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Wednesday, June 24, 2020

REOPENING SCHOOLS | The Merrow Report

REOPENING SCHOOLS | The Merrow Report

REOPENING SCHOOLS


Here’s a letter I just received from an experienced K-4 school principal.
Dear John,
You asked how I would go about reopening schools this fall. My answer focuses on the schools I know best, K-grade 4, but I believe these ideas are applicable at all levels of public education.  
Others proposals, including those from teacher unionsEducation Week, and think tanks, concentrate on the practical, physical arrangements necessary to open school safely, with such strategies as ‘Staggered opening,’ ‘One week on, two weeks off,’ and ‘Bubble classrooms.’  
In addition to testing for the virus, social distancing, and basic hygiene, I would insist on the following SEVEN steps: 
1) Internet access for all students
2) Clearly defined benchmarks that students are expected to achieve during their five years at the school but NOT by grade level. Along the way, ‘accomplishment levels’ that are clearly defined;
3) Students randomly assigned to a team (the number of teams being dependent CONTINUE READING: REOPENING SCHOOLS | The Merrow Report