Some advice and guidance for the week ahead
Dear Friend,
- A lot of news to catch up on. Tomorrow starts remote learning for NYC public school students. If you don’t have an online device for your child, the Chancellor said on Friday you can pick up written packets of homework at the 400 school sites that are distributing food. If you need a device, you can fill out this form or call 718-935-5100 and then press #5. But be aware that for many kids, paper and pencil works better anyway. You can also enroll online about the Regional Enrichment Centers which will be providing child care for first responders, health care, transit workers, as well as other essential members of the work force.
- Some parent leaders have created a guide on setting up Google classroom, available in several languages, which will be used in many schools. The ASD Nest support group at NYU has also provided advice, primarily meant for Autistic spectrum kids, in how to establish a calm and focused learning environment, but this could be beneficial for any child. Our Parent Coalition for Student Privacy has basic info on how to retain maximum privacy and minimize screen time during these trying times.
- Encourage your child to read books! If you don’t have enough physical books at home, you can sign up for a NYC library card and download books for free on an ipad or Kindle. Just go to https://nypl.org and log into the catalog. If you don’t have a library card, download SimplyE on iTunes or Google Play.
- Don’t force yourself or your kids to focus on academics too much. Check out this great piece in the NYT by an educator; or the wise counsel of Audrey Watters on my Talk out of School podcast, which also featured interviews with Jasmine Gripper of AQE on the state education budget negotiations and CM Mark Treyger on next steps for NYC schools.
- FYI, the NY State Education has now wisely cancelled most all state-mandated tests. Next Wed. at 10 AM on WBAI-FM 99.5 we will interview Akil Bello, testing expert, on what is happening with other exams, including the SATs and ACTs, and what he thinks should happen in the future with high-stakes tests in general. We will be letting listeners to call in with their questions and concerns.
- Finally, I’d love to hear from each of you — parents, students and teachers — about what’s working here in NYC and elsewhere with our new national experiment with online learning, as I described it to LoHud News. Please let me know by responding to this message or emailing me at info@classsizematters.org . I’d like to feature some of your experiences as well on my blog; let me know if I can share them, and if so, if I should remove your name to preserve your anonymity.
Hoping you and your family stay strong and healthy during these challenging times,
Leonie
Some advice and guidance for the week ahead | Class Size Matters Some advice and guidance for the week ahead | A clearinghouse for information on class size & the proven benefits of smaller classes