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Leveraging the CARES Act for Quality PD
Join our webinar on
May 21st at 2:00 PM EST to get answers to your questions regarding Stimulus funding, Title Funding changes, and more.
Hosted by:Dr. Kecia Ray & Susan Gentz of K20CONNECT
Learn the nuances of:
The CARES Act
The Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER Fund)
The Rethink K-12 School Models & Continue to Learn Microgrants
Waivers for carryover funds
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What’s happening in Texas
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Oral History — 5 School Leaders, 4 Weeks & the Biggest Education Crisis of Their Careers
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losing school buildings in the San Antonio Independent School District took away the one advantage school officials thought they had in mitigating the circumstances of some of the country’s poorest zip codes.
The large urban district serves more than 48,000 students, half of whom come from households making less than $28,000 per year. Many rely on the public schools for three meals per day. In the most deeply segregated corners, basic infrastructure for broadband internet doesn’t exist. At least when they are in the school building, educators often say, students’ basic needs are consistently met.
Now, as they complete half a semester of online learning, district leaders say they’ve discovered assets beyond the brick-and-mortar on which they once relied: ingenuity, solidarity and caring.
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SISD talks calendar change for new year
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Seguin ISD could see some changes in its academic calendar, but not a year-round scenario, yet.
During a board workshop on Thursday, the district’s administration discussed with trustees potentially extending the start of the 2020-21 year by a week, while researching the option of possibly implementing an intersessional calendar as presented by the Texas Education Agency earlier this week.
The intersessional calendar, if implemented, would have students starting the year earlier and ending in mid- to late-June, with longer breaks in between, according to the TEA.
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Abbott: Texas schools can offer in-person summer school starting June 1
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School districts can reopen as soon as June 1 for in-person summer school classes if they maintain “safe distancing” and health protocols, Gov. Greg Abbott said during his statewide update on Monday.
Abbott previously ordered schools to close for the rest of the 2019-20 school year amid the coronavirus pandemic.
During a press conference Monday, Abbott also said child care services can reopen immediately and youth and sports camps can reopen May 31.
Corpus Christi ISD Superintendent Roland Hernandez told the Caller-Times last week that the district planned to offer summer school remotely in June and July.
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MISD administrator provides sample of ‘flexible calendar’ ISD unveils virtual ceremonies to air on KTSM
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Weeks after Midland board leaders approved a calendar for the 2020-21 school year, Midland ISD staff wants to “circle back around for another discussion” of optional calendars.
Midland ISD Superintendent Orlando Riddick told trustees during their budget workshop last week that a discussion would take place Monday. The agenda packet for today’s school board meeting offers more detail, including a plan used by Socorro ISD, which was a template for the district’s “intercessional” draft.
Monday’s virtual meeting is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. The district’s website has information about how to provide comment for those who want to weigh in on calendar changes. The intercessional calendar is listed as part of the district reports and does not include a vote.
A district report in the agenda packet indicates staff approached the board with “optional” calendars.
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Dallas ISD: Senior Living Facility Receives Messages Of Hope From Hundreds Of Elementary Students
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Hundreds of Dallas ISD elementary school students created motivational artwork for the residents of a local senior living facility.
The Edgemere facility received more than 210 letters, art projects and videos with uplifting messages.
“We simply asked that the teachers have students create artwork, write letters, make videos, anything they wished to make and send some caring spirit on to the facility residents,” said Erinn D. Wilcots, manager of Dallas ISD’s Advanced Academic Services. “We left the project open to the students’ imagination so they could come up with what they thought would be best to send to the residents.”
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Pete Gallego named sole finalist for Sul Ross presidency
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Former congressman Pete Gallego says he wants to give back to his alma mater after being named sole finalist for its presidency.
Sul Ross State University Chancellor Brian McCall on Thursday announced the selection of Gallego to head the 103-year-old institution. McCall said Gallego was selected from a field of nearly 40 candidates following a national search.
Wheless Search and Consulting, an executive search firm, assisted Texas State University System (TSUS) in the Sul Ross presidential search process.
“The presidential search committee and I were fortunate to have a large field of well-qualified candidates to consider. Pete Gallego emerged as the front-runner by articulating an exciting vision for Sul Ross and demonstrating his intimate knowledge of the university and the communities it serves,” McCall said. “I want to thank Chairman Don Flores and the entire search committee for their time, energy, and dedication to this process.”
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Your Source for Opportunities
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Austin ISD – Superintendent Opening
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JG Consulting is excited announce that the executive search firm has officially launched the Superintendent search. Candidates may review the job advertisement and apply to serve as the Superintendent by submitted their materials here:
Austin ISD – Superintendent
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Magee & Steiner: Students Worldwide Have Gone Back to School After COVID-19. 4 Lessons for Reopening America’s Classrooms
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Schools from France to Japan, from Holland to Hong Kong and some U.S. states are reopening — tentatively — their classrooms after weeks of COVID-induced remote learning. As school leaders prepare for fall 2020, experts predict only an intermittent return to face-to-face instruction until a coronavirus vaccine can ensure the health and safety of families and teachers. How can states, districts and school networks prepare for what will be anything but business as usual? Now more than ever, we need to learn from the successes of high-performing systems around the world and respond to this crisis by creating more nimble, responsive and high-quality schools for America’s students.
Our organizations — Chiefs for Change, a bipartisan network of state and district education leaders, and the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy — teamed up to study the interventions that accelerate student learning in normal times, as well as in the wake of dramatic disruptions. We compared what was possible in other countries with what is politically and financially viable in ours. The result of that research is The Return: How Should Education Leaders Prepare for Reentry and Beyond? The report is available on both
Chiefs for Change and the
Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy’s websites.
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Photo Tour: What School, Class & Safety Look Like in 8 Countries Around the World as Students Return After Coronavirus
After months of skyrocketing coronavirus cases, shuttered schools and remote learning, the push around the world to reopen campuses and bring students back to class raises a new wave of questions and concerns.
What will a school day look like in a time of social distancing?
How will classrooms and learning change?
How will district leaders ensure that both educators and students are safe?
For schools that have already opened, like the Phoenix Gymnasium secondary school in Dortmund, Germany, back-to-school means reinventing practices, from social distance strategies to desk arrangements and many, many signs. (Last month, we took a photo tour of one Denmark school that had reconceived the school day.)
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Trump’s push to reopen schools and day care gets chilly reception from voters
A plurality of voters oppose President Donald Trump’s push for U.S. elementary and high schools to get back to business this fall, according to a POLITICO/Morning Consult poll that asked whether students should return to day care, schools and college campuses.
Voters instead offer a bit of praise for online instruction, with a majority saying it’s been at least somewhat effective at making up for months of class time lost to the coronavirus pandemic. That approval comes after many schools struggled in their first weeks of closure to set up remote learning and get computers into the hands of low-income students.
Forty-one percent of Americans said it’s a bad idea to reopen K-12 schools in the fall, concluded the online survey of close to 2,000 registered voters, while 44 percent felt it was a bad idea to open day care centers. At the same time, the numbers show about a third of voters think it’s a good idea for children to resume in-person classes or go back to child care.
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These Latinx activities and resources will keep kids learning and entertained during COVID-19
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The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way many of us live, but it has also changed the way many of us parent. Being home every day with our kids can be wonderful one moment, and trying the next. For those moments when you need a break, or just need a fresh way to engage with your kids, we’ve gathered some unique ideas on ways to entertain kids while in quarantine. From Spanish lessons to Latinx museum tours and more, you’ll find plenty to do in this list in the link below.
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Las Tienditas – Latinx Face Masks
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Support for TALAS Members
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NoRedInk provides a comprehensive, adaptive, mastery-based writing platform for grades 4-12 that is TEKS-aligned. NoRedInk balances grammar and writing skills with composition and revision activities. Our platform engages students with adaptive, interest-based content which allows teachers to easily differentiate in the classroom whilst tracking mastery on over 1000 skills. Additionally, NoRedInk’s writing assignments allow students to build a portfolio of written work and engage in a highly scaffolded drafting, revision and peer review process. It’s free to sign up and use with students! Learn more about
NoRedInk
and
how it’s preparing students for ACT/SAT and STAAR.
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Walden has been offering individual courses for nondegree students since 2010. Until recently, doing that meant finding a course in the catalog, calling enrollment, submitting a transcript, and more of the full application for admission process.
With increasing demand for continuing education and professional development, we are
Upping Our Play
in how we make individual courses accessible to working professionals.
We recently launched a
Lifelong Learning
section of the WaldenU.edu website with a selection of more than 200 popular courses available to take individually. Powered by an e-commerce engine, the site makes it easy for prospective students to filter and sort courses, add them to their cart, upload supporting documents, pay with a credit card, and register for a course all in one visit!
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Our strategic initiatives in partnership
with the Texas Association of School
Administrators (TASA) are designed
to create learning opportunities that present career pathways
for school leaders across Texas. These initiatives, including the
Principals’ Institute, the Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, and
the Executive Leadership Institute, cultivate purposeful networks of
leaders engaged in meaningful work that advances the principles in
the New Vision for Public Education.
Our experienced team offers proven success in all areas of public
education with specialization in assessment and accountability,
leadership and professional development, strategic planning, and
transformational learning environments. We are dedicated to
partnering with clients to customize projects that facilitate change
and ensure success.
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and other TALAS activities possible.
Please support them. Click on the logo to learn more!
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Explore Our Courses
Choose from hundreds of online courses to earn academic credit and advance your professional skill set.
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