Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images
- Many K-12 schools are flying blind on how to reopen as President Trump threatens to cut off funding to schools that don't reopen without providing additional guidance and teachers push back against returning to potentially unsafe conditions.
- The economy can't recover without open schools, yet students can't continue to struggle with virtual learning.
- There's a difficult balance to strike this fall.
- Here are some of the big ideas that have been suggested — and implemented — around the world to allow a return to in-person instruction, from testing to pod-style classrooms to outdoor classes. Some of them are quite weird.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
For many K-12 students, back-to-school season is looming — and it's going to look a little different this year.
Some schools, like those in New York, are planning on only partially reopening, while some schools in Florida are set to reopen fully, and others in California are planning on remaining remote.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has threatened to cut off funding for schools that don't reopen (something that he doesn't legally have the authority to do). Trump does have the authority to approve extra funding for schools, which teachers have been saying is badly needed to reopen safely
The Republican "HEALS Act" proposes $70 billion of K-12 education of education, but much of that money is directly tied to reopening. It's also much less than what would be provided in the bill already passed by the Democratic-led House, but the parties have not so far been able to reach an agreement.
There's a delicate balance to be struck: the economy cannot recover with daycares and schools closed. And experts say that key aspects of in-person instruction can't be replaced with virtual learning. But reopening also must be safe for teachers, students, and families.
Here are some big — and weird — ideas at the forefront of schools reopening, from frequent testing to pod-style classrooms to outdoor instruction.
One intriguing suggestion comes from small-town Germany: students self-administering their own coronavirus tests at school.
David Zalubowski/AP Photo
In Neustrelitz, Germany, a negative coronavirus test gives students a green sticker — and the freedom to not wear a mask.
As Katrin Bennhold reported for The New York Times, students could voluntarily go to tents at their high school, get a test kit, and swab themselves. One student received results later that night.
Everyone can get two free tests a week. Those who test positive are required to stay home for two weeks. And the negative testers only get green stickers until their next test.
When it comes to scaling, there could be a few issues: Henry Tesch, the school's headmaster, told Bennhold that the tests came from an old friend at a biotech company. He offered them to Tesch as a free pilot. Without that, it would've been a costly endeavor.
And the US is in the midst of another coronavirus testing crisis, as Business Insider's Morgan McFall-Johnsen reported. Tests have grown more difficult to come by, and result wait times can clock in at over a week.
Schools worldwide tried bringing certain age groups back first as a pilot test — and then bringing back everyone else.
Ole Jensen/Getty Images
In Germany and Wuhan, older students — particularly those who needed to take exams — came back first. As Bennhold reported for the Times, Germany let them return to the classroom first because "they are better able to comply with rules on masks and distancing."
But Denmark took a different approach, with younger students returning first. After rates remained low, older students followed. As Sean Coughlan reports for the BBC, those younger students were kept in "a virtual cocoon," where groups stick together and don't have crossover. As rates remained low, older students began to return.
Another option similar to staggering age groups would be to stagger and shorten schedules— as New York City said it might try.
Michael Loccissano/Getty Images
On July 8, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city's 1,800 public schools could reopen in the fall with some modifications. The city's 1.1 million students will continue to learn remotely, but some could attend class up to three days a week.
Classrooms that once typically had 30 people would shrink to 12, including teachers. Individual schools would have to determine which groups of students to bring back at what times, shortening their time in schools and leaning into a hybrid educational model.
On July 31, de Blasio announced that the test positivity rate in the city must remain below 3% for this plan to go ahead. The positivity rate for the city has recently remained below that threshold, but the city will need to maintain it to ensure schools open with their hybrid model on September 10.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- Less than half of US colleges are now planning for in-person classes
- The top 5 most-read books among 500 C-suite executives this summer show they're serious about diversity and getting meaningful change done. Here's the exclusive list.
- Learning new skills is the key to helping workers stay happy and productive right now. Here are 3 easy ways to create a learning culture within your company, according to a vice president at LinkedIn
from Feedburner https://ift.tt/3gotqnr
No comments:
Post a Comment