FYI from BSF, 5.1.20
Some things we have read through recently
COVID-19: School Matters
The challenges to education presented by COVID-19 are acute and well-documented.
It is time to talk about what we should do about it.
For the remainder of the school-year, we will be using this space to highlight schools and organizations that have shown significant promise in their attempts to solve for the major impacts of extended school closure.
We are very fortunate to support these schools and organizations, and share their stories.
This Week: Remote Learning
The Patrick J. Kennedy (PJK) is a BPS elementary school in East Boston. Serving 266 kids, ~7 out of 8 students are Latinx and don’t speak English at home. The low-income rate is double the state average (and higher than the Boston average). Nearly a quarter of the students have special needs.
In 2017, the PJK was a finalist for Edvestors School on the Move Prize. In 2019, along with several other Eastie schools, it was selected to expand, adding a 6th grade in 2020-2021, with support from us.
The PJK earned a quick reputation for its speedy and thoughtful transition to remote learning. We interviewed principal, Kristen Goncalves, for a glimpse inside what this transition took to execute, particularly for historically marginalized students.
School Was Getting Scary:
Thinking back and looking at my calendar, I think I began to get worried in the first week of March. It is hard to remember this now, but things were moving very quickly. A week before schools were officially closed, I began to plan in my head what was going to be necessary. It seemed like we were headed to closing - we just didn’t know when.
School was getting scary. There was not a lot of information yet on COVID-19. So the week right before schools were announced closed (March 13th), I had two goals - reassure safety for students, families, and staff and prepare for students to be out of school. I had a lot of meetings with staff, lots of communication with families urging them to keep routines to keep kids comfortable and narrating all of the precautions we were taking (like extra cleaning).
Setting the Tone:
Going into the weekend when schools were closed, we wanted to make sure kids had work to do - to keep routines, and set the tone. We made paper packets for each student that went home that week. We had 3-4 days of material for each student - didn’t know we would need a lot more! This allowed some work to continue, and gave us time to collaborate and set up a longer term system.
Our teachers were and are amazing. We didn’t dictate one specific way for teachers to develop their curriculum or communicate with families. We agreed to expectations, organized by grade, and teachers adopted and used what they were most comfortable with whether it was our existing technology, FaceTime, sending videos, etc.
We were able to communicate with families very effectively because we already had a system in place. Since I became principal, we had moved all family communication over to ClassDojo; this app is particularly useful for our school community because it is accessible on cell phones and translates into Spanish.
Nothing Flashy:
As we completed the very big task of getting kids Chromebooks and internet access, we didn’t do anything flashy. Our entire approach to remote learning was to build off the structures and processes we already had in place in PJK.
We updated our website to serve as central hub for all the information our school community needed http://pjkennedyschool.weebly.com/
ClassDojo also has capabilities to assign and share work, so our PK-2 teachers just started using that for communication, assignments, and feedback.
Our grades 3-5 teachers already were using Google Classroom. Not just worksheets - students are completing projects at home, including builds from recycled materials.
We researched and selected an online adaptive learning site (iReady) so students could continue to get practice aligned with standards, and their progress could be tracked automatically for teachers. This was particularly important as we were awaiting guidance from the state and city on grading, teaching new content, etc.
With those guidelines and agreements now in place, we have standards to track and a very organized calendar template to ensure that we are maximizing our time. Our instructional leadership team (ILT) has the same role as it did when we were in the building.
We are still doing the special things that make PJK special, including theater!
And, finally, we remain committed to our kids and families general well-being. We have had the Fresh Truck hold a produce market at PJK on Tuesdays for 2 years now. It is a very popular market typically, and we are thrilled we are able to hold a modified market during this time. The first week of the modified market, we sold out of bags within the first 45 minutes. In addition to the bags offered below, each week they have loose items that are free - a surplus from their distribution centers. A sample bag is below - $10 (can be reimbursed through EBT card).
100%:
We still have seven weeks of school left, and our goal is to have 100% of students meeting the expectations of the pre-requisite standards. We plan to get there by reviewing student work and adjusting our instruction - just like we would in our school building. We will not just rely on larger Zoom class sessions, but break kids into smaller groups based literacy and numeracy levels. With more flexible time, technology, and web-based tools (such as Epic) we have actually found this sort of intervention easier to do outside of the building!
Notes in the Margin
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Boston School Committee met Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Biggest news from Malden: MCAS now is also waived for graduation requirements. Biggest news from Boston: remote learning agreement finalized and strategic plan approved.
New state guidelines push toward more new content in remote learning (aligned with state standards).
An op-ed calls for significant policy shifts by the city and BPS to address COVID-19.
Local leaders are supporting public funds to stabilize Catholic schools through COVID-19.
The head of the MA superintendent and charter association are on the same page for additional funding for the COVID-19 response.
A former US Secretary of Education and current national labor leader co-wrote an op-ed proposing summer, staffing, and resource interventions in response to COVID-19.
A Globe profile takes you inside the high stakes preparation for Boston’s exam schools.
Advanced Placement exams are still going forward.
What about just keeping everyone back?
An analysis from Brookings estimates the cost of school closures is $2.5 trillion (measured in lost future wages).