Saturday, February 27, 2021

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Saturday, February 27, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #BLM #BLACKLIVESMATTER #BLACKHISTORYMONTH #openonlywhensafe

THE TOP BANANA
TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES

Philadelphia educator starts national project to find more Black teachers https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/2021/2/26/22303882/philadelphia-educator-starts-national-project-to-find-more-black-teachers via @ChalkbeatPHL

Why Ventilation Is a Key to Reopening Schools Safely - The New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/02/26/science/reopen-schools-safety-ventilation.html on @nytimes

Gov. Newsom lays out priorities for vaccinating teachers; uncertainties on standardized tests | EdSource - https://edsource.org/?p=650182 on @edsource

Texas schools still tallying storm costs, and some won't reopen soon https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/26/texas-schools-storm-damage/

Analysis | One month in, Biden angers supporters who wanted him to curb standardized testing https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/02/26/biden-angers-critics-of-standardized-testing/?tid=ss_tw

Northern Virginia schools unveil budgets focused on repairing pandemic harm https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/northern-virginia-school-budgets/2021/02/26/5b56b536-75e6-11eb-948d-19472e683521_story.html

Private schools sought early vaccines with access codes or by claiming healthcare duties http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/lanowblog/~3/6aixC8AB7uY/la-private-schools-early-covid-vaccines

British Psychologists: Focus on Children’s Well-Being, Not Their Academics | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://wp.me/p2odLa-tEq via @dianeravitch

Qualifying students can attend community college tuition-free https://www.njspotlight.com/video/qualifying-students-can-attend-community-college-tuition-free/

Vallejo City Unified gets recognition as a top California adult ed provider https://www.thereporter.com/2021/02/26/vallejo-city-unified-gets-recognition-as-a-top-california-adult-ed-provider

San Diego Unified announces April 12 as target date to re-open district classrooms with hybrid-learning model https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/san-diego-unified-school-target-reopening-april-12-hybrid-model/509-7e947bae-3e75-4357-b7a3-3243372ab4ae

California teachers move to the front of the vaccine line in most counties https://edsource.org/2021/california-teachers-move-to-the-front-of-the-vaccine-line-in-most-counties/649648

'Doubling Up' Virtual and In-Person Classes Is Exhausting Our Teachers - https://www.scarymommy.com/?p=619631

California parents mobilize after feeling 'political disillusionment' https://politi.co/3aTOkKU

After a year of failing to provide comprehensive federal guidance on school reopenings, the CDC finally laid out a path for safe in-person learning earlier this month. But some union leaders up and down the West Coast are skeptical. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/west-coast-teachers-unions_n_60390a6cc5b6371109db92ae?ncid=engmodushpmg00000004 via @HuffPostPol

Ed Deform Groups Congratulate Biden on Decision to Test | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://wp.me/p2odLa-tFr via @dianeravitch

Palm Beach County: Charter Schools Win Tax Fight | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://wp.me/p2odLa-tEQ via @dianeravitch

Trailblazing incoming NYC schools Chancellor Meisha Porter ready for crisis - New York Daily News - https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/ny-meisha-porter-new-nyc-schools-chancellor-20210227-nmoutrr7wzadblz5stsxbwhvfq-story.html via @nydailynews

Perspective | No, a Virginia school district didn’t ban Dr. Seuss books. Here’s what really happened. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/02/27/no-virginia-school-district-did-not-ban-drseuss-books/?tid=ss_tw

Big Education Ape: TOP POSTS THIS WEEK Saturday, February 27, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #REOPENSCHOOLSSAFELY #TOPBANANAHEADLINES #BLM #BLACKLIVESMATTER #BLACKHISTORYMONTH #openonlywhensafe - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/02/top-posts-this-week-saturday-february_27.html

Big Education Ape: How Can We Reopen Schools If We Can’t Even Open Windows? | Eclectablog - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/02/how-can-we-reopen-schools-if-we-cant.html

Big Education Ape: Why Education Sector Philanthropy Must Embrace a Racial Justice Lens + Worcester Residents Push for School Police Removal | Schott Foundation for Public Education - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/02/why-education-sector-philanthropy-must.html

Big Education Ape: Alain LeRoy Locke, Black Educator Hall of Fame - Philly's 7th Ward #BLM #BLACKLIVESMATTER #BLACKHISTORYMONTH #openonlywhensafe - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/02/alain-leroy-locke-black-educator-hall.html

Big Education Ape: NYC schools chancellor Carranza resigns, Meisha Ross Porter steps in - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/02/nyc-schools-chancellor-carranza-resigns.html

Biden Administration Continues to Hire Key Staff for ED Department Before Confirmation of Secretary or Deputy Secretary | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 34min

Biden Administration Continues to Hire Key Staff for ED Department Before Confirmation of Secretary or Deputy Secretary Thirty-one years ago, I was invited by Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander to join him at the U.S. Department of Education as Assistant Secretary of Education in Charge of Research and Improvement. Before he invited me, he learned a lot about my work and my views. It was a b

My Complete, Unedited Review of Doug Harris’ Book, Charter School City | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

by Mike Simpson / 34min

My Complete, Unedited Review of Doug Harris’ Book, Charter School City In January 2020, Commonweal Magazine asked me to review Doug Harris’ book about New Orleans charter schools, Charter School City . I completed my review in February 2020, but with the pandemic, my review was not published until November 2020 . As so often happens in publication, the review I submitted was pared down considera

NYC School Chancellor Leaves: The Toxic Intersection of Mayoral Control and Mayoral Politics | Ed In The Apple

by Mike Simpson / 34min

NYC School Chancellor Leaves: The Toxic Intersection of Mayoral Control and Mayoral Politics Richard Carranza, the New York City School Chancellor unexpectedly announced he was leaving his position. The cognoscenti were not surprised, for months the chancellor and the mayor have been dueling ; it was only a matter of time before the chancellor packed it in. Highly effective leaders select subord

Prepare Now for Pandemic EBT 2.0 + Adult Ed Providers Receive National Recognition - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

by Mike Simpson / 34min

Prepare Now for Pandemic EBT 2.0 - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education) Prepare Now for Pandemic EBT 2.0 Coronavirus (COVID-19) Main Web Page As previously shared, the federal Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) program was extended through the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act. This law extends P-EBT benefits through September 2021. To provide P-EBT benefits for School Year (SY) 2020–21,

NYC Educator: Hail and Farewell from the Chancellor

by Mike Simpson / 34min

Hail and Farewell from the Chancellor Dear Colleagues, I hope you and your families are keeping safe and healthy, not that it would have anything to do with me or my actions. I’m writing today with some important news. After three years leading the DOE, I will be stepping down as Chancellor at the end of March. Why wait until the new person comes in and get fired? I am full of mixed emotions to

CHANGING OUR PERSPECTIVE – Dad Gone Wild

by Mike Simpson / 34min

CHANGING OUR PERSPECTIVE “It is a good lesson – though it may often be a hard one – for a man… to step aside out of the narrow circle in which his claims are recognized, and to find how utterly devoid of significance, beyond that circle, is all that he achieves, and all he aims at.” ― Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter My daughter has been taking ballet at Nashville Ballet for about 5 years

Education Matters: CATCH UP WITH MR. G - THIS WEEK IN DCPS

by Mike Simpson / 34min

Education Matters CATCH UP WITH MR. G THIS WEEK IN DCPS DCPS creates problems, then wonders why there are problems. 42 by Unknown / 1d One-sixth of DCPS teachers leave from year to year. Where there are many reasons teachers leave, the lion's share of why they do has to fall on the shoulders of the district. Bad leadership and bad policies have led to this exodus. The Times Union recently reporte

THIS WEEK'S WILDNESS Dad Gone Wild Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it

by Mike Simpson / 34min

Dad Gone Wild – Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it. CHANGING OUR PERSPECTIVE by TC Weber / 21h “It is a good lesson – though it may often be a hard one – for a man… to step aside out of the narrow circle in which his claims are recognized, and to find how utterly devoid of significance, beyond that circle, is all that he achieves, and all he aims at.” ― Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter

TENNESSEE EDUCATION REPORT

by Mike Simpson / 34min

TENNESSEE EDUCATION REPORT EDUCATION POLITICS AND POLICY IN THE VOLUNTEER STATE Voucher Vultures Getting FBI Scrutiny 23 by Andy Spears / 1d NewsChannel5’s Phil Williams reports that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is continuing to investigate the possibility of bribes involved in the 2019 vote to secure passage of Gov. Bill Lee’s school voucher scheme. Here’s more: NewsChannel 5’s cameras w

TEACHER TOM THIS WEEK IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

by Mike Simpson / 34min

Teacher Tom I'll Try Not to Yuck Your Yum if You Try Not to Yuck Mine 86 23h The Concept of "Learning Loss" is Complete BS 6K 1d Young Children Don't Need Adults to Make Their Play Meaningful 3K 3d If the World Disappears When I Close My Eyes 100+ 3d How We Become Blind to the Chicken 300+ 4d In the End the Goal is Not Literacy, It's Understanding 200+ 8d Teacher Tom

SSPI TONY THURMOND: STUFF THIS WEEK FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

by Mike Simpson / 34min

California Department of Education SSPI TONY THURMOND STUFF THIS WEEK FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Prepare Now for Pandemic EBT 2.0 16h The federal Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) program was extended through the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act. This law extends P-EBT benefits through September 2021. Adult Ed Providers Receive National Recognition 18h State Superi

THIS WEEK WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE) #BLM #BLACKLIVESMATTER #BLACKHISTORYMONTH

by Mike Simpson / 34min

NewBlackMan (in Exile) THIS WEEK WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE) The Genius of Fela Kuti and Afrobeat (feat. Femi & Made Kuti) by Mark Anthony Neal / 19h " Fela Kuti has inspired musicians from all over the world from Burna Boy and Beyoncé , to Miles Davis . Sound Field dives into the musical genius of Fela's cultural funk. Sound Field host LA Buckner speaks to Fela's son and grandson, Femi and Made

THIS WEEK Education Research Report

by Mike Simpson / 34min

Education Research Report How States and Districts Used Title II, Part A Funds by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d A new report finds that districts most often used key federal funds for improving educator quality to provide professional development. Other common uses included reducing class sizes and recruiting and retaining effective teachers and principals. Title II, Part A of the Elementary and Seco

THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 34min

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL by Larry Ferlazzo / 29min BiljaST / Pixabay Six years ago I began this regular feature where I

YESTERDAY

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Friday, February 26, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #BLM #BLACKLIVESMATTER #BLACKHISTORYMONTH #openonlywhensafe

by Mike Simpson / 19h

Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Philadelphia postpones school reopening again, as district and union await mediator’s decision on safety

Big Education Ape

How Can We Reopen Schools If We Can’t Even Open Windows? | Eclectablog

How Can We Reopen Schools If We Can’t Even Open Windows?

I’m seeing a lot of well-intentioned rhetoric lately about the importance of good ventilation in schools to mitigate the spread of Covid in school classrooms, with the best advice being to “just open a window,” and “use a simple box fan to circulate exhaled air.” The example shown was of a “real classroom” with an entire wall of windows, a teacher, and 9 students socially distanced at 6 feet between desks.

That disturbance in the force you may have just felt was created by every public school teacher in the country rolling their eyes, hard, in unison. Because they understand, in a deep, rich way, that nothing about these “simple recommendations” is, in fact simple.

Allow me to share a few thoughts, based on my time as a teacher…

In my 41 years as a music teacher, I have never taught in a room with a window. I’ve taught in basements, closets, boiler rooms, trailers, and band rooms with no windows and egress doors permanently locked. The only time those doors could be opened was in the event of a fire drill, and then only if the CONTINUE READING: How Can We Reopen Schools If We Can’t Even Open Windows? | Eclectablog

Why Education Sector Philanthropy Must Embrace a Racial Justice Lens + Worcester Residents Push for School Police Removal | Schott Foundation for Public Education

Why Education Sector Philanthropy Must Embrace a Racial Justice Lens | Schott Foundation for Public Education

Why Education Sector Philanthropy Must Embrace a Racial Justice Lens

A defining theme of 2020 was the nationwide increase in grassroots activism. Across the country, people young and old took to the streets to challenge racial injustice. Whether it was in action on the climate crisis, or in demonstrations in response to fatal police shootings, communities have proven time and again that they care, they are connected, and they are a driving force for change. In the movement to ensure a future and nation that works for all, community organizers have emerged as the real MVPs.

While Black and Brown organizers have modeled extreme heroism and dedication, much of their work has occurred with limited or nonexistent financial support. They are fighting for justice, yet they do so without significant philanthropic investment.

The Schott Foundation for Public Education’s new research with Candid shows that in education, philanthropy drastically underfunds both racial equity and racial justice. In the three-year period from 2017 through 2019, education philanthropy—the second most popular issue for foundations—disbursed $14 billion, but just ten percent of that ($1.4 billion) went to racial equity, and less than one percent ($109 million) went to racial justice. There are 56.6 million K–12 students nationwide, which means the philanthropic investment in racial justice works out to less than $2 per student.

Racial equity and racial justice grants may look similar on their face, but they are different. Racial equity refers to grants designed to close the achievement gap that persists between racial groups. This includes support for programs like racial bias trainings for teachers or mentorship programs for Black and Brown students.

Racial justice refers to addressing the underlying systemic injustices that create these achievement gaps in the first place. Racial justice grants focus explicitly on empowering the people closest to the problem (families and students) as they organize in their communities to change the systems and structures that generate and reinforce racial injustice. Racial justice CONTINUE READING: Why Education Sector Philanthropy Must Embrace a Racial Justice Lens | Schott Foundation for Public Education

Worcester Residents Push for School Police Removal, Call for Faster Timelines and Community Input

Community members in Worcester, Massachusetts, including our grantee partner Worcester Interfaith and Schott's Programs & Advocacy Director Marianna Islam, are helping push city officials to take stronger steps against structural racism in the city. At the most recent city council meeting, residents voiced support for a report that recommends removing school resource officers from Worcester public schools, but urged a faster timeline and greater community oversight. This comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by a coalition including Worcester Interfaith claiming the city's school committee elections system discriminates against communities of color.

The Telegram & Gazette reports:

WORCESTER—The City Council Tuesday bumped to next week discussion of City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr.'s executive order on structural and institutional racism and accompanying recommendations, but that didn't stop many community members who called in to the virtual meeting from making their voices heard.
Mayor Joseph M. Petty announced at the beginning of the meeting that the manager's report, which includes an executive order acknowledging the role structural and institutional racism have played and continues to play in the city, would be taken up at next week's meeting.
The report includes recommendations to remove resource officers from schools and restructure how police interact with schools; to implement some form of alternative deployment that sends mental health and social workers on calls with police; and to establish a new investigations division at City Hall that would address both employee and resident complaints.
Residents reacted to the executive order and the slate of recommendations with cautious optimism in some areas and CONTINUE READING: Worcester Residents Push for School Police Removal, Call for Faster Timelines and Community Input

Alain LeRoy Locke, Black Educator Hall of Fame - Philly's 7th Ward #BLM #BLACKLIVESMATTER #BLACKHISTORYMONTH #openonlywhensafe

Alain LeRoy Locke, Black Educator Hall of Fame - Philly's 7th Ward

ALAIN LEROY LOCKE, BLACK EDUCATOR HALL OF FAME

E’ry day this month, the Center for Black Educator Development, in partnership with Phillys7thWard.org, will highlight a Black Educator Hall of Famer.

But, don’t forget, e’ry month is Black History Month…February is just the Blackest.

Today, our featured Black Educator is Alain LeRoy Locke.

#BlackEducatorsHoF #BlackTeacherPipeline

Alain LeRoy Locke was born Arthur LeRoy Locke in Philadelphia in 1885. Born to a middle class family, Locke was introduced to the intellectual life early on. Before his arrival to Harvard, Locke graduated from Central High School and the Philadelphia School of Pedagogy. While at Harvard, Locke became the first Black Rhodes Scholar.

After his graduation from Harvard, Locke joined the faculty at Howard University as an assistant professor of philosophy. He would remain at Howard for over 40 years.

While his teaching methods were looked at suspiciously by some at Howard, CONTINUE READING: Alain LeRoy Locke, Black Educator Hall of Fame - Philly's 7th Ward

NYC schools chancellor Carranza resigns, Meisha Ross Porter steps in

Longtime NYC educator Meisha Ross Porter to be first Black woman leading nation's largest public school district

NEW YORK – Richard Carranza, the current New York City’s Schools Chancellor announced his resignation Friday and said Meisha Ross Porter will be taking the role.

Porter will be will become the first Black woman to lead the nation's largest school district.

"This is the great privilege of my life at this moment," Porter said in a press conference.

"She eats, drinks, sleeps and thinks at all times about New York and the children of New York," Carranza said of his successor.

Porter takes the role after the schools' reopening amid the COVID-19 pandemic has largely been heralded as a success. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that New York City schools have done a "pretty good job in terms of showing the way" for the rest of the country's schools to reopen.

Carranza cited the need for time to grieve his eleven family members and close friends who died from COVID-19.

"I feel that I can take that time now because of the place that we are in and the work that we have done together," he said.

Carranza said the system reopened safely for children of essential workers, distributed over half a million electronic devices for remote learning, and delivered 80 millions meals to its students. CONTINUE READING: NYC schools chancellor Carranza resigns, Meisha Ross Porter steps in

Biden Administration Continues to Hire Key Staff for ED Department Before Confirmation of Secretary or Deputy Secretary | Diane Ravitch's blog

Biden Administration Continues to Hire Key Staff for ED Department Before Confirmation of Secretary or Deputy Secretary

Thirty-one years ago, I was invited by Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander to join him at the U.S. Department of Education as Assistant Secretary of Education in Charge of Research and Improvement. Before he invited me, he learned a lot about my work and my views. It was a big jump for me because I had never planned to work in government and was surprised to be invited. After I was confirmed by the Senate, I selected the person I wanted as my Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education. It was Francie Alexander, who had been Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum and Assessment in the State of California. I had gotten to know her when I worked on the California history-social science framework in the late 1980s.

Given this brief personal history, I am puzzled that the Biden administration is staffing up the key jobs in the U.S. Department of Education before any of the top officials (Secretary of Education, Deputy Secretary of Education, Undersecretary of Education) have been confirmed. The next layer of officials–the Assistant Secretaries–have not even been named.

Yet the administration continues to roll out lists of people who will be deputies to Assistant Secretaries who are as yet unknown; “chief of staff” to an official who has not been confirmed; “confidential assistant” to a high official. CONTINUE READING: Biden Administration Continues to Hire Key Staff for ED Department Before Confirmation of Secretary or Deputy Secretary | Diane Ravitch's blog

My Complete, Unedited Review of Doug Harris’ Book, Charter School City | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

My Complete, Unedited Review of Doug Harris’ Book, Charter School City

In January 2020, Commonweal Magazine asked me to review Doug Harris’ book about New Orleans charter schools, Charter School City.

I completed my review in February 2020, but with the pandemic, my review was not published until November 2020.

As so often happens in publication, the review I submitted was pared down considerably, which editors reserve the right to do though the result might make the review seem shallow or incomplete. In this case (and to my dismay), the edits in one section involved a splicing that altered the meaning of my words. (For the backstory on that error, see this email exchange.)

According to the terms of my contract with Commonweal, I needed to wait 90 days before publicizing my originally-submitted, unedited review. And so, since those 90 days have passed, I offer below my complete review of Harris’ book.

Book Review: Douglas N. Harris, Charter School City: What the End of Traditional Public Schools in New Orleans Means for American Education, University of Chicago Press, April 2020.
***
My family is from New Orleans. My father and his siblings grew up in a white neighborhood, intentionally zoned, and attended all-white schools in the 1920s and 30s, also intentionally zoned. In the 1950s, my family relocated to neighboring St. Bernard Parish, as did many former white residents of New Orleans. My mother also grew up in New Orleans and relocated to St. Bernard, where she attended an all-white high school in the early to mid-1960s. Around the time my mother was a freshman in high school (1960), just as Ruby Bridges became the first black child to attend New Orleans’ all-white William Franz Elementary school,St. Bernard opened a school on the St. Bernard-Orleans Parish line expressly to allow white residents of New Orleans to use school vouchers to escape federally-mandated integration of New Orleans public schools. Though the voucher school was forced to close a year later, the virulent anti-black CONTINUE READING: My Complete, Unedited Review of Doug Harris’ Book, Charter School City | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

NYC School Chancellor Leaves: The Toxic Intersection of Mayoral Control and Mayoral Politics | Ed In The Apple

NYC School Chancellor Leaves: The Toxic Intersection of Mayoral Control and Mayoral Politics

Richard Carranza, the New York City School Chancellor unexpectedly announced he was leaving his position.

The cognoscenti were not surprised, for months the chancellor and the mayor have been dueling; it was only a matter of time before the chancellor packed it in.

Highly effective leaders select subordinates and give them the authority to carry out their role. Interestingly a number of the mayoral hopefuls had major roles in city government: Kathryn Garcia was the NYS Sanitation Commissioner, Sean Donovan the HPD (Housing Preservation and Development) commissioner and Maya Wiley, the mayor’s counsel, all served with distinction. Micromanaging schools has a sad and long history; mayors claimed credit for positive education news and blamed and fired chancellors to deflect bad news.

Unfortunately from day one the mayor attempted to keep a tight rein on the Department of Education. He selected Carmen Farina, a retired Department deputy chancellor and friend to temporarily fill the job; she stayed for de Blasio’s entire first term. Farina’s one major initiative, the Renewal Schools, pumping mega dollars into the hundred lowest achieving schools was a dismal failure. Read here.

Renewal’s ideas were untested, and, almost from the start, the program was hobbled by bureaucracy and a tight timeline imposed by a mayor eager to show on a national stage that schools could improve without censure, CONTINUE READING: NYC School Chancellor Leaves: The Toxic Intersection of Mayoral Control and Mayoral Politics | Ed In The Apple

Prepare Now for Pandemic EBT 2.0 + Adult Ed Providers Receive National Recognition - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

Prepare Now for Pandemic EBT 2.0 - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

Prepare Now for Pandemic EBT 2.0

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Main Web Page

As previously shared, the federal Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) program was extended through the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act. This law extends P-EBT benefits through September 2021.

To provide P-EBT benefits for School Year (SY) 2020–21, the California Department of Education (CDE) and Department of Social Services (CDSS) has submitted a P-EBT state plan for approval to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). As we await USDA approval, there are immediate action steps that we are asking local education agencies (LEA) to take now to prepare for P-EBT 2.0 issuances:

Ensure student enrollment and eligibility information are up-to-date in California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS): In order to be eligible for P-EBT benefits, a student must be enrolled at a school participating in the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Program and be eligible during either SY 2019–20 or SY 2020–21 for free or reduced-price (F/RP) meals based on: (1) an approved F/RP meal application or Alternative Household Income Form, (2) participation in a benefits program (CalFresh, CalWORKs, Medi-Cal) as identified through direct certification, or (3) a status of homeless, migrant, or foster. It should also be noted that all students enrolled at schools operating school meals programs under a Community Eligibility Provision or Provision 2 or 3 are eligible for P-EBT regardless of whether they are individually F/RP meal eligible. Therefore, throughout the year, it is important that LEAs keep the following data up-to-date in CALPADS:
- Student enrollments and exits, especially enrollments in provision schools
- F/RP meal program records
- Migrant, homeless, and foster records

In addition, the CDE will rely on the foster and direct certification data maintained in CALPADS to identify eligible students.

Ensure student mailing addresses are up-to-date in CALPADS: In round one and the extension of P-EBT, all students (with the exception of students receiving benefits from CalFresh) were required to apply for the program. If the students were found eligible based on CALPADS data, they were mailed P-EBT benefit cards to the address provided on the application. This year no P-EBT application process is required, and eligible students will be mailed P-EBT benefit cards based on their address in CALPADS. Therefore, it is critical that student addresses in CALPADS are kept up-to-date throughout the year. The CDE is requesting that LEAs update student addresses for the first issuance of P-EBT benefits by March 12, 2021.

Thank you in advance for your efforts. The P-EBT program provides an important source of funding for California’s most vulnerable students. For more information about P-EBT, you can visit the CDSS P-EBT web page.

Questions: Nutrition Services Division | 800-952-5609

Adult Ed Providers Receive National Recognition - Year 2021 (CA Dept of Education) - https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr21/yr21rel13.asp

NYC Educator: Hail and Farewell from the Chancellor

Hail and Farewell from the Chancellor

Dear Colleagues,

I hope you and your families are keeping safe and healthy, not that it would have anything to do with me or my actions. I’m writing today with some important news.

After three years leading the DOE, I will be stepping down as Chancellor at the end of March. Why wait until the new person comes in and get fired?

I am full of mixed emotions to leave the DOE family, because this is one heck of a gig. I mean, it beats working for sure. I am in awe of the huge salary. The work we have done together has given me a free house for years, and it truly sucks that I’ll soon be back to paying rent. But hey, I’ve picked up a million bucks over the last three years, and expensed every cent that went out, so I’ll be cool.

When I started at the DOE in April of 2018, it was with a mission and a purpose: to help our system reach its full potential, so it could lift up as many children as possible in the way that only public education can. Of course, once Blaz decided the schools had to stay open even after Broadway closed, I let them stay on in COVID-infested schools, along with you guys, while I sat in my office and played with the free paper clips.

Throughout my career, my guiding light has been the belief that public education is the most powerful equalizer for our young people. Public education anchors communities, and I left the buildings filthy enough that they felt like anchors to one and all. Public education makes it possible for a child who is poor, or who lives in temporary housing, or—in my own case—who doesn’t speak English when they enter the public school system, to catch COVID, and bring it home to his or her family. Truly, it is public education that expresses equity for all, except for those who, like me, can afford to send our kids to private schools that aren’t crumbling and CONTINUE READING: NYC Educator: Hail and Farewell from the Chancellor

CHANGING OUR PERSPECTIVE – Dad Gone Wild

CHANGING OUR PERSPECTIVE

“It is a good lesson – though it may often be a hard one – for a man… to step aside out of the narrow circle in which his claims are recognized, and to find how utterly devoid of significance, beyond that circle, is all that he achieves, and all he aims at.”
― Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter

My daughter has been taking ballet at Nashville Ballet for about 5 years now. It’s been a fantastic experience and I have no problem handing out a shameless plug. If you are looking for ballet classes for your young’un, they are the go-to place.

Back in the Fall, I was picking her up one evening from class, when she hopped in the car in an obviously good mood. If you are a parent of a pre-teen or teen, you know these moments are often fleeting and thus need to be treated with the care of holding a butterfly in your palm. A thing of beauty that if held too tightly can be crushed, or with the slightest movement, will take flight.

“Good class?”, I asked.

Still smiling, she nodded to me and responded. “Great class. I got lots of corrections!”

Puzzled, “That’s a good thing?”

She proceeded to launch into an extended explanation, “It’s a great thing! Ms. Miriam has taught me that when people give you corrections it means that they recognize how hard you are working and improving. It means that they think you have the potential to get even better. If they didn’t think you could improve, they wouldn’t say anything to you. Offering corrections means they believe in CONTINUE READING: CHANGING OUR PERSPECTIVE – Dad Gone Wild

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Saturday, February 27, 2021