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COVID-19 Resources & School Samples

CAIS members can view up to date COVID-19 resources and school samples here.

CAIS Top 12

#1: Vision, Mission, Values & Strategy

COVID-19: Briefing note: June 11, 2020

McKinsey has been researching the social risks of COVID-19 and has found that in Europe, "the proportion of people who say that they feel lonely 'most or all of the time' has nearly tripled" as a result of the lockdown and physical distancing. The article quotes former US surgeon general Vivek H. Murthy, MD, who sees cause for optimism: "I think that this could be an extraordinary opportunity for us to step back and ask ourselves if we're leading the kind of lives that we really want to lead. This is our chance to ask ourselves where people fit in our priority list and whether there's a gap between our stated priorities and our lived priorities."

Reopen schools with a 'golden age of play'

William Doyle and Pasi Sahlberg are co-authors of Let the Children Play: How More Play Will Save our Schools and Help Children Thrive. In this CNN piece, they cite research of the cognitive, physical, emotional and social benefits of play and propose that schools reopen with a 90-day "golden age of play." This means that academic education would be balanced with learning through play, physical and creative outlets and mental health counselling to provide support for children who need it.


#2: Co-Curriculum & Learning Environments

Why diversity is essential to school innovation

In this blog post, Chelsea Waite, Research Fellow at the Christensen Institute, cautions school leaders looking for new, innovative approaches that they must consider a wide range of school models and whether the approach has greater potential for students in some contexts than in others. Waite considers the particular example of "grit".


#3: Academic Program

Why White Students Need Multicultural and Social Justice Education

In this Cult of Pedagogy blog post, Sheldon L. Eakins, Ph.D., Founder of the Leading Equity Center, stresses that we must provide both multicultural education and social justice education to teach white students how to be antiracist and to help them find their voice and role in creating a socially just society.


#4: School Leadership

Feeling Uncomfortable with Reentry? You're on the Right Track.

This Harvard Business Review article is written by Dr. Julia DiGangi, who is a neuropsychologist and an expert on the effects of chronic stress on our brain and our behaviour. To manage current anxieties about returning to work, she writes that leaders should consider three paradoxical strategies related to performance management, communication, and leadership effectiveness. Dr. DiGangi also advises, "The inevitable discomfort that accompanies change should not be interpreted as a sign we are on the wrong path - just the opposite. This anxiety is a sign of productive growth, telling us we are on the right path to making substantive changes. To squander this moment's rich opportunity for transformative change is as bad for business as it is for the brain."


#5: Human Resources

Staff of 2030: Future-Ready Teaching

The Economist Intelligence Unit, sponsored by Microsoft, surveyed 1,034 early-career and student teachers across ten countries to gauge their attitudes towards and predictions for the future of their profession. The survey addressed many aspects of education: teaching practices, the role of technology, working conditions and resources, and demographic trends. Their views, combined with an expert interview panel and a comprehensive literature analysis, provide key insights into how teaching is set to change by 2030.

Also worth a read: TikTok Teacher: High school math made fun via social media to engage students


#6: School & Community

Students should be allowed to have in-person graduations, Canadian Paediatric Society says

According to this CBC article, "The Canadian Paediatric Society is calling on education ministries to allow safe, in-person graduations for students to help give them closure and support after a challenging end to the school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic." Daphne Korczak, chair of the CPS mental health task force says, "transitions are frequently points of vulnerability," and the association is concerned that students will not experience the celebration that comes with their achievement.

Worth a watch: BSS Volunteers and Donors Make a Difference (YouTube)

Also worth a read: 13 Smart Ways To Adapt Your Fundraising Strategy During Tough Times


#7: Enrolment Management

From On-Campus to Onscreen: The Virtual Reality of College Tours

This Volt article has many suggestions for schools during the time they cannot bring prospective students to campus for tours. Virtual Tours are essential, but Will Patch, an enrollment marketing leader, says schools should also focus on creating content for TikTok, Facebook and Instagram to meet parents and students where they already are "rather than designing something new and trying to push them to your site." The article also suggests ways to engage incoming and current students in "remarketing" efforts over the summer.


#8: Governance

How Diverse Is Your Board, Really?

Writing for Harvard Business Review, Jared L. Landaw, Partner, and the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of Barington Capital Group, L.P., encourages Boards to invest the significant time and energy required to establish a culture that embraces diverse insights. To achieve cognitive diversity, which can, in turn, significantly improve decision-making, the Board must identify directors who can introduce new views, perspectives and approaches to problem-solving. The article stresses that Boards should not address diversity as a "check-the-box" exercise. As well, it includes many practical recommendations to achieve a cognitively and demographically diverse Board.


#9: Finance

Key lessons for independent school leaders about financial aid and tuition during the COVID-19 crisis

EAB recently held a webinar for independent school enrolment managers and CFOs to discuss financial aid and tuition strategies in response to COVID-19. This article summarizes the key takeaways from the session:
  1. Use data to project who might need financial aid.
  2. Offer short-term aid and demonstrate flexibility to retain families.
  3. If you are considering making tuition adjustments, think about their long-term impact.
  4. Remind students and families of the value of independent schools.
  5. Be transparent about your decision-making and communicate, communicate, communicate.


#10: Physical Plant, Health & Safety

The COVID-19 pandemic is remapping childhood-and the effects may linger

This Maclean's article interviews researchers who are trying to look ahead to the impact that the COVID-19 crisis might have on children psychologically and emotionally, acknowledging that the resumption of normal life and a return to school will require them to adapt to strange new realities.

Also worth a read: How to support kids' and teens' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic


#11: Commitment to School Improvement

How Brain Research Helped Retool Our School Schedule for Remote Learning

In this EdSurge article, Glenn Whitman and Ian Kelleher write about how they balanced what they know about developmentally appropriate amounts of screen time with research on the importance of teacher-directed instruction to develop the Distance Learning Plan for St. Andrew's Episcopal. The research-informed school revised its schedule to allow students time for non-screen-time work, non-school passions and meeting with advisors and teachers during Office Hours.

Also worth a read: The unexpected gift of stay-at-home orders: Time for kids to sleep and think and just be


#12: Boarding Program

University of Colorado Boulder: Road Map to Fall 2020

The University of Colorado at Boulder released a unique plan for residence halls that involves residential undergraduate students living and taking courses in a cohort: a small group that they also live with.

Ask an Immigration Lawyer: Canadian Law [June 10]

In this EMA webinar, attorney Kyle Hyndman explains what schools need to know about international students traveling to Canada in the fall.







Recent CAIS Top 12


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