Today’s Literacy Headlines

Whose shoulders do I stand on? What do I stand for? So asks 22-year-old Inaugural poet Amanda Gorman in “Using Your Voice Is a Political Choice,” an electrifying TED Talk featured on the podcast TED Talks Daily. For Black History Month, we spotlight Gorman’s talk and other podcasts spotlighting Black changemakers: Those who have inspired, mentored, collaborated, led, invented, or innovated to bring about greater equality and justice in their own creative ways. The playlist reflects a variety of audio storytelling techniques, including short biographies, direct interviews, engaging activities, creative kid conversations, and profound voices of inspiration from poets and dreamers.

Max was 5 when he was diagnosed with a language-based learning disability. But his mother says the signs were visible earlier. She says Max had a hard time learning how to talk. At 5, Max was identified much earlier than most students. “Difficulties with reading can be related to language deficits. Teachers should pay close attention to language-based tasks. For example, if students are showing difficulty grasping the concept of rhyming, this could demonstrate challenges with the phonological processing that is related to dyslexia,” said Brittney Newcomer, a school psychologist and the associate director of learning experiences at Understood. Not all students have difficulty with the same skills, and not all students who have difficulties have learning disabilities. Newcomer suggests that teachers pay attention to clusters of signs, such as when a student has a heightened difficulty in learning numbers, days, colors, the alphabet, and/or shapes.

Native American mythology, which stretches across North, Central and South America, transmutes from one tribe to the next. Fifteen thousand years old, it abounds with divine characters, celestial battles and natural manifestations of human behavior. Its legends probe identity, origin and one’s connection to Mother Earth — concepts that Native American communities in the United States and Canada gather together to celebrate. “Ancestor Approved” is a Native American-themed short story anthology with one such gathering, a powwow, at its center. A powwow is a festive, bustling, multigenerational affair at which children and adults perform traditional dances in their tribe’s regalia, sell handmade wares and enjoy Native foods such as fry bread. As expected in a book for young readers, the school-age protagonists of the stories make friends, honor their heritage and learn how to respect others.

The National Summer School Initiative (NSSI), an ambitious pilot aimed at improving virtual learning last summer has earned high marks from participants, according to a new report. The program was rated in surveys as both engaging to students and beneficial in improving teacher performance. Evidence of its academic impact is still to be collected. The findings are being weighed at a moment when policymakers are still considering how educators should handle the summer of 2021. NSSI was rolled out as a five-week summer offering by 50 schools and school networks, eventually reaching about 11,800 predominantly non-white and low-income students enrolled in grades 3-8. Pupils took part in live, remote math and reading instruction five days per week, mixed with supplemental literacy classes and self-directed mindfulness sessions. 513 “partner” instructors were paired with 15 mentor teachers, many selected from high-performing charter networks like KIPP and Uncommon Schools.

Lynn Wu, a rising freshman at Tesoro High School in Orange County and a finalist in the 20th annual Braille Challenge uses a blue Perkins Brailler to read. Today, fewer than 10% of Americans with visual disabilities read and write tactile script. This steep decline in tactile literacy is what spurred the Braille Institute, an L.A.-based nonprofit serving people with low vision or blindness, to launch its Braille Challenge in 2000. “Up until the Braille Challenge, kids simply were not getting enough access to technology for Braille,” professor Yue-Ting Siu said. “Right now, with all the technology that’s available, it’s easier than ever to get Braille under a kid’s fingers.” Yet blindness remains such a profound disadvantage, it can push even bright, privileged students like Lynn from the top to the bottom of our stratified academic world. Students with visual disabilities finish high school at less than half the rate of typically-developing children, and even those who earn a bachelor’s degree find work far less often than their sighted peers.

In helping kids overcome the academic effects of the coronavirus pandemic, don’t devalue recreation and enrichment for children once this school year ends. That’s an emerging argument from Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. A member of the Senate education committee, Murphy says that while he doesn’t want to dismiss concerns about lost learning time and what children need to catch up on academically, that doesn’t capture the entirety of what’s happened to students. Many who have been affected mentally and emotionally by school closures and other effects of COVID-19 need summer programs provided by organizations like the YMCA, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and local parks and recreation departments, he says. That will help them recover in ways that sitting in classrooms during the summer months simply won’t.

Years of research show that principals can significantly impact student achievement. Now, a major new study quantifies just how much difference an effective principal can make. Replacing a below-average principal with someone in the above-average category—for, example, a principal in the bottom 25th percentile on effectiveness with one in the 75th percentile or above—can add the equivalent of 2.9 more months of learning in math and 2.7 more months of learning in reading during a single school year, according to the report released by the Wallace Foundation. Those findings came from a review of six rigorous longitudinal studies using data on more than 22,000 principals in the Miami-Dade and Chicago districts, as well as statewide data on principals in Texas, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Tennessee. It’s part of a larger in-depth review of hundreds of studies and research on principals over two decades.

Glenda Liner started this school year with a lot of familiar names on her class roster. But as she geared up for more remote teaching, it was the newcomers she worried about. So before the year began, she visited each of her new students’ homes — at a careful distance — to say hello and talk about the school year ahead. “It made a difference,” said Liner, who teaches on Chicago’s South Side and has been an educator for 20 years. For her students, all kindergarteners, first graders, and second graders with autism, that in-person check-in helped her gauge their skills and needs. “Can they write? Do they need occupational therapy? I need to see them.” Chalkbeat spoke with Liner about her approach to remote teaching, the loss of field trips, and how she used her own vegetable garden to teach science.

I would argue that audiobooks are most definitely reading, offering rigor of a different sort and that these types of materials not only provide a path to story and information for kids who have visual impairments, dyslexia diagnoses or learning disabilities, but that they are powerful learning tools for all of us. Listening to an audiobook requires a different kind of focus; it’s all about listening actively. And for those for whom traditional text comprehension is elusive or presents a struggle, audiobooks open up a whole world of possibilities for enjoying amazing literature. Their minds grow while exploring interwoven plotlines, character development, story arcs and themes. These concepts and constructs, so critical to growth as a reader, would likely be beyond their reach if they are only permitted to interact with the work through print.

At one  of her regular televised Covid briefings in early December, Gov. Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island addressed the residents of her state to deliver a round of bad news. Stern and matter-of-fact, Raimondo urged viewers to do their part by not socializing; encouraged residents to take advantage of the state’s plentiful testing facilities; gave a thank-you to school leaders and teachers for all their hard work; and then paused for what seemed like the first time in 30 minutes, as if she considered all she had said so far to be preamble and she was only now getting to the heart of her message. “Every day that a child is out of school,” she said, “is a problem for that child.” She shook her head slowly as she spoke. As bad as the numbers were in Rhode Island, she was about to bear down on a conviction she had held since the spring: Schools must remain open for in-person learning. When Rhode Island’s school-opening plan had fully rolled out by late September, only one public-school district, Pawtucket, was primarily remote. Some teachers and students got sick. Principals had to improvise constantly. But it worked — mostly.

In a move long awaited by educators, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines on Friday for how to operate schools safely during the pandemic. The recommendations, more detailed than those released by the agency under the Trump administration, attempt to carve a middle path between people who want classrooms to reopen immediately and those teachers and parents who remain reluctant to return to in-person instruction before widespread vaccination. With proper mitigation, such as masking, physical distancing and hygiene, elementary schools can operate in person at any level of community virus transmission, the guidelines state. The guidelines say teacher vaccination, while important, should not be considered a prerequisite for reopening shuttered schools.

Many students may be learning virtually, but children from lower-income families are less likely to have live contact with their teachers than kids from wealthier families, according to an analysis of census data published Feb. 11 by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Twenty-one percent of children from families making less than $25,000 a year reported having had no “live contact” with a teacher in the past week, whether in-person, by phone, or virtually. That’s compared with 11 percent for kids whose families make at least $200,000 a year. One big reason children from lower-income families may have had less teacher contact: Kids who live in poverty are less likely to have access to the internet for learning than wealthier children.

The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) launched its annual Outstanding International Books list to celebrate and elevate the most exemplary international titles that U.S. publishers and distributors bring in from the rest of the world each year. The 41 titles on the 2021 Outstanding International Books List (OIB) are significant for both their exceptional quality and globe-spanning origins. Access the downloadable pdf in this article.

In 2016, San Diego author Matt de la Peña won the prestigious children’s literature award for “Last Stop on Market Street,” a picture book that deals with inequity. The Newberry is rarely awarded to picture books, and de le Peña was also the first Hispanic author to ever receive it. Additionally, the book’s illustrator, Christian Robinson, was awarded the Caldecott Medal. On the surface, t de la Peña’s “Milo Imagines the World” does appear to be a traditional kind of story about using your imagination. What isn’t clear from the cover, though, is that the book tackles a subject not often depicted in literature meant for young readers: incarcerated parents.

Any discussion about “equity” in education that is not first and foremost a discussion about literacy is unserious. Wide and persistent gaps between White and Black students, stretching back decades, make it abundantly clear—or ought to—that state education officials have no more urgent business to attend to than ensuring that every child can read in every school under their control or influence. To its credit, the Council of Chief State School Officers understands this rock-bottom priority. CCSSO has emerged in recent years as a consistent, informed, and energetic proponent of the “science of reading,” and has put considerable effort into championing state initiatives to encourage the adoption and implementation of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) in literacy. Its new report, A Nation of Readers, describes “concrete actions” that state leaders can take to improve the caliber of reading instruction and materials in classrooms within their borders. It’s required reading for any state or district official in a position to influence curriculum adoptions, professional development, or teacher training and certification.

When serving students with ASD in a remote setting, educators should focus on the following: relationships, consistency, social skills, and fluid instruction. As more and more schools shift back to in-person learning, special education teachers should emphasize the need for a coordinated strategy. Once the students return, they will depend on you to provide a positive learning environment. Focus on compassion, communication, and encouragement. After the student has readjusted, use a diagnostic assessment to determine potential strengths and deficits. Use this data to guide instructional planning, implement academic interventions, and determine the accommodations needed to excel in the classroom setting. Increase student engagement by using relevant content. At the same time, be aware of the social and emotional needs of the student and the hidden curriculum.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the needs of students with dyslexia, but also made it more difficult to support them. Education Week interviewed four experts to find out what advice they have for educators and parents who are working with students with dyslexia. Here’s a look at what the experts had to say. First, avoid asychronous learning. The experts universally agreed that students with dyslexia need direction, instruction, and real-time feedback that isn’t available during recorded lessons. Another tip: embrace assistive technology. Schools should use tools, such as speech-to-text and text-to-speech functions, that can help students with dyslexia navigate lessons and complete assignments.

Across the country, teachers are beginning to face the reality of returning to their classrooms in person and all that comes with it — whether it’s excitement over seeing students again, anxiety over whether classrooms will be safe from the virus or the challenges that come with teaching in a radically new environment. Maxie Hollingsworth just returned to in-person teaching at her elementary school in Houston, where she has been working remotely since last spring. Mike Reinholdt teaches special education at an elementary school in Davenport, Iowa. Pam Gaddy is still teaching her students at a Baltimore high school remotely for now, so she and her colleagues have had to improvise. All three are thinking about vaccine availability and their safety and the safety of their students and their families. Here are highlights from their conversation with All Things Considered.

For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, covering someone’s face means pieces of conversation get lost. That’s a challenge given that public health experts tout mask wearing as one essential strategy for reopening schools. Educators say that while virtual learning has advantages for deaf students and teachers because no one needs a mask, visual learners are prone to screen fatigue. Then there’s the all-important socialization for young people that a classroom offers. So, those who work with deaf students are adapting to the new normal.

A study on word learning recently published in Neuropsychologia is shedding light on the age-old question of how language learners’ minds store the target language. Researchers at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile found that new words in the native language and the target language are stored in largely overlapping regions of the brain; however, L2 words triggered more activity in the primary auditory cortex, suggesting increased phonological processing efforts. “Our results shed new light on the neural representation of two languages in the bilingual brain, by examining newly learned words that participants had no prior experie

In a flipped classroom, students watch video lectures before class and use class time to work on assignments and group projects. It’s “flipped” because it’s the opposite of the traditional structure in which students first learn from a teacher’s in-class instruction. Advocates believe that students learn more when class time is spent actively learning instead of passively listening. Flipped classrooms also free up class time for teachers to help students individually, as a tutor does. Over the past decade, flipping has spread across U.S. classrooms, from city college campuses to suburban elementary schools. But like many trends in education, the novelty took hold before the evidence mounted. Now there is a significant body of research to answer the question of whether students learn more. The underwhelming answer from more than 100 studies of flipped classrooms is yes, but only slightly.

Child care via before- and after-school programs is vital for many parents and guardians, and preschool and elementary schools can help them navigate the options. Preschool teachers are in direct contact with children and families during the year before kindergarten begins, which means they are well-positioned to share information with families and help them make choices that meet the needs of their children. Kindergarten teachers and school administrators are positioned to know which before- and after-school programs serve the children at their school, and can share this information with incoming families via preschool teachers and kindergarten transition outreach efforts. Elementary school administrators, kindergarten teachers, early childhood educators, and program directors can take specific steps to help families make informed decisions that serve their coverage requirements and their child’s needs.

Fans of the bestselling children’s books “Rosie Revere, Engineer” and “Ada Twist, Scientist” should get ready to welcome a new friend. The latest picture book in the “Questioneers” series is “Aaron Slater, Illustrator,” on sale this fall. Aaron is a boy who loves to draw — and struggles to read. The story is inspired by the book’s illustrator, David Roberts, who is dyslexic, says author Andrea Beaty. “As a kid he struggled mightily through school, just struggled mightily. But he could draw. And he had teachers who saw in him this gift he had, and they just tried to sort of pave the way for him to help him find successes through his art,” she says.”Because he had things to say.”

Black history is American history, and it should be taught throughout the year across the curriculum—not confined to a single month. No matter what subject you teach, there are ways you can infuse Black history into your daily lessons in a way that is purposeful.

A study published in the journal Pediatrics expands validation evidence for a new screening tool that directly engages preschool-age children during clinic visits to assess their early literacy skills. The tool, which is the first of its kind, has the potential to identify reading difficulties as early as possible, target interventions and empower families to help their child at home, according to researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) has announced finalists for the Golden Kite Awards for the first time in the award’s nearly 50-year history. The Golden Kite Awards recognize excellence in children’s literature in seven categories: Middle Grade/Young Reader Fiction; Young Adult Fiction; Nonfiction Text for Younger Readers; Nonfiction Text for Older Readers; Picture Book Text; and Picture Book Illustration. The Sid Fleischmann Humor Award is given to the author who exemplifies excellence in humor writing. The awards will be announced February 19 in a virtual ceremony that will launch SCBWI’s virtual conference.

“Teachers should draw on students’ background knowledge and experiences and build on what they already know in order to enhance their language and literacy learning,” says Assistant Professor Jackie Relyea. Early literacy skills and knowledge that bilingual students establish in their native language can be transferred to the development of literacy skills in a second language. It is also important that teachers provide rich and meaningful classroom experiences for English language learners to solidify their understanding of new academic vocabulary knowledge and the concepts they learn. To help emergent bilingual learners gain reading comprehension proficiency in English teachers can also utilize reading interventions.

As families nationwide fret about “COVID learning loss” due to months of remote instruction and uncertain class schedules, key educators are advocating an unusual remedy: a national volunteer tutoring force, a sort of digital Peace Corps meets Homework Helpers.

A new study offers some guidance for striking a balance between class cohesion and privacy. Plus, strategies from teachers to encourage camera use in context.

Echoed across the research is that there are two things Black children need to further their emotional and academic development. First, is to develop strong racial and cultural identities. Second is opportunities to develop their critical consciousness. When inclusive, culturally responsive books are kept out of or are limited in the curriculum and on library shelves, the message becomes clear to all students about whose lives matter and whose don’t. Books offer powerful mirrors for Black children that are joyful to read in school and at home. Here’s what to consider.

Good news parents, there’s a way to give kids a screen break without forgoing engrossing and educational content. Podcasts, and in particular musical ones, offer a dynamic, attention-grabbing learning opportunity that by their very nature, incite a theater in the minds of little listeners. Below are some hidden gems of musical podcasts that have the potential to teach and delight.

It’s been 11 months since schools first shut down across the country and around the world. And most students in the U.S. are still experiencing disruptions to their learning — going into the classroom only a few days a week or not at all. To respond to this disruption, education leaders are calling for a reinvention of public education on the order of the Marshall Plan, the massive U.S. initiative to rebuild Western Europe after the devastations of World War II. Education experts, parents and students are thinking about what is going to be necessary to recover — and at the same time the things that are not worth returning to. Here are four key ideas.

In “Have I Ever Told You Black Lives Matter” and “The ABCs of Black History,” U is for Unfinished. The week I wrote this review, Kamala Harris became the first woman, first African-American and first Asian-American to take the oath of office as vice president of the United States. At the same event, Amanda Gorman, the nation’s first National Youth Poet Laureate, dazzled the world with her inaugural poem. There will be more firsts before the sun sets on this day, and already Black authors and illustrators across the country are dreaming up ways to get these new accomplishments down on the page. But which breakthroughs should they include? Shani Mahiri King (an associate director of the Center on Race and Race Relations at the University of Florida, where he is also a law professor) addresses this dilemma directly in “Have I Ever Told You Black Lives Matter,” choosing to focus on the “collective” power in “the breadth and richness” of 116 individuals. They embody an impressive range, from the early American revolutionary Crispus Attucks to up-to-the-minute figures such as Jay-Z and Chadwick Boseman.

Pressure is building on school systems around the U.S. to reopen classrooms to students who have been learning online for nearly a year, pitting politicians against teachers who have yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19. While some communities maintain that online classes remain the safest option for everyone, some parents, with backing from politicians and administrators, have complained that their children’s education is suffering from sitting at home in front of their computers and that the isolation is damaging them emotionally.

Ernesto Cisneros won the Pura Belpré Children’s Author award with his debut novel “Efrén Divided,” released in March 2020. The book follows 12-year-old Efrén Nava as his life changes when his mother is deported to Mexico. He becomes responsible for his siblings as his father takes on a second job and is determined to reunite with his mother. Cisnernos started writing the book during the 2016 election and was inspired by some of the deportation experiences of the middle school students he teaches at Mendez Fundamental Intermediate School in Santa Ana. After a day of teaching virtually from his makeshift closet-office, Cisneros talks about growing up in Santa Ana, what kept him motivated to write and his upcoming second novel in this edited interview.

When students who are learning English struggle in school, it can be especially difficult to figure out why—and how to help. There are plenty of “myths and misconceptions about services and supports” for English language learners (ELLs), writes Lydia Breiseth for Understood, leading schools to sometimes refer language learners for special education services when they don’t need them. It’s important to “know the facts behind these myths,” she writes, so educators can “make changes that can result in better outcomes for students.” Start by getting to know English learners in your classroom and becoming better informed about their needs. In all cases, but especially when they’re struggling, Breiseth recommends gathering important information about them—including strengths, challenges, and background experiences—to help determine how to support them as they progress through the stages of language acquisition.

A deluge of data released late last year confirmed what has long been suspected: The coronavirus pandemic caused widespread learning loss while also amplifying gaps across racial and socioeconomic lines. The situation is especially concerning among younger children: one analysis of reading level data by Amplify Education, Inc., which creates curriculum, assessment and intervention products, found children in first and second grade experienced the most dramatic drops in grade level reading scores compared to previous years. This year, 40 percent of first grade students and 35 percent of second grade students are “significantly at risk” of needing intensive intervention compared to 27 percent and 29 percent last year. Here are some of the ways experts and educators are proposing to close the gap.

In a Biden administration full of familiar faces, Cardona is relatively new to the national spotlight. His biggest job to date has been as Connecticut’s education commissioner, a role he’s filled for just the past year and half. As state commissioner, he spent much of his time focused on the impact of pandemic-driven school closures. He was a fierce advocate for Connecticut’s most vulnerable children — those with disabilities, children in low-income families and English language learners — as he pushed for schools to reopen, arguing that opportunity gaps are only widening. Before his brief tenure as education commissioner, though, Cardona had spent his entire professional career as a public school educator in the city where he grew up: Meriden, Conn.

As a high school science teacher, I’ve found that posing true/false statements to my students is one of the best ways to help them build their scientific vocabulary and stimulate discussion. When I construct the statements strategically, my students’ learning is more natural and their retention is more enduring—and they become more curious about the content they’re learning. The end result is better student engagement—engagement that is rooted in conversation, collaboration, and exploration rather than lecturing, no matter the subject.

Some fantastic new children’s books have been released in time for Black History Month, including “Have I Ever Told You Black Lives Matter,” written by Shani Mahiri King and illustrated by Bobby C. Martin Jr. — with more than 100 Black innovators profiled in its pages (along with Maya Angelou, Chadwick Boseman, Langston Hughes, Misty Copeland and John Lewis). Reading Partners, a national literacy nonprofit, which just released a month-by-month book list for recognizing and celebrating Black history year-round, not just in February. “Black history is American history,” Reading Partners CEO Adeola Whitney said. “We should celebrate Black history and Black heritage every month.”

As if the pandemic weren’t enough, we’re about to be hit with another tsunami, one not likely to be fought with a vaccine. Thousands of our nation’s students aren’t learning to read, and the patchwork of instructional programs, limited resources and frequent change from hybrid to virtual schooling surely is contributing to the problem. So, what would true reform in literacy instruction entail? First, we need curricula based on scientific evidence of effective reading instruction. In the early grades, our students need explicit instruction in phonics and decoding, instant recognition of words from memory, the ability to map sounds to correct spellings of words, knowledge of the meanings and functions of words, and fluent reading to support comprehension of text.

The African American Children’s Book Fair, one of the nation’s oldest and largest Black children’s book fairs will not be held in person in 2021. Founded in 1992, the African American Children’s Book Fair typically takes place in Philadelphia, but the nonprofit behind the event, the African American Children’s Book Project, has opted for a virtual session on Feb. 6. Registration is free. “The Book Project was created to promote and preserve children’s literature written by or about African Americans,” said Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati, literary consultant and creator of the event.

Before the pandemic started, conversations about screen time were nearly always critical of the kids who spent tons of time staring at screens, and the parents who enabled them. But the rules of 2019 don’t apply to life in 2021. Now everyone’s just trying to get through the day. Even for those of us who are terrified about the effects of our kids’ having been tethered to screens since March, it’s not too late to take control of our virtual lives. Screen time can just keep going and going, so one of the best practices in reducing it is to discuss expectations in advance. Another approach is to carve out quality family time free of all devices—for everyone. Beyond reducing screen time, consider improving the quality of the screen time your children are inevitably going to have.

In an effort to cultivate a passion for reading and provide more access to books, educators are increasingly creating digital libraries for their students. Using a variety of techniques, educators are encouraging students to read by connecting them to new, easy-to-access books that match their interests and mirror their identities. Bitmojis have taken the education community by storm. These customizable cartoon avatars of educators—and their classrooms—introduce their students to virtual lessons, games, resources, and increasingly, digital libraries. A popular practice in classrooms—book tastings—has turned virtual too. Tastings let students sample a variety of types of books to try out new topics and styles they may not consider normally.

Theis Education Week Spotlight on the Science of Reading is a collection of articles hand-picked by our editors for their insights on teaching children to read; what struggles are commonly seen; how things may change for educators; and methods being applied.

Three years ago, Darlene Thomas-Burroughs, branch manager of the Hardeeville Library in the rural town of Hardeeville, South Carolina, heard about a new way that library employees could help kids boost their reading scores. Intrigued, she signed up for the seven-month program, offered by Partners for Education at Berea College and the federal Promise Zone program. The series featured monthly webinars and networking opportunities meant to help librarians learn to work with the educational system and build relationships with community members—all with the ultimate goal to improve third grade reading levels. Thomas-Burroughs came away with a host of ideas.

It’s no secret that it’s harder to pay attention to a computer screen than to in-person lectures. There are plenty of distractors that can cause students to lose focus. Educators need innovative approaches that can keep students engaged until the day ends. Here are four suggestions: use live media, encourage students to chat, conduct breakout sessions, and play games.

We​ ​Need​ ​Diverse​ ​Books​ ​announced the sixth​ ​annual​ ​Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers​ ​Awards​ ​for​ ​Outstanding​ ​Children’s​ ​Literature. The​ ​awards​ are named​ ​for​ ​​ ​children’s​ ​and young​ ​adult​ ​author​ ​Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers​ ​(1937-2014) and commemorate ​his ​memory​ ​and​ ​​ literary legacy,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​celebrate​ ​diversity​ ​in​ ​children’s​ ​literature. The 2021​ ​Walter​ ​Award,​ ​Teen​ ​Category is: Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam, illustrated by Omar T. Pasha. The 2021 ​Walter​ ​Award,​ ​Younger​ ​Readers​ ​Category is: When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed, with color by Iman Geddy.

Using formative assessments designed to check for understanding and provide students with feedback and support is one of the most effective ways to improve and enhance student learning. Yet because of the need to cover large amounts of information and develop many skills, teachers may not take time checking to make sure students understand a concept or can effectively apply a skill, and, if they don’t, figuring out ways to improve their learning. Thankfully, there are practical, proven formative assessment techniques that teachers can use as a quick “pulse check” to gauge students’ understanding. The eight techniques here can be applied across grades and subject areas in virtual, hybrid, and in-person learning environments.

The finding offered this week by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that schools have not been hotbeds of rapid on-campus transmission of COVID-19 or even of significant student-to-staff infection grabbed headlines and raised hope that we can get children back in class soon—a goal we as pediatricians share. The ABC Science Collaborative we lead (and whose research the CDC cited) has partnered with nearly 50 school districts in North Carolina to help educators and families understand the most current and relevant data about COVID-19 so that they may make decisions that will keep teachers, staff, and children safe when they return to the classroom. First and foremost, no school can be called safe without following what North Carolina calls “the 3Ws”—wear a mask, wait at [a safe] distance, and wash hands. Beyond that, with our school partners, we have determined 12 principles that define safe school reopening during this pandemic.

There’s no getting around the particular education challenges facing today’s five-year-olds, what we might call the Covid Kindergarten cohort, especially in districts whose schools have been shut tight all year and are likely to stay that way. We will have a group of kids—about 8 million four- and five-year-olds—entering post-Covid schooling with an unusually wide range of readiness levels. If there was ever a case for allowing students to move at their own pace, this situation must be it. One option is for schools to adapt my plan from last week—adding a “grade 2.5” forever—but use that strategy for just a few years. Here’s how it might work in a given district.

What do kids like to read when given the chance to choose their own books? That’s the subject of this post by three award-winning nonfiction authors — Cynthia Levinson, Melissa Stewart and Jennifer Swanson — in response to a Washington Post education writer who said in a column that kids prefer fiction and view nonfiction as nothing more than boring textbooks. The three write about social justice, science, engineering and other topics. “I like that nonfiction books really make you think about things for a while and then sometimes your thinking changes.” — fifth-grader.

Virtual field trips can help students explore a new space, build vocabulary and background knowledge, and expand their world view. Whether you want to explore the setting of a novel, introduce a place-based math problem, or make connections to current events, virtual field trips can expand upon traditional lessons in many ways. They allow students to view a space that piques their curiosity and provides context for their learning.

How old should kids be when they start learning about the Holocaust? While many educators believe the appropriate age is 10, a new book by Caldecott Honoree and MacArthur Fellow Peter Sís is recommended for children ages 6 to 9. Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued tells the true story of the Englishman, Nicholas Winton, who rescued 669 children from the Nazis including Vera Gissing. Told with simple, direct language, readers get to know what Vera’s life was like in her small town near Prague before the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia. They learn about Nicky’s hobbies before he grew up to be a banker (“mathematics, stamp collecting, photography, and fencing”). Sís’ illustrations blend the details of everyday life with imaginative, whimsical flourishes. On the cover, little Vera stands alone on the platform of an enormous train station holding a small suitcase and a kitty cat stuffed animal.

The American Library Association announced two of the country’s most prestigious prizes for children’s books on Monday: the Newbery Medal, which went to Tae Keller for “When You Trap a Tiger,” and the Caldecott Medal, an award for picture books, for “We Are Water Protectors,” illustrated by Michaela Goade. “When You Trap a Tiger,” published by Random House Children’s Books, follows a biracial girl named Lily whose family moves in with her ailing grandmother. A magical tiger appears, a figure from her grandmother’s Korean folk tales, and offers Lily a deal in exchange for restoring her grandmother to health. “We Are Water Protectors” was written by Carole Lindstrom and published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing. Goade, the illustrator, uses billowing watercolors and floral patterns in the book, whose main character, an Ojibwe girl, joins with other Indigenous people to fight the Dakota Access Pipeline. Goade, who won the American Indian Youth Literature Award for Best Picture Book for “Shanyaak’utlaax: Salmon Boy” in 2018, is an enrolled member of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.

Preschool students work hard at playing. They incorporate what they see in everyday life into their play, and they incorporate the skills and knowledge gained during play into their everyday lives. This is certainly true when it comes to reading readiness. Even though some students look as though they go through a magical and seamless transition from non-reader to reader, research shows that it’s not that simple. Students start getting ready to read years before they do it, using a set of six critical reading readiness skills. This skill set, also known as pre-reading or early reading, is often built through play, and teachers can use the following play-based activities to build each of the skills.

Luis Martinez, an 11-year-old fifth grader with autism, rarely missed a day of school before the pandemic. Though non-verbal, he delighted in seeing his friends and teachers, and his mother, who quit her job five years ago to care for him, was thrilled for his small gains in communication. But that all changed during the shutdowns: Luis, a student in the Los Angeles Unified School District, has logged 14 absences since fall and no longer makes any attempt to interact with his peers online. After 10 months of remote education, he barely looks at his tablet during class and acts out nearly every day. Rivera believes LAUSD should have done more for her son, and other parents within her district feel the same. Their complaints reached the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, which opened a flurry of investigations in the waning days of the Trump administration seeking to uncover whether the district — alongside school systems in Seattle and Fairfax County, Virginia, as well as the Indiana Department of Education — failed to serve disabled students during the pandemic.

Illustrator Michaela Goade became the first Native American to win the prestigious Randolph Caldecott Medal for best children’s picture story, cited for “We Are Water Protectors,” a celebration of nature and condemnation of the “black snake” Dakota Access Pipeline. “I am really honored and proud,” the 30-year-old Goade told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “I think it’s really important for young people and aspiring book makers and other creative people to see this.” Tae Keller’s chapter book “When You Trap a Tiger,” in which a young Korean-American explores her identity and her heritage through her grandmother’s stories, won the John Newbery Medal for the outstanding children’s work overall of 2020. Keller, who was raised in Hawaii and now lives in New York, drew upon Korean folklore and family history for “When You Trap a Tiger,” also named the year’s best Asian/Pacific American literature.

On a shelf in her Chicago classroom, third grader Arianna has a thick binder that details her achievements, strengths and goals as a student, along with some revealing information about her personality. It describes her love of guitar and singing and notes that she wants to advance to a higher level in reading and grasp math concepts more quickly. Her sister, Alanni, an eighth grader, has a binder too. It discusses her grades and standardized test scores, as well as her academic goals: to speak up more frequently in math class and read texts more closely. The binders resemble, to a degree, the individualized education programs, or IEPs, that are at the heart of education for students with disabilities. But Arianna and Alanni aren’t special education students. Every child at their pre-K-8 school, Belmont-Cragin, has one of these so-called individual learner profiles. The profiles are part of the school’s embrace of personalized learning, which centers on the belief that a teacher lecturing at the front of a classroom is a bad fit for today’s students. Instead, the thinking goes, students must be encouraged to learn at their own pace, with lessons tailored to their specific aptitudes and needs, often with the aid of technology.

From talking about history to volunteering in your community, here’s how to get your kids thinking about what it means to be a good citizen.