Educational Resources Digest – Week of April 20
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To Parents and Colleagues
There has been a burst of energy for curating, creating, and distributing resources and opportunities to support learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with regularly scheduled programming. We’ve created a digest of what has come through Washington STEM’s inboxes during the past week. As remote learning continues, we will provide additional resource lists as we find them.
Please note that we work with a diverse set of partners, and these opportunities and events are not tailored to any particular audience or partner. Please review each opportunity to decide if it’s relevant to your needs.
— Cheers and be well!
Upcoming Programs and Webinars
Happening in April
4/22-4/24 Earth Optimism Digital Summit
When: April 22-24, 1:00 pm ET
Where: Live stream
The 50th anniversary of Earth Day is next week and in recognition, the Smithsonian Institution will be hosting the 2020 Earth Optimism Digital Summit from April 22-24th. Watch the LIVE broadcast online on Facebook Live, Twitter, Youtube and on the Earth Optimism website.
More than 100 global leaders will share successful conservation strategies being deployed worldwide and discuss how to scale and mainstream these strategies to achieve transformative change.
4/22-4/24 ClimeTime Virtual Conference
When: Monday, April 27 and Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Where: Online via Zoom
Join teachers statewide for a two-day conference, completely online! The virtual conference is open to all PreK-12 teachers in Washington State who want to learn more about the Climate Science Proviso, about the ClimeTime project, or about tools and resources connected to science learning.
Sessions are FREE to participants who have been sponsored by OSPI. Registration and clock hours available through signup via pdEnroller.
By 4/26 College and Education Access Survey
When: Complete survey no later than April 26
OneAmerica youth leaders are working to increase college and education access for immigrants and refugees in the community and they want to hear about your experiences, as well as what additional challenges COVID-19 has brought up. Share your needs and fill out the survey by April 26.
4/22-4/24 Exploring Structural Racism in the Time of COVID-19
When: Thursday, April 30, 2020, 2-4 pm PT
Where: Online via Zoom
Racial disparities are striking, enduring and pervasive and the successes of a few youth of color cannot obscure the overall pattern of opportunities and benefits that is defined by race. Structural racism is a feature of the social, economic, and political systems in which we all exist in the U.S. (Aspen Institute). This workshop will provide foundational knowledge about structural racism. Participants will identify connections between historical racial injustices and present-day realities for young people and communities of color, particularly in the times of COVID-19.
Happening in May
Beginning 5/4 CareerConnect@Home – Virtual career connected learning every day in May
When: Weekdays in May, 3:30 pm PT
Where: Online
School buildings across the state and nation have been ordered closed through the end of the school year due to COVID-19. But that doesn’t mean career connected learning should stop. That’s why we’re creating CareerConnect@Home — a month long series of online discussions with Washington employers geared toward middle and high school students.
Each day in May at 3:30pm, employers from across our state will discuss their organization, career opportunities, and the skills needed to succeed.
5/19-5/20 Washington State Nonprofit Conference
When: May 19-20
Where: Online
Washington Nonprofits and our partners are excited to offer the Power of Participation Virtual Conference! Please reserve May 19 and 20 all day for this groundbreaking event, which will include sessions offered in new, creative, and interactive ways.
OTHER RESOURCES
Wide Open School provides free virtual learning resources in one place. Enjoy daily “done-for-you” schedules that cater to the whole child (physical, mental, emotional) and are easy to follow.
COVID-19 – Centering POCs or Business As Usual?
“We need to start shifting the narratives now. Even now it is hard to find quality information translated into other languages, some do it better than others. In times of social distancing, people with strong networks and ties to communities are being served better than families who don’t have support networks or resources to be ok. Let’s rebuild differently and centering voices furthest from justice.”
Supporting Equity for English Language Learners Remotely
“For our English learners, the fastest growing subgroup of students in the US, we are seeing the special challenges these students and their families face every day now magnified with schools being closed.”
This article provides strategies and considerations for supporting English Language Learners during the COVID-19 crisis.
Student Voice: Two weeks, five siblings, and one laptop
Brandon Yam, a junior at Francis Lewis High School in New York, writes about the realities of student life in the new world of distance learning. From day-to-day concerns of family well-being to accessing reliable Internet and a laptop, Brandon describes his experience and calls out challenges faced by low-income students of color in the community.
Early Ed in the Age of COVID-19
ECE providers and the ECE workforce are deeply impacted by the COVID-19 national health emergency and response. Unlike public K-12 education, ECE programs rely on a mix of private tuition, state funding and federal funding to operate. Private providers are especially vulnerable, as most operate as small businesses with narrow profit margins. According to a survey completed in March by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the vast majority — 89% — of providers didn’t think they could survive an extended closure without supplemental resources.
When students return to school buildings, teachers and school leaders will face a daunting task: pulling their communities back together while helping students get back on track.
With schools closed and tens of millions of students at home, join Code.org each week for Code Break — help us build the world’s largest live interactive classroom, with weekly challenges to engage students of all abilities, even those without computers.