Schools are closed, and Zoom is the new classroom for thousands of Bay Area students. We'll discuss how local school districts are handling distance learning, get tips from teachers and hear about what we can do to create equitable learning experiences for all. We'll also get a update on the lastest local pandemic developments and hear a specially composed reflection on life in the coronavirus era by Bay Area novelist Vanessa Hua. And we want to hear from you. Call us during the show with your questions and experiences: 866-798-TALK or send an email anytime to cityvisions@kalw.org . Wednesday, April 15 at 9 PM. Guests : Erin Allday , health reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Peter Chin-Hong , professor of medicine and infectious diseases specialist, UCSF JC Farr , principal, Tamalpais High School in Marin County Lisa Kelly , 6th grade English teacher at the Life Academy in Oakland Jill Tucker, K-12 education reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Vanessa Hua , novelist whose books include

The University of Arkansas recently welcomed Gerry Snyder as the School of Art's first ever executive director. He will play an instrumental role in cultivating the newly minted School of Art's role at the university and beyond following the $120 million gift from the the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation and $40 million gift from the Windgate Foundation to develop an art and design district. “The fact that [this gift] has been given to education, and specifically to art, is visionary in my mind,” Snyder says. “If you look at life, even in its most challenging circumstances, creativity is important. Art is central to almost any civilization or culture.” Snyder hopes to create a strategic plan in this upcoming year for how to use the gift to represent the UA and the local community, while foremost furthering art education. Listen to the full interview between Snyder and Of Note’s Katy Henriksen with the streaming link above.

What happens when teachers are given the freedom to inspire a lifelong love of learning?

Dominique Martin was thrilled to get a state-funded voucher to send her daughter to private school. We go to Louisiana to investigate the cost of school choice. 

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Every year, Townsend Harris High School, in Queens, New York, holds a schoolwide election simulation. Students are assigned roles and begin campaigning in September. Every candidate has a staff, raises money, and makes ads for the school’s radio and television network. This fall, the school simulated the Democratic and Republican primaries. Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden got into a rap battle. The American Family Association joined the fray and released a rap of its own. 

The New Yorker’s Joshua Rothman first observed the simulation during the primaries of the 2016 Presidential election. At the time, he saw that Trump’s political arrival was greeted with distaste at a school where many students come from immigrant families. “There was some stuff Donald Trump was saying that, if you heard from any other candidate, it would frankly be disgusting,” Justin, who played Pete Buttigieg this cycle, said. But Togay, who was assigned the role of Trump—he’s a Democrat in real life—was determined to make the President more appealing to his classmates. “In preparation, I watched Alec Baldwin for a couple weeks,” he tells Rothman. For Togay and the Townsend Harris student body, Donald Trump’s unprecedented Presidency is normal. “We’ve seen what’s actually going on in Washington, because it’s been like a reality show to us,” Justin said. “This isn’t really surprising. This isn’t new.”

Welcome to the Real Recording School Weekly series. Every week, Larry Crane leads a class of like-minded audio enthusiasts, engineers, and producers through a new recording or mixing challenge. Learn how to recognize and fix persistent sound issues like clicky bass, snare drum ring, boomy guitars, and hi-hat bleed, so that the music is all that listeners hear. The course features software and plugins, such as iZotope and Pro Tools, but almost all the techniques can be recreated in your favorite DAW. All you need to follow along is a pair of headphones and a passion for sound.

Note: Because this is an ongoing series, viewers will not receive a certificate of completion.

Middle school spans those tween and early teenage years when, for many, puberty hits. Bullies seem to reign supreme. And we begin to grow into ourselves. Like most, writer and reporter Judith Warner was once a middle schooler. She's also the mother of two former middle schoolers. In her new book, And Then They Stopped Talking To Me , she investigates why the middle-school years can be so awful — and what we can do to help make them a little bit better. Interview Highlights On asking people what words come to their mind when thinking of middle school Soul crushing. Shattering. A rush of nausea. Any variation on the word misery that you can come up with. By and large, the answers were so powerful. And yet then there were a couple of people who had good memories too. And that was something that was important for me to hold on to and listen to in more detail. On deciding to write the book It really grew out of a kind of random thought one day when my daughter was in middle school and I

Angelita Wynn has driven a school bus for six years. Wynn was driving the kids back home on her afternoon run in Pittsburgh one day in March when she got word her job was going away. Over the radio. "Our dispatcher came across the radio saying that school was closed, so that's how I found out," Wynn said. "And that's the last time I've been in the bus." Her favorite thing about her job was the sense of freedom it offered, where driving can get you from one place to another. Her least favorite thing: It didn't pay a living wage. Wynn notes that most school bus drivers are retired or married to someone who brings in another income. "If you don't fit in those categories it can be a struggle," she said. She typically collects unemployment during the summer when school is not in session. But the abrupt layoff this spring and a weeks-long delay in getting her jobless benefits has thrown her for a loop. "My bank account is in the negative," Wynn said. "I've had to rely on savings that will

In naturwissenschaftlichen und technischen Berufen sind Frauen immer noch unterrepräsentiert. Wer es versucht, fühlt sich mitunter fehl am Platz, kündigt – und ist als wichtige Fachkraft verloren. Denn im Büro stecken Frauen in einem Dilemma.

Viele Anleger setzen auf Aktien, die plötzlich billig zu haben sind. In der Krise offenbart sich aber, dass viel für einen anderen Ansatz spricht: nämlich Papiere zu kaufen, die jetzt stark sind – und danach erst so richtig steigen. WELT hat eine Liste zusammengestellt.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit AILSA CHANG, HOST: For the high school class of 2020, this senior year has been a series of disappointing cancellations due to the pandemic - first, classes, then prom and now graduation. Some schools are trying out video conference graduation ceremonies, and then there are the schools that are trying something a little different. NPR's Tovia Smith reports. TOVIA SMITH, BYLINE: For the millions of high school seniors who've been robbed of their capstone year, their last season on varsity teams, senior prom, awards night, it's been hard to let go of graduation, too. KEN FREESTON: To not have one just doesn't seem right to us. VINCE DIGRANDI: Absolutely. They've earned it. That's where I'm coming from. SMITH: In North Salem, N.Y., Superintendent Ken Freeston and Principal Vince DiGrandi started brainstorming last month for ways to get their seniors some pomp despite the circumstance, and they called a nearby venue. DIGRANDI: John, where we're at is

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit DAVID GREENE, HOST: Let's visit the kitchen of an elementary school counselor in Ohio. Her name is Marie Weller, and she has turned to YouTube to help kids stranded away from school during this pandemic. NPR's Cory Turner has been visiting with her. CORY TURNER, BYLINE: In Delaware, Ohio, just north of Columbus, she's known as Mrs. Weller. And if I had to describe her in a word, it would be joyful. MARIE WELLER: (Laughter). TURNER: Once Ohio closed its schools, Mrs. Weller started going through counseling videos she could share with her kids remotely, but she says many of them were just too... WELLER: Boring. So I started thinking - well, I'm bored and can't imagine that the kids aren't. TURNER: And this is the magical moment when Mrs. Weller took her talents to YouTube. (SOUNDBITE OF THE IRISH ROVERS' "WHAT'S COOKING IN THE KITCHEN") TURNER: Weller set up a smartphone in her kitchen, surrounded herself with puppets - of course she has puppets -

When Jessyka Bagdon set out to move her tap dancing classes online, big questions started popping up right away: What about kids who don't own their own tap shoes? How to tap dance at home without ruining the floor? And then came the really big challenge: Online programs like Zoom are designed for meetings, not dance classes. "They're made to pick up voices," she explains, not the clickety clack of tap-dancing shoes. "So how do we make the system not filter out our tap sounds as background noise?" So Blagdon, an instructor at 'Knock on Wood Tap Studio' in Washington, D.C., set about problem-solving. No tap shoes? Turns out Mary Jane flats work well. Saving the floor? A piece of plywood does the trick.And that muffled sound over Zoom? Blagdon says fiddling around with some computer settings can help. In the nation's capital, like the rest of the country, kids cooped up at home for weeks now are craving both physical activity and the mental and creative challenges that extracurricular

May 7 is the date that Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, declared it was safe to open up schools. The state has had fewer than 500 reported cases of the coronavirus as of this week. But according to the state's Office of Public Instruction, just a few school districts in small towns have taken the governor up on the offer. That gap — between a state executive proclaiming schools OK to open and the reality of tiny groups of students gathering in just a few schools — shows the logistical challenges educators and state officials around the country face in any decision to reopen. Willow Creek School in Three Forks, Mont., is opening its doors and expects a few dozen of its 56 students to show up. Troy, a northwestern Montana town, is holding limited and voluntary "study hall" visits, focusing on special education students, as well as some outdoor activities. The town of Glasgow says it will open its schools on a limited basis to students without devices. Libby, a town of fewer than 3

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit NOEL KING, HOST: Is it time for states to reopen their economies? President Trump really wants it to happen. But the question is whether or not it's safe. DAVID GREENE, HOST: And there is a way to answer that. You test people - right? - for COVID-19. But are states testing enough people? Well, a Harvard analysis conducted exclusively for NPR suggests the answer broadly is no. KING: NPR science reporter Rob Stein has the details of that analysis. Good morning, Rob. ROB STEIN, BYLINE: Good morning, Noel. KING: So what does it show us? STEIN: It's based on estimates of the size of each state's outbreak, how much testing they're doing and how much testing they'd need to do to keep their outbreaks from, you know, spinning out of control. The Harvard analysis found nine states do seem to be doing at least the bare minimum amount of testing they'd need to reopen. But the other 41 states, plus the District of Columbia, are still not doing enough testing

No field trips. No game rooms. No teddy bears. These are some of the CDC's guidelines for reopening schools, childcare centers and day camps safely in places where coronavirus cases are on the decline. The guidance, which also covers restaurants, churches and other public places, was obtained by The Associated Press , which reports that the White House tried to keep it from coming to light. The New York Times quoted Mark Meadows, the chief of staff, as being concerned that the guidelines were "overly prescriptive." The CDC does not have authority to enforce its guidance, which is intended for public information only; the actual policy decisions are up to state and local governments. Schools are closed through the end of the school year throughout much of the country, with the exception of Montana, which welcomed a handful of students back this week. Child care protocols are different in different states. But millions of parents need child care so they can work, and socialization and

Middle school spans those tween and early teenage years when, for many, puberty hits. Bullies seem to reign supreme. And we begin to grow into ourselves. Like most, writer and reporter Judith Warner was once a middle schooler. She's also the mother of two former middle schoolers. In her new book, And Then They Stopped Talking To Me , she investigates why the middle-school years can be so awful — and what we can do to help make them a little bit better. Interview Highlights On asking people what words come to their mind when thinking of middle school Soul crushing. Shattering. A rush of nausea. Any variation on the word misery that you can come up with. By and large, the answers were so powerful. And yet then there were a couple of people who had good memories too. And that was something that was important for me to hold on to and listen to in more detail. On deciding to write the book It really grew out of a kind of random thought one day when my daughter was in middle school and I

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: More than 50 million children here in the U.S. will be out of school for the remainder of the academic year due to the coronavirus. In Europe, however, a different story. This coming Monday, France is set to join a small number of European countries attempting a partial reopening of schools. This week, French president Emmanuel Macron visited a primary school northwest of Paris that has remained open for the children of essential health workers. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: (Speaking French). PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON: (Speaking French). UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: (Speaking French). MACRON: (Speaking French). KELLY: That little girl there telling the president her mother works as a nurse in a coronavirus unit. Well, Macron's education minister, Jean-Michel Blanquer, was there at the school as well. He is overseeing the reopening of schools next week, and he joins us via Skype now from Paris. Bonjour.

Primary schools in France are reopening next week. There will, of course, be social distancing measures in place. Class sizes will be limited to 15 and no games at recess. It's a gradual three-week process beginning with preschoolers. The government says the reopening is voluntary and students won't be forced to return. Still, many parents and administrators are against the plan. More than 300 mayors in the Paris region signed an open letter to President Macron, urging a delay in reopening and saying the timeline is " untenable and unrealistic ." They said schools needed more time to implement the required sanitary measures. Jean-Michel Blanquer, France's minister of education, talked with Mary Louise Kelly on All Things Considered about bringing students back to class for the first time since mid-March. Here are selected excerpts: Do you think they will come? Do you think you will have 15 students in classrooms come next week? Yes, because we are asking the parents during the last

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke take audience questions about how much is too much when it comes to social media, and how to get anything done when trying to homeschool your children and work your normal job, during a live virtual Views and Brews.

The 2018-2019 school year saw allegations of cheating in college admissions in the “Operation Varsity Blues” case. Rising tuition costs and student debt levels have the attention of several 2020 presidential hopefuls. In this episode of the KUT podcast “Higher Ed,” KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss the state of...

Most people – students included – have a long to-do list but are short on ideas for how to tackle it. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton discuss strategies for deciding what should top the list. Ed suggests that removing things from the...

Who does not appreciate making high grades in a certain subject or getting glowing performance reviews at work?  In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton explore the lure of the “success trap” and how to avoid it. What exactly is the “success trap?” It...

Possibly the most awesome business card ever by John "Pathfinder" Lester (cc by)

I've been dispensing leeches at my hospital for at least a decade, so that makes me something of a self-styled leech expert ... codex99 discusses working with leech therapy in ChuraChura's post the leech triumphantly oozed its way back into the hospital

“As the food movement has gotten stronger and stronger, and people have been asking many more questions, not just about, where is my food coming from? But, how is it produced? Who’s being harmed along the way? Food service directors have been asking those same questions.” -Alexa Delwiche When you think about school food, certain...

Of the 65 programs that make up college football’s “Power Five” conferences, 63 have at least one prospect committed in the 2021 recruiting class. Washington State and Arizona are the two that don't.

Orcas Island artist Brook Meinhardt is making new art kits each week to give to local kids, and the demand keeps getting bigger.

Of the 65 programs that make up college football’s “Power Five” conferences, 63 have at least one prospect committed in the 2021 recruiting class. Washington State and Arizona are the two that don't.

For Smith, the no-hitter was the fifth in school history. She went the seven innings without allowing a walk, but did hit two batters.

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — A substitute teacher at a Massachusetts high school has been fired for smoking marijuana in class and leading a discussion about the drug, the school’s principal said. The teacher was fired Monday from North Attleborough High School after students reported the incident to officials, according to a statement from Principal […]

The Seattle School Board this afternoon unanimously appointed longtime local educator Larry Nyland as interim superintendent. Nyland, 66, had previously spent nine years as superintendent of the Marysville School District. In 2007, he was named Superintendent of the Year by the Washington School Administrators Association. He left Marysville in 2013 and spent the past year as […]

IN OUR CORONAVIRAL days of school closures and social distancing, and with May Day here, this week’s “Then” image might be poignant. It depicts 130 people posing for a group photo at West Seattle’s Jefferson Elementary School on Saturday, June 1, 1985, just 17 days before it fell victim to the wrecking ball. As editor […]

State officials are now deciding how best to spend the money this summer, which is part of a $2.2 trillion aid package approved by Congress through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) last month.

School leaders in Seattle have said our district is too big and diverse to transition to online learning in the face of coronavirus, writes columnist Danny Westneat. Yet they're trying exactly that in … Los Angeles?

The Seattle School District has decided to give all A's to high-schoolers who do a modicum of work during the pandemic shutdown. But the happy plan is a Band-Aid over its own sloppy performance, writes columnist Danny Westneat.

School nurses are finding themselves on the frontlines of COVID-19 public health efforts.

Like dozens of other school districts around the state, Seattle Public Schools has begun seeking waivers on behalf of a few hundred students who haven't met all state credit requirements to graduate this year.

Rocío Luquero spends her days in the darkest and poorest corners of the city’s education system, trying to spread thin resources across as many kids as possible. The coronavirus has made that job even harder.

In opening to several dozen of its 56 students (some families don't plan to send their kids) and 18 staff members on Thursday, Willow Creek School is going against the advice of some education officials and against the grain of the vast majority of U.S. schools.

Two new studies offer compelling evidence that children can transmit the virus. They are indeed less susceptible than adults, but while in school they have triple the human contact as adults and therefore triple the opportunity to become infected.

State officials are now deciding how best to spend the money this summer, which is part of a $2.2 trillion aid package approved by Congress through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) last month.

NCAA President Mark Emmert says the coronavirus is making it unlikely all schools will be ready to begin competing in college sports at the same time. The goal, he said Friday night, is for every team to have an equal amount of preparation time before its season starts, and there could be some competitive inequities […]

The WIAA hasn't canceled the spring postseason, but if schools remain shut down there will be no state tournaments.

Coaching in the time of social distancing means plenty of emails and social media.

The WIAA said it is still waiting for clarification before proceeding.

The withdrawal came after the school sought details about his involvement in a months-long police investigation two years ago.

The NCAA approved a waiver that will allow schools to spend below the minimum level on athletic scholarships required to compete in Division I. The Division I Council Coordination Committee approved two other blanket waivers Wednesday that had been requested by several conferences in recent weeks in response to coronavirus pandemic. Basketball and football players […]

Carlos Tercero had already been forced to move in with one of his teammates when St. Edward’s University closed its campus because of the pandemic, their seasons cut short like so many others across the nation. Tercero and fellow golfer Nico Ciavaglia were adjusting to online classes off campus when things got even worse: The […]

NCAA President Mark Emmert says the coronavirus is making it unlikely all schools will be ready to begin competing in college sports at the same time. The goal, he said Friday night, is for every team to have an equal amount of preparation time before its season starts, and there could be some competitive inequities […]