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This piece on school reopening, man... https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/07/27/we-can-must-reopen-schools-heres-how/
See, these are good ideas, ok? But they are also super terrifically difficult to implement at massive national scale with little to no planning. US schools are not that kind of nimble.
Later: "schools must require mask-wearing."
That's probably actionable. I'd wager that we could make that an effective national mandate. But it's going to provoke some intense challenges for discipline and pedagogy.
That's probably actionable. I'd wager that we could make that an effective national mandate. But it's going to provoke some intense challenges for discipline and pedagogy.
"An air cleaner in every classroom...with a HEPA filter."
I can imagine us pulling that off, in theory. Dunno what our national stocks of air cleaners look like. Some schools probably won't get them soon. But key to note that these suckers are going to get worn out fast.
I can imagine us pulling that off, in theory. Dunno what our national stocks of air cleaners look like. Some schools probably won't get them soon. But key to note that these suckers are going to get worn out fast.
...Even the recent National Academies report that suggested schools prioritize reopening noted "indoor air quality in US schools is notoriously poor." Those air cleaners had better have turbo settings & frequent maintenance & filter replacement & hmm... https://www.nap.edu/read/25858/chapter/8#81
Column's authors predict about $1 billion in spending on air cleaners, "Seems like a good price to pay to keep our kids and teachers safer and to get parents back to work," they write.
But wait...
But wait...
...earlier in the column, they write, "Just because we reopen schools doesn’t mean we should reopen elsewhere."
i.e. they're planning on keeping lots of the economy closed. Probably the service sectors. Where much of the country's blue collar workers are.
i.e. they're planning on keeping lots of the economy closed. Probably the service sectors. Where much of the country's blue collar workers are.
So...who are we prioritizing school reopening for if we're getting parents back to work but keeping many of the working classes' jobs shuttered?
Their final idea--rethinking classrooms and putting them outside and etc--is also decent. Also good pedagogy! But not the sort of thing that you can spring on your teaching force as easily as snapping your fingers https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/04/early-childhood-outdoor-education/558959/
Usual disclaimer/caveat here: I am a privileged, married white guy. I have three kids. Two are school-aged. I *REALLY* want their school to reopen. But this article is magical thinking from folks who appear to understand little about how K-12 schools operate now.
I am super tired and need a break also! Here's a picture of my typing position *right now*! But that doesn't make my deep desire for reopened schools *safe*.
(the older two are breaking things downstairs)
Or, put another way...THIS is how you reopen schools this fall: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/what-it-would-take-to-get-back-to-normal-by-october/2020/07/27/a8886854-d02d-11ea-8c55-61e7fa5e82ab_story.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_opinions&utm_campaign=wp_opinions
