For decades, Lucy Calkins has determined how millions of children learn to read. An education professor, she has been a pre-eminent leader of “balanced literacy,” a loosely defined teaching philosophy. However, after decades of resistance, Professor Calkins has made a major retreat. A rewrite of her reading curriculum, from kindergarten to second grade, includes, for the first time, daily structured phonics lessons to be used with the whole class.

New York Times

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The pandemic has supercharged the decline in the nation’s public school system in ways that experts say will not easily be reversed. All together, America’s public schools have lost at least 1.2 million students since 2020, according to a recently published national survey. State enrollment figures show no sign of a rebound to the previous national levels any time soon.

- New York Times 

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The pandemic has taken a substantial toll on students’ academic progress as well as on their mental health. Analysis highlights the extent of the challenge and demonstrates how the impact of the pandemic on learning extends across students, families, and entire communities. School systems can respond across multiple horizons to help students get back on track.

By McKinsey & Company

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Schools in 23 countries, with 405 million pupils, are still partially or fully closed because of Covid, the United Nations Children's Fund says. The charity, Unicef, estimates 147 million children have missed at least half of their in-person schooling. Unicef executive director Catherine Russell says children are "the hidden casualties of the pandemic".

By the BBC

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