In recent years, schools have recognized the need to attend to students’ social-emotional needs as well their academic ones. But with kids coming back to school in an uncertain world, SEL takes a higher priority. During a recent edWebinar, sponsored by Scholastic Magazines+, the presenters offered strategies for helping students ease back into the classroom and get engaged in learning again.
To help educators who now find themselves starting another fast-changing and potentially problematic school year, former U.S. Navy SEAL Officer and 6x Paralympic Medalist, Dan Cnossen, shared his approach to setting goals and dealing with difficult situations.
Students can’t learn if they’re not in school, but too often, administrators only pay attention when a student is chronically absent. And as schools reopen after a year away, it’s even more important that learners and their families feel wanted at school. During an edLeader Panel, sponsored by EveryDay Labs, the presenters shared why family communication is an important part of school attendance and how they make students and families feel welcome in the classroom.
At the start of the school year, as teachers map out a year of rigorous student-centered teaching and learning, whom can they turn to for guidance? Why, Fred Rogers, of course. Yes, the iconic host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood who, for 33 years, invited children into a televised loving and often magical learning landscape. But, while he was a pioneer in using television to connect with and help children, he was also a whole-child maverick, grounded in evidence-based child development.
Social-emotional learning (SEL) is all the rage in schools around the country, as it should be. It shapes children’s, youth’s, and adults’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes crucial to human development and education. For SEL programs to succeed, their implementers should consider several critical elements that make for high-quality initiatives.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted school districts, students, staff, and families in unprecedented ways. In response to the learning loss, reduced instruction time, and low student engagement, the federal and state governmental agencies allocated ESSER I, II, and III funds to districts to utilize over the next two to three years.
Every year, CoSN awards a school district with the Community Leadership Award for Digital Equity to encourage and recognize those districts that are working to eliminate inequities and narrow the digital access gap. In a recent edWebinar, sponsored by ClassLink and co-hosted by CoSN and AASA, representatives from Desert Sands Unified School District, CA (the 2021 winner) and Santa Fe Public Schools, NM (the 2020 winner) presented their keys to success.
edWeb team member Doug Lerner lives in Japan and volunteered for the Tokyo Olympics. It was great to follow along with him for some of the behind-the-scenes happenings. We hope you enjoy reading his account of the experience.
After the sudden switch to remote and hybrid learning models at the start of the pandemic, the use of online tools and resources may seem like less of a concern now, but ensuring that students’ data remains protected is still a priority, especially as it is a federal requirement.
Congress is entering a period of intense activity before it departs for its August summer recess, which it terms a “District Work Period.” Before August, the House Appropriations Committee intends to mark up all of its FY22 spending bills and Congress will attempt to reach an agreement on and perhaps even pass a trillion-dollar infrastructure package. Waiting in the wings is a second multi-trillion-dollar budget reconciliation package that could contain major education initiatives including funding for school infrastructure, free community college, and teacher professional development.