Saw this Harvard document being shared in light of the DES plans for reopening schools. It seems to be getting a lot of praise. Will share some thoughts here as I flick down through it. #edchatie
schools.forhealth.org/risk-reduction…
schools.forhealth.org/risk-reduction…
Straight away,the Executive Summary is frank&honest. Acknowledges that the return will not be perfect, and there is no perfect plan, only "less bad" options. An absence of waffle is nice. Bear in mind this is for schools in USA, where the government pandemic response is shambolic
Next,this lovely infographic,and it becomes apparent that this document is all about what *could* and *should* be done,as opposed to what we have in Ireland which is a bona fide plan. So comparisons may be harsh. However, it takes into account 3 types of transmission. Ours has 2.
What I mean by the above tweet is that, given the inequality in American schools, it is highly unlikely that they will return with all of these measures in place. This is guidance from a University, not the federal government.
First up,Healthy Classrooms. The stand out feature of this is mask wearing for staff&students. Face shields for teachers when addressing the whole class,and masks for closer contact. No age cut offs mentioned so far. Not optional. Much of the rest is very similar to the DES Plan.
Again, this seems to be following the most recent evidence about the spread of Covid19, particularly spreading via aerosol droplets that can linger in the air.
Sensible also to build in time during the day where staff and students can be mask free.
Sensible also to build in time during the day where staff and students can be mask free.
Next up, Healthy Buildings. Again, heavily influenced by the most recent research, leading to an emphasis on air filters and air cleaners. Again, this may be very expensive for schools, and might be unrealistic in the real world. But this is what the evidence suggests is needed.
Healthy Policies next. Nothing wildly different to the DES Plan. I like the reminder that remote learning will still be a feature for kids who need to stay home so to plan accordingly. The response team could be an additional role for existing Critical Incident Management Teams.
Healthy Schedules next. Again, nothing v.different, but I like how it is clearly presented. The advice is given, and it is up to individual schools to figure out how it can be done. Staggering of arrivals, departures, transitions, and locker access is a huge logistical challenge!
Finally, Healthy Activities. Seems pretty reliant on good weather, but some nice detail even in this summary.
That's the first 13 pages of this 62 page document. A summary of what's to come. I like this layout as it goes on to flesh out each of the points across all the areas. A lot of the ideas are similar to the DES Plan, some are better fleshed out, others not so much.
Anyway, that's the summary. I'll add anything I find interesting from the rest of the document as I go through it, but would encourage teaching and NEPS colleagues to throw an eye over it, as there might be a few good ideas there.
Some further detail on the filters bit. Useful flow chart, which for most Irish schools would probably mean opening windows and supplementing with portable air cleaners. A brief Google shows that these can be quite pricey... Wearing the winter coats inside in December? #Edchatie
I was reminded by my wife about those ads on the radio about Ozone Sterilisers featuring a famous former Irish pop star. Just to clarify, these are *not* what the Harvard researchers are recommending.
