Paola Gilliam

From Education Week, May 4, 2021, by Madeline Will

The coronavirus pandemic and resulting lockdowns have permanently shifted the way many industries think about how and where people work. But will school districts follow suit and embrace workplace flexibility?

The model of one teacher standing in front of a class for six or seven hours a day has changed very little in decades. That’s despite persistent pushes for schools to adopt more flexible approaches, like team-based teaching or assigning teachers’ roles based on their expertise.

From K-12 Dive, March 22, 2021, by Kara Arundel

School system leaders are cautiously optimistic that the 2021-22 school year will see more students learning in-person and that the school day will resemble pre-pandemic routines, but with safety protocols in place. Increased vaccine administration for adults and the hope of childhood vaccines this fall, winter or early in 2022 are helping drive this confidence.

Superintendents, however, say it’s difficult to predict the status of the pandemic five months from now. That uncertainty is pushing them to prepare for multiple scenarios as COVID-19 continues to be a major health crisis. Read more…

From OA Online, March 22, 2021, by Ruth Campbell

A program to place effective teachers in front of more Ector County ISD students is expanding this coming school year to more campuses.

Executive Director of Talent Development Ashley Osborne said 10 campuses are going to be added to the Opportunity Culture arsenal. The district currently has eight Opportunity Culture campuses.

The ECISD website says Opportunity Culture is “an innovative approach to staffing that multiplies the impact of highly effective teachers, thereby improving student performance.” No longer available online.

From The Hill, March 13, 2021, by Thomas Toch and Lynn Olson

From Chiefs for Change, March 11, 2021

Chiefs for Change is grateful to President Biden for his leadership and to Congress for approving emergency relief aid that is commensurate with the tremendous challenges America’s schools are facing amid Covid-19.

As K-12 leaders prepare to receive their share of the $123 billion included in the American Rescue Plan, we developed this memo for states and districts. It is based on relevant research as well as insights and practices from our members’ systems. The memo outlines the areas systems should prioritize in order to best support students during the pandemic and prepare them to thrive in the years to come.