FYI from BSF, 11.20.20

Some things we read through recently...

Who’s Got the Remote?

It is nearly two months to the day that Boston students began this year learning outside of school buildings.  

There are exceptions, of course.  About 2,600 high-need students routinely attended school in October prior to when the rise in COVID-19 rates in Boston ended those services.  After intense negotiations, the Boston Teachers Union announced Sunday that up to 200 very high-need students could return to buildings based on extensive health and safety protocols.

With seven-day averages still well above the ceiling allowed for most in-person learning, it is not reasonable to expect the other ~49,000 BPS students to return to buildings any time soon, if at all this year.

Which begs the question: how is remote learning going in Boston?

Fresh data from a MassInc poll shows widespread family dissatisfaction with schools in Massachusetts.  Very succinct summary here.  The data is incredibly rich, with insights into everything from racial disparities (significant), learning pods (more diverse than media coverage would have suggested) and hybrid instruction (which is currently earning bronze among learning options).  There are patterns, but what also sticks out is the variation.

There are clear signals on remote learning.  Families, in general, want school districts to focus more on it.  And, when you dig a level below, you see this desire is even stronger among historically marginalized families - by race, income, degree attainment, etc. (pages 18-34).  Boston families (page 26), too.  And, not too surprisingly, families already in a remote-only environment (page 31).

This dovetails with another insight - families are increasingly worried about their children falling behind academically.  

Which leads us to ask again, how is remote learning going in Boston?

We don’t know.  

Boston School Committee met on Wednesday.  It was a packed agenda.  There was an open meeting law violation to deal with.  There were several hours of statements of apology (but no further actions) by School Committee members for racist remarks and text messages, and the election of new officers.  Hours of public comments, including a significant program change at the Mather.  Details for a new work agreement for 240 employees.  There was a long, detailed presentation on hiring.

But there was no data on how kids or educators were doing.  

The last data presented was on October 8, with very limited information on learning - no log-in/engagement rates, academic or wellness data (the Superintendent has suspended assessments for now), or instructional strategies.  Or remote learning security?  

This is how Boston kids are learning, and families are worried.  What’s the plan?
In Chicago, you can see student grades disaggregated. In Philadelphia, you can check in by school.  In Atlanta, there are transparent policies and interventions for students. 

It was announced at School Committee there would be an upcoming “retreat” to discuss data and strategies going forward.  

It has already been 247 days since remote learning began.  Clear policy ideas have been shared.  If this was a priority, the city had plenty of time to figure it out.

Educators, families, and children should expect a lot of information and plans.  

Reopening MA and Beyond

Against the headwinds of CDC guidance, no-confidence votes, and an increase in newly reported COVID-19 cases, the state pressed on with investments to reopen school buildings.  An initial round of rapid testing at 134 school sites was announced, and some mayors are rolling out pooled testing. 

Various angles are playing out to prevent post-Thanksgiving spikes, with the Governor and the Mayor urging safeguards around higher education.  Littleton (and, we hear anecdotally, many private schools) is putting families on notice.

With the deadline approaching for the required flu vaccine for schools, the state is being sued about the mandate.  That will certainly add a wrinkle when the COVID-19 vaccine is available for educators and children.

The Senate passed its version of the state budget, featuring educational investments.  School committees are already asking for more, with the additional strain of enrollment declines.

With different community transmission rates and different political conditions, the picture of how American school districts are managing learning is cloudy.  The same week New York City went back to remote-only, Washington, DC welcomed some students back in buildings.

Other Matters

Picking schools will be very different this year (including virtual open houses at BPS), and Boston School Finder is here to help.  

Early childhood education has also been seriously disrupted since March.

As our nation’s educators turn their lonely eyes to the Biden Administration, and there is already spirited sparring over the next Secretary of Education.

Some good higher ed news this week.  Two of our partner schools, Boston Prep and Match, have among the highest college attending rates in the state.  Duet has formed a partnership with BPS.