November 2, 2020

Dear Superintendents,

I want begin by thanking special education leaders in Wyoming: directors, teachers, paraeducators, and the team at WDE. This week at the School Finance Recalibration committee, WDE Director of Special Education Margee Robertson, and Chief Academic Officer Shelley Hamel, were asked to present on short notice. Not only did they make an excellent presentation but educators from across the state provided public testimony supporting Wyoming’s investment and programming. Both the committee and the third-party consultants spoke highly of the work and outcomes in Wyoming special education. I can’t think of a more important area to shine brightly!

WDE presents at the School Finance Recalibration committee meeting.

NEW Resources from the United States Department of Education (USED)

• School Climate Improvement
• Creating a Safe and Respectful Environment in Our Nation’s Classrooms
• Mindfulness in Education: An Approach to Cultivating Self-Awareness That Can Bolster Kids’ Learning
• Returning to School During and After Crisis
• Supporting Students with Disabilities at School and Home
• OESE Resources
• Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
• National Center for Pyramid Innovations
• IES COVID-19 Evidence-Based Resources
• Part C Provision of Services in the current COVID-19 environment
• Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide

School District Response to COVID-19 (national report)

A new report on school district responses to the COVID-19 pandemic was released this week by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Here is the report link.

Key findings from this new research:

• About two in five schools began the year offering an option for full-time in-person instruction, about a third were fully remote, and the remaining 25 percent offered a hybrid model or in person for select grades.
• Overall, COVID-19 case rates were weakly related to reopening models, and higher percentages of schools returned in person in small, low-minority, low-poverty, and high-achieving districts.
• Eleven percent of all schools shifted from remote-only instruction to more in-person instruction by October 1, and most of these schools were in red states.
• Districts’ remote instruction offerings were, indeed, a large improvement from the “emergency learning” remote instruction in the spring, as measured by multiple indicators.

Ambassador Fellowship Program

Apply now for the USED 2021-22 School Ambassador Fellowship Program. The program enables outstanding teachers, principals, counselors, psychologists, social workers, and other school-based professionals interacting with students on a daily basis to bring their expertise to the national level.

NOVEMBER IS NATIONAL VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES MONTH. Every community in Wyoming has veterans and many have active duty members. Please encourage teachers to invite U.S. military veterans into their classrooms (in-person or virtually) around Veterans Day (November 11). Veterans can share their experiences and teach students lessons about the history and significance of the holiday, helping students reflect upon the importance of the ideals of liberty, freedom, and democracy. 

I had lunch with these airmen (and others) at a recent Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce event.

Memos to be released today:

Dear Superintendents,

It’s hard to believe we are crossing the first quarter threshold of the school year. Thank you for your careful course corrections and for prioritizing the safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and community. As I visit with each of you individually the theme is that the school year is very challenging but that students and learning make it feel more normal than not. Thank you for your leadership!

While my travel is very limited and we take extra precautions when I meet face to face with people, I visited Gillette’s urban farm, Equality State Farms, this week. The owners, Matt and Marlena Walker, have partnered with Campbell County School District to ensure the locally sourced produce is on students’ lunch trays – One more reason to love Wyoming! While you can’t tell from the photo below, we were standing in the open doorway of a loading dock and it was cold!

I toured Equality State Farms this week with owner Matt Walker and Campbell County Food Service Director Bryan Young. Some of the local produce goes to students in Gillette’s schools. Photo Credit: Veteran Move Media

Memos to be released:

Dear Superintendents,

Over the past several weeks, WDE’s Robin Grandpre, Linda Finnerty, and I hosted regional zoom kick-off meetings for Level Up Cohort 2 participants Wyoming’s “best of the best” teachers and their principals offered insight, enthusiasm, and inspiration for the year ahead. We hope to meet face-to-face in early 2021. Visit this link for more about Level Up.

NAEP Testing for 2020-2021:

The NAEP will be administered this school year in its traditional format but have a smaller testing population and not include national-only assessments for eighth-grade U.S. history and civics and the age 17 long-term trend. This article in Education Dive summarizes the assessment plan and rationale.

IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION:

On October 5, President Trump signed an executive order to address the negative impact of prolonged shutdowns on mental and behavioral health and increase suicide prevention efforts (fact sheet).  Through the order, the President is establishing a Cabinet-level working group to assess the mental health needs of the most vulnerable, including children.

 There are no memos this week.

Dear Superintendents,

Memos to be released:

• 2020-158:   JobsEQ Training
• 2020-159:   Fall 2020-21 Student Climate Survey for Alternative School Accountability
• 2020-160:   Hathaway Scholarship Day
• 2020-161:   Call for Applicants: United States Senate Youth Program

Dear Superintendents,

Happy October. This is a busy month of observations in education. Notably, October is National Principals Month, Learning Disabilities Awareness Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and National Substance Abuse Prevention Month.

Sponsors of the Wyoming Next Generation Sector Partnership Academy announced two upcoming virtual trainings:

• October 12 – Next Gen 101
• October 13 – Academy Training

The 101 training, in particular, is appropriate for superintendents and other educators who want to learn more about how education fits into statewide strategies that help industries and communities move forward.

The trainings and projects are sponsored by the Wyoming Workforce Development Council and Workforce Services, Wyoming Business Council, Wyoming Community College Commission, and Wyoming Department of Education.

The trainings are free. RSVP by October 5 at: https://tinyurl.com/2020WYAcademy

Happy Principals Month – featuring one of my favorites, John Balow, serving lunch to students.

Memos to be released:

With more than 200 participants, top-notch keynote speakers, and many of you as breakout speakers, this year’s Wyoming Education Summit (WES) was a success. Thank you!

I shared a few stats about Wyoming education during my opening remarks. Here are a few more:

• Hundreds of Wyoming teachers are taking advantage of profession development to enhance virtual, remote, and blended instruction. Courses are being offered by WDE, UW, and independent providers.
• Open Range Wyoming, Wyoming’s open education resources hub now has 3,864 resources aligned with Wyoming standards.
• Wyoming WebEd Radio aired eight episodes and had 703 total views on YouTube.
• During March and April a total of 1,400,504 meals were served to Wyoming children via school food service teams.

The LEVEL-UP 2020 cohort celebrated a virtual graduation after a year leadership development and networking.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Alexis Barney was named the 2021 Wyoming Teacher of the Year. She is an elementary teacher at Evansville Elementary School.

PODER Academy and Slade Elementary were named Blue Ribbon Schools by the United States Department of Education.

Memos to be released:

• 2020-153:   Assessment Literacy Modules – Focus Group
• 2020-154:   DRIVE: Developing Rewarding Integrated Vocational Experiences: A Paraprofessional Training Group

Dear Superintendents,

Last week, our office enthusiastically shared news of a $43.3 million grant to create a comprehensive state literacy program to advance literacy skills — including pre-literacy skills, reading, and writing — for students from birth through grade 12, including limited-English-proficient students and students with disabilities. The grant cycle is five years and one of our first steps is to put together a statewide literacy panel. Here is the media release. 

1776 Commission

President Trump announced the creation of the “1776 Commission” to counter more critical historical narratives of the American founding like the one popularized by the New York Times’ 1619 Project. The 1776 Commission will “restore patriotic education to our schools,” Trump said.

Health Guidance Update

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon announced the extension of current health orders this week. One significant change to the orders includes the addition of indoor close-contact activities and sports.

Governor’s news release

Twelfth Continuation of Wyoming Health Orders (schools mostly on pages 7-9)

Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released indicators to help schools make dynamic decisions about in-person learning as local conditions evolve throughout the pandemic.  When coupled with local data about community spread, these indicators are an important tool to help local health officials, school administrators, and communities prepare, plan, and respond to COVID-19.  These indicators are the latest resource CDC has provided for schools during the pandemic, supplementing previously released guidance.

Rural Tech Project

Several weeks ago, I included an announcement for the Rural Tech Project in this update. The challenge invites schools to customize technology education programs for students and local needs. Up to five finalists will progress to Phase 2 and each receive an equal share of the $500,000 cash prize pool, on-the-ground-assistance, and access to virtual resources. One grand-prize winner will receive an additional $100,000.

Proposals are due by 5:59 p.m. ET on October 8. The Rural Tech Project has curated resources to help entrants develop comprehensive program proposals. The resources provide support around topics ranging from program design and delivery to engaging community stakeholders. To learn more about entering the challenge, see the recording of the information session and answers to frequently asked questions.

Memos to be released:

• 2020-148:    Eighth Grade Unit of Study Certification Form Due June 11, 2021
• 2020-149:    Call for Nominations: U.S. Presidential Scholars Program
• 2020-150:    Chapter 20 Public Comment: Rules for the Pupil Transportation Component within the Education Resource Block Grant Model
• 2020-151:    Roadtrip Nation Application Deadline October 4, 2020
• 2020-152:    CARES Act Equitable Services Update

Dear Superintendents,

The Wyoming Education Summit (formerly S5S) will take place on September 21-22, 2020. Registration is open. Many sessions geared toward leaders, but all educators and education partners are welcome to register and attend. Topics include:

• education leadership
• high-quality instruction
• virtual learning
• social and emotional learning (SEL)
• Wyoming Teacher of the Year award.

The agenda can be found here.

The theme of the conference is “Pursue Excellence Together” and it will be an honor to co-keynote with Wyoming Governor Gordon. Other presenters and speakers include:

• Dana Winters from the Fred Rogers Institute will keynote the morning of September 21. Her presentation, “Affirming and Promoting Deep and Simple Moments” focuses on the whole child.
• Nancy Frey will present “Learning at a Distance” based on her newest publication with renowned educators Douglas Fisher and John Hattie, The Distance Learning Playbook.

REGISTER HERE.

Memos to be released today:

• 2020-145:    Professional Development Opportunity for Teachers
• 2020-146:    Conventional Literacy for Students with Significant Intellectual Disabilities
• 2020-147:    Educator Input for Science Performance Standards

Dear Superintendents,

Last week, Secretary DeVos penned “A Letter to America’s Parents” assuring them, “At the end of the day, we want everyone to have the choices to make the best decision for them. Some may choose to learn at home. Some may choose to return to their school. Some may choose to do a combination of both. Each of you needs to be able to choose what’s best for your own families because you know your children and their circumstance better than anyone. Your child. Your school. Your way.

The Wyoming Joint Education Committee met on Thursday to hear updates about K-12 and higher education.

CIVICS EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Women’s Suffrage

This year is the 150th anniversary of the women’s vote in Wyoming. The first vote by a woman was cast on September 6, 1870 by Louisa Swain in Laramie, WY. The event was commemorated with a full year of celebrations. Events culminate this week with the final stop by a semi-truck, wrapped in Louisa Swain information. The semi, driven by four female truckers, was driven across the country. There is great information about how Wyoming codified the women’s right to vote a full fifty years before the 19th Amendment was ratified at https://www.thelouisaswainfoundation.com/ . Students and others can follow the route of the truck (which made stops along I-70 to commemorate famous women) at https://www.firstwomanvoter.org/.

This is also the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which extended the right to vote to all women in America.  In celebration, First Lady Melania Trump opened an art exhibit outside the White House commissioned from the nation’s children (readout).  Some 450 artworks were submitted, with the First Lady, the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission, and the White House curator’s office choosing the winners.

Constitution Day

September 17 is Constitution Day/Citizenship Day, commemorating the September 17, 1787, signing of the U.S. Constitution. In recognition, Congress has mandated that every educational institution receiving federal funding hold an educational program about this seminal document. To assist students and educators in their studies, the National Archives and Records Administration offers key resources, including a free online version of its U.S. Constitution Workshop. Likewise, free online resources are available from the Library of Congress, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the U.S. Census Bureau. 

The Louisa Swain semi-truck made a stop at the Captiol. It was a thrill to speak about how she started a movement that led to the 19th Amendment.

Memos to be released on September 8, 2020:

Dear Superintendents,

Memos to be released today:

• 2020-142:    COVID-19 Update 9-1-2020