Today’s Literacy Headlines

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.”