Education Lab: How to keep Fresno-area schools open as more students return to campuses
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Happy Tuesday!
More students in Fresno County schools will be in classrooms more often in the coming days and weeks, but a return to normal isn’t in the cards anytime soon.
Clovis Unified will begin the long-awaited process of returning middle and high school students to classrooms for a handful of hours four days a week, mixing in-person instruction with distance learning from home. Fresno Unified will bring back small cohorts of elementary school students to assist with distance learning.
On Friday, California officials released a long-awaited map illustrating which school districts are offering in-person or distance learning or the hybrid mix. You can view the map here.
The Centers for Disease Control on Friday released new detailed guidelines for reopening schools. Critically, the CDC sided with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s position that teacher vaccinations should be prioritized but not required to reopen schools.
With coronavirus vaccines in short supply, it’s unlikely that all California teachers could be immunized before the school year ends.
In Fresno County, teacher immunizations could begin as soon as early March, assuming the county’s vaccination supply stabilizes.
This week, the Ed Lab’s Monica Velez shows readers the steps many Central Valley schools are taking to speed up vaccinations and testing on campuses.
Fresno college students: Is the cost of textbooks crushing your wallet?
The Fresno Bee’s Education Lab wants to know whether textbooks and access codes are a barrier to your college education.
Students in the U.S. spent an average of $413 on required materials during the 2019-2020 academic year, according to the National Association of College Stores. About 28% of students didn’t buy at least one of their required materials, citing price as the biggest reason.
Please take this survey and share it with other students.
JOIN THE ED LAB’S NEW FACEBOOK GROUP
We are excited to unveil the Ed Lab Newsroom Facebook group. This group is a virtual lab where reporters meet and interact with members of the Fresno-area community. The purpose of this group is to create a hands-on space where we engage on education issues impacting children, parents, and teachers, and where we can learn more about educational needs in the San Joaquin Valley.
We are excited to host weekly lives and informative workshops to help inform and discuss education issues in the valley. Join our group!
Have any good news, grants, competitions, or call-outs? Let us know! We would love to highlight your work and exciting projects. You can submit projects, educational contests, or resources at edlab@fresnobee.com.
ASK THE ED LAB
Do you have an education question you’d like for us to answer? Have a story tip? Contact the Ed Lab team at edlab@fresnobee.com.
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