The AFTNJ on Jan. 4 welcomed its new staff representative, Joe Norris, who fills the void left by the retirement of Joanna McAvoy.
Norris previously worked for New York-headquartered United Healthcare Workers East/1199 SEIU, the largest health care union in the country, for more than 15 years.
“My background at 1199 SEIU has assisted me greatly in my new role as an AFTNJ staff representative,” Norris says.…
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The New Jersey Department of Health on Jan. 1 issued interim guidance for implementing test to stay (TTS) in K-12 schools.
TTS, a combination of contact tracing and serial testing, allows for “asymptomatic unvaccinated students who were exposed to a person with COVID-19 in any school setting where students are supervised by school staff … to continue in-person academic activities” that fall within the regular curriculum and occur during school hours, per the guidance.…
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The American Council on Education will present a two-part workshop in January and February featuring experts providing information on how to implement and advance policies and programs designed to increase Latino student success.
Participants in the “Implementing What Works for Latino Students” sessions will “discuss tools to assess Latino student strengths and needs, identify metrics to determine program effectiveness, and focus on being intentional in serving Latino student populations through program sustainability and institutionalization,” per ACE’s website.…
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Whether it’s chatbots, digital assistants or endpoint security, artificial intelligence “is gaining a foothold in [K-12] U.S. classrooms,” writes Natalie Gross for EdTech.
Gross takes a look at three AI trends to watch out for in 2022.
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Abbas Manjee, a co-founder of the education technology platform Kiddom, writes about four educator trends for 2022 in a guest column for SmartBrief.
Read Manjee’s column here.
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Following two years of intense educational technology usage, educators are not impressed with “shiny, new ed tech,” writes EdTech’s Rebecca Torchia, adding they are now “seeking tools and learning models that are as impactful as they are sustainable.”
Torchia takes a look at five ed-tech trends worth considering in 2022. Read about them here.
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The Hunt Institute-led campaign One Million Teachers of Color in November received $1.25 million from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and the funding will be used to drive the campaign’s primary goal: “to grow the ranks of our nation’s teachers by 1 million in the next decade.”
In a recent story for Education Week, Denisa R.…
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Gov. Phil Murphy on Dec. 21 signed A2455/S2204, which establishes a pilot program to support robotics programs in school districts.
Murphy also signed the following education-related bills into law this week:
S108/A169: Concerns speech rights of student journalists at public schools and public institutions of higher education
S2834/A5312: Mandates training on culturally responsive teaching for all candidates for teaching certification
A4433/S2715: Creates grant program to encourage school districts to partner with institutions of higher education in training school-based mental health service providers
A4435/S2717: Requires Department of Children and Families to give priority to certain school districts with student mental health counseling centers in awarding grants under School Based Youth Services Program
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By unanimous vote, the full New Jersey Assembly on Dec. 20 passed A2455, which establishes a pilot program to support robotics programs in school districts. Under this bill, up to 12 school districts would be chosen by New Jersey’s education commissioner to take part in a three-year pilot program that would encourage schools to set up robotics programs and enter into robotics competitions.…
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Witnessing more violence and behavioral issues at their schools as well as reaching a degree of mental exhaustion are among the issues U.S. teachers have experienced so far this school year, write CNN’s Alisha Ebrahimji and Christina Zdanowicz.
Many of the 700 educators who responded to CNN’s inquiry about how they’re coping said “this has been the toughest year for teaching they’ve ever had,” write Ebrahimji and Zdanowicz.…
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Per updated state guidelines, students in New Jersey who’ve had close contact with COVID-positive classmates or teachers now only need to quarantine for seven days, provided they test negative on the fifth through seventh day. If no test is taken, then it’s 10 days.
N.J. Advance Media’s Kelly Heyboer takes a closer look at the rule changes.…
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The AFT on Dec. 16 launched a 23-member national task force “to tackle widespread educator and support staff shortages imperiling the future of public schools and public education,” according to a press release.
“Teachers’ working conditions are students’ learning conditions,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said in the release. “Even before COVID, nurses, guidance counselors, teachers, support staff and bus drivers were facing daunting workloads and a lack of respect.…
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Actor LeVar Burton, who was the longtime host of the educational TV series “Reading Rainbow,” will serve as host of the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee’s semifinals and finals.
“I want to normalize the pursuit of knowledge in this culture,” Burton told The Associated Press. “Not just making stuff up and calling it a fact.…
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