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Here are some of the things we’ve been reading about this week:
Starting school at age 2 helps children avoid achievement gaps.
The U.S. Department of Education has called for increasing support for bilingual and multilingual teachers who can work with English learners.
As Covid relief programs expire, child poverty has doubled.
To read more, click on the following links.
Research & Practice
Starting School Before Age 2 Helps Children Avoid Achievement Gaps, Study Finds
The 74: Educare, a nationwide program of early childhood centers, is gaining attention for its approach to early education. These centers keep children with the same teacher until age 3, maintain small class sizes, offer a full-day schedule, and provide strong family support. A recent study focusing on an Educare site in Tulsa found that children who attended these programs entered kindergarten academically on par with more affluent peers and maintained stronger language and math skills through third grade. This challenges the common criticism that preschool gains fade out during early grades. These results suggest that starting preschool before age 2 can help close the achievement gap. Experts are arguing for more federal spending on high-quality infant and toddler programs, and they consider Educare to be a blueprint for the future of early education programs. This could lead to a shift from separate Head Start and Early Head Start programs to a unified birth-to-school-entry program that better serves communities’ needs. See also: “As Child Care Crisis Looms, How States Can Bolster State Agencies to Be Better Prepared to Aid Families in 2024”
Wise Compassionate Framework: Elevating Holistic Education
Psychology Today: The Wise-Compassionate Framework (WCF) has been proposed as an innovative solution for addressing the evolving challenges in public education. Rooted in data-driven research and compassionate practices, the framework aims to improve academic achievement and mental health, and to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in education. The framework departs from traditional models by categorizing academic, behavioral, and social-emotional learning (SEL) elements into universal, supplemental, and intensive tiers, allowing for targeted evidence-based interventions.The framework emphasizes stakeholder engagement and advocates for system-wide policies and collaborations. The framework seeks to bridge racial disparities and elevate academic aspirations, making it a promising approach for the evolving landscape of post-pandemic education. Its success depends on rigorous evaluation and engagement from educational stakeholders.
Older Students ‘Running Out of Time’ for Academic Recovery
Edweek: A new report from the Center for Reinventing Public Education highlights the challenges faced by older students in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report argues that older students may be running out of time to recover academic progress lost during the pandemic, but financial and educational recovery efforts primarily focus on younger grades. The report finds significant disruptions for around 13.5 million high school students across four graduating classes, including plummeting test scores and rising course failure rates. In addition, the gaps in course failure rates between Black and Hispanic students and Asian and white students have widened. To address these challenges, the report recommends creating academic “gap year” programs in collaboration with higher education institutions, focusing on career-relevant and college preparation opportunities for older students. However, the report also notes that most schools lack procedures to ensure intervention programs serve the students most in need academically, particularly in the older grades.
Policy
The ESSER fiscal cliff will have serious implications for student equity
Brookings: The abrupt closure of schools during the pandemic disproportionately harmed higher-needs students, leaving them academically behind their more advantaged peers. Now, a new crisis is on the horizon for schools in September 2024, involving a financial perfect storm. Federal pandemic relief funds (ESSER) that have sustained districts are ending, leading to a substantial reduction in spending per student, which will be especially challenging in high-need communities. High-poverty districts will face greater budget cuts, causing significant disruption, including staff reductions. These cuts may exacerbate the problem of teacher diversity, as junior teachers, who are often more racially diverse, are at risk of losing their jobs. Additionally, some states are experiencing slowing revenue growth, potentially worsening equity in school funding. The hope is that state revenues will offset the loss of relief funds, but this is not guaranteed. To mitigate these challenges, leaders must carefully plan for the transition, ensuring equity isn’t compromised. States should consider changing revenue structures and targeting spending where it’s needed most. Districts should reevaluate layoff policies and prioritize academic needs over building reserves. Unlike the pandemic, the impending financial turmoil allows for deliberate, proactive decision-making to protect the most vulnerable students and preserve equity gains. See also: “74 Interview: Stanford Economist Eric Hanushek on COVID’s Trillion-Dollar Impact on Students”
Education Dept prioritizes increasing multilingual educators
K-12 Dive: The U.S. Department of Education has called for increasing support for bilingual and multilingual teachers to aid English learners. This proposal, part of the National Professional Development Program, prioritizes higher education institutions that offer professional development programs to address the shortage of bilingual educators. Entities focusing on serving low-income students or increasing the number of licensed multilingual instructors will be given preference for funding. During the 2019-20 school year, there was a 1.8% increase in the number of English learner students compared to the previous year, resulting in a shortage of English language instructors. The top five languages spoken by English learners in 2019-20 were Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Portuguese. The Education Department is emphasizing the importance of addressing the shortage of teachers and staff certified to work with English learners as the EL population grows and the global economy becomes more interconnected. Recent events, such as an influx of migrant students and challenges to the DACA program, may further exacerbate the shortage of bilingual educators.
Why schoolyards are a critical space for teaching about — and fighting — extreme heat and climate change
The Hechinger Report: Rising temperatures are impacting schools across the U.S., leading to class and activity cancellations due to heat concerns. At Roosevelt Elementary School in San Leandro, Calif., teachers engaged fourth-graders in a project called “How cool is your school?” to address the issue of rising temperatures. Armed with infrared thermometers and a map of their school, students measured ground temperatures at different locations, revealing that materials used in schoolyards significantly influenced temperature levels. They found that rubber safety material on the main playground was almost 50 degrees hotter than the grass playing field. This project connected students’ immediate surroundings to broader issues related to climate change, and they brainstormed ways to make their schoolyard cooler, proposing planting trees and adding shade structures. Such projects encourage problem-solving skills and an understanding of civic agency while addressing local climate challenges. Although implementing green schoolyards can be costly, some states are allocating funds for such initiatives to improve students’ learning environments and well-being.
Around the Nation
Child poverty more than doubles — a year after hitting record low, Census data shows
NPR: The child poverty rate in the U.S. has more than doubled since pandemic benefits ended, rising from a historic low of 5.2% to 12.4%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual data on poverty, income, and health insurance. The increase in child poverty occurred as pandemic relief was running out and record inflation was rising. One key factor in initially reducing the poverty rate was the child tax credit, which was expanded and increased in 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan. Parents predominantly used the extra tax credit money for essential household expenses like rent and food. However, when the pandemic relief ended, many low-income families lost out on this credit for their children. Democrats are pushing to revive the expanded child tax credit as part of broader tax negotiations, while some Republicans have proposed smaller credits with work requirements. At the state level, 18 states have changed tax programs to help low-income parents. The Census Bureau also reported a 2.3% decline in median household income, which was outpaced by record inflation. See also: “Poverty Rate Soared in 2022 as Aid Ended and Prices Rose”
New Data: School Shootings Surge to a Record High — Two Years in a Row
The 74: According to data in a report from the Education Department’s National Center for Education Statistics, American public schools are generally safer than they were a decade ago. However, there has been an alarming increase in school shootings, with a record 188 shootings resulting in injuries or deaths during the 2021-22 school year, twice as many as the previous record. The report’s definition of “school shooting” includes incidents where a gun is brandished or fired on school property, regardless of the number of victims or motives. These shootings have sparked debates about how to address gun violence in schools and led to the adoption of various physical security measures, such as controlled access, surveillance cameras, and security staff at schools. The report also suggests improvements in various safety metrics, such as decreased reports of bullying, gang activities, school fights, weapons possession, and alcohol use among students. However, there has been an increase in incidents of student disrespect, verbal abuse, and classroom disorder. Despite a slight dip in parental concerns about school safety, 38% still fear for their child’s safety, one of the highest percentages recorded.
States Look to Social-Emotional Learning to Combat Student Misbehavior, Poor Mental Health
Edweek: Missouri is developing state social-emotional learning (SEL) standards to address the challenge of teacher turnover. More than half of the state’s new teachers leave the profession within five years. Student misbehavior is a top factor cited by teachers who leave, and the pandemic has exacerbated this issue. Robust SEL, which focuses on managing emotions, building healthy relationships, and fostering empathy can help prevent poor behavior and improve teacher morale. Missouri’s board of education’s climate and culture committee charged the education department with creating K-12 SEL standards, which were developed with input from educators. The standards are expected to improve school climates and support teacher retention.
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