With the options below, however, it doesn’t have to be.

Vistaprint’s reusable face mask

Vistaprint’s reusable face mask collection includes kids and adult sizes, each with adjustable ear loops and breathable fabric. A built-in pocket allows you toadd a replaceable filter (available in packs of 10). The masks come in more than 30 school-friendly designs, and there are additional customization options available.

Learn more at www.vistaprint.com/masks.

National WWII Museum in New Orleans Virtual Field Trip

The National WWII Museum in New Orleans has offered virtual field tripssince 2006 to students around the country. In the 2020-21 school year, these virtual connections between students and the museum are more critical than ever.

Our distance learning programs can bring stories and artifacts from The National WWII Museum into any classroom. Virtual field trips cover various topics from well-known events like Pearl Harbor and D-Day, to lesser-known stories and WWII events using our vast oral history collection. Guided by a museum educator, students analyze maps, photographs, posters, speeches, and songs to explore the chronologies, strategies, motivations, and outcomes behind WWII history.

The post How You Can Keep Your Students Safe and Engaged This Fall appeared first on Education and Career News.

In today’s learning environment, technology and education are a package deal. This was especially true when so many schools had to shift to online learning with the spread of COVID-19 this spring. And as the pandemic continues, online learning is continuing into the 2020-21 school year.

While technology provides great opportunities for teaching and learning, many teachers lack the connectivity they need to instruct and support student learning, and students do not have the proper technology to continue their studies. The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated inequities in our public education system, particularly when it comes to accessing the internet and dependable devices.

According to Pew Research, 37 percent of rural Americans do not have broadband internet access at home, and 35 percent of students from households with annual incomes below $30,000 do not have access to high-speed internet. Additionally, 25 percent of African American households and 23 percent of Hispanic households with school-age children do not have access to high-speed internet at home.

The tools they need

It is critical for every teacher and student to be equipped with the appropriate tools they need to teach and learn — and access the wealth of online learning materials available. It is vital that we take immediate steps to make a dedicated financial investment that will close our nation’s connectivity gap.

We must advocate at the federal, state, and local levels to make these robust and equitable investments in education and technology. Here are five ways you can advocate for change:

1. Learn more about the barriers to access in your community by visiting EveryStudentConnected.org.
2. Participate in district and school board meetings and speak about the issue.
3. Send emails and letters, and make phone calls to decision-makers. 
4. Conduct meetings with decision-makers and their staffs.
5. Use social media and work with traditional media outlets to get your message out, garner support, and mobilize.

When speaking with school district leaders, school board members, and local, state, and federal lawmakers, ask them how your school district’s technology plan ensures all teachers and students have equitable access to technology and broadband. If there is no sufficient plan in place, ask what steps they’re taking to ensure every child and teacher has access to the technology and connectivity needed to teach and learn in a virtual setting.

It is our duty to raise our voices to ensure every teacher and student has access to technology, and the opportunities that help them teach, learn, grow, and thrive. We can work together, especially during this challenging time, to ensure our teachers and students are well equipped to have a successful school year. 

The post 5 Ways to Advocate for Better Technology for Teachers and Students appeared first on Education and Career News.

“I don’t envy the position of any of these administrators and teachers,” says John Carrington, founder and CEO of ZVerse, a 3D software and printing company that began producing face shields and other personal protective equipment (PPE) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “There simply is no one-size-fits-all solution.”

Fundamental steps

For schools that decide to reopen, the key is to provide staff and students with the right procedures and equipment. This can include agile furniture that can be moved and repositioned easily to create flexible, socially-distanced seating, plexiglass barriers between students, guidelines for hand-washing and other hygiene, and, of course, face masks.

While masks have been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of spreading disease, they present special challenges in the classroom environment. “There’s such a diverse group within a school system, with so many different individual needs,” Carrington points out. “For instance, children that have learning or hearing disabilities, or children for whom English is a second language. Teachers need to be able to communicate clearly — the children need to be able to see their face. We are dealing with a biological problem, but we’re also dealing with a psychological problem. There’s a concern that some of these kids may become alienated.”

Face shields

ZVerse began making the ZShield in order to provide one more tool for schools if they do decide to reopen. It’s part of the company’s efforts to be part of the solution to the pandemic response. “Our team has been working around the clock — averaging 16 hours a day just trying to respond,” Carrington says.

Face shields offer an additional barrier of protection from droplets in the air. A recent study demonstrated that face shields reduce viral exposure by 96 percent when used properly. “Protecting the eyes with a face shield in addition to a mask or face covering is most effective,” says registered school nurse Robin Cogan.

Face shields also improve communication. “We use ZShields in the office,” says Lou Kennedy, president and CEO of Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation. “I’ve given them to the entire management team, so when they’re doing a team huddle and meeting at the beginning and end of the shift, it’s so much better for communication.” Kennedy sees an additional advantage for both teachers and office workers. “They’re easily cleanable,” she notes. “You don’t have to remember to take them home and put them in your laundry.”

Carrington says that the response to the ZShield in schools has been overwhelmingly positive. As schools decide whether to bring students back into physical classrooms, having the flexibility of multiple protective barriers is crucial, and Carrington’s proud to be part of the solution. “It’s kind of a defining moment for our country and our world, and it requires innovation and creativity,” he says. “We all felt an emotional response, and we appreciate that we were able to do something to help.”

The post What Schools Need to Know About Reopening Safely appeared first on Education and Career News.

“Our own comfort and movement as adults is critically important,” says R.J. Webber, EdD, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction at Novi Community Schools in Novi, Michigan. “Why wouldn’t that be the same for children?”

Agile furniture

Webber considered movement when choosing furniture for the classroom. “We have invested in agile furniture throughout our entire district,” Webber says. “We’ve already seen the benefit of kids being able to sit in chairs that they’re comfortable in and given permission to ‛wiggle.’ I can say flatly that if you talk to our teachers, they would never want to go back to what was — nor would the kids, which is actually the most important thing.”

Webber chose agile furniture from VS America for the district. “Their focus was educational furnishing — other manufacturers were just dabbling in the education market,” Webber says. When the pandemic caused a shift to online learning, Webber launched a program to loan stools and desks to parents so they could set up an agile learning environment at home, underscoring the power of easily movable and configurable furniture.

One of the pioneers of agile furniture for classrooms is David A. Stubbs II of David Stubbs Design. “I was looking at the classroom and thought the furniture solutions that were available to us didn’t work,” he recalls. “They didn’t meet the requirements of our students, so I asked myself, can I create a system that could adapt to whatever you want, whenever you want — how you want to teach and learn? And can I provide you a set of diverse tools that enables you to make those modifications on the fly, not only per day or per week, but per hour?”

Stubbs also sees the health benefits of agile classroom furniture that allows students freedom of movement. “We have to follow the science. To get up and move is providing oxygen to your brain. And that’s critical for alertness, for creative thinking. We sit too much — it’s killing us.”

Future-proof

The pandemic has also emphasized the safety benefits of agile furniture in the classroom. “The agile component became exponentially important,” Stubbs notes. “The safety components, the tip standards, the ease of movement. Everything fits through a three-foot door. Everything can be rearranged effectively within two minutes.”

That flexibility means that classrooms can be configured optimally for social distancing as well as the material being taught. It also means that whatever new challenges the future brings, classrooms stocked with agile furniture can be easily configured to meet them, making them effectively future-proof.

“This allows teachers to have the students actually reconfigure their rooms very easily,” Webber says. “Which then moves away from a defined ‛front’ of the classroom — a whiteboard or a blackboard. That opens up the entire class, and that changes the mindset — that’s one thing that this furniture does as well.”

For Webber, agile furniture is about more than safety today and flexibility tomorrow. “We don’t have to say a thing to our students to tell them how we feel about them,” says Webber. “Space and design do that — investing in learning spaces for our children that show them we respect them and who they are. That’s where VS America is close to my heart because they get that as well.”

The post The New Classroom Is Agile appeared first on Education and Career News.

Everyone is familiar with the old, basic chatbots that are little more than a waystation before you reach a customer service representative, but Ivy.ai CEO Mark McNasby says his company is integrating these systems to serve a variety of student needs, as well as for marketing purposes.

“Student service plays into the larger picture of student success and student retention,” McNasby said. “So this is a critical piece of the bigger picture of driving students to graduate and having successful outcomes.” 

McNasby provided an example of how chatbots can be used to solve very specific student problems:

“Summer melt is a classic problem in higher education, where students say that they’re going to enroll, but they don’t show up on the first day of classes,” he said. “And it’s because they maybe don’t have the support they need to complete all of the required work in terms of medical forms or financial aid forms. And so AI chatbots can provide that support and walk people through these complex processes that get them to the finish line.

Answering questions

In another example, a student might ask a chatbot about their tuition balance. McNasby says there are chatbots designed to access that student’s financial aid file, provide them with the balance, and links to payment options. 

For more complex or specific questions involving named entities, like “Who is my student adviser?” McNasby says chatbots find creative algorithmic solutions to best answer students’ questions. 

“So if I’m an economics major, I want to be talking to Jodie Smith. And if I’m a physics major, I want to be talking to Dan Brown, right? And so one of the things that we can do is if a student asked the question, ‘Who’s my advisor?’ Well, we can say, ‘Well, what’s your major?’ McNasby said. “And then, based on their response, we can connect them to either Jodie or Dan.” 

But even the smartest chatbot is not perfect, which is why McNasby says it’s important to have a smooth function for transferring a student to a live person when the bot doesn’t have an answer. 

“Because these bots are not omniscient. They’re not silver bullets,” McNasby said. “And the experience of when the bot gets stumped is really important because we only have a person’s eyeball for a few minutes, and when they have a lousy experience with it, they never come back.” 

Personalized experience 

McNasby said offering personal integrations and a more personalized experience is definitely a chatbox trend he’s been noticing lately. Another thing he said he’s seeing more of is offering AI technology on more and more platforms. 

“So in addition to offering it on the website, people can also access it on Facebook Messenger or over SMS, or over email or Amazon Alexa,” McNasby said. “And so the ability to engage with the same AI across these different channels, schools are moving in that direction.” 

University websites are also getting more creative with how content on the site interacts with the bot. 

“So they might have a  webpage that has content on it, and when I click on a piece of content, it will actually open up the bot to the specific area that talks more about it,” McNasby said. “It’s this sort of interplay, this sort of closer connectivity between their website and within the bot’s brain.”

McNasby is excited about the latest developments in AI technology and what it can do for universities and their students. And it’s clear this is just the beginning.  

The post How Chatbots Are Solving Problems for College Students appeared first on Education and Career News.

As a high school math teacher, I was always excited about starting the new school year. It brought hope of what was to be for me and my new students. I found joy and comfort in setting up my calendar, getting to know my students, and even buying new school supplies. 

As I think about our teachers today, and the daily challenges and uncertainty they face, I want them to know they are supported, we are listening to them, and we are on this journey together.

During a crisis

My journey as National Council of Mathematics (NCTM) president began as COVID-19 was gaining steam. As schools stopped all in-person meetings, we worked hard to support all math teachers. 

We were all struggling. When I’ve talked with teachers, they’ve told me about their desire to continue learning, growing, and refining their craft in this new setting and situation. Teachers are not only eager to use new and different tools and strategies, but they are also thinking about how to engage students as they learn meaningful and useful math, how to support their students’ learning, and how to better understand student thinking while so many are learning from home. 

Teachers have been and continue to be innovative, responsive, and resilient during these unprecedented times. We are all working collectively to ensure each and every student has access to high-quality math instruction. 

An opportunity

NCTM and our teachers are looking to make the current challenges an opportunity to increase our focus on building resilient learners, through attention to creating a positive identity for all students. We as teachers are always looking to foster the wonder, joy, and beauty of math in our own learning, and to engage our students, families, and communities. 

One challenge we have is that the learning of math is not equitable. NCTM has identified concrete steps for real change that include creating equitable structures and support for students. Investing in teaching, empowering teachers, and engaging students in rigorous learning are essential. 

Our time with students is likely to be limited, so using the time we have to help students understand how math helps them understand the world around them is urgent. Teachers, students, and families need to be supported to ensure this happens.

As we begin this school year, each experience will be an important part of the journey. Although we know it will be difficult and unusual at times, NCTM encourages teachers to remember they are not alone on this journey. 

The post How NCTM Is Supporting Math Teachers in 2020 and Beyond appeared first on Education and Career News.

Patty Berron is an early childhood educator in Texas and COVID-19 has created tremendous disruptions for her this year, as it has for all of us.

One thing that has been consistent for Patty and the 800,000 early childhood educators in her league around the world are the skills and confidences they’ve demonstrated during these tough times because they hold a Child Development Associate certificate (CDA). 

“More than ever, it’s been essential to put our profession’s competency standards into practice that I learned through the CDA process. Educating to these standards helps children move with success from one developmental stage to another,” Patty said. “I’ve had to stay updated about health and safety procedures. I’ve also had to be creative about using games, songs and children’s imaginations to encourage everyone to wear face masks and regularly wash hands — it hasn’t been easy!” 

A valuable certificate

I know the CDA’s value because I earned one myself nearly three decades ago and it made me a better teacher. Now, I lead the nonprofit that administers and issues CDAs. Our focus includes encouraging those looking to make a job change to consider early education, including men wanting to switch careers. We also continue our effort to show all child care providers that they are valued professionals who deserve salary increases and job security. 

Patty shared another story with me. She once had a 3-year-old named Julio in her class who had always been under his grandmother´s care and was nervous to stay at the center. 

Patty’s training led her to look for clues about how to engage Julio. She noticed he was interested in cars and trucks because his dad was a mechanic. So Patty quickly put together a model toy car for Julio to engage with in his own area of the classroom. 

She then pretended her toy car broke down and asked him to fix it. Julio went to work and made the little car speed along again, just like his dad does in real life. This creativity and interaction gave Julio the confidence he needed to feel comfortable at the center, where he’s excelled at learning and making friends. 

This is the kind of caring and insightful activity that occurs every day at child care centers, in home settings, and with visits from trained home visitors. It’s also the type of thing we need even more of as we work to make up for the learning losses that have occurred this year because of closures and reduced class sizes. Thankfully, we know our CDAs and all child care providers are up to the task.  

The post Why Early Childhood Educators Are the Engines for Learning appeared first on Education and Career News.

Social studies classes help students learn to ask and answer questions about their world.

Your child or you may have taken common social studies courses in school, such as civics, economics, geography, and history. These and many other disciplines (including anthropology, archaeology, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology) help us understand our human-made world – from the values, traditions, and histories of societies and cultures, to choices about where and how to live and satisfy basic needs and wants, to ways of participating in civic life. 

The social studies show how major civic issues (e.g., healthcare, crime, foreign policy) are multidisciplinary in nature. 

Focus on curiosity

Preparing for civic action requires this multidisciplinary approach, with a focus on inquiry or asking questions. Our understanding of the world is shaped by the questions we ask and seek to answer. 

Our natural ability to ask questions sparks the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) to envision a world in which all students are educated and inspired for lifelong inquiry and informed civic action. We achieve this vision through four dimensions of social studies learning:

1. Developing questions and planning inquiries – constructing questions based on the goals of a course of study and curiosity about the world.
2. Applying disciplinary tools and concepts – drawing on methods and practices (e.g., historical thinking, geographic reasoning, economic decision-making, civic engagement) of one or more social studies disciplines to answer these questions.
3. Evaluating sources and using evidence – finding, accessing, and using information from multiple sources to determine the quality and quantity of evidence, and the appropriateness of the sources, to answer these questions.
4. Communicating conclusions and taking informed action – answering questions in multiple formats (think beyond the traditional five-paragraph essay). From there, share understanding and analysis with the wider world – decide what kind of actions to take based on the conclusions drawn. “Informed action” can be local (e.g., suggesting change in the classroom or community) or far-reaching (dedicating a career to advocacy, public life, or civil service).

Questions are at the heart of inquiry, and inquiry is at the heart of social studies. This must be our focus every day for every learner, from early childhood through graduation. The more we inquire about the world, the more likely we are to be active citizens.

The post The Need for Civic Action and Lifelong Inquiry appeared first on Education and Career News.

It is widely acknowledged that students of all racial, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds deserve an educational experience that allows them to bring their whole selves to school each day. Sadly, though, we have not done enough to ensure that our teacher workforce is able to provide this kind of learning experience for all students. 

The fact is that many students of color are stranded in classrooms in which they do not feel included and cannot effectively support their learning needs.

Part of the problem is that there are too few teachers of color in America’s schools. In fact, 40 percent of schools do not employ even one teacher of color. Additionally, too few teachers, whether they are white or people of color, are able to make inclusive instruction a reality for each of their students. Fundamentally, these are shortcomings related to how we think about the definition of a quality teacher workforce. 

Shifting focus

The importance of teacher quality is well-known. By some measures, it is the most consequential school-based influence on a student’s education. Similarly, the education community recognizes that all students benefit academically, socially, and emotionally from having diverse teachers. 

But conversations about teacher quality and diversity usually take place separately. They are typically thought of as distinct concerns when it comes to strengthening the teacher workforce. This is a mistake.

If America is to make meaningful, sustainable progress toward true educational equity and inclusion, then we must come to see teacher diversity as foundational to quality. This is especially true for most teacher preparation programs, which continue to sustain the false dichotomy between teacher diversity and quality.

A successful model

Teacher preparation programs at many minority-serving institutions, though, offer alternative models that treat diversity and quality as inseparably linked. Their instructional philosophies and practices reflect that connection and integrate diversity with all aspects of teacher preparation. 

In doing so, they produce teachers who are equipped to provide the inclusive educational experiences and environments that allow all students to thrive.

Changing how the majority of teacher preparation programs view the relationship between teacher diversity and quality will not be easy. But by doing so, we have the opportunity to reimagine how we can more equitably educate all students and, importantly, how we can better prepare teachers to do this vital work.

The post Why Diversity Is Essential for a Quality Teacher Workforce appeared first on Education and Career News.

The COVID-19 crisis has affected young people of all ages, with many experiencing a level of trauma that can’t be ignored. As we enter a new school year, it’s vital that we consider students’ physical, mental, and social-emotional health above all else.  

Amid these changes and challenges, health and physical education teachers will be more important than ever. 

Health and physical education class is where students learn critical social-emotional skills to help manage their emotions, and handle daily tasks and challenges. It’s also where they learn age-appropriate skills for developing the mind-body connection, which can improve mental health and overall wellness. 

Across the country, health and physical education teachers are busy preparing an environment for safe and supportive instruction using one of three models of learning outlined in SHAPE America’s School Reentry Considerations for K-12 Physical Education, Health Education, and Physical Activity:  

1. In-school instruction with physical distancing 

This learning model allows students to develop important skills and knowledge. Teachers can support their students by focusing on individual skills and exercises that don’t require equipment, rather than on traditional team sports and activities.

2. Distance learning

In this model, teachers focus on connecting with students and families. The school community faces challenges in a distance learning environment, but through collaboration, creativity, and flexibility, teachers can strengthen connections with students on a more personal level while teaching important skills for health and well-being. 

3. Hybrid learning 

Using a hybrid model, students attend school in person on a staggered schedule. Teachers can have students participate in individual activities that comply with guidelines — or implement a “flipped classroom” approach where students begin learning about a topic at home (by watching a video), and then further develop their knowledge in school by participating in an activity or asking questions. This makes the most of the allotted in-school instructional time.

As health and physical education teachers prepare to teach using new models of instruction, they are also developing teaching strategies related to equity; inclusion and accessibility; social and emotional learning; and trauma-sensitive learning. 

In the coming months, we urge parents to talk with school and district leaders about the importance of health and physical education. Students’ well-being depends on it.

The post How New Learning Models Can Help Us Have Healthy, Active Students appeared first on Education and Career News.