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California’s political and education leaders have embarked on a bold messaging initiative to convince millions of children stuck at home, probably for the rest of the school year, that schools aren’t really closed but are actually in session — just in a different location.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond is making the distinction that school campuses are closed, but school itself is not out.
Gov. Gavin Newsom offered a slight variation on that message on Wednesday: “Schools are closed, but classes are in.” And, he implied, students might actually make more progress holding those classes remotely if they are done well. “Just because schools are closed doesn’t mean we can’t accelerate learning in California.”
Orange County Superintendent of Schools Al Mijares had another version while explaining his recommendation that schools in his county remain closed for the rest of the year. “Students may be home, but our schools are still open for business,” he wrote.
What will make getting this message across immeasurably more difficult is that it is what most Californians would rather not hear, and many dread getting — that students will not be going back to their familiar school environments for months — and most likely not until the fall. High school seniors would be going back at all.
It is a message that also flies in the face of the experience of many Californians, including parents, for whom school feels out.
Embracing the state’s message will require undoing the muscle memory of associating school with getting up in the morning — eagerly by some, reluctantly by others — navigating complex school schedules, being inspired or entertained by a favorite teacher and, most crucially, connecting with friends during class or recess. And then there are the extracurricular activities that, for many students, make school bearable and keep them returning day after day, year after year.
Now what educators are offering is a school experience stripped of all those experiences — and in an entirely different form than most students know how to handle, certainly not for an extended period, nor for the entire curriculum.
As Orange County’s Mijares wrote on Wednesday, “Distance learning must no longer be seen as a tool that augments the instructional program; it now must drive it.”
What educators have going for them is that online instruction could provide a welcome alternative to sitting around with little or nothing to do, for hours each day. The more teachers are able to make the experience a social one, and more engaging than most classes that depend on grades to motivate students, the more likely they are to hold students’ attention.
One silver lining for students who have fallen behind on credits to graduate, or have not done well enough in the A-G sequence of courses to qualify for admission to the state’s public universities: they’ll probably be able to take distance learning classes on a pass-fail basis. For students applying to UC and CSU, they won’t have to take the ACT or SAT admissions tests, for this year at least.
All this is happening when most districts have yet to formally embrace Newsom and Thurmond’s recommendation that they close their schools — OK, their campuses — through the school year. Thurmond has made it clear he is not directing them to do so. That, he said, is a decision that is up to the local school district. Gov. Newsom once again said that it is his “expectation” that schools will not reopen — without telling schools directly that they should bite the bullet and close for the rest of the year.
That, however, seems to be the inexorable direction schools will move. In addition to Orange County, on Wednesday Los Angeles County School Superintendent Debra Duardo also recommended that school campuses remain “physically closed” in her county’s 80 districts. But she too stressed that “school is in session and learning will continue.”
School districts in the county like Pasadena Unified quickly went along with her recommendation, as well as South Pasadena Unified, which emphasized to parents that “the 2019-20 school year is not over.”
Now, all Duardo and her fellow educators have to do is convince the 1.4 million students in her county of that message. If they are successful in delivering on its promise, they could transform what could be wasted months into productive ones that students might end up actually feeling good about.
The system has enrolled more in-state residents, but not enough to meet targets set by the state.
Two prominent organizations say the proposal would dismantle progress made to improve reading instruction for those students.
Fresno City College professor Tom Boroujeni is unable to fulfill his duties as academic senate president while on leave, the latest update reads.
This is a continuing EdSource series on proven innovations in higher education that relate to the problems facing California’s higher education systems.
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Sue Bierlich 4 years ago4 years ago
Question: Why are we not exploring some sort of summer school to try to gain lost classroom time for all students - in person/classroom instruction. Could districts put children first instead of teacher union contracts and help children gain back some time before fall starts with real hands on teaching and learning appropriate to grade level? Parents are not trained to follow through with computer online instruction especially when many are also trying to work … Read More
Question: Why are we not exploring some sort of summer school to try to gain lost classroom time for all students – in person/classroom instruction. Could districts put children first instead of teacher union contracts and help children gain back some time before fall starts with real hands on teaching and learning appropriate to grade level?
Parents are not trained to follow through with computer online instruction especially when many are also trying to work at home. Summer school could even have a simpler structure like 8-1 pm (3pm would be ideal). I applaud online learning but it is not nor ever will be the same instruction as in a classroom with a teacher and peers. School districts are set up to teach in a physical setting together with a teacher and other students.
Low-income families will fall behind with just this current form of technology teaching online. Children deserve our tax dollars to do more for them.
Jerry Heverly 4 years ago4 years ago
The big question is, will they let me use grades? Apparently the state hasn´t made a decision on that. My sense is that my district is waiting for California guidance on this. They have distributed hundreds of Chromebooks, and they say will provide free wifi, but will that satisfy Sacramento´s concerns about equity? And what about districts who haven´t or can´t get every kid connected? Will that force the state to make all lessons ungraded?
VR 4 years ago4 years ago
Perhaps if we started considering ourselves “safe at home” instead of “stuck at home” it would be easier to get people to stay home and flatten out the curve. It would also mean that we could get back to in person learning sooner than later.