Howdy, folks! Welcome to another in a series of periodic ed tech news roundups. We hope you enjoy this one, and if you have a story you’d like to see included, let us know in the comments.
As summer zooms toward fall, new developments in the ed tech industry, education policy, and more are shaping the school year ahead. Here’s what you need to know.
A Clean Start
The coronavirus, and new variants of it, continue to spread. As schools look to reopen amidst the ongoing pandemic, educators and leaders are working to ensure learning spaces are as safe and hygienic as possible.
- Writer Erin Cunningham explores how schools are developing strategies to keep classrooms accessible and safe and how to limit the spread of germs and the coronavirus. [EdTech]
- This month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their guidelines for reopening, including best practices for different age groups and a summary of recent changes. [CDC]
Minding the Gaps
The pandemic has also heightened and underscored existing gaps and inequities in the world of education, while many consider how we can use these lessons to improve things.
- The changes in education during the outbreak have highlighted many gaps in education, from tech to achievement. Jill E. Thomas argues that educators should also be aware of a “wellness gap” for teachers. [EdSurge]
- Connectivity is one of the gaps educators were working to close when the pandemic struck. Here’s how teachers and leaders are working to keep closing that gap. [EdTech]
Theory and Practice
In Texas, legislators have battled to pass measures meant to limit the teaching of Critical Race Theory, an academic framework mostly used in advanced and post-graduate studies of American culture and history. Here are some reactions and explainations.
- A team of reporters have gathered thoughts from teachers across the state. [Education Week $]
- The bill advanced on the teaching of race relations sidesteps the term “critical race theory,” but has still courted strong resistance. [Texas Tribune]
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