Learning
from the
Pandemic
Learning
from the
Pandemic
Learning
from the
Pandemic
Chief Executive Officer
Kevin Baird
Chief Academic Officer
Rob Bruno
Technology Officer
Senior Vice President, Marketing
Jon Swan
Creative Director
Rebecca Salem
Senior Marketing Manager
Achieve Magazine is published five times per year by Achieve3000, Inc. It is available free of charge to customers of Achieve3000 as well as interested educators and parents. To start your free subscription, visit http://magazine.achieve3000.com/subscribe. Articles submitted to Achieve Magazine may be edited for style and content prior to publication. Views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent Achieve3000 policies or positions. Please seek permission from the publisher before reproducing articles.
Education
Equity-Focused
Education
Equity Focused
iven the imperative decisions school districts are making due to the challenges and opportunities in today’s public education landscape, AASA, The School Superintendents Association, in partnership with an array of stakeholder organizations, has created a coalition to develop recommendations on transforming education to be more student-centered, equity focused and forward reaching.
Equity Agenda
Beyond Sameness
he Equity Conversation has risen to the top of many district agendas, with greater urgency and volume. That is the good news, in my view. However, over time, the weight of “the system” often brings the conversation back to the “same old, same old” – test more, place kids in tiers, treat each tier according to a set of protocols, test again.
Beyond Sameness
he Equity Conversation has risen to the top of many district agendas, with greater urgency and volume. That is the good news, in my view. However, over time, the weight of “the system” often brings the conversation back to the “same old, same old” – test more, place kids in tiers, treat each tier according to a set of protocols, test again.
he stresses of living during a pandemic affect us all. Shifting our ‘normal’ as we long for old routines is hard. As I work remotely with teachers across our nation, I see the resiliency of teachers who refuse to give up despite constant challenges. But it was when I started working with students online that I realized in order to keep sane, teachers must breathe, laugh, and take a nap — make that naps.
with Flexibility, Patience, and Grace
remember when we had our first case of COVID in Clark County; I had just landed in Reno for a meeting with state leaders. Immediately, I was called back — we were faced with trying to figure out how to keep our staff safe and maintain a feeling of calm. It was an enormous challenge to prepare for, as we had to consider much more than students’ basic educational needs. How could we continue to feed the students who depend on us for three meals a day?
mong Gilbert Spruance School’s 1,400+ students, there are 39 languages spoken. This has led to a unique opportunity for our literacy department. As a school-based teacher leader of literacy, I am responsible for ensuring that I equip teachers to provide students with individualized support and a solid literacy foundation, whether they are learning at home or in school.
have been teaching current and future teachers for 15 years at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and a top concern among most current and future teachers is lack of student motivation in the classroom. Throughout the pandemic, online and hybrid schooling has made it even more challenging to motivate students.
Public School System:
Success
Public School System:
ancy Czarnecki is the curriculum coordinator for Secondary Language Arts in Howard County, MD. She works with all the English teachers in grades six through 12 and the reading specialists who work with students in those grades as well.
Data-Informed
School Culture
ational education policy over the last decade has emphasized college and career readiness standards. This translated to states and school systems exploring novel ways to support students, while reporting on accountability measures. At my school, New York PS 171, the focus on readiness sparked a journey into data-driven instruction.
Data-Informed
School Culture
ational education policy over the last decade has emphasized college and career readiness standards. This translated to states and school systems exploring novel ways to support students, while reporting on accountability measures. At my school, New York PS 171, the focus on readiness sparked a journey into data-driven instruction.
Kweku
ditor’s Note: Kweku Mandela is the grandson of Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa and anti-apartheid hero. This is part two of an interview conducted at the National Literacy Summit with Kevin Baird, chief academic officer for Achieve3000. To read the first part of the interview, click here.
