School chaos that could have been avoided

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Forward

Dear reader,

Our country has been deeply polarized for years, but in these fraught pre-election days, it would be comforting if we could all pull together to ensure students a quality education. Instead, we’re seeing fights over school reopenings, bureaucratic incompetence and years of disinvestment in school buildings and technology laid bare by the coronavirus.

In New York City, the nation’s largest school district, some students returned in person to classrooms on Monday. But that partial reopening came after two delays and lots of confusion – chaos that could have been avoided. And the students who started online in many cases faced internet connectivity problems, an issue plaguing districts nationwide. It’s one reason researchers are calling for “far more systematic and effective” use of educational technology. They caution that simply spending more on technology won’t solve the problem.

A reminder: We know schools look different this year. Please, share your photos illustrating what’s changed, and tell us your stories!

Liz Willen, Editor

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Main Idea

COLUMN: We could have avoided this disastrous fall

A timeless routine, now broken by massive human failures: a raging pandemic, fires and floods fueled by climate change, and, in New York, a twice-delayed reopening debacle in the nation’s largest public-school system that is enraging parents, confusing educators and leading to increasing despair that school as we once knew it will never return.

Reading List

HBCUs entering the game: Black colleges join the esports bandwagon

At HBCUS, competitive video game playing has led to black esports leagues, clubs and even academic courses, to prepare students for jobs in the lucrative esports industry.

The child care system is facing collapse. Could unionizing help bring the industry back from the brink?

In California, child care providers won a 16-year battle for the right to unionize. How far can unionization go to save an industry afflicted by low pay, poor working conditions and now the coronavirus?

PROOF POINTS: A turnaround on school turnarounds

A fresh look at 35 studies finds that student achievement tends to improve amid the disruption.

OPINION: Strategies to help schools navigate the COVID-19 cash crunch

Funding challenges can give leaders a push to make smart decisions about school spending.

OPINION: Fixing education during the pandemic means fixing an uneasy relationship with technology

How we use and choose new tech tools will make all the difference for years to come.

OPINION: Why Black student parents are at the epicenter of the student debt crisis — and what we can do about it

Black students with children hold more student loan debt than any other group. But there are steps we can take to reduce the crippling financial burden.

Solutions

"Community colleges pivot to support their vulnerable students," Inside Higher Ed

This week’s solutions section came from SolutionsU powered by Solutions Journalism Network and their database of solutions journalism. Search for more solutions.

👋 Contact Nichole Dobo at [email protected] to give feedback on The Hechinger Report’s newsletters. Did you know we produce newsletters on early childhood, education research, the future of learning, higher education and the state of Mississippi? And it helps us if you recommend our newsletters to a friend.

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