Connect with us
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=12]

Education

Solar eclipse school closures underscore impact of learning loss

Published

6 minute read

From the Fraser Institute

By Michael Zwaagstra

Instead of making every effort to protect instructional time and ensure that schools remain open, students are being sent home for ever more dubious reasons.

Schools are closed out of an “abundance of caution.” No doubt you’ve heard this phrase many times over the last few years. It was commonly used during the pandemic when provincial governments closed schools for months on end—even after it was widely known that COVID-19 posed little risk to most children.

Ontario schools were closed for 135 days during the pandemic, more than any other province. Parents and teachers are still trying to recover from this enormous learning loss. Clearly, this was one situation where an abundance of caution caused more harm than it prevented.

Sadly, it appears that provincial officials and school board administrators haven’t learned from their mistakes. Instead of making every effort to protect instructional time and ensure that schools remain open, students are being sent home for ever more dubious reasons.

For example, school boards across Ontario cancelled classes on April 8, the day of the solar eclipse. Apparently administrators felt there was too great a risk that students might look at the sun during the eclipse and damage their eyes. No doubt more than a few of them glanced at the sun while sitting at home that day. However, there was no need for the school closures to be as total as the eclipse. If they were really that concerned, school officials could have kept students indoors or simply altered the dismissal times.

Initially, the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) took a common sense approach by stating that schools would remain open and teachers would use the eclipse as a learning opportunity for students. Then, only days before the eclipse, the WRDSB suddenly reversed itself and said their schools would indeed close on April 8, and students would have the opportunity to engage in “asynchronous remote learning” instead.

This decision sent the unfortunate message that WRDSB trustees are incapable of standing up to pressure from people who think that schools must close at the slightest sign of real or presumed danger. As for the notion that remote learning was an adequate substitute, our experience during the pandemic showed that for most parents and students, remote learning was thin gruel indeed.

As a further sign of how far paranoia has crept into the education system, some teacher unions demanded they too should be able to work from home during the eclipse. For example, Jeff Sorensen, president of the Hamilton local teacher union, said, “If it’s not safe for children [to be at school], then it’s not safe for adults.”

The union representing Toronto’s Catholic teachers made a similar request. In a memo to its members, local union president Deborah Karam said the union was “intensifying our efforts” to ensure that teachers be allowed to complete their professional development activities at home that day. Surprisingly, no union leader has yet explained why teachers would be less likely to look at the sun while at home than at school.

Of course, school boards must focus on education while also looking out for the wellbeing of students. But there’s more to student wellbeing than simply shielding them from all perceived risks. Extended school closures cause considerable harm to students because they lead to significant learning loss.

By normalizing the practise of closing schools at the slightest sign of danger, real or perceived, we risk raising a generation of young people who lack the ability to do a proper risk assessment. Life itself comes with risk and if we all took the same approach to driving a car that school boards take to school closures, would never set foot in a vehicle again.

Ontario students had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience a solar eclipse in an educational environment, guided by their teachers. While some parents no doubt taught their children about the eclipse, many others had to be at work.

By closing schools out of an “abundance of caution,” school boards sent the message that school is not a place where unique educational events can be experienced together. Students should be in school during events such as the eclipse, not sitting at home.

If we’re going to exercise an abundance of caution, let’s be a lot more cautious about the risks of closing schools at the drop of a hat.

Todayville is a digital media and technology company. We profile unique stories and events in our community. Register and promote your community event for free.

Follow Author

Business

DOGE announces $881M in cuts for Education Department

Published on

MXM logo MxM News

Quick Hit:

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced $881 million in cuts to Education Department contracts, targeting diversity training and research programs.

Key Details:

  • About 170 contracts for the Institute of Education Sciences were terminated.
  • The cuts include 29 diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training grants worth $101 million.
  • The move comes as President Trump is expected to issue an executive order to wind down the Education Department.

Diving Deeper:

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) confirmed Monday night that it had cut $881 million in Education Department contracts, marking a major step in the Trump administration’s plan to restructure the agency. The cuts target nearly 170 contracts, including several linked to the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the department’s research division.

Among the terminations are 29 grants related to diversity, equity, and inclusion training, which collectively totaled $101 million. One of the grants aimed to train teachers on how to help students “interrogate the complex histories involved in oppression” and recognize “areas of privilege and power,” according to DOGE’s statement.

The American Institutes for Research, a nonprofit specializing in social science studies, confirmed that it received multiple termination notices for IES contracts on Monday. “The money that has been invested in research, data, and evaluations that are nearing completion is now getting the taxpayers no return on their investment,” said Dana Tofig, a spokesperson for AIR. He argued that the terminated research was essential to evaluating which federal education programs are effective.

The cuts coincide with President Trump’s expected executive order to wind down the Education Department, a long-standing conservative policy goal. Meanwhile, Trump’s nominee for Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, is set to testify before Congress on Thursday.

The Education Department and DOGE have yet to comment on the specifics of the terminations. However, the move signals a clear shift in priorities, with the administration pushing to reduce federal involvement in education spending, particularly in programs aligned with progressive social initiatives.

Continue Reading

Education

Trump reportedly considering executive order to shut down Department of Education

Published on

From MXMNews

Quick Hit:

President Trump is reportedly weighing an executive order to significantly reduce the Department of Education’s functions, with the ultimate goal of abolishing the agency altogether. According to the Wall Street Journal, the move would be part of a broader effort to downsize the federal government and return control over education to the states.

Key Details:

  • The proposed executive order would dismantle most of the Department of Education’s operations, though functions mandated by federal law would remain.

  • Trump has consistently criticized the department, pledging during his campaign to eliminate it, stating at a September rally in Wisconsin that he’s “dying” to get back in office to “eliminate the federal Department of Education.”

  • Education Secretary-designate Linda McMahon’s confirmation process may influence the timing of the order, as some officials reportedly prefer waiting until after her Senate hearing to avoid complicating her nomination.

Diving Deeper:

President Trump is considering an executive order aimed at gutting the Department of Education, with plans to push for legislation to abolish the agency entirely, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Monday. The reported discussions within the Trump administration reflect the president’s long-standing campaign promise to reduce the size of the federal government and shift educational authority back to the states.

The potential executive order would target nearly all functions of the Department of Education, though programs explicitly required by statute would remain under its jurisdiction. Other responsibilities might be reassigned to different federal agencies. Importantly, while an executive order could scale back the department’s operations, fully dismantling it would require an act of Congress.

The Wall Street Journal also noted that Elon Musk, serving as the Department of Government Efficiency chief, is involved in plans for significant federal budget cuts, with the Education Department among the primary targets. A White House official told the New York Post that Trump’s administration is committed to “reevaluating the future of the Department of Education” to fulfill his campaign promises.

Throughout his campaign and presidency, Trump has been vocal about his opposition to the department. At a September rally in Wisconsin, he declared, “We will drain the government education swamp and stop the abuse of your taxpayer dollars to indoctrinate America’s youth with all sorts of things that you don’t want to have our youth hearing.” In a December interview with Time magazine, he mentioned plans for at least a “virtual closure” of the department.

Internal discussions reportedly include concerns about the timing of the executive order, particularly regarding Education Secretary-designate Linda McMahon’s Senate confirmation. Some officials fear that announcing such a sweeping move before her hearing could jeopardize her nomination. When Trump nominated McMahon last November, he emphasized her role in shifting education policy back to state control, stating, “We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and LINDA will spearhead that effort.”

Continue Reading

Trending

X