Dear Superintendents,

The summer professional development season is wrapping up. This week the WDE, tribal partners, Wyoming Humanities, Wyoming PBS, and many others will host the Native American Education Conference virtually. Conference registration is still open. The speakers and sessions will provide inspiration and resources for educators, students, and community members.

Last week the Wyoming National Guard, WDE, and the Wyoming Military Department hosted the first-ever Leadership Rendezvous. Educator stars from across the state merged with military members for a unique week of leadership and learning. Participants repelled, flew in Blackhawk helicopters, and did PT at 5:00AM at Camp Guernsey. We are already planning for 2022!

Educator Leadership Rendezvous at Camp Guernsey

Governor Gordon released this statement about a safe return to in-person school.  According to the release no statewide mask mandates will be issued. Locally elected school boards, school administrators, and county health officials should continue to make decisions that are best suited for their communities.

The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), which develops policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), is seeking candidates for several positions (to be appointed in fall 2022): fourth-grade teacher, eighth-grade teacher, secondary school principal, and general public representative-parent leader.

The Wyoming National Guard and partners are hosting STEM Day and the Wild West Airshow (historically held in July) on September 10 (for schools) and September 11-12 for the public. The event is not a recruiting event and many state and local partners in STEM will participate. Coordinators of the event are prepared for busloads of students and will work with schools and teachers to accommodate the school day hours and travel time. For more information about STEM Day or the airshow contact maxwell.mcmillan.1@us.af.mil

FEDERAL UPDATES and RESOURCES

(Note: some of the resources are not fully applicable to Wyoming since schools were nearly universally in-person for the 2020-21 school year)

• Upcoming Deadline for FCC Emergency Connectivity Fund: Schools and libraries can submit applications for the $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund. The fund can be used towards purchasing laptops and tablets, Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers and broadband connections. To learn more, click here. Instructions on how to apply for funding can be found here.
• The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) released a study on the promise of community schools based on an assessment of the impact of the New York City Community Schools Initiative. To read the study, click here. Several Wyoming schools have moved toward becoming community schools in recent years.
• Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) requests comments on national school lunch and breakfast Programs on buying American. Comments are due on or before November 2, 2021. To read the Federal Register notice, click here.
• The United States Department of Education (USED) released the “Return to School Roadmap” on August 2. The roadmap can support students, schools, educators, and communities in preparing for the 2021-2022 school year.
• The USED released a resource to help schools, colleges, and universities improve their ventilation systems. The resource explains how American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds can be used to improve indoor air quality, as part of the agency’s broader efforts to support campuses as they welcome back students for in-person learning and build back better. Note: The WDE can provide technical assistance if a school or district is considering using ARP funds for this purpose.

Memos released on Monday, August 9:

Dear Superintendents,

In less than two weeks, Wyoming will host state superintendents from across the nation at the Council for Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) Summer Leadership Convening in Cheyenne. I am very excited to reconnect with my colleagues across the nation, show off our wonderful state, and lean in on the most important education topics.

Among the topics we will discuss is how funds from the American Rescue Plan Act are being used to make up for lost learning time and enhance opportunities for students and communities. I have been thinking a lot lately about innovation and 21st Century learning, along with critical partnerships between K-12, post-secondary, and the employer community. In the past year and a half we have all taken steps to ensure technology in our schools makes learning more mobile than ever before. Simultaneously, are we also thinking about how we will teach the skills that enable our students to prosper in a quickly evolving technological world that permeates every career? The Wyoming Department of Education will continue to support efforts to prioritize 21st century teaching and learning.

A couple of additional thoughts about innovation:

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit UW’s makerspace, called the Wyrkshop. It was exciting to hear about the many ways UW is reaching out to K-12 students and partnering with other makerspaces across the state.

Finally, computer science standards are to be fully implemented next school year. The number of “early implementers” is astounding. Attendance at computer science professional development opportunities continues to grow and teachers are excited for the transition.

#bootupwyoming

Tyler Kerr (far L) led us on a tour of UW’s makerspace, WYrkshop

Memos to be released today:

• 2021-085-Public-Comment on-Hathaway-Scholarship-Program-Rules-PDF
• 2021-086-Public-Comment-ESEA-Federal-Fiscal-Waiver-PDF

Chief of Staff Dicky Shanor emcees our first in-person WDE all-staff meeting in 18 months

Sincerely,

Dear Superintendents,

Summer professional development is in full swing. It is wonderful to connect with participants who impact every facet of education and leadership. I look forward to more!

The WDE is sponsoring/hosting a number of conferences this summer. Here are a few:

• Embracing Literacy (virtual in July)
• Native American Education Conference (virtual – August 11-14)
• Wyoming Education Summit (virtual – September 21-22)

There are also a number of content or audience-specific events such as Level-Up for award-winning teachers and leaders, TeachUNITED, virtual teaching, computer science, CTE, and more.

Opportunities are listed on the WDE website or you can reach out to WDE staff for more information.

ALSO UPCOMING

• There will not a be a special legislative session, as was anticipated, in July. The Joint Education Committee (JEC) will meet July 19-20. The agenda can be found here.
• Wyoming will host all state superintendents in Cheyenne in July at the Council for Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) Summer Leadership Convening. This marks the first time the organization has held an all-member event in Wyoming.
• Statewide work on the Profile of a Graduate continues. Information about the work so far, led by the State Board of Education, can be found here.

FEDERAL UPDATES

• The Lessons from the Field series continues with a webinar about air quality and ventilation in schools. The webinar will be held on June 30, 2021 – 3:00pm to 4:15pm ET. the topic will be air quality and ventilation. For more information or to register, visit here.
• On June 24, President Biden and a bipartisan group of senators agreed on an infrastructure bill framework. Specific to education, the framework includes funds for Broadband but does not include resources for school infrastructure.
• The U.S. Department of Education issued a revised interpretation of Title IX. The interpretation and implementation requirement can be found here. Secretary Cardona’s comments can be read here.
• A roundtable with rural youth and Secretary Cardona took place early this week. The conversation was about students’ COVID-19 experience. You can view the discussion here.

Note: In my update last week I included an image with the Cowboy Code of the West without fully crediting the creator, © 2004 James P. Owen from his book Cowboy Ethics.

Memo to be released today:

• 2021-081-School-Improvement-Plans-PDF

Dear Superintendents,

It’s been an inspiring week. I attended the Wyoming Association of Career and Technical Educators (WACTE) conference and the Wyoming Custodians Association conference. If ever there were a time to reflect on the Cowboy Code of Ethics, it is now. Wyoming educators, students, and families have ridden for the brand like never before over the last eighteen months and exemplify all that makes Wyoming, well, Wyoming. I will be sharing the stories of hope, perseverance, hard work, passion, and leadership across the state and nation.

FEDERAL UPDATES

• Twenty- eight states, including Wyoming, submitted state ARP plans to the U.S. Department of Education by the June 7 deadline. The plans are posted here.
• On June 15 the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) posted a blog stating that national spending for public schools has increased for the sixth consecutive year in the 2018-19 school year. To learn more, click here.
• Congress voted this week to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, and President Biden signed it into law. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management announced that most federal employees would observe the holiday on Friday, June 18.

Wyoming Custodians Association conference with L-Scott, VP and R-Jeff, President

Memos to be released today:

• 2021-079-Modifications-to-Accreditation-Peer-Review-PDF
• 2021-080-End-of-Year-2021-WDE684-Data-Collection-Review-for-Accountability-PDF

Dear Superintendents,

Summer professional development opportunities hosted or sponsored by the Wyoming Department of Education are listed on our website. We strive to keep the content relevant and engaging for educators and look forward to seeing you this summer.

An interesting article this week in Education Week  includes a poll that found 42% of teachers and administrators surveyed said more students would have to repeat a grade and 68% said more students would have to retake courses. The story also featured expert discussion on retention policies.

Federal Updates

• The U.S. Department of Education released a new FAQ document on uses and restrictions with ESSER funding. 
  
• The Office of Civil Right released “Dear Educator” Letter reminding schools of obligations to investigate and address all forms of harassment in educational environments, including harassment directed towards Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students. You can read the letter here.
• The Office of Civil Rights OCR announced a virtual public hearing June 7-11 to gather information for improving enforcement of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.  This hearing is part of OCR’s comprehensive review of the Department’s existing regulations and other actions related to implementing the President Biden’s executive orders regarding discrimination on the basis of sex, including sexual orientation and gender identity. Members of the public may register to make live comments during the hearing.  They may also send written comments to T9PublicHearing@ed.gov, following guidelines in the hearing notice.

Student designers gave me a tour of the student-built cabin they staged. All are students at Pathways Innovation Center 21st Century School in Casper.

Memos to be released on Tuesday, June 1:

• 2021-072-2021-RISE-Award-Application-Now-Open-PDF
• 2021-073-Preliminary-2021-22-IDEA-Part B-Allocations-PDF
• 2021-074-Technical-Education-Tuesdays-PDF
• 2021-075-Student-Withdrawal-Form-Requirements-PDF
• 2021-076-2021-22-TeachUNITED-Professional-Development-PDF
• 2021-077-2020-21-WDE600-Virtual-Education-Clarification-PDF

Dear Superintendents,

Three-plus weeks of school and community visits was a success. Again, thank you for welcoming me into your classrooms.

As the summer break approaches, these updates will be sporadic and as needed. Enjoy a much needed respite.

Congrats Big Piney Principal Mr. Makelky on being the 2020 Secondary Principal of the Year

National Summer Learning and Enrichment Collaborative

The U.S. Dept. of Education, National Governors Association (NGA), Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and the Comprehensive Center Network launched the Summer Learning and Enrichment Collaborative. Dates for the virtual events are May 27, June 10, June 24, July 8, July 22, and August 12. The purpose of the collaborative is to support state and local teams, community partners, and other education stakeholders as they plan and implement learning and enrichment activities during the summer and beyond. Each session will have a short opening plenary along with concurrent discussions offering practical tools, strategies, and opportunities for peer sharing in the following areas: building school-community partnerships, effective use of fiscal resources, attracting/supporting staff for summer programs, evidence-based learning and enrichment strategies, addressing a full range of student needs, and tailoring supports to specific populations.

Memos to be released today:

• 2021-070-Chapter 2–Rules-for-Minimum-Standards-for-Student-Transportation-Vehicles-PDF
• 2021-071-Verification-Due-WDE949-Credits-Earned-PDF