PRE K-12 Equity&Access FROM ACE-ED.ORG THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CONSORTIUM FOR EQUITY IN EDUCATION
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IN THIS ISSUE: Prioritizing the mental health of students & teachers Can music help stop the COVID slide? Educational facility designer: three return scenarios
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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.
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!
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:
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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. 60
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.
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