Dear Superintendents,
This week is a big week for education celebrations and observations:
- February 22-26 Public Schools Week – use hashtag #publicproud
- February 25 is Digital Learning Day – use hashtag #DLDay
- February 20-27 is National FFA Week – use hashtags #agvocate #ffaweek and consider wearing blue on Friday to honor your local FFA chapter.
And, we continue to celebrate Career and Technical Education (CTE) for the whole month of February. Governor Gordon signed a proclamation earlier this week.
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Handbook from CDC and U.S. Department of Education
One week ago the CDC and U.S. Dept. of Education released a guide for reopening schools across the nation. The focus of the guide is on the implementation of the strategies that Wyoming implemented before we began this school year. Thank you, Wyoming educators, families, and students, for setting a high standard for in-person instruction in America. I am anxious to continue sharing our success story.
Both the CDC and U.S. Department of Education recommend that schools that have safely reopened do not shift course based on the guidance, but that we ensure safety strategies are still in place.
Other Resources
These are not from the CDC or U.S. Department of Education but may be of help as you plan for summer learning and the use of local CARES/ESSER funds.
- New Spotlights Share Innovations for Providing Educators Professional Development on Trauma: Looking for ways to train district and school staff about trauma? The National Center for Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE) recently released a new set of spotlights highlighting innovative practices for providing educators professional development on trauma based on the work of the Promoting Student Resilience grantees. Providing high-quality professional development activities can build the capacity of school staff to create safe, supportive learning environments that offer stability and positive relationships that reduce the negative effects of traumatic events on youth development. Each state spotlight includes a point of contact for the grantee who can share additional information about the implementation of these practices.
- New RAND study on Summer Learning: RAND recently published Every Summer Counts: A Longitudinal Analysis of Outcomes from the National Summer Learning Project, which examined the implementation and effectiveness of voluntary summer learning programs in five school districts and shares key findings and recommendations for future summer programming. Among the recommendations:
- Districts offering voluntary summer programs that seek to provide academic benefits should offer at least five weeks of programming, and preferably six, with at least three hours of academic instruction per day.
- To increase program effectiveness and maximize their return on investment, districts should focus on ensuring strong student attendance, productive use of instructional time, and high-quality instruction.
WDE takes a quick Zoom break to share a few random acts of kindness during #RAKWeek
Memo to be released today:
