2021 - Page 67 of 89 - Education For Live

October 13, 2021

Panorama Education, Owned By U.S. AG Merrick Garland’s Son-In-Law, Contracted With 23,000 Public Schools & Raised $76M From Investors

Panorama Education, Owned By U.S. AG Merrick Garland’s Son-In-Law, Contracted With 23,000 Public Schools & Raised M From Investors

WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 22: Federal Judge Merrick Garland testifies before a Senate Judiciary … [+] Committee hearing on his nomination to be US Attorney General on Capitol Hill on Monday, Feb. 22, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Last week, AG Garland sent a memo to the head of the FBI, directing him to work with local law enforcement “to address threats against school administrators, board members, teachers and staff.”

Critics say that Garland made the move in response to parents vocally opposing mask mandates and race-related teaching implemented by local school boards.

Nevertheless, the move by Garland to have the FBI investigate parents at school board meetings quickly put his son-in-law’s nationwide education business in the spotlight.

Garland’s son-in-law is Xan Tanner, co-founder and president of Panorama Education. Panorama Education sells surveys to school districts across the country that focus on the local “social and emotion climate.” These surveys are then used as justification for new curriculum that some parents call critical race theory and find objectionable.

Tanner’s company has a large footprint with contracts in 50+ of the nation’s 100 largest school districts. The company describes its business as supporting “13 million students in 23,000 schools and 1,500 districts across 50 states.”

Raised $76 million from powerful investors since 2017

In 2017, Panorama raised $16 million in a private funding led by Emerson Collective, with participation from Spark Capital, Owl Ventures, SoftTechVC, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative — owned by Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook and his wife Priscilla Chan.

The capital raised, along with the changing political landscape, likely helped Panorama grow from 400 school systems in 2017 to 1,500 systems today – a nearly four-fold increase in business.

Then, just last month – weeks before the Garland directive to the FBI – Panorama closed on a $60 million private financing raise with venture capital firm General Atlantic. According to the press release, existing investors Owl Ventures, Emerson Collective, Uncork Capital, CZI, and Tao Capital Partners also participated.

In the OpenTheBooks government expenditure library posted online, there are at least $27 million in payments to Panorama from states, school districts, and local boards of education across 21 states between the years 2017 and 2020.

Contracts with the New York City Department of Education; Dallas Independent School District; Seattle Public Schools; District of Columbia; and the San Francisco Unified School District are showcased in company materials, and are known.

However, records posted by our auditors at OpenTheBooks.com reveal that school districts in Texas, Michigan, Florida, Indiana, Rhode Island, Oregon, Iowa, Utah, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Georgia, New Mexico, Illinois, Wyoming, California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maine, Virginia, and Ohio all hired Panorama Education for training and/or surveys.

Taxpayer expensive surveys

The 2017 contract between Panorama and Arlington Public Schools in Virginia was for three school-wide surveys over a five-year period costing taxpayers $288,750.

Built into the 28-page contract is an expensive fee schedule. For example, there are 345 hours billed at $250 per hour for consultants to design surveys and render “analysis and reporting.” Project managers bill at a rate of $125 an hour for 1,230 hours.

The Arlington social and emotional climate survey is posted online. Questions included: “how clearly do you see your culture and history reflected in your school?”; and “how often do you feel that you are treated poorly by other students because of your race, ethnicity, gender, family’s income, religion, disability, or sexual orientation?”

Fee schedule by contract between Panorama Education and Arlington Public Schools in VA.

OpenTheBooks.com

Here is a brief review of Panorama’s payments in selected states:

Texas – The top five districts signing with Panorama included the Dallas Independent School District ($640,400); Education Service Center Region 3 ($436,000); Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District ($223,102); Fort Worth Independent School District ($217,575); and Spring Branch Independent School District ($196,875).

California – The El Dorado County Office of Education paid $1.4 million in the year 2020 to Panorama in an effort to meet their local control and accountability plan (LCAP) goals. In part, the objective is to: “Reduce the achievement gap by ensuring that all systems are culturally, linguistically, and equitably responsive to the needs of our students” (emphasis added).

Florida – The top five Florida districts signing with Panorama included the Orange County Public Schools ($364,000); Collier County Public Schools ($81,185); and St. Lucie Public Schools ($72,650).

Illinois – There were 76 Illinois districts paying nearly $1 million in fees to Panorama. The top districts included Valley View Community Unit School District ($180,525); Woodridge School District 68 ($75,925); and Peoria School District 150 ($63,500).

Iowa— the Department of Education in Iowa paid Panorama $2.4 million between 2017 and 2020. The State of New Mexico paid out $1.3 million.

New York— Approximately 30 NY school districts paid $12.1 million to Panorama. The largest payments came from the New York City public schools with approximately $10.5 million in contracts.

Background

Critical race theory usually teaches that America, its supporters, and her institutions are inherently racist and discriminatory, and that race is used as a social construct to oppress and exploit people of color.

While some programs and institutions come right out and admit this, most don’t quite say it that way.

The tenants of “culturally responsive” teaching they say are “building academic and social-emotional skills”; “affirming students’ social and cultural histories”; and “helping students recognize, analyze, and address social inequality and racist policies.”

Critics say the terms “social-emotional learning” and “culturally responsive training” introduce controversial ideas about race and identity that are associated with critical race theory.

Shortly after George Floyd was killed in police custody, Panorama Education put out a statement committing to combat systemic racism in the educational system.

“We commit to dismantling systemic racism, we commit to embodying and spreading anti-racist practices, and we commit to building systems of opportunity and possibility for students of color,” Panorama Education CEO and co-founder Aaron Feuer wrote. “Important areas of impact include student voice, social-emotional learning and mental health, anti-racism practices, diversity and inclusion practices, equitable [Multi-Tiered System of Supports] and behavior practices, conversations around race and identity, recruiting and supporting teachers of color, and systemic approaches to equity.”

While the company doesn’t use the term critical race theory (CRT) on its website, Asra Nomani of Parents Defending Education, an anti-CRT parent group at the forefront of recent protests, claims that Panorama Education is using data collection as a pretext for school officials to push controversial ideas about race, identity and sexuality.

So, last week, when the Attorney General of the United States suddenly called in the FBI to look at parents’ behavior around local education controversies, people took notice.

Garland is accused of weaponizing the DOJ by bringing in the FBI to investigate alleged threats from parents. Critics say he is trying to intimidate political opponents and silence parents who are concerned with what their children are being taught in schools.

While Garland cites threats of violence against school officials, parents and other activists say they’re exercising their constitutional right to object to school practices.

The Critic

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said the Garland-directed crackdown was part of a “disturbing trend” in which Democrats try to stop parents from having a say in their children’s education, The New York Post reported.

“Parents have a fundamental right to be lawfully involved in their children’s education,” McCarthy said. “We should encourage family participation in our school systems, not baselessly attack opposing views because some liberal education officials and special interest groups see it as a threat to the power they want to have over what children learn in America’s classroom.”

Panorama, AG Garland, and several school districts mentioned didn’t return requests for comment by our deadline.

Further reading

Office of the Attorney General memo

DOJ press release

GOP rips AG Garland for ‘weaponizing’ DOJ in anti-CRT crackdown

Liberals were losing the argument over critical race theory in schools — time to call in the FBI

Parents group: AG Garland has conflict of interest with Facebook, critical race theory

Garland asks FBI to address recent ‘disturbing spike’ in threats against educators

October 13, 2021

Why Some Nebraska Parents Are Homeschooling During The Pandemic

Final school yr there was a surge of homeschooling in Nebraska. That selection dropped this year, but the homeschooling development is even now up.

In 2019, an believed 9,450 pupils were homeschooling in Nebraska. Past yr, through the pandemic, that variety zoomed up to 14,780. This 12 months it’s again down to about 10,525, but which is nonetheless the highest full on record apart from for final year’s.

COVID-19 Precautions

Parents have unique explanations why they chose to homeschool their children, like Tom Ulrick of Beatrice. He’s involved his daughter could capture COVID-19. He pulled her out of school final yr immediately after he went to a college board assembly and read anti-maskers speak up.

“They are just not using it severely,” he explained “And I just are not able to do that. It pitfalls the safety of my kid.”

The Nebraska Section of Training just can’t impose mask mandates on faculties. It is up to area districts, like Beatrice Community Educational facilities who created masking optional this calendar year. Ulrick explained he’s discouraged he simply cannot rely on his school district. But, moms and dads who are in opposition to mask donning also felt the same way.

“So both parents didn’t want their young ones in masks, or their mothers and fathers wanted all the little ones masked and all the vaccinations,” Ashley Mason claimed. “So a single side of that spectrum or the other.”

Mason manages 5 homeschooling teams on Fb, including Homeschooling in Nebraska, Beatrice Homeschool group, Nebraska Straightforward Peasy Homeschool Chat Group, and Substantial Family members Working with Easy Peasy. She mentioned a Beatrice relatives begun homeschooling their kids in January since learners and teachers ended up bullying them for not carrying a mask.

“The teachers would then accuse them of not remaining potent adequate, or at the exact time accuse them of killing their friends’ grandparent for the reason that they would not use the mask,” she mentioned. “And now their grandparent was going to be dying of COVID.”

The spouse and children went back again to public school this calendar year when the district announced masking was optional. Out of the over 1,500 family members Mason has spoken with, she explained most of them did not want their small children putting on masks for seven or far more hours a day. Nevertheless, Liz Davids, president of Heartland Homeschoolers, stated the curriculum is an additional rationale for homeschooling.

Curriculum

When faculty turned digital because of the pandemic, Davids reported moderate, conservative, and religious mom and dad found out they did not always concur with what their little ones had been studying. They determined to train their young children at household alternatively.

“A large amount of traditional households are saying, the values that are in the general public schools are not reflecting our values,” she said. “So, we want to pass on our values to our little ones.”

Davids stated there are concerns about proposed well being requirements, such as sexual intercourse education, and the prospect of essential race principle.

David Jespersen with the state Office of Education and learning mentioned well being schooling expectations are on maintain and critical race principle is not element of any condition typical.

“Unique faculty districts, nonetheless, have comprehensive regulate over what curriculum they decide on to teach to these expectations,” he reported.

Still, Kathryn Dillow, president of Nebraska Homeschool Affiliation, reported the increase of pupils getting homeschooled this yr when compared to 2019 displays a continuing pattern. But Jespersen claimed the point learners returned to general public schools this yr is what the division anticipated.

“What that tells us is that households are extra relaxed with each the pandemic, how to take care of it on their own, and how educational institutions are dealing with the pandemic, and the strategies that are in place in universities,” he stated.

Jespersen stated the pandemic shed gentle on the choices mother and father have and in the end they have the remaining say on how they want to educate their small children, regardless of whether that’s in a community school, non-public university, or at property.

October 13, 2021

Iowa’s CSD to spend $115,784 in ESSER funds on physical education equipment, choral risers | National News

Iowa’s CSD to spend 5,784 in ESSER funds on physical education equipment, choral risers | National News

(The Heart Square) – Roland-Tale Neighborhood Faculty District’s university board permitted the shelling out of $100,000 of federal Elementary and Secondary University Emergency Aid III money on bodily instruction products and new flooring in their higher school’s weight area.

“This use of funding is well in the pointers proven by the federal government, and our application for this unique expenditure was accepted by the Iowa Department of Education in late July,” Superintendent Matt Patton informed The Centre Square in an emailed statement Oct. 8. “However, it is crucial to note that the excess weight home expenditure was only a tiny part of the $1,126,651 in total COVID-19 reduction money accessible to our district.”

He reported the district, in Story Town, Iowa, programs to make the pursuing additional expenditures:

• PPE Supplies, together with disposable masks, hand sanitizer, foggers, disinfecting materials, thermometers and band instrument covers: $71,365

• Employing of 1.5 extra unique education instructors for three many years: $310,000

• Full-time contract with Youth & Shelter Services for a mental health therapist for two yrs: $116,000

• Choosing of an extra total-time faculty nurse for two a long time: $134,760

• Expansion of summer season faculty for K-12 learners for a few several years: $75,000

• Order of 25 hotspots with regular data strategies for learners mastering remotely: $8,554

• Acquire of expanded choral risers for vocal music (with ESSER III resources): $15,784

• Masking fees linked to employee leaves of absence owing to COVID: $28,988

Patton claimed the faculty experienced entry to $1,126,651 in complete COVID-19 reduction cash, and it has about $275,000 remaining from federal resources.

“Due to the specified function and described timelines, it is achievable that we won’t be ready to make use of all of the remaining money,” he said.

Iowa Section of Training Communications Director Heather Doe verified for The Centre Square in an emailed statement Oct. 11 the department accredited the requests.

“However, the Iowa Section of Education’s role in examining district expenses for reimbursement through ESSER III is to assure that the takes advantage of, as indicated by the district, are allowable uses as outlined in federal legislation,” Doe stated. “Whether or not this is the best use of these money is a local final decision. If the district establishes this is a reasonable use of these money, the Division has no authority to deny these use unless the expenditure is undoubtedly unallowable.”

Underneath the Code of Federal Laws (CFR) §200.439, money expenses for “general objective machines, properties, and land” and $5,000 or extra for “special purpose equipment” are permitted if college districts get prior published acceptance from the condition.

Doe mentioned the college district’s ask for fell less than the categories of “Developing strategies and implementing public wellbeing protocols together with, to the best extent practicable, insurance policies in line with advice from the Centers for Ailment Command and Prevention for the reopening and procedure of faculty facilities to proficiently maintain the wellness and security of pupils, educators, and other staff” and “Other activities that are essential to preserve the procedure of and continuity of companies in nearby academic companies and continuing to make use of present team of the community instructional agency.”

Iowa Senate Majority Leader Sen. Jack Whitver (R-Ankeny) claimed in an interview Oct. 8 with Iowa Press that “spending federal stimulus pounds or pandemic cash on sporting activities … doesn’t feel to be an appropriate use.”

School districts must use funding from ESSER I (by Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Financial Stability Act) by September 2022, ESSER II (as a result of Coronavirus Response and Aid Supplemental Appropriations Act) by September 2023, and ESSER III (American Rescue Approach) by September 2024.

Districts can file for reimbursement of bills dating back to March 13, 2020. Any remaining money will be returned to the U.S. Division of Schooling, Doe explained.

Iowa is required to allocate at the very least 90{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} of grant resources as subgrants to districts in proportion to each individual college district’s Title I, Portion A 2020-2021 college year funding share, which is based mostly on the proportion of minimal-cash flow learners the district serves. University districts figure out how and when to use their allocations. Their spending will have to meet up with ESSER III needs.

Doe reported the information on districts’ use of cash will come to be obtainable when the office submits its yearly report to the U.S. Office of Schooling.

“We do not know a day nonetheless for submission of the report, but foresee a owing date in early 2022,” she said.

October 13, 2021

Bristol Elementary teachers raise concerns about ‘unsafe conditions’

BRISTOL — A team of Bristol Elementary School teachers banded jointly to elevate considerations about protection challenges at the school in the course of Tuesday night’s MAUSD board conference in Bristol.

Teachers spoke of incidents in modern times and months when “young children had been hiding and crying in anxiety and employees associates have been injured. Hallways were cleared and college students and staff remained in the finding out room they have been in with the doors locked.”

They refered to the faculty as a “area of unrest” where “a common feeling of helplessness and concern has permeated our school.”

The entire statement, which was shared with the Independent earlier today, is integrated below.

Sarah Mangini, co-president of the Mount Abraham Schooling Affiliation, also made a public assertion to the school board Tuesday night, in which she thorough some of the dangers and hurt at the school.

This is a building story and will be up to date.

Assertion BY BRISTOL ELEMENTARY College Employees

Day: Oct 12, 2021

To: MAUSD Board Associates

From: Bristol Elementary Faculty Staff

Re: Failure to Make certain Security at Bristol Elementary Faculty

My name is Andrea Murnane and I am a 2nd Grade Trainer at Bristol Elementary School. I am talking to you this evening on behalf of BES academics and staff members and the Mount Abraham Training Affiliation to share the dire basic safety problems at BES and request that you consider swift action to handle them. The personnel at BES are right here united with each other to say that our university is not safe. Current procedures have continuously set learners and employees in harm’s way. The position quo is simply not sustainable.

We are here in advance of you for the reason that our prior, repeated efforts to deal with these critical safety issues at lower levels have so significantly been unsuccessful. There is a process outlined in our collective bargaining agreement for addressing get the job done-related problems and we feel strongly in that approach. We have attempted to use that process to address the unsafe conditions that pupils and staff members are encountering in our faculty. In this instance, that procedure is only not well timed and responsive sufficient to deal with the immediacy and severity of our basic safety worries.

Last Thursday, Oct 7, the basic safety circumstance at BES became so volatile that two school rooms have been relocated to alternate workspaces, and one particular classroom was severely weakened. Throughout these incidents, youngsters were hiding and crying in worry and staff customers ended up wounded. Hallways had been cleared and students and employees remained in the discovering space they were being in with the doorways locked.

Later on that exact same working day the personnel at BES spoke with Superintendent Reen for more than an hour expressing our considerations and fears. Several employees users remained at college that night right up until 7:00 p.m. serving to a teacher reassemble her classroom.

The next working day, Friday, Oct 8th, there had been at the very least seven “Secure the Hallway” phone calls from the workplace, in which team and students had been instructed to right away enter classrooms and lock their doors.

In this college year, college students are unsafe, the team is unsafe, discovering environments and studying instruments have been damaged, lessons are displaced from their space to alternative – and insufficient — workplaces, mastering for all grade levels has been disrupted, student get the job done is ripped from the hallway walls and a normal perception of helplessness and fear has permeated our faculty.

We are potent supporters of trauma-educated interventions for addressing pupils in crisis, together with individuals exhibiting violent and destructive behavior. On the other hand, in purchase for these techniques to be helpful and safe and sound for college students and personnel, they should be accompanied by sufficient staffing, coaching, assets and proper strategies for their implementation.

Thus, we are asking you to choose instant actions to tackle this scenario. Particularly, we are asking for you to apply the adhering to remedies and insurance policies:

1. Supply for the secure removal of students who endanger the basic safety of by themselves, other college students or workers to an option and secure office until finally their actions has been assessed by a specialist mental well being crisis group (Access), mothers and fathers/guardians have been contacted, a assembly with parents has been scheduled, the classroom instructor and staff customers have been apprised of the circumstance and the youngster has remained serene, harmless and in handle for 24 several hours immediately after the episode.

2. Present 1:1 behavioral help for college students who endanger the protection of staff or students at BES.

3. Provide a crystal clear prepare for immediate response in situations in which a pupil endangers the security of staff or college students.

4. Guarantee that all employees who do the job with pupils who have displayed unsafe habits are designed completely mindful of the actions program and kept up to day on any alterations.

5. Make sure that the classroom trainer is included and offered voice in the growth and implementation of the behavior plan.

6. Make certain that right treatments are implemented to convey an conclusion to violence so that all learners can understand in a secure and correct atmosphere.

7. Hire a accredited mental well being experienced to help with the present problem, present instruction to staff and be out there to aid and seek advice from with the staff members at BES.

Our school has develop into a position of unrest when it must be a safe haven, a dependable area where by small children and adults discover and grow. We have to have your enable. We talk to that you take immediate motion on this really serious and hazardous situation.

Respectfully,
BES Personnel

October 12, 2021

DWC Launches Update to the Online Education Module for Qualified Medical Evaluators

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NEWSLINE

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The Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) has introduced an update to the on the web physician schooling study course, “Evaluating California’s Hurt Staff: Skilled Healthcare Evaluators.” This program is strongly advisable for all California Competent Medical Evaluators (QMEs). It is available to the general public and is specially beneficial for attorneys, promises administrators and medical companies collaborating in the California workers’ payment program.

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“Evaluating California’s Injured Personnel: Certified Medical Evaluators (QME)” is an educational module designed for health-related doctors, chiropractors and nurses. QMEs participate in a critical role in resolving disputes in the workers’ compensation technique.

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The online instruction will address:

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How to get ready for an evaluation and define the components of a excellent report

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The strategy of apportionment and how to apportion to causation of disability

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What constitutes sizeable clinical proof and how it applies to apportionment

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Likely bias and how to stay away from it in your health-related-authorized reviews

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Administrative regulations to stay in compliance as a QME

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This exercise has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit score as nicely as 2 hours of QME continuing education and learning credit rating.

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Obtain to the health practitioner instruction module can be discovered on the DWC site. Also, available on the internet site is an instruction module, “Caring for California’s Wounded Workers: Using California’s Health-related Treatment method Utilization Program (MTUS).”

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This action has been planned and executed in accordance with the accreditation prerequisites and guidelines of the California Medical Affiliation (CMA) as a result of the joint providership of the Heart for Occupational and Environmental Wellness (COEH) and State of California Division of Industrial Relations’ Division of Workers’ Compensation. The Center for Occupational and Environmental Overall health is accredited by the CMA to deliver continuing health-related instruction for doctors.

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The Heart for Occupational and Environmental Wellbeing designates this enduring content for a greatest of 2 AMA PRA classification 1 Credit rating(s). Doctors should really claim only the credit history commensurate with the extent of their participation in the exercise.

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October 12, 2021

The “Squid Game” series has sparked interest in learning Korean.

Netflix

A Series of Netflix “Squid Game”

Considering the fact that the release of the strike sequence “Squid Game” on Netflix, curiosity in discovering Korean has elevated, reflecting language-mastering platforms, highlighting the increasing and world-wide obsession with South Korean tradition.

software of languages Duolingo refers to Thriller The 9-episode contest, in which cashless contestants take part in likely fatal children’s online games in an attempt to acquire $45.7 billion (about €33 million), encouraged language learners and beginners to enhance their information of South Korean Is.

In accordance to Duolingo, in the two weeks following the sequence premiere, there was 76{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} improve in new people intrigued in understanding South Korean in the United Kingdom, and 40{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} in the United States.

In accordance to ReutersSouth Korea, the fourth biggest economy in Asia, has established itself as a global leisure centre Many thanks to its vivid pop society.

In this feeling, boyzband bts, composed of 7 customers, and Oscar-winning movies these types of as parasites (2019, Bong Joon-ho), a black comedy about deep inequality, and Minari (2020, Lee Isaac Chung), about a family members of South Korean immigrants in the United States.

Information agency experiences that this 7 days the Oxford English Dictionary 26 new phrases of Korean origin included which include its hottest issue, hallu, or the Korean invasion, a term utilised internationally to explain the success of South Korea’s new music, film, Tv set, fashion and food.

“Language and tradition are inextricably connected And what transpires in well known tradition and the media typically influences language and language studying developments,” a Duolingo spokesperson stated, Sam Dulsimer.

The Korean Basis for Worldwide Cultural Trade reports that there are approximately 77 million Korean speakers worldwide.

At the moment, Duolingo, which is headquartered in Pittsburgh, United States, has a lot more than 7.9 million lively consumers discovering Korean, the swiftest growing language in the software following Hindi.

hey King Sejong Institute, underneath the accountability of the South Korean Ministry of Lifestyle, had close to 76,000 students in 82 nations in 2020, representing a rapid expansion from 2007, when it counted 740 college students from 3 nations.

Milika MartinovichQuoted by, states a student of Sejong Institute in Russia Reuters, who attempted to delve further into the language so that he could observe Korean motion pictures and series devoid of subtitles and hear to K-pop with out owning to translate the lyrics.

“Squid Game” is at present the most-viewed series on Netflix, but it is not just fiction – it portrays the genuine socio-financial difficulties knowledgeable in South Korea.

zap //