stakeholders. Administrators have access to engagement reports to support implementa1on and understanding across schools and districts. Teachers have unprecedented access to real-1me ac1onable data that helps them meet each student's needs, daily. Students love our real-worldbased ac1vi1es that provide support for language and arithme1c understanding as well as give them the runway to succeed and go further.

AFTER COVID-19, EQUITY & ACCESS WILL START WITH PRIORITIZING THE MENTAL HEALTH OF STUDENTS & TEACHERS American democracy rests upon the concept of a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).

This is the essential mission of public schools. As we emerge from the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, with more disruption on the horizon, we must redefine our concept of access. The “A” in FAPE must shift to stand for “Accessible.”

By Kevin E. Baird Over the past three years, as my co-authors and I researched our book Whole: What Teachers Need to Help Students Thrive, we have journeyed into the most challenged American neighborhoods to find the most successful schools. The lessons they teach can help us re-imagine what it means for education to be truly accessible. Here are four priorities to guide the transformation.

1) STUDENT ACCESS TO LEARNING BEGINS WITH STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH MONITORING AND INTERVENTION

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Students must be mentally and emotionally ready to learn. Distraction, acting out, and student disengagement are not caused by laziness or poor parenting. These behaviors are the autonomic responses of bodies filled with the stress hormone cortisol. They are the result of fear and anger, anxiety and grief.

Just as post-pandemic life will include taking the temperature of shoppers walking into a store, access to learning must begin with immediate and continuous vigilance of student mental health for readiness to learn.

Intervention cannot be a long-term response

The American Consortium for Equity in Education

with an IEP. Mental health intervention requires quick, responsive action if we are to ensure access to learning.

2) EQUITY AND ACCESS BEGIN WITH MENTALLY STRONG TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS The idea for our book began with a provocative finding: teachers are the 4th-most stressed occupation in the United States. According to Gallup, more than 1 in 10 teachers are desperate to leave the profession and more than half of all educators are not fully engaged in their work.

As we visited schools in neighborhoods blighted by poverty and hopelessness (a sort of “urban battlefield”) we found one central, common factor across schools that were succeeding despite their local environment: a priority of caring for the mental well-being of their educators. Successful student learning outcomes began with prioritizing teachers’ mental health and feeding their collective self-confidence.

Many teachers are part of an aging demographic, so we can expect some of our colleagues will not return this fall, taken from us

by COVID-19. A greater number will be impacted by the loss of a loved one, by the emotional hardships of social confinement, and by the increased anxiety caused by economic uncertainty for their family. We cannot expect educators to return to us this fall without mental and emotional needs resulting from their grief, their economic anxiety, and their personal loss.

Good schools begin with great leaders. The mental health, positive outlook, and self-confidence of our school leaders are equally important. What is true for teachers is also true for our leadership. They will need care and support.

We must honor that many of our teachers and leaders do not yet possess the skills to effectively respond to student trauma. We must

recognize that our schools have rarely prioritized the mental and emotional health needs of our adults. And we must understand that skills for self-care and response to trauma are not acquired in a day or two of “professional development.” We are facing a long-haul mental health triage to support our teachers and staff so that they, in turn, can support our students and deliver equitable, accessible education.

3) GRADE LEVEL IS SHIFTING DOWNWARD, AND STUDENT ACCESS REQUIRES URGENT ACTION Each fall, students return to school having lost a few months of reading skill and mathematic fluency development due to “summer slide.”

Districts traditionally respond to this reality by providing for review in the fall, using placement tests, and mapping curriculum across grades.

Our reality has changed. Grade level readiness for fall has shifted backwards.

In a real-time study of learning impacts during the COVID-19 crisis, I have joined my colleagues at the Successful Practices Network to analyze data from the online reading platform ACHIEVE3000. Our findings have urgent implications for back-to-school planning.

AT THE TIME OF THIS WRITING: • There is a 17% access gap in the at-home learning environment between already high-performing students and struggling learners.

• For students who have digital access, there is 21% participation gap between already high-performing students and struggling learners.

• Even among high-performing students, more than one-third are no longer engaged in continuous learning.

• The effort required to set up online learning has led to 2 to 3 weeks of lost teaching time.

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Coupled with the fact that learning takes longer in a high-stress environment, and assuming we’ll see the expected “summer slide” impact, we believe students may enter school in fall 2020 with six months or more of learning loss.

Access to grade-level materials will be impossible for many of our students returning in the fall, as their skill development will have plateaued in March and slid backwards from there. It is not hyperbole to expect a further half-year reduction in skill level. A tsunami of student and teacher frustration, anxiety, and failure is building at home, and will crash upon our schools as they re-open in the fall.

Districts must respond by placing Equity of Access and Acceleration at the top of their strategic planning agendas. We must act quickly to use fall placement data for intervention. And we must not ration our best reading and math acceleration tools to just a few, but rather aggressively support the fastest-possible skill-building for every single student.

4) WE MUST URGENTLY ADAPT TO A NEW LEARNING ECOSYSTEM Throughout history, the impact of extreme and widespread natural disasters has transformed the environment. The meteor strike which led to dinosaur extinction happened in an instant, with devastating transformation over time. The sudden eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Tambora in 1815 unleashed three years of extreme and destructive weather worldwide. The primary outcome of the Spanish Flu pandemic was a loss in cognitive ability and future achievement of the impacted generation. In 90 days, our modern learning environment has shifted. We must urgently respond to successfully adapt.

We must adjust the design of our classrooms to allow for flexibility to meet physical distancing requirements. Our policies regarding who can enter our buildings; the layout of our common spaces like cafeterias, and requirements for

cleaning and care must immediately change.

Our expenditures must shift to materials which accelerate learning growth for all students, not just those with an IEP. And we must consider our digital learning ecosystem to be equally important as our physical learning ecosystem.

Free Accessible Public Education is our critical mission. Access to learning requires a mental and emotional readiness to learn, and readiness to teach. Access requires content which adapts when our skills slide backwards, and which accelerates all learners to provide equity of opportunity. Access requires adaptation within a transformed ecosystem, shifted overnight to one where relationships between students and teachers are more important than curriculum and pedagogy, and where digital infrastructure is as important as the physical plant.

Access has shifted. So must we.

Kevin E. Baird serves as chairman at the non-profit Center for College & Career Readiness. A recognized leader in the application of technology for accelerated human learning and development, he provides free tools for schools at Habitat4Heroes.org.

NEXT PAGE: Learn more about Habitat4Heroes and order your copy of Whole: What Teachers Need to Help Students Thrive.

Is your school a habitat for heroes?

How can we engage students when teachers are overwhelmed, stressed and often demoralized?

WHOLE can help!

Futurist Rex Miller teamed up with the non-profit Global Center for College & Career Readiness, the Momentous Institute and MeTEOR Education to find solutions to his next “wicked problem”: How can stressed communities, families, kids and schools not just survive – but thrive?

The stories of real-life heroes will inspire you. Practical ideas for your own learning habitats will empower you.

Download Chapter 3 for free and get the book here!

ACE-Ed Consortium members get an additional 25% off of book orders!

Just use the code ace25 when checking out!

at School • apafdn.org/schools

Notice. Talk. Act. at School School Mental Health Education Program Our professional development curriculum, developed with education and mental health professionals, helps school staff know how to best: NOTICE warning signs TALK with the student ACT appropriately in referring students to resources

What’s Included? »

E-Learning Module (30-40 mins)

»

lassroom Module Designed to be C Tailored to your School

»

Online Assessments

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18-months of Learning with New Courses, Based on Your School’s Assessments

Learn More & Access Free Resources Visit us at apafdn.org/schools to learn more about our professional development, utilize our free resources, or view our recorded town halls. Resources include: Notice. Talk. Act. at School during Distance Learning Notice. Talk. Act. at Home during COVID and Beyond Mentally-Healthy Schools in Times of a Pandemic Twitter: @PsychFoundation | Facebook: @apafdn

at School • apafdn.org/schools

How can Schools be Mentally-Healthy during a Pandemic?

By Christopher Seeley, MSW I hope when you are reading this that you, your family, and friends are all safe and well during these times. Across the country, communities and families are challenged by the prospect of sending children back to school. These unprecedented times have impacted us all. The American Psychiatric Association Foundation hosted a virtual town hall, where psychiatric experts participated in a candid discussion about what to consider when choosing to return to the classroom, how to keep both students and staff safe and mental healthy, how to notice changes in behavior that might indicate a need for support, and how communities can address barriers preventing youth from receiving mental health care.

What should be considered around mental health in going back?

The conversation started by highlighting the APA/AACAP joint statement which outlined 8 precaution’s school districts should take in going back to school. The first precaution highlights the need to not take a one size fits all approach, as the mental health and well being of students with mental health and special education needs cannot be fully support at home. Special considerations need to be made when thinking through the student population and what supports certain students cannot go without.

How can you help to maintain mental health and well-being?

It is also crucial to understand that maintaining the mental health and well-being of students and families is the top priority, that is quickly followed by the staffs own mental health and well-being.

The experts offered some tips and hints on maintaining your mental health and well-being during a pandemic: » Keep a Regular Schedule » Set Boundaries on work/class schedule » Stay connected with friends/family » Get fresh air and exercise » Stay informed from reliable sources » Unplug from social media » Get Creative and Share with co-workers/students » Recognize warning signs and triggers for yourself

How can you notice an early warning sign of mental health or other distress?

The rise of mental health concerns and other distress due to this pandemic cannot be overstated.

Due to this, families and school communities need way to notice what a student is moving away from their typical behavior. The experts shared that we should notice when a student is showing disruptive or withdrawn behaviors that are outside of that students typical behavior. Once you notice this change in behavior you need to start a conversation with the student to check-in, show you care, and to determine if further support is needed. If further support is needed, then you need to act, that can depend on your community resources or the resources at your school.

Ready to learn more about our Notice.

Talk. Act. at School program?

Visit apafdn.org/schools

VIEWPOINT FROM EDMARKET (Education Market Association) GIVING COMMUNITIES THE CONFIDENCE TO REOPEN SCHOOLS

By Jim McGarry

This self-paced online course covers the planning, Reducing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 by knowledge and processes needed to respond cleaning and disinfection is an important part to a biohazard crisis such as COVID-19. The of reopening public schools in every industry’s only outbreak prevention, community. Families and school response, and recovery accreditation, districts worldwide are grappling with SUPPORTING GBAC STAR™ helps organizations how to safely open schools for the PARTNER establish protocols and procedures, 2020-2021 school year, and how to offers expert-led training, and protect our most vulnerable AMERICAN CONSORTIUM assesses a facility’s preparedness for populations. Tough and important FOR EQUITY IN EDUCATION biorisk situations. The program questions need to be answered. Are ensures facilities use best practices to the facilities safe for children to go limit future outbreaks, empowers into? How will the faculty be cleaning staff to do their jobs safely and protected? What are the protocols effectively and gives customers and necessary to keep schools open and building occupants greater confidence. safe particularly for those at high risk?

The Education Market Association (EDmarket) is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, to support its GBAC STAR™ facility accreditation program on cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention for education facilities.

COVID-19 has made cleaning and sanitizing protocols for our schools more important than ever. Certifying both facility professionals and the buildings themselves will give parents, teachers and students needed assurance that schools are doing all they can to prevent infection.

“GBAC STAR™ is the gold standard of safe facilities, providing third-party validation that ensures facilities implement strict protocols for biorisk situations,” said GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger. “Accreditation empowers facility owners in the educational community to prove they have the training and systems in place to deliver clean and healthy environments that are safe for students, teachers and staff.” GBAC STAR™ accreditation criteria, facility applications, and information on the online course are now available at www.gbac.org (use code EDMARKET2020).

In addition, EDmarket-affiliated facility professionals can enroll in the GBAC Fundamentals Online Course: Cleaning & Disinfection Principles for half price ($150 savings).

Educational facility professionals should use the code EDMARKET2020 to receive a 50 percent discount off the purchase of the online training course.

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When it comes to cleaning and sanitizing, “it takes all of us to do the right thing,” explained Dr. Gavin MacGregor-Skinner, Director of GBAC, in a recent Education Talk Radio podcast where he and Jim McGarry were guests. “We cannot just rely on the small group of janitorial staff to make this work; it’s going to require a team approach to cleaning that involves the teachers and students as well.”

Reopening schools requires all of us to move forward together using recommended best practices for cleaning and sanitation. EDmarket believes that getting schools up and running in a safe and secure manner is a priority for everyone involved. Spread the word about the GBAC program in your community and let your Superintendents and facilities professionals know that there is a standard of practice to help them better do their jobs.

Jim McGarry’s knowledge and expertise in manufacturing and distribution in both the commercial and education space has served the Education Market Association (EDmarket) well since 2011. As President/CEO, he facilitated the board’s communication of a redefined mission to connect people who want to succeed in the education market by providing events, resources and leadership to those who serve education. Learn more at edmarket.org.

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BE BOLD V BE EQUIPPED WITH KNOWLEDGE V BE AWARE BE SAFE V BE TRAINED V BE AGGRESSIVE V BE RELENTLESS

I am a STAR

I am a STAR

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I will rise, shine, and help the world around me.

I understand my actions affect everyone around me; My Home, My Community, My Life.

A shining light of hope for everyone. My positive attitude shines in everything I do. I believe that I alone control my destiny, my actions, and my outcomes. My choices are my own. The choices I make dictate the life I lead.

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SPONSORED CONTENT

WHY HOSTING A COLLEGE APPLICATION EVENT DURING A CRISIS MATTERS

By Lisa King Have you ever taken a walk on your favorite path after a storm? There may be branches or dirt on the route, but you still find a way to clear the path and navigate it because you know walking and seeing nature is good for you.

Likewise, the path this year for high school students pursuing a college degree or other higher education credential is going to look and feel different because of COVID-19 and the necessary social distancing changes. COVID-19 is exacerbating the barriers that often prevent learners in systemically underserved populations from navigating the college-going path. More students are questioning if college is the best option right now.

Simpson and Scarborough found that 10 percent of survey respondents who graduated in 2020 are changing their college plans.

It is important we all come together and remind students – especially Black, Native American, Latinx, and first-generation students - that planning for the future does not stop because of uncertainty and an unclear path forward.

The EAB recently reported that college enrollment deposits are down for all students at lower income levels, and the decline is greatest among students with the most need.

With the support of creative and enthusiastic school counselors and educators, we know the American College Application Campaign (ACAC) can keep the Class of 2021 on track to apply to college. Investing in one’s education is the smartest way to deal with uncertainty, and school counselors are well-equipped to help clear the pathway for students as they pursue education beyond high school.

Additionally, a national student survey by

Higher education will continue to determine the

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The American Consortium for Equity in Education

future of our nation. Often, income inequalities are driven by a lack of access to college. Not only are college graduates half as likely to be unemployed as those with only a high school degree, they’re also more likely to vote and be leaders in their communities. The economic health and social viability of a democratic society is determined by the education of its citizens.

Even during this economic downturn, the value of a college degree remains very strong.

Bloomberg reports that “of the 20 million Americans who have lost their job in the virus-induced crisis, many more have been individuals without a college education than those with at least a bachelor’s degree.” The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce also highlights statistics that show significantly less unemployment for Americans with a bachelor’s degree or higher during the pandemic.

This is why the American College Application Campaign is committed to ensuring all students at ACAC events have a plan for education after high school. The Campaign, which is part of ACT’s Center for Equity in Learning, is a national effort to increase the number of first-generation college students and students from low-income families pursuing a college degree or other higher education credential.

The primary purpose of our work is to help high school seniors navigate the complex college application and admissions process and ensure they apply to at least one postsecondary institution. In 2019 ACAC supported more than 20 percent of the 2020 high school graduates.

Nearly 7,300 high schools hosted campaign events assisting more than 763,400 seniors who submitted at least one college application. This led to more than 1.2 million college applications being submitted during ACAC events.

The effort typically occurs during the school day in the school building, with host sites guiding

the graduating senior class through the college application process. State campaigns will declare a week or month as its official College Application Campaign and local high schools commit to organizing application events and activities. Of course, this year these events may be virtual or involve smaller in-person gatherings or a hybrid combination of a small group with a virtual program.

Regardless of what the event looks like, what’s most important is being intentional in making a plan to reach every senior. We know the reasons that can stop a student from applying to college all too well. In addition to systemic barriers creating inequality in college access, students may have doubts that college is worth it, fears about the application process, confusion about how to apply, or concerns they can’t afford a college application fee or the cost of college.

These concerns are likely to be heightened this year and in response, we must remind students they are not alone and help them see that we are ready to support them through these uncertainties.

High schools interested in organizing a college application event can register as official host sites to demonstrate their commitment to

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supporting seniors through the college application process. In addition, as high schools organize college application events across the country throughout the fall months, counselors, educators, parents and mentors are invited to join ACAC’s annual #WhyApply Day on Friday, September 18, to kick off the college application season. The purpose of #WhyApply Day is to inspire and motivate students for the college application process through social media.

Whether applying to a certificate program, two-year college or four-year university, it’s important to recognize and celebrate this critical and necessary step on the journey to postsecondary completion. To participate on Friday, September 18, wear your college gear and share on your favorite social media channels why you believe students should apply to college. Write your answer on this #WhyApply printout (English and Spanish) and post a photo of you holding it or video of your statement. Be sure to use the hashtag #WhyApply and tag the American College Application Campaign. Encourage your friends, family and colleagues to do the same.

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Research has shown that most U.S. colleges admit those who apply to them, discounting fears that students can’t get in. By joining the Campaign, school counselors and educators can tap into resources to support students in their postsecondary planning and guide students through the college application process.

Americans are resilient; we’re already finding our way through the obstacles that the pandemic has created. Now’s the time to continue to keep our focus strong and help young people understand the path to opportunity after high school is there for them.

ACAC is a way to make it happen.

Lisa King serves as director of the American College Application Campaign at ACT’s Center for Equity in Learning. Prior to joining ACT, King served local, state, and national nonprofits and education institutions through her communications consultancy, Lisa King Consulting, LLC. Before starting her consultancy, she worked for the Michigan College Access Network, Michigan Nonprofit Association, and Davis Brand Capitol.

The American Consortium for Equity in Education

LANDMARK COLLEGE

An Integrated Approach to Teaching Students Who Learn Differently While many colleges offer special programs for students with learning disabilities (LD) and other learning challenges, Landmark College is one of the only accredited colleges in the United States designed exclusively for students who learn differently, including students with learning disabilities (such as dyslexia), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

For almost 40 years, our combination of research-based learning strategies and academic support has proved successful in preparing students for the rigors of college-level work. As the field of learning disabilities and differences expanded, our approach to working with students has grown more varied, but always with a constant unyielding mission to provide best practices for all.

ACADEMIC ADVISING

In addition to classes, students in their first year at Landmark College participate in weekly academic advising sessions while engaged with the advising curriculum. As students progress in their coursework, they become increasingly independent and meet with their advisor less frequently. Students pursuing their bachelor’s degree work with degree specific advisors. The academic advisor is central to the system which supports individual student performance.

THE LANDMARK COLLEGE DIFFERENCE

Landmark College offers the same range of student services found at any college—from counseling and health services to student life and athletics. The difference at Landmark College is that these professionals, like our faculty and academic advisors, bring specific expertise in, and a passion for, working with students who learn differently.

Working together, we help students discover their path as confident, empowered, and independent learners. We integrate our innovative learning strategies into everything we do.

CENTERS FOR ACADEMIC SUPPORT

Landmark College’s Centers for Academic Support offer unparalleled support to students who learn differently, at no additional charge. The Drake Center for Academic Support is the first place students turn for help with reading, writing, and study skills. Academic support centers within individual departments offer drop-in support and one-on-one scheduled appointments with Landmark College faculty.

COUNSELING & HEALTH

Counseling Services are available to provide support to students dealing with stress and other personal, social, or academic difficulties. Health Services offers support for physical issues.

EXECUTIVE FUNCTION COACHING

Through the office of Coaching Services, Landmark College’s Professional Certified Coaches work with students who have a variety of learning profiles and struggle with executive functioning.

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INTEGRATED SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH AUTISM

SUMMER PROGRAMS

UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES & CURRICULUM

Whether located on our Putney, Vermont campus or at one of our programs in California and Colorado, the instructors consist of current Landmark College faculty as well as teachers from the surrounding areas who are experienced in working with students who learn differently.

Students with autism who are academically prepared for college may still face significant challenges navigating the social curriculum and adjusting to the more fluid routine of the college student. Landmark College recognizes the need to provide additional programming to assist students with autism to meet their college goals. Our integrated services model for ASD support services provides a structured living and learning environment that combines an effective pedagogical approach with tailored social and other programmatic supports.

Originally founded as a two-year college, Landmark College began offering four-year degrees in 2014. We now offer an array of baccalaureate and associate degrees, with optional minors and concentrations.

Landmark College offers summer programs to assist a wide range of students with learning differences, including middle school students, high school students, graduating high school seniors, and students enrolled at colleges around the country. All of the programs are designed to enable students to identify their learning strengths and differences. Students learn specific strategies to be successful in formal academic settings and grow personally and academically in an intentional and supportive academic community.

Landmark College offers a diverse selection of courses in anthropology, English, business, communications, humanities, philosophy, psychology, history, literature, math, science, foreign languages, theater, video, music, art, physical education, and other disciplines.

For all entering students, the curriculum sequence begins with skillsdevelopment courses, designed to address the key areas of writing, reading, communication and study skills. Self-management, as well as the development of self-understanding and self-advocacy, are also important parts of this firstsemester curriculum.

Initial courses are offered at non-credit and credit levels. This allows students to be placed in classes where they are able to succeed, from the start. Due to our rigorous academic standards, more than 50% of incoming students begin in non-credit courses, with most moving into credit courses after one or two semesters.

VISIT OUR CAMPUS

Landmark College offers several Open Houses on Saturdays each semester. You can also schedule a visit with our Admissions office any week day during regular business hours by calling 802-387-6718 or emailing admissions@landmark.edu.

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VIEWPOINT FROM NAGC (National Association for Gifted Children)

NAGC’S COMMITMENT TO EQUITY AND ANTI-RACISM

By Jonathan A. Plucker

course, many if not most of the action items included The Board of Directors of the National Association for in the statement will promote equity broadly, ensuring Gifted Children was greatly upset by the recent killings that the wide-ranging equity issues of other groups of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, will also be addressed. and so many other Black Americans.

Members of the Board had many heartfelt, A goal of this process was to create one intense discussions about how NAGC of the boldest, most action-oriented should respond and contribute to the equity statements in the field of ensuing national conversation around education, and the feedback race and racism in the United States.

SUPPORTING suggests we have done that. At the PARTNER same time, many of NAGC’s Black As I have noted in my previous members – leaders such as columns, a major focus of gifted AMERICAN CONSORTIUM Kristina Collins, Tarek Grantham, education over the past 30 years FOR EQUITY IN EDUCATION and Joy Lawson Davis – have has been equity and the closing of cautioned that a statement, excellence gaps. In particular, we regardless of its content and have learned a great deal about the potential, is merely words on a page nature of inequity in advanced if not followed up with concrete education programs and how to action. As a result, NAGC’s Board of address it, and many schools and Directors immediately formed working districts across the country are groups to address many of the action steps implementing these strategies. But recent described in the statement, and those groups events provide evidence that these efforts are have reported back to the Board on their progress insufficient. As a result, the NAGC Board of Directors and immediate next steps for pursuing our equity created a new vision for equity within the organization initiatives. and field, and this vision was described in a public statement disseminated earlier this summer. A copy of NAGC and the field of gifted and advanced education that statement is provided in this issue. have many miles to go on our journey toward an equitable education system that not only fights racism I would like to use the rest of this brief column to share but also closes excellence gaps and achieves real some thoughts on the statement and the reactions we equity for our children and their families. This have received thus far. Overall, the response has been statement serves as the guideposts for the first leg of positive. On the one hand, people appreciate the that journey, and we welcome additional partners and acknowledgement that the field has been working on their input as we strive to make NAGC, education, and equity issues for many years; they also agree that the American society a better version of itself. organization and field need to do much more in the short- and long-term to achieve equity for all advanced students.

Another set of comments dealt with the focus on Black students and families in the statement. Isn’t NAGC concerned about equity, they’ve asked, for students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds? The question of whether to focus on all students or specifically Black students was debated during the creation of the equity statement. NAGC has a longstanding focus on equity for all groups of students, with a widely held belief that talent can be found everywhere. But at the present moment, the national conversation is focused on righting the wrongs caused by decades, if not centuries, of explicit and implicit bias and systemic racism experienced by Black Americans. Therefore, the decision was made to focus the equity statement on how NAGC plans to better support our Black members and talented Black students and their families. Of

Jonathan A. Plucker is the Julian C. Stanley Professor of Talent Development at the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University, where he is also a Professor of Education. He currently serves as President of the National Association for Gifted Children board of directors. Follow him on Twitter at @JonathanPlucker or email him at jplucker@jhu.edu. His opinions do not necessarily reflect those of Johns Hopkins, CTY, or NAGC.

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1331 H Street, NW – Suite 1001 Washington, DC 20005 Tel: 202-785-4268 www.nagc.org

CHAMPIONING EQUITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE FOR BLACK STUDENTS IN GIFTED EDUCATION: AN EXPANDED VISION FOR NAGC Statement from the NAGC Board of Directors NAGC executive leadership previously issued a statement denouncing systemic racism and racial injustice and stating the organization's commitment to ensuring Black lives matter. In this statement, the NAGC Board of Directors commits to ideals and actions to confront systemic racism and advance equity.

All gifted students won’t matter until all Black gifted students matter, too. A society that values the development and education of each gifted student, regardless of race or class, is the only context in which every gifted child is truly valued.

We acknowledge the injustices of structural and systemic racism and recognize the field of gifted education has historically been part of the problem by promoting these injustices, even if inadvertently.

Some early researchers and thought leaders who influenced the field were involved with the eugenics movement, and early gifted identification and programming practices often became vehicles for de facto segregation. The field has made tremendous strides in addressing these historical injustices in recent years, but we have not made sufficient progress.

NAGC will not endorse, support, or engage in any action that reinforces, promotes, or advances racism or racist movements, including but not limited to racial microaggressions, colorblind ideology, culture-blind policies and practices, and scientific racism in scholarship.

We apologize for any past failings of NAGC that have promoted or reinforced social injustices. In order to move forward, we must be prepared for 36

challenging conversations about our past as an association and as a field. We pledge to examine our policies, publications, practices, attitudes, and approaches to ensure alignment with our commitment to anti-racism. This commitment extends to all NAGC stakeholders: the Board of Directors, Staff, Publication Editors, Network and Committee Leaders, Affiliates, and Members.

Future NAGC actions for changing minds, changing policies, and changing practices will align with our commitment to anti-racism to remedy the field’s past missteps and to promote practices that will result in equity.

Eliminating systemic racism begins by engaging our stakeholders in intentional conversations to envision a more just and equitable future, identifying necessary actions to eliminate racism and planning new strategies to achieve equity and justice, and facilitating action among all NAGC constituents to accomplish our goals. Our plan is a working document that will be further informed by an organization-wide audit of our content and a thorough review of our policies, programs, and practices.

NAGC will address issues of anti-Black racism and inequity by re-visioning and building on the legacy of scholarly integrity and advocacy found in equity pioneers such as Alexinia Baldwin and Mary Frasier.

Many former and current leaders within NAGC have been at the forefront of efforts to ensure equitable approaches to talent development and identification practices for all students. They have worked in schools across the country to raise awareness about the needs of gifted Black students

The American Consortium for Equity in Education

and the largely insufficient efforts to serve them, and they have conducted research on equity-focused topics such as universal screening, culturally responsive teaching, and anti-racist identification and teaching practices. Although we have made great strides, recent events have shined a spotlight on the fact that these efforts, in silos, are not adequate to impact systemic racism.

NAGC commits to addressing systemic racism in education and society that disadvantage gifted Black students and students in other marginalized communities. NAGC will devote efforts not only to apply anti-racist principles and address scientific racism, but also to become a leader on racial justice initiatives and social action within the broader field of education.

LIVING OUT OUR VALUES

CHANGING MINDS NAGC, its affiliates, and its members have long advocated for educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders to understand that giftedness is universal and present in students from all racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Much progress has been made in this regard, but recent events reinforce that biased and discriminatory views are still widely held in American society.

NAGC commits to extending these previous and current efforts to help key decision-makers and society at large understand that giftedness and talent are not the domain of select groups of students.

Moving forward, NAGC will continue to promote equity and anti-racism in the area of changing minds by:

•

NAGC acknowledges that we cannot address systemic racism in American culture and education until we address implicit and systemic racial bias within the organization.

We commit to being intentional about:

Infusing a culturally responsive on-boarding process and training for all of its network, committee, staff, and board leaders

•

•

Developing inclusive member recruitment and retention strategies that increase racial diversity and engagement within the organization

•

Strengthening leadership development to cultivate diverse leadership within the association and ensure equitable access to leadership opportunities for all members, especially those from groups traditionally underrepresented in NAGC leadership positions

• Reviewing and revising all policies and procedures

to ensure equity is prioritized, well-represented, fairly treated, and emphasized within all networks, committees, work groups, the annual convention, and other programming efforts

•

Examining NAGC content on an ongoing basis to ensure it adheres to anti-racist principles and guidelines for inclusivity and is free of implicit or explicit biases as a consequence of scientific racism and culturally unresponsive beliefs

•

Reporting to our members annually on NAGC’s progress toward meeting its equity goals and obligations In addition, NAGC commits to a bold plan of action organized around NAGC’s strategic priorities for the field of gifted and talented education.

Refocusing targeted NAGC professional development content with anti-racist principles in areas such as See Me, Understand Me, Teach Me, and Challenge Me

•

Encouraging the development of positive race-conscious and culturally responsive attitudes and beliefs by supporting and modeling courageous conversations centered on individual lived experiences, scholarship, and personal reflections on race and privilege

•

Collaborating with partners and affiliates to produce and disseminate anti-racist, research-supported resources to school district and community leaders

•

Increasing support for and visibility of the Dr. Martin D. Jenkins Scholar program, which honors the academic achievements of highly gifted Black students

CHANGING POLICIES NAGC, its affiliates, and its members have been instrumental in advocating for and supporting federal and national policy changes that benefit gifted Black students and close excellence gaps.

Recent accomplishments include new education laws in several states in all regions of the country, all led by the NAGC affiliates in those states, to expand

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access to services and ensure more equitable identification strategies. We have a long way to go in this regard, and NAGC commits to capitalizing on these recent developments and helping create pro-equity education policy change in every state and at the national level.

Moving forward, NAGC will continue to promote equity and anti-racism in the area of changing policies by:

• Increasing the emphasis during NAGC events on the creation of equitable policies that reduce racial disparities

•

Sharing and highlighting equity policy accomplishments by our members in a range of NAGC publications and outreach efforts

Moving forward, NAGC will continue to promote equity and anti-racism in the area of changing practices by:

•

Partnering with state affiliates to develop and implement strategic and focused anti-racist awareness and advocacy training programs for families of underrepresented students in gifted education

•

Seeking and engaging in partnerships with other organizations outside of the field that share our commitment to equity and justice

•

Prioritizing and featuring NAGC resources and content that incorporates anti-racist frameworks, directly addressing equity, access, and empowerment

• Forming a working group to examine how NAGC

•

•

•

can better support our affiliates who are the front lines of efforts to create meaningful anti-racist and equitable policy changes at the state level

Continuing to advocate for policies and programs that expand access such as the Jacob Javits Act, the only federal program directly addressing gifted education and talent development and that supports the development of pilot projects and research regarding traditionally underrepresented gifted students

CHANGING PRACTICES NAGC members and affiliates are implementing research-supported practices in districts and schools around the country in order to provide more effective services for marginalized gifted students.

From the expansion of universal screening and local norms to the implementation of culturally responsive teaching practices and culturally relevant curricula, NAGC members and affiliates are tackling these important issues head-on.

However, use of these and other important interventions are not yet widespread, and the research base on how best to design and implement such strategies is not as comprehensive as it could be. NAGC commits to building on this recent progress and helping create, study, and disseminate equitable practices in every state and at the national level.

Identifying and disseminating research-based interventions for identifying and developing talent in Black students and students from other marginalized groups

Featuring efforts to implement relevant practices in NAGC publications, at the NAGC convention and other events, and in our broader dissemination efforts

•

Increasing opportunities through programs such as the Javits-Frasier Scholars Program, NAGC’s professional development program for educators working in Title I schools

ACTING WITHIN OUR VALUES The action steps noted above are not intended to be exhaustive but rather to convey NAGC’s commitment to the future, how we will make issues of equity and anti-racism central to our planning and activities, and how we will support our members and their needs moving forward. We realize these actions will require changes to NAGC’s traditional models for planning, resource allocation, and leadership development. These value statements serve as a guide and standard for engagement by organizational leaders, members, and stakeholders carrying out the mission of NAGC. We are firmly committed to making NAGC a leading catalyst for solutions to systemic and institutionalized racism as the country strives to become a better version of itself.

Approved by the NAGC Board of Directors, July 8, 2020 38

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IF MUSIC HAS CHARMS

TO SOOTHE THE SAVAGE BEAST* ...

CAN IT STOP THE COVID SLIDE?

BY JOYCE WHITBY “COVID SLIDE — YEAH, IT’S A THING!” In the spring of 2020 the world, as we knew it, changed drastically. The global pandemic, caused by the “Covid-19” virus, forced millions of people to quarantine at home, and abruptly closed businesses and schools. Students in the United States, privileged to receive daily education, were suddenly thrust into independent learning models. Thousands of educators worked tirelessly to disseminate instructional materials, and conduct virtual lessons using technology and the Internet.

Parents became instant tutors, while juggling newly imposed work from home schedules.

Inequities abounded for students without the economic means to access technology-based learning resources.

As we look at the challenges for reopening schools this fall, projections about “COVID Slide” are grim. According to EdWeek 40

magazine, “Depending on the grade, students were projected to lose anywhere from half to all of their academic growth from the last year, compared to normal student growth.” Sadly, some models project little loss or even mild gains for students from more affluent families.

The widespread impact of the pandemic has clearly wreaked havoc on the economy, the public health system, and our education system.

One thing is for sure, more than ever, educators need instructional materials with high impact.

WHERE DOES ONE EVEN START? Educators need to focus on high quality content which engages students who have fast become critical connoisseurs of cloud-based instruction.

Experts agree that reading instruction lends itself to independent learning models, which point to libraries of books at all levels. Whereas, mathematics is more difficult to teach remotely, as core curriculum standards are sequential,

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scaffolded, and abstract. Mathematics also helps build learners with the strong “mental muscles” for problem solving and abstract reasoning. Success in mathematics courses, especially Pre-Algebra, is also an acute pain point in K12 education as a foundational subject linked to high school graduation rates, national competitiveness, and all STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) careers. So, how does one effectively engage students in mathematics in a remote or hybrid learning environment? One solution that is doing this right is Muzology (www.muzology.com).

Developed by a team of hit songwriters, learning experts, and PhDs, Muzology blends core math content into engaging songs and music videos. Across a series of studies, the Muzology system has been proven to increase test scores, boost retention, and enhance student confidence.

MUSIC AND MEMORY Researchers have posed important questions: “What if we intentionally tap into the power of Music as a platform for direct instruction? What if we use music to engage students while we introduce new concepts? How will students embrace this level of instruction? Will they have better assimilation of new material, better retention, and recall? Will this lead to a love of learning?”

MATH + MUSIC = (SUCCESS + ENGAGEMENT) 2 ?

Since the beginning of time, musicians have counted beats per second, transposed notes or chords from one key to another, and created geometric rhythms, which reveal the deep roots and genealogy of musical genres. These underlying concepts relating music to its mathematical roots are undisputed. Another maxim, which is widely accepted, is that music can calm, excite, or inspire all sorts of living creatures. This includes humans, plants, and even animals, hence the popular quote “Music has charms to soothe the savage beast”*. The logical conclusion is that music is a force that can motivate, and engage, and offers a platform for embracing mathematical concepts, even if that is only subliminal. * FUN FACT: The phrase 'music has charms to soothe a savage breast' sounds Shakespearian, but in fact comes to us from The Mourning Bride, a play by William Congreve, 1697, is often misquoted and more commonly known as “savage beast” vs “savage breast.”

The limbic system supports a variety of functions including emotion, behavior, motivation, and long-term memory. Music resonates with the limbic system, and thus targets memory at a deep and lasting level. This is no surprise to early childhood educators, who have always used creative rhymes and songs to teach almost everything. Think about how you learned the alphabet - technically a series of nonsensical symbols delivered in a specific order. More than likely you can recall the little jingle and probably tap into that recall if you need to alphabetize something quickly.

Research by neuroscientists indicates that music goes well beyond the limbic system, lighting up brain regions responsible for memory, attention, emotion, and motivation. In fact, music activates almost every neural system and subsystem. Consider that we now also know

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that neural networks are capable of modifying their connections or rewiring themselves, a process more commonly known as “brain plasticity”. This means that we can literally use music to both engage learners and concurrently stimulate multiple neural networks, while building capacity for retention of facts and processes.

When we look at the bigger picture, the learning loss attributed to Covid-19 is not just a result of the disruption in the continuity of learning, but it is also attributable to mental trauma caused by a combination of anxiety about Covid-19 itself, lack of consistent daily structures, food insecurities, and even homelessness.

Essentially, students who have been thrust into ‘survival mode’ are using all their mental capacities just to survive. Because music does indeed impact the limbic system (responsible for emotions and long term memory) it can provide emotional support via a sense of

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community and belonging, as well an outlet for release of pent-up stress. Thus, when educators utilize music as an instructional tool, they help build a common language for students to relate to each other socially and emotionally, as well as providing a fertile platform for growing learners, synapse by synapse.

Joyce Whitby is a lifelong educator who started off as an elementary educator, and then spent the bulk of her time teaching educational technology at Long Island University during the mid-80’s. Since then, Joyce has been in the business of educational technology with key roles in professional development, marketing and sales leadership.

In 2017, Joyce and her husband (aka @tomwhitby, co-founder of #edchat) launched their own consulting business working with small to medium sized innovation companies seeking growth in revenue and market share Innovations4Education.com.

The American Consortium for Equity in Education

VIEWPOINT FROM NSPRA (National School Public Relations Association)

NAVIGATING THE CURRENT OF PUBLIC OPINION

By Lesley Bruinton

It should also be noted to take care of how survey As the 2019-2020 school year wound down and data is collected. Is it a publicly-accessible district administrators across the nation survey or are participants provided their were faced with the looming decisions own unique invitations? What can be about the return to school in the fall, done beyond sending out the survey to community stakeholders came off the SUPPORTING ensure marginalized voices contribute sidelines to participate in shared PARTNER to the shared decision making? Those decision making.

Parental focused on making equity-minded involvement has been a long-sought AMERICAN CONSORTIUM decisions should also ask as the data goal for public school systems. In the FOR EQUITY IN EDUCATION is reviewed: whose voice is missing? age of COVID-19, the question of who decides and how raises more The vocal minority can obscure questions than answers. community sentiment when a plurality of stakeholders stay on the sidelines. But Early in the summer of 2020, school and when the stakes are as high as they are district leaders issued surveys or polls to now, it’s important to develop a strategy that gather input from parents on their desires for goes beyond vote counting in a poll and helps the the 2020-2021 school year. Parents weighed in. community understand how it provides collective Perhaps, the issue wasn’t the poll itself; but rather it was expertise to solve problems. the undefined purpose of it.

Time and time again, districts and schools touted their surveys on back-to-school plans as a way to seek stakeholder engagement. However, somewhere in the process, the surveys themselves become a referendum on leadership in local communities. In some cases, the results showed the community wanted one resolution, but in the end, leadership took a different route.

What started as good intentions become untenable situations for those managing the social media channels of schools and districts as parents sought to organize their efforts to call for the reverse of decision making.

Whatever decision your district made, you have likely faced many sleepless nights over the decision itself and the blowback. Navigating the current of public opinion amid a global pandemic in the era of social media is not for the faint of heart.

But this being 2020 is a reminder that hindsight offers 20/20 vision to reflect on how best to seek community engagement in a politically-charged climate. In this case, social media can impact your ability to equitably gather the input of stakeholders. The power of leveraging social networks can actually hinder leaders’ ability to understand the sentiment of the community. This new-aged ballot stuffing can result in myopic views. Surveys and polls are great tools; however, we must be transparent with stakeholders regarding how the results will be used--especially in the age of social media.

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Likely, leaders used multiple sources of information to arrive at a difficult decision. However, if stakeholders were unaware that the survey results would be but one factor in the decision, could that mitigate the reaction? Perhaps. In the current climate, some parents may feel they were led to believe that the top vote-getter ruled.

As leaders during these trying times, we must be committed to the principles of not only being transparent with what we learn through stakeholder feedback, but also clearly articulating how decisions will be made. It’s a subtle distinction that makes a huge difference--an important lesson to prevent being swept away in the current of public opinion.

Lesley Bruinton is President Elect of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA), as well as the Public Relations Coordinator for Tuscaloosa City Schools. A two-time past president of ALSPRA, the Alabama School Public Relations Association, and a two-time Gold Medallion winner from NSPRA, Bruinton holds a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunication and Film from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree in Strategic Communication from Troy University.

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CROSSING THE BRIDGE

FROM EMERGENCY REMOTE TEACHING TO QUALITY ONLINE LEARNING

By Christine Voelker You are AMAZING. When asked, you stepped up and made the quick shift to remote learning.

Think about your biggest accomplishment during this time. If you cited BASIC SURVIVAL, you are not alone. That accomplishment alone is worth celebrating.

MEETING THE CHALLENGE When you first heard about the move to remote teaching, you may have felt a little excitement over the challenge it would bring. Like the beginning of the school year, there was anticipation. However, for many, that feeling quickly dissipated as reality set in. Teaching well, in what to many was a new type of classroom, felt different and unfamiliar. And it wasn’t easy.

Honestly, it was unsettling — going from feeling comfortable one minute to uncomfortable the next. And it was all caused by a situation that was out of your control.

Despite the challenge, you did the best you could with the constraints you had. But for 46

many, the magic wasn’t there. Why? Because online classes are not the same as face-to-face classes. Teaching online also isn’t the same.

What happened this spring, though, wasn’t online learning. It was emergency remote instruction or pandemic pedagogy. But there is good news. You can take what you learned this spring — both the good and the bad — and build on that. You can move forward to success and cross the bridge to quality online learning.

Start with Remote Success — develop what worked well and incorporate lessons learned Focus on Foundational Design — improve and ensure alignment Elevate Engagement — design presence, interaction and engagement into your course Incorporate Online Policies and Practices — include unique considerations for online learning

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START WITH REMOTE SUCCESS Many of you are familiar with QM’s Emergency Remote Instruction Checklist (ERIC). The checklist — along with the K-12 Companion for IEP & 504 Plans — was designed to aid schools and teachers with moving classroom-based courses to temporary remote instruction.

The checklists provide actionable tips and strategies to address critical issues, including preparing your new learning environment, guiding students in their learning and teaching effectively. But the checklist is just a starting point. More work needs to be done to create quality online learning experiences that encourage engagement and support student success.

With uncertainty hanging over the 2020-21 school year, now is the time to improve on what you did this spring and create an online learning experience that will support you and your students. It’s time to think about the design of your class.

The biggest mistake many teachers make is simply migrating their materials online. It’s an understandable instinct, but we can’t expect this to result in the same type of quality learning experience we have in a face-to-face setting.

Besides, working out the class design before the class starts frees you up to focus on teaching once the class begins.

FOCUS ON FOUNDATIONAL DESIGN Just like designing a home, you want your class to have a strong base. That means creating actionable, measurable learning objectives that are supported by the course’s assessments, activities, materials, and technology. This concept is known as alignment.

Alignment occurs when all of the critical course elements work together to ensure that learners meet your desired learning outcomes. It’s a primary component of the Backwards Design model.

1. Begin with the end in mind. What are the desired results? Those are your course learning objectives or outcomes.

2. Look at your formative and summative assessments. Each one should have a connection to one or more of your course learning objectives.

3. Move on to your learning activities and instructional materials — what learners will do and use during the course to learn concepts and develop new neural pathways. They’re also the primary way that we engage students through interaction and application.

4. Examine the technology you will use. How does it support the learning objectives?

We know that alignment is not a new idea, but it is a foundational one. And while it is easy to understand, it can be difficult to achieve. But it’s important. Without alignment, students may spend their time doing busy work — interacting with material that we never ask them to apply, or completing an assignment that only allows them to partially show evidence of their learning.

ELEVATE ENGAGEMENT Once alignment is in place and all of your course components are working together to support learner success, you need to think about engagement. Engaged learners feel a sense of belonging and are active participants in the online learning community. Engaging students, though, can be difficult and is really dependent on your course design. The activities, content and technology you choose help elevate engagement in your course.

Interaction is one way to really elevate engagement. At QM, we talk about interaction

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SUPPORTING EXCELLENCE The Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy is an internationally-recognized center generating research-based education policy. We analyze the impact of educational interventions, provide evidence-based counsel, create tools to evaluate curriculum and school culture, and support district, charter, and private school networks across the country. We are non-partisan, sector-agnostic, and evidence-based.

THE INSTITUTE PROVIDES: and policy recommendations to national membership organizations, including Chiefs • Research for Change, the CCSSO, the Alliance for Excellent Education, and the National Council for Private School Accreditation

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NEW RESOURCE ON SCHOOL CULTURE

FROM THE JOHNS HOPKINS INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATION POLICY

A strong school culture, understood as the underlying ethical claims and habitual practices of a school, is linked to numerous positive academic and civic outcomes – from short-term assessment performance to long-term civic engagement and educational attainment.

The Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy has designed a best-in-class survey that identifies the alignment of a school’s mission with its practices and determines whether a school’s enactment of practices correspond to those we know support academic achievement and civic formation.

In elementary schools, administrators, teachers, and parents undertake the survey; in secondary schools, students also participate.

THE SCHOOL CULTURE 360™ SURVEY EXPLORES: Academic emphasis and academic excellence Whole-student development (including practices associated with strong citizenship formation) Organizational coherence (the mission and practices align) Sense of belonging (communality) Trust and support among adults across the school community

Because COVID-19 necessitated an immediate migration to at-home learning, the Institute designed a related survey for the remote-learning context.

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as happening in three different ways: • Students interacting with one another • Students interacting with course materials • Your interaction as the teacher with students Online, your plan for interacting with students is something that needs to be considered and incorporated into your design. Consider the following.

MAXIMIZE YOUR PRESENCE Many online learning designers use the Community of Inquiry framework, which provides a framework for how the educational experience happens online through interaction and engagement. It’s the intersection of teaching presence, social presence and cognitive presence. Presence is something that must be purposefully designed into an online course in thoughtful ways. The three types of presence correspond to the three types of interaction:

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Teaching Presence begins with design and extends through delivery. Design includes the selection, the organization and the primary presentation of course content, as well as the design and development of learning activities and assessments. So, when your students enter your online course on day one, they already have a very strong sense of who you are as an instructor and what they will learn because you have organized the material into a learning path with logical and efficient navigation. And, since the design is done, you can focus your time during the course on interacting with and guiding students via feedback, check ins, office hours, announcements, and more.

Social Presence is crucial for your students. It’s what allows them to feel like they are a part of a learning community rather than simply a participant in a remote class. Your design choices can really heighten interaction and presence by focusing on quality interaction between peers early on so that they can develop the trust and rapport necessary to

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develop that sense of community.

Your presence is really a catalyst here. Online, you can’t see a class of confused faces that tell you to circle back and provide more explanations or examples for a topic. It’s vital that students have low-stakes opportunities to check their learning progress. These should be appropriately timed and sequenced so that students can use your feedback to improve future performance.

Cognitive Presence focuses on quality cognitive engagement.

Consider sparking that intellectual curiosity from day one by introducing learning units with, for example, essential questions (backward design). Model learning behavior. Encourage students to share insights, make connections, analyze concepts, and reflect on their knowledge gains.

This is also a great time to explore new opportunities unique to the online environment. For example, LMSs have private reflective journals, allowing students to check their knowledge gains, while providing a way for you to connect with your students on a different level. You might also consider using online discussions, synchronous tools for things like upcoming assignment introductions and screencasts to talk through your grading process. But don’t forget to account for the time it will take students to learn a new technology.

Lessen the cognitive load by using common or low-tech options instead. That way students can spend their time applying their new knowledge via activities and assessments instead of learning a new technology and tool.

ONLINE POLICIES AND PRACTICES With a shift to online also comes a shift in thinking about topics such as accessibility, technology access and skills, student privacy, participation and/or attendance. Some policies may need to be changed or even created. For example, do you have to develop guidelines

around how students need to be present online and how often students need to log into the course? You can support compliance by designing smaller formative assessments during the week and a more summative assessment due on Monday so your students have the weekend. Your design then encourages your students to log in early and complete that first activity.

You’ve likely also had to consider student data and policy concerns, accessibility needs of students, copyright issues for materials, and technical support. It’s important to include information on these topics so students know what to expect and where to turn for assistance — just another way of creating a quality online learning environment that sets students up for success.

YOU’RE NOT ALONE ON THIS JOURNEY Connect with your supervisors and content specialists in your district. They are there to help you! Quality Matters is here to help as well. Use the “Bridge to Quality: A QM Online Course Design Guide” — a step-by-step approach to completing the hands-on, iterative work that is central to creating a quality course.

Christine Voelker is Quality Matter’s K-12 Program Director. She brings over 20 years of K-12 education experience to the position, including expertise in distance learning, library media, instructional technology, and professional development. She has an advanced certificate in Administration and Supervision and a Master's in Library and Information Science. Connect with Christine on Twitter: @voelkerc.

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SPONSORED CONTENT

GIVING KIDS FREEDOM TO DEVELOP FUTURE-PROOF SKILLS Q&A with Andrea Keith, Vice President of School Programs for Let Grow Let Grow supports social-emotional learning through a unique approach. What differentiates your approach to SEL? Our programs are designed to provide opportunities for indirectly building and practicing SEL in real life by recreating the unstructured, unsupervised free time and drive for independence that childhood has largely lost.

Our approach, whether in the traditional classroom or in a distance learning setting, changes the expectation that constant supervision is expected or required. When children engage with our programs, they establish independence, and parents get a better picture of how well their child can do things for him/herself.

Students practice goal setting and self-motivation, naturally discover new interests and opportunities for success, and develop confidence and resilience.

What are some of the ways Let Grow supports educational equity?

For students with varying backgrounds and home situations, our programs are flexible and build independence within whatever parameters make sense for each unique family and the community they live in. They are based on giving children some freedom and trust so they can grow which can happen in any language, environment, and income bracket.

Another important factor with respect to equity, is how do we ensure teachers have the capacity to 52

give students their best? Incorporating Let Grow programs reduces teacher stress, eliminating many time-consuming concerns and providing more time for planning and instruction.

It maximizes time for school cleaning, an essential concern during re-entry this year, and also serves more students safely with limited time and space on campus.

In short, what are the specific programs you have available for schools?

We currently have three programs for schools, each of which is simple to implement and completely free: • The Independent Classroom Kit puts classroom management in the hands of the students, even the youngest learners, with fun resources for in-school or at-home.

• The Let Grow Project has been used around the country as a simple way to encourage kids to become more independent and parents to let them do more things on their own.

• Let Grow Play Club provides mixed-age unstructured free play without adult intervention.

It decreases teacher and student stress and increases students’ socialization, supporting successful school re-entry.

Learn more about Let Grow’s school programs that help kids become more capable, confident, and resilient: Letgrow.org/schools.

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BRINGING EDUCATION EQUITY TO THE UNDERSERVED AND DISENFRANCHISED A Q&A with Thom Jackson, President and CEO of EdisonLearning

Thom Jackson is President and Chief Executive Officer of EdisonLearning, one of the largest, vertically integrated K-12 educational services providers in the country.

EdisonLearning has nearly a generation of experience creating effective and sustainable solutions to raise student achievement. Thom is among the small segment of unique business leaders who can build relationships, trust, and rapport – that, in turn, result in solid partnerships and alliances. This quality was best exemplified when in 2014, he brokered the acquisition of EdisonLearning and directed the company's restructuring.

Thom's leadership has deepened the company's focus on growth and "Operational Excellence," ensuring that the domestic field operations are implemented with fidelity to the company's proprietary Academy Development Rubric™, Achievement Framework™ and Intentional Pathway to Commendable™ tools. He successfully retooled the company's enrollment function implementing an effective and efficient account management model, coherent communications, and social media strategy, all strengthening the company's strategic alliances.

What is the brief history of EdisonLearning, and what schools and students do you serve?

Historically, EdisonLearning has worked with many of the toughest and most commonly disenfranchised districts, and we have not shied away from our responsibility to make a difference in these schools. Our typical student in our alternative education academies is one that has, for a variety of reasons, been failed by the traditional system. For those that need an alternative path to a high school diploma, college entry, or a career path, we go 54

where others will not. We take our responsibility seriously and ensure that we don’t lower the bar for ourselves or our students while providing equal access to high-quality education. Much of what we do involves managing charter schools, giving alternative paths to graduation, or delivering innovative online learning, but what it’s really about is being real about educational equity - helping students get out of poverty and on a track to achieving their dreams and living their best lives.

Many companies talk a lot about equity, but aren’t necessarily taking action. What sets you apart from the “talkers” and demonstrates how you make a difference?

We are unique in that we are directly serving the disenfranchised. It is now axiomatic that the quality of a student’s education in the U.S. depends on their zip code. Certain zip codes don’t allow access to the quality of education that can catapult someone into the types of careers that exist today. But we are addressing the fallacy that a zip code determines trajectory. Upwards of 92% of our alternative education students qualify for Title I’s free and reduced lunch program. We choose to go into low-SES neighborhoods and provide them with the quality education they deserve. We hold them accountable, and they hold us accountable.

One area of significant focus for us is on the charter school side, where we support students who have dropped out or are in substantial danger of dropping out because they are as much as 2 years behind their school cohort. The hard realities of life have interrupted their teenage years in some way, whether through pregnancy, homelessness, being a victim of violence, or in some cases, those who simply were not best served by traditional classroom environments. We offer a truly blended learning model to support students who are over age for grade in middle school, or dropped out of high school, to prepare them for employment, military service or higher education as they elect. The model has been applauded by districts – returning nearly a 90% graduation rate (this among students who had previously dropped out, remember), with 96% going on to college, career, or military.

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We believe that there is an multiplier effect at hand, where a younger student or family member sees an older student succeed, and it creates the desire to replicate that success, to also graduate from high school or college, and thus builds both hope and academic resilience in the next generation in the former dropout’s (now new graduate’s) family. Our belief is that this multiplier effect has a way of digging in and making a change in today’s neighborhoods, ultimately providing equity where it has otherwise been lost.

What are you most proud of about your company in today’s educational world?

There are many factors I’m proud of, but mostly it comes down to the students, staff, community, and results. Our team is mission-driven and committed to change. Abraham Lincoln said, “Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality,” and that couldn’t be truer for all involved. This year, our alternative education academies will graduate their five thousandth student. We know that students who drop out of high school are more likely to earn substantially less than those who have high school diplomas, 47 times more likely to engage with the criminal justice system, and are even likely to have a lower life expectancy. There is an impact to this work that has a way of changing the world for so many. I am so proud of the students, the results, and the people at EdisonLearning.

How are you innovating in the digital learning space and how does this increase equity and access for all students?

perspective. There is feedback tied in that becomes applicable to students' lives on a daily basis.

What is your vision for the future, regarding the role education plays in preparing students for equitable outcomes beyond their school days?

A lot of what frames my vision for the future is my own personal journey. I had an 8th grade teacher, the late Dottie Miller, who saw potential in me and took the time to mentor me and push my abilities.

Every student should have the experience of having someone who believes in them and challenges them to believe in themselves.

Digital learning doesn’t change that; it merely provides a different way for teachers and students to interact. It supports equity by letting teachers and students from around the world engage in better ways. One might ask: What is the promise of digital learning? What is its real possibility? The answer lies in the global connectedness. Students in disparate locations, from Accra, Ghana to Anniston, Alabama, can collaborate on solving a drought problem to make sure people have clean water. These kids are not only able to learn together but work with one another to envision a world that they can join forces to make better. You can design models of learning that allow people to work together even if they’re not in the same physical space. Instead of educating within a narrowly defined neighborhood catchment, we can educate students across a country and a world, breaking down racial, economic, gender and national barriers, and bringing the best ideas of the most important race – the human race.

Digital learning allows us to change school from a noun to a verb. Rather than where is the classroom, it's what is the classroom?

Today’s student represents a generation of native technology users.

They expect to learn through technology and, indeed, students are already learning on multiple devices. For them, classrooms are not just part of the brick-and-mortar structure. As classrooms evolve, we need to innovate around that to support our students.

Looking Ahead

It's not only K-20 but how students are learning over a lifetime. We are building a lifelong learning journey, with a platform offering immediately available chunks that are digestible from an intellectual

Visit EdisonLearning.com to learn about digital learning solutions that eliminate the persistent disparity of academic opportunities for students confronted with socioeconomic challenges.

Thom’s mission is to see a world where the barriers to high-quality education are eliminated, and the boundaries between in-person and virtual, school, and the workplace, are removed and redefined.

Through equitable access to relevant content, the global education system will increase opportunities for every learner, everywhere, to succeed in a meaningful career and as a valued member of society.

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SPONSORED CONTENT

CLOSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

NOT ALL LEARNING IS ONLINE, BUT EVERY LEARNER SHOULD BE.

By John Harrington There is a growing gap between students who have access to a fast Internet connection and those who do not. This gap is sometimes referred to as the Digital Divide.

More recently, the term â&#x20AC;&#x153;homework gapâ&#x20AC;? has been used. But no matter how you refer to it, for students who lack the necessary resources, the inability to get online is a barrier to their success. Like access to running water and electricity, Internet access plays a vital role in providing students a quality education. It is time for our society to address digital equity by ensuring that every learner is online. Not all learning is online, but every learner should be.

NO INTERNET ACCESS AFTER SCHOOL Funds For Learning estimates that there are 56

7.2 million family households in the United States who are not online -- millions of Americans who lack and cannot afford Internet access at home. For students, this means an inability to complete homework assignments, collaborate with their peers, review materials from their teacher, or access a Khan Academy video to help them understand a concept. They cannot check their grades, take a practice quiz, or ask a question via chat. In the best case, they can a visit the local library (inside, or, more likely, outside in the parking lot). But that is hardly an ideal learning environment.

WHAT CAN BE DONE? There is good news. The challenge facing our communities is surmountable. This is a not a

“moon launch” situation requiring us to stretch the limits of human knowledge. No, on the contrary, we can readily address now.

It turns out there is quite a bit that can be done and there are legions of individuals lining up to help. The same technologies that connect most Americans to the Internet are accessible, or nearly accessible, to many of those who do not have it already. For a broad segment of the disconnected population, the cables or wireless signals needed are relatively close by. In a study conducted by Funds For Learning in 2016, we found that there were one million Americans living in public low-income housing within a quarter mile of a school or library with Internet access.

In other situations, school buses and library book mobiles loaded with Wi-Fi have been used to bring the Internet further out into the community. Cellular data plans and special “point-to-point” connections can also be used. The point is this: in almost every circumstance in which a student is offline, there exists a way to bring them back across the digital divide, and many of those options are quite affordable.

NO FEDERAL SUPPORT If the technology is there, what is stopping online education? The piece missing is a serious commitment from the federal government to address the need of off-campus Internet access for students. A lack of financial support, combined with regulations that prohibit off-campus Internet

access, is the primary barrier to closing the digital divide. There are no federal funds specifically earmarked to address this need.

For years, many of us in the “EdTech” community have been calling for additional aid to help these students. But no support has been made available. Furthermore, there is a perverse wrinkle in the current federal regulations. Schools and libraries are prohibited from extending their Internet connectivity to the community around them.

If a Wi-Fi signal stays on school property, that is okay. But if a student uses that Wi-Fi signal across the street, then the school risks losing federal funding.

ACTION IS NEEDED The lack of Internet access for students is a systemic problem that results in limited academic opportunities for far too many children. These impediments then fuel cycles of poverty and other social ailments. We can and should do better. It starts with understanding and communicating the need.

Leaders and decision makers in Washington, DC, cannot address situations if they are not aware of them. We each have a responsibility to educate members of Congress and federal regulators to make sure they comprehend the scope of this problem, and then we need to hold them accountable to help our communities.

By prioritizing federal funding and cutting through unnecessary red tape, we can help connect all students to the Internet.

John Harrington is the CEO of Funds For Learning, a nationwide consulting firm committed to helping schools and libraries connect students to the Internet.

Learn more about Funds For Learning.

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IS THIS THE END? OR THE BEGINNING?

In the aftermath of COVID-19, how do we safely reopen schools so that all learners will thrive?

How might we redefine education in the midst of the COVID crisis and beyond to recognize the current spectrum of how learning occurs in school, in the community, and at home? Never has so much thought been put into reimaging schools. We have an amazing collective opportunity to determine what we really want for the future of learning.

By Jay Litman, AIA, with contributions by Jill Ackers and Nathan Strenge The ending of “school” exposed the intrinsic problems of our antiquated, traditional “Cells and Bells” system of education that exists everywhere on earth. The “traditional” system represents a compartmentalized, analog world that no longer exists. With all schools closed, all notions of sustainability, equity, and access have evaporated. On April 2nd, NPR reported that “right now students are out of school in 185 countries. According to UNESCO, that's roughly 9 out of 10 schoolchildren worldwide (Kamenetz, 2020a).

The CDC recommendations for a return to school call for classroom modifications that will result in a return to a 1950s arrangement of desks and chairs, all in rows, facing forward. As well-meaning as this advice is, it does not recognize what is happening in the classrooms 58

of today’s schools, nor is it a good strategy to minimize the spread of COVID infections.

We cannot underestimate the long-term impact COVID will have on the direction of education in the 21st century. One thing is for certain: We must move forward to find solutions instead of stumbling backward. We must find solutions to amplify student voice, not minimize it!

Ironically, the worldwide pandemic wrought by COVID-19 is launching us all into the 21st century, creating a final clean break with the 20th century. COVID-19 has accomplished this feat by exposing many of our obsolete notions of who we are and educational practices that should have been replaced long ago. Our took-kit of solutions no longer works!

The American Consortium for Equity in Education

LEADING FOR EQUITY HOW ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S LARGEST SCHOOL DISTRICTS IS PURSUING AN EQUITY AGENDA • What types of data can inform and catalyze an equity agenda in a school district?

• What are the different “key levers” for fostering equity in a school district?

• What are historical and contemporary contexts regarding equity in our schools?

• What ongoing efforts and connected work with equity can foster racial justice?

On August 27, 2020, AASA presented a mustview webinar with Dr. Frank Barnes, Chief Equity and Accountability Officer for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and turnaround principal Kimberly Vaught of Allenbrook Elementary School.

As we all work to bring meaningful, permanent antiracist action to every school, we encourage all educators, leaders and equity advocates to hear what they shared.

CLICK TO VIEW THE RECORDING HOSTED BY:

AASA, The Superintendents Association

AASA’s Leadership Network, providing premier professional learning for educational leaders ace-ed.org

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THE ”MINI-LEARNING COMMUNITY” MODEL Our Fielding International (FI) COVID Resiliency Team is proposing a paradigm shift from the “old school” rule of one teacher for each classroom full of students to a more collaborative “mini learning community” model.

Instead of 20-25 -students packed into each available 700-900 SF classroom, we propose connecting several classrooms into a richer and more flexible learning environment.

This approach would also allow us to configure school furnishings in a manner that would serve to minimize the spread of the COVID infection by establishing four to six collaborative student teams of five to six students each within each classroom cohort. Each collaborative team would remain together for this fall semester.

This does two things. First, it creates an uneven grouping of students within the existing classrooms. This configuration works against the rapid spread of airborne COVID-19 aerosols. Keeping students together in smaller teams also helps to impede the spread of the virus by distancing each team of four to six students by 6-10 feet. The students in each team can continue to work together.

VENTILATION, FILTRATION, PROTECTION The research and science have identified three critical strategies to employ in all interior school spaces to slow the spread of infection – VFP! It is also extremely important to note that in all reopening scenarios, classrooms and other spaces occupied by students should be well ventilated with as much outdoor air as possible to reduce the transmission of coronavirus.

Closing the windows goes directly against this recommendation. A better option would be to open all of the windows to provide window fans to both bring in fresh air and exhaust stale air out of the rooms. The more air changes you provide in a room, the more you dilute the airborne aerosols potentially containing COVID-19.

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Filtration is also a critical component in reducing the density of viral particles in the air of all occupied school spaces. In a recent edition of Environment International, Dr Linsey Marr and her team made a clear point in the value in air cleaning strategies, by constant ventilation of schools’ indoor air with fresh outdoor air out to keep viral concentrations low, and to use a ceiling-mounted air cleaning system fitted with HEPA filters to constantly filter out pathogens, or outfitted with upward or inward-facing shielded UV-C lamps to sterilize the air constantly.

As the Georgia Department of Schools have shown us, Children are not immune to COVID-19. Without face protection, mass infection will occur at a rapid pace. So it is logical and recommended that everybody wears a mask in all the return scenarios enabling students in teams to remain close. The mask not only contains the spread of airborne aerosols (sneezing), it will also limit the number of viral particles a person wearing a mask might inhale in this instance. Medical researchers are now indicating that incidental exposure may stimulate a person’s “T” cells to produce anti-bodies without succumbing to a full breakout of the COVID virus.

THREE RETURN SCENARIOS Based on these concepts, we have examined three return scenarios that will each support enhanced levels of pedagogical innovation.

Even during a worldwide pandemic, we must strive to reopen our schools in a way that is not just safe, but also stimulating. We must develop reopening strategies that enable all learners to thrive!

FULL RETURN The Full-Return Model is recommended for school districts either with mostly modernized schools built in the last 15 years or with the improvements already in place to properly control the proper levels of ventilation and filtration. For the Full-Return, our FI team has

The American Consortium for Equity in Education

developed the concept of a transformative classroom layout based on FI’s “Learning Communities,” which combines each set of three contiguous classrooms into a single collaborative “Mini Learning Community.”

Ideally, each group of three classrooms would connect through the shared internal doors typical in most schools. The three teachers assigned together would share all three classrooms as a single collective mini-learning community. Each classroom would be set up for a combination of selected learning modalities.

For instance, in one iteration, the middle classroom would act as a collaborative “Learning Commons”. The classroom on the left could be set up as a project-based set of workspaces and for presentations. The classroom on the right might be set up as instructional space and for group work.

There are endless possibilities with such an organizational strategy. For instance, one room could be set up for reading-related activities while another room might be set up to better support social-emotional learning activities. In middle and high school, this arrangement would support interconnected STEM or STEAM curricula, where humanities and science could be taught in a more integrated fashion.

While students would maintain the three-foot / one-meter distance recommended by WHO, each collaborative team would maintain a distance of 6-10 feet apart. The teacher would be able to speak to all their students in a direct lecture mode or circulate from team to team.

This arrangement will also give time for teachers to act quickly to isolate a potentially sick child and perhaps quarantine the suspect collaborative team while offering greater distance and protection for the other students.

This approach will work to further minimize infection rates.

ALTERNATING (HYBRID) RETURN The Hybrid or Alternating Model is devised for School Districts that are not yet completely

ready for fully reopening or due to the Districts’ choice of physical distancing, do not have the additional space the Full Return requires.

Another important consideration for selecting the Alternating model is the ability to dial-it-up to the Full Return, or dial-it-down to the Flex Model, depending in the infection rates. This is the only model that has a brake and an accelerator to control the situation!

The Alternating Return model is a combination of in-person learning and remote learning. In the “Hybrid” scenario, the student population is split into two groups that alternate between attending the physical building and engaging in remote learning from home.

The potential downside is the fault line that may appear between the haves and have-nots.

Remote learning requires a household to have a cable service, a modem and Wi-Fi router, and a computer. Many school districts do not have these resources to share. I have heard some sad stories coming from teachers I know in Norfolk, VA, and Springfield, MA. Their students are lost without access to the critical services their school system normally provides.

On the positive side, the Alternating Model makes a lot of sense and gives teachers and the school district a lot of flexibility, since it allows for easy adjustment for increasing or decreasing the number of kids in school dependent on the daily or weekly infection rate in a particular community.

Many districts and schools are offering schedule variations, including alternate schedules by day, week, or even split schedules within the same day to assure this learning model meets the needs of all student populations.

Unprecedented challenges require us to imagine new learning opportunities and adjust to changing role expectations. This is an opportunity to create hybrid environments such as described in the Full Return Model, where students demonstrate ownership over the learning process, reimagine accessible and independent content delivery, and navigate

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collaborative groupings asynchronous participation.

that

promote

FLEXIBLE RETURN Some Districts and parents seeking flexibility may elect to start the year with most students primarily at home using the Flexible Return model. This model can address the concerns over equity and access with a full or part-time, in-school learning option, prioritized for kids in high-need situations. Attendance is based on financial, family work or living circumstances, support for special education and ESL students, and those without access to remote learning.

Schools have the option to schedule small groups of students into physical buildings for a variety of activities, including one-on-one check-ins with teachers, small group instruction, collaborative work time, and facilitated learning experiences. School facilities are strategically set-up to safely accommodate these types of activities.

While the model can support full distance learning, a blended approach can be incorporated with consideration given to how time and space are used, with defined roles for teachers and students. Consider delineating roles so some teachers are focused on distance learning while others are leading the in-school activities. We at Fielding International have developed spatial patterns and layouts to incorporate in this return model to maximize flexibility, build agency, and strengthen equity – all while prioritizing safety.

SO HERE WE ARE As of this writing, COVID is still raging, the challenges are daunting. There are not enough resources, money, and equipment to create a

perfect environment. We all understand this. But we cannot throw up our hands in despair.

School districts are working hard to open this fall in some fashion and somehow use whatever is available to mitigate COVID infection rates as much as possible.

We can only hope these three reopening strategies will provide the framework for you to develop reopening options that work for your school district. Consider this a new toolkit with which to build possible solutions! And also consider the vision we have illuminated. We cannot allow non-education-oriented bureaucrats to drive education back to the pre-digital 1950s. All solutions should not only find ways to reduce infection rates, but also create new kinds of learning spaces that engage students. In the end, all solutions must create a new, safer school environment that enables all learners to thrive!

Jay J. Litman, AIA, is a Partner with Fielding International (FI) and is Studio Director and Principal of the FI/Rhode Island Studio. Jay has a deep understanding and appreciation of the educational challenges facing today’s children and adults within the traditional “20th Century” learning environments that still dominate the vast majority of the world’s schools. His 42 years of professional experience has focused primarily on the planning and design of PK–12 educational facilities for children; University facilities; public libraries; Institutional Master Planning; and the rehabilitation of historic structures. His project background also extends to Campus and Urban Planning.

How to Conduct an Effective EdTech Audit

Odds are your district is spending a good deal of its critical funding on EdTech.

In fact, it’s estimated that U.S. school districts now spend over 13 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR on educational technology.

Conducting an internal EdTech audit enables administrative leaders to attain a bird’s-eye view of their district’s technology usage and identify successes, challenges, vulnerabilities, and cost savings opportunities.

Download the EdTech Audit Checklist now and ensure your EdTech’s ROI is meeting your expectations.

Download the EdTech Audit Checklist

CONTACT US TODAY! For more information about CatchOn, contact 866-615-1101 or info@catchon.

EQUITY AND ACCESS IN CANADIAN EDUCATION From MindShare Learning

MUST-SEE PODCASTS ON CANADIAN EDTECH Classroom Design and the impact on student learning and well being with Roopa Segu-Virk, Director of Workplace Strategy and Ergonomics, Global Furniture Group

CLICK TO VIEW Back to School and Student Well Being with awardwinning author, learning architect and humanitarian Dr. Rummet Billan. Canada's Top 10 Power Women. 2x Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women.

CLICK TO VIEW 64

The American Consortium for Equity in Education

Dear Thought Leader: I’m honoured to invite you to participate in Canada’s 11th Canadian EdTech Leadership Summit — “The Future of Learning in Crisis and Beyond.”

It’s never been a more critical period in our history to gather with national, international and local thought leaders and key community stakeholders to come together to reflect, explore, and envision solving some of the most complex challenges in educating our future leaders due to COVID-19.

I’m thrilled to share that Tom Vander Ark, CEO, Getting SMART along with John Baker, CEO, D2L and Jeremy Hedges, founder, The Canadian Shield and Inksmith will be keynoting at our 11th Canadian EdTech Leadership Summit–The Future of Learning in Crisis and Beyond Task Force Thursday, October 29th, (hybrid delivery).

I’m further excited to share our Cross Canada Checkup panel is being finalized as we speak and will include notable global education thought leaders Dr. Andy Hargreaves, Dr. Michael Fullan, Dr. Mario Chaisson, to name a few exceptionally visionary experts. And not to be missed, the extraordinary Katina Papulkus, Dell’s Canadian education strategist and former TDSB teacher leader always inspires us with her passion and insight.

This year, we’re pleased to walk the digital talk and offer a hybrid model with limited face to face seating at the state-of-the-art MindShare Workspace and Online.

Please don’t hesitate to drop me an email robert@mindsharelearning.com or call me at 416-569-2106 to discuss how we can partner with you to maximize you and your team’s participation in our national EdTech Innovation Summit.

Until next time, keep the digital learning curve steep!

Best,

Robert Martellacci – M.A. EdTech Conference Chair Founder and President, MindShare Learning Technology™

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DR. LANA ISRAEL

SPONSORED CONTENT

FOUNDER & CEO OF MUZOLOGY Dr. Israel, a learning and memory expert, received her Doctorate in Experimental Psychology from Oxford University, where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar and conducted post-graduate research.

She is a summa cum laude graduate of Harvard.

Since completing her doctoral studies, Dr. Israel has gained over a decade of business, strategic, and production-side experience in the music industry, having worked with some of today’s biggest artists.

designed to help students master fundamental prealgebra skills.

I realized that the same students who struggle with learning know the words to countless songs. This realization brought me back to an earlier epiphany I had as a teenager, when I was working with students of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities—namely, that ALL students are capable of learning but are not always taught in a manner that resonates with them.

Muzology was formed to bring relevant, highquality instruction to ALL learners using the universal language of music.

Tell us why Pre-K-12 educators should be aware of what you are doing regarding Educational Equity and Accessibility.

What does your company do? Perhaps a bit of history.... How long have you been working with schools and students?

Muzology was established in 2015, but I have been interested in high engagement learning for decades.

As a middle school student, I was fascinated with memory, which inspired my 8th grade science project and, in turn, my first book, Brain Power for Kids: How to Become an Instant Genius (published when I was 13). To my amazement, I received global recognition for this work and began lecturing around the world— and did my fair share of media appearances!

Five years ago, I teamed up with Bob Doyle (longtime manager of Garth Brooks), and we assembled hit songwriters and academic experts to create Muzology’s digital learning platform, which is 66

Equity and accessibility are at the heart of Muzology, which harnesses the power of music to make learning engaging and exciting for students of all backgrounds and abilities. Music directly activates brain regions that control memory, emotion, motivation, and attention—resulting in a more robust learning experience. Additionally, all of our videos are pedagogically sound and multi-modal, so that students can sing, hear, see, and dance their way to mathematical success.

One of the best compliments we received was from a student who shared that he struggled learning “OneStep Equations” in class for two months, but after watching one of our music videos, he finally got it!

Equally important is our ongoing commitment to advancing equity by keeping our products affordable. Though we have accomplished a great deal in terms of equity and accessibility, there is more work to be done (e.g., we are exploring downloadable resources, mobile apps, and seeking partnership opportunities with public broadcast TV and foundations).

The American Consortium for Equity in Education

Regarding your company, what are you most proud of given today’s educational world?

I am particularly proud of the impact Muzology is having on student confidence. When I meet with teachers, I often hear them say how students are not engaged or interested in math. Muzology reverses this trend and drives learning success to the point that students begin to feel more confident about themselves and their learning ability. It is so rewarding when a student says, “It helped me learn to not give up.” Or a teacher observes, “I’ve seen a higher level of engagement from more kids than with anything else I’ve used.” This is an absolute gamechanger motivationally. Once students experience academic achievement—often for the first time in their lives, they want more of it. In turn, students pay more attention, engage with the material, and feel motivated to learn.

Click here to listen to teachers and students talk about the impact of Muzology.

“Muzology has not just given me confidence in my ability to do math, it’s given me confidence in my ability to do anything.”

- Student who had previously failed 8th grade math

How are you addressing the impact of COVID-19 and helping students reverse the associated academic slide?

Muzology leapt into action during COVID-19 school closures. As a first step, we made Muzology available free through August 31. The response was quick with teachers and parents in 48 states taking advantage of our offer. We are also providing grants to help cover subscription costs for high-need schools that serve economically disadvantaged students.

To promote COVID-19 safety measures, we turned to music and our industry friends to produce the video “ALL OVER THE MAP: The Coronavirus Song” (a music video released in April 2020, with plans to update to current CDC guidelines). Click here to watch.

The “COVID slide” is real, particularly impacting those in challenging school settings or home environments. Here’s where Muzology helps as a highly effective remote learning solution that supports differentiated instruction and remediation.

Muzology also enables self-paced and self-directed learning, no matter where you are – in the classroom or at the kitchen table. Our music videos also bring a smile to a student’s face!

Muzology commends all of the amazing educators in our country. We will continue to support you throughout these challenging times.

muzology.com | @muzologyEdu

Muzology helps ALL learners succeed at math — in class and remotely.

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WANT TO BE LISTED ON THIS PAGE IN THE NEXT ISSUE? Contact Larry Jacobs, Publisher and Director of Sales, via email or at (978) 712-8187 to discuss advertising and partnership opportunities.

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DON’T JUST TALK ABOUT EQUITY AND ACCESS... LISTEN. EDUCATION TALK RADIO • Weekday mornings with Larry Jacobs • More than 3,000 shows on education • Average of 1,700 listens per day

A FEW RECENT DISCUSSIONS: CCSSO: National Teacher of the Year Early Childhood Educator Tabatha Rosproy THE SCHOOL COUNSELOR’S PERSPECTIVE ON REOPENING ACSA Board Members Geoff Heckman & Susan Arvidson CULTURAL COMPETENCE IN EDUCATION Camden, NJ Thought Leader Rann Miller

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