Dec 7, 2020, 9:26 PM
(From Education Dive) With preschool and kindergarten attendance dipping this year — in some areas significantly — schools administrators also are implementing solutions to retain the youngest learners as well as entice families who have not yet enrolled their children in school. In localities that are finding success, schools are using data to determine which families need more supports and targeted communications from schools. Proactive schools also are making early and frequent connections with families of rising preschool and kindergarten students. In Connecticut, one school district saw an increase in early childhood enrollment after merging of various elements from different preschool grant programs and developing one registration process for parents. Aligning the preschool offerings also helped make the process for kindergarten transitions easier and more inviting for families and made the entire preschool program feel more cohesive, according to district leaders.
(From The 74 Million) From badges that record students’ every move to air purifiers with ultraviolet “kill chambers,” tracking the virus in schools becomes tech companies’ pandemic-era pitch. While may of these devices go above and beyond school-reporting approaches recommended by the CDC, health experts argue that some of the high-tech devices could be detrimental to schools’ pandemic response. By investing in expensive products that haven’t been proven effective, educators could find themselves in a position where “we don’t actually have enough resources to invest in the things we need to make schools safe and accessible,” said Albert Fox Cahn, founder and executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project.
(From The Washington Post) Across the country, schools have reported the number of students failing classes has risen by as many as two or three times — with English language learners and disabled and disadvantaged students suffering the most. In Maryland, for example, failure rates in math and English jumped as much as sixfold in the state's largest county. Educators see a number of factors at play: Students learning from home skip assignments, and internet access can be limited or inconsistent, making it difficult to complete and upload assignments. In response schools have been ramping up outreach efforts, prioritizing the return of struggling students for in-person learning and in some cases changing grading policies and giving students more time to complete assignments.
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