Join us on Wednesday, October 20, 12:00 PM for this webinar.
Delivering successful large-scale interiors requires a thorough understanding of the existing space, design clarity through iteration, client input and approval, and of course, working across different teams. Join Associate Senior Interior Designer at HDR Architecture Ruby Thorp and in-house expert Josh Reilly to see how SketchUp can help you capture and present compelling ideas in 3D and get buy-in faster.
In this webinar, she covers how to: • Get design clarity through iteration in 3D • Bring spaces to life with high-quality entourage • Easily get client input and approval • Quickly create stunning renderings to suit your practice aesthetic and project needs
As a result of the popular Netflix series, The Queens Gambit, online chess has become massively popular with Generation Z. In response to this, and in partnership with Chess in Schools, the department has launched our own Granite Gambit program to bring chess to our students.
More than a game, chess can be a vehicle for introducing and reinforcing academic and 21st-century skills.
The program is fully funded, so there is no cost to NH schools. While some chess experience is helpful, it is not required. In fact, many if not most participating teachers in such programs start out with minimal chess knowledge.
Chess in Schools (CIS) specializes in preparing educators to play chess and use the game as an educational tool to teach academic and 21st-century skills. In addition to training, CIS provides chess supplies and equipment to schools along with chess training software licenses, online resources, and online support for the duration of the program.
Each school decides what kind of chess program works best for their students. Options include: using chess and chess-related activities during the day to teach curriculum standards; before- or after-school chess clubs; summer chess camps; or some combination of these programs. Schools can partner with community based organizations to help deliver their chess in school programs.
You can learn more about the Granite Gambit program and how it might work for your school by visiting the Granite Gambit Sign Up page.
October 26, 2021 School Safety Webinar Announcement – Bullying Awareness and Prevention: Creating Safer Schools Please join the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse on October 26 at 3:00 PM ET for an informational webinar on bullying awareness and prevention resources, tactics, and strategies to create safer school environments. This session will provide information and resources to the kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) school community. The session will feature guest speaker and bullying prevention expert Melissa Mercado Crespo, Ph.D., MSc, MA from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Violence Prevention. She will provide an overview of what bullying is and how to identify it, key strategies and actions schools and school personnel can implement to prevent and address it, and the tools and resources available from the government to support schools in these efforts. She will also describe the different types of bullying (including cyberbullying), their impact on school violence, and the relationship between bullying, suicide, and the well-being of school-age youth. The discussion will also feature additional school safety-related resources on topics like school climate and mental health access and support and a Q&A session for participants to engage directly with Dr. Mercado Crespo. • When: October 26, 2021, 3:00 to 4:00 PM ET • Where: Adobe Connect (access link to be provided one day in advance of the event) • For: K-12 School Superintendents and Principals; Counselors and Mental Health Practitioners; School and District Administrators; Teachers and School Staff; School Resource Officers; Parents and Guardians; Students • Registration: https://schoolsafetybullyingpreventionwebinar.eventbrite.com
October 27-28, 2021 Understanding and Preventing Youth Hate Crimes and Identity-based Bullying: A Virtual Symposium The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention will host this exciting symposium. This symposium will address important topics including current trends and research on identity-based bullying, cyberbullying, youth-related hate crimes, and how hate groups use social media and technology to reach, recruit, and radicalize youth. It will also provide programs and best practices from experts in the field on how schools, families, law enforcement, and communities can work together to build protective factors in youth and help youth resist and disengage from extremist hate groups. Register for this symposium at https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/events/virtual-symposium-understanding-and-preventing-youth-hate-crimes-and-identity-based-bullying
The second Emergency Connectivity Fund Program application filing window is open for schools and libraries to request funding for connected devices and broadband connections for off-campus use by students, school staff, and library patrons for the current 2021-22 school year. The second application filing window opened on Tuesday, September 28, 2021 and will close on October 13, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. ET. During this window, eligible schools and libraries, in addition to consortia of eligible schools and libraries, can submit requests for funding to purchase eligible equipment and services between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022 to meet the remote learning needs of students, school staff and library patrons with unmet needs. The FCC’s announcement of the second application filing window is available on their website .
Please note that the FCC released a public notice directing USAC to review and process applications filed after the close of the ECF Program’s initial application filing window with those filed in the second application filing window. Applicants who certified and submitted their ECF FCC Forms 471 after the close of the initial filing window on August 13, 2021 will not be required to resubmit their applications during the second application filing window, nor will they need to file a request for waiver of the initial 45-day application filing deadline with the Commission.
WASHINGTON, August 25, 2021—The Federal Communications Commission today announced that it has received requests for $5.137 billion to fund 9.1 million connected devices and 5.4 million broadband connections as part of the $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund Program. The first filing window, which closed August 13, 2021, attracted applications from all 50 states, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia – including schools and libraries in both rural and urban communities https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-375210A1.pdf seeking funding for eligible equipment and services received or delivered between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. In view of outstanding demand and the recent spike in coronavirus cases, the FCC will open a second application filing window for schools and libraries to request funding for connected devices and broadband connections for off-campus use by students, school staff, and library patrons for the current 2021-22 school year
The Speak Up Research Project provides an easy and cost-efficient way for you to capture the authentic views of your students, parents, and staff about digital learning, new learning and school models, aspirations for education and perceptions of school climate. You can also gain a contextual understanding of how the views of your stakeholders compare to state and national data results . And Speak Up participation, as always, is 100% free to all K-12 schools and districts.
Speak Up Classic & National Surveys open Wednesday, October 20, 2021!: • K-12 students in English, Spanish and Group Format for K-5. • Parents in English and Spanish • Teachers • School Site Administrators • District administrators • Technology leaders • Communications officers
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is kicking off its 2021 Back to School campaign to help students, parents, teachers, and administrators remain safe from cybersecurity threats as they return to school. The campaign will run from August 9 until August 30.
In response to the rise in malicious cyber activity against K-12 and higher education institutions and the increase in remote learning, CISA is planning a comprehensive back to school cybersecurity awareness campaign to highlight the importance of cybersecurity and to build awareness of cyber risks in the school setting.
During this campaign, CISA will highlight ways students, parents, teachers and school administrators can stay safe online, avoid becoming victims of a cyberattack, and learn best practices to improve cyber hygiene. CISA has seen an increase in ransomware attacks against K-12 educational institutions. Malicious cyber actors target school computer systems, which can slow access to systems — rendering the systems inaccessible to basic functions, including remote learning.
Phishing attacks use email or malicious websites to infect machines with malware and viruses to collect personal and financial information. Cybercriminals use these attacks to entice users to click on a link or open an attachment that can then infect their computers, creating vulnerability to attacks. Our Phishing Tip Sheet has additional information on combating phishing.
We encourage everyone – students, parents, teachers, administrators and chief information security officers of school districts to review our recently released stopransomware.gov – a new website designed to help individuals and organizations prevent attacks that can severely impact business processes and leave organizations without the data they need to operate and deliver mission-critical services. The website contains special resources for K-12 to assist institutions with their unique cybersecurity needs and has a number of resources for schools to explore and reference to learn how to stay safe online.
We also encourage you to read a special blog from Eric Goldstein, Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity, which highlights why cyber hygiene for educational institutions is so vital.
Our world relies more heavily on technology for work and play and it is increasingly important that schools and academia prepare for potential threats from bad actors.
Check our social media accounts, @CISAgov and @Cyber, during the campaign for more cybersecurity tips.
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Defend Today Secure Tomorrow
The Department of Education launched the “Return to School Roadmap” which includes a fact sheet for schools, families, and communities, a guide for schools and districts outlining what schools can do to protect the health and safety of students, and a checklist for parents.
Schools and Libraries Will Have 45 Days to Apply for Support to Aid Students Who Fall into the Homework Gap
WASHINGTON, June 15, 2021—Today, FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced schools and libraries can begin to file applications on June 29 for the newly established $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund. Schools and libraries can apply for financial support to purchase laptops and tablets, Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers, and broadband connections for off-campus use by students, school staff, and library patrons. During this 45-day application filing window, which will run from June 29 to August 13, eligible schools and libraries can submit requests for funding to purchase eligible equipment and services for the 2021-22 school year.
“For too long, the Homework Gap has been a troubling and persistent digital equity problem in the United States,” said Rosenworcel. “With classes themselves moving online and the pandemic requiring us to stay home, we went from having millions of children who couldn’t do online homework assignments to having millions of children who couldn’t do schoolwork at all. In other words, the Homework Gap became a full-fledged learning and education gap.” “It’s important that we address this issue now, and the Emergency Connectivity Fund gives us the opportunity to do that. As we exit this pandemic, we know that education has been changed. Like so much else in our lives, it has been digitized. That’s why I’m proud that starting in two weeks, schools and libraries across the country will have a terrific opportunity to get broadband service and devices into the hands of students, staff, and library patrons who lack them to connect these learners at home,” said Rosenworcel.
The American Rescue Plan of 2021 established the Emergency Connectivity Fund. The Universal Service Administrative Company will serve as the program’s administrator with FCC oversight. The Fund leverages the processes and structures used in the E-Rate program for the benefit of schools and libraries already familiar with the E-Rate program. You can find more information about the program at www.emergencyconnectivityfund.org or www.fcc.gov/emergency-connectivity-fund and instructions on how to apply at www.emergencyconnectivityfund.org/application-process.
Recent estimates suggest there may be as many as 17 million children struggling without the broadband access they need for remote learning. Since her early tenure at the Commission, the Acting Chairwoman has made closing the Homework Gap a priority.
Closing the digital divide has always been an urgent priority, but COVID-19 has shone a harsh light on existing inequities, further demonstrating the need for legislation like the Digital Equity Act.
Digital equity is about ensuring everyone – no matter where they live – can fully participate in our society, democracy, and economy.
In a world where digital skills and digital access are needed to get an education, invest in skills training, apply for jobs, access unemployment benefits, and more – digital equity is absolutely essential.
The Digital Equity Act is bipartisan. That’s because every state and every community stands to benefit from an investment in digital equity – red or blue, rural or urban.
Background on the Digital Equity Act and the Path Forward Senator Murray first introduced the Digital Equity Act in 2019 to help improve broadband adoption and bridge the digital divide. During the 2020 election, this bill was included in then-candidate Biden’s broadband platform. Earlier this year, President Biden also unveiled his American Jobs Plan, which includes a $100 billion investment to build high-speed broadband infrastructure to reach 100 percent coverage, promote transparency and competition, reduce the cost of broadband internet service and promote more widespread adoption. Senators Murray and Portman will be advocating for key provisions of the bipartisan Digital Equity Act to be included in any forthcoming infrastructure package.
Digital Equity Act of 2021 The Digital Equity Act of 2021 strengthens federal support for efforts to help ensure students, families, and workers have the information technology capacity needed to fully participate in society by establishing two grant programs to be administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to promote digital equity nationwide: * Building Capacity within States through Formula Grants: The legislation creates an annual $125 million formula grant program for all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico to fund the creation and implementation of comprehensive digital equity plans in each State. * Spurring Targeted Action through Competitive Grants: The legislation also creates an annual $125 million competitive grant program to support digital equity projects undertaken by individual groups, coalitions, and/or communities of interest. * Supporting Research and Evidence-Based Policymaking: The legislation tasks NTIA with evaluating digital inclusion projects and providing policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels with detailed information about which projects are most effective.
Quick Stats * According to the Pew Research Center, before the pandemic nearly one in five teenagers in the U.S. said they had been unable to complete homework assignments due to lack of a reliable internet connection. The digital divide, also sometimes referred to as the “homework gap” as it applies to students, exacerbates existing wealth and income gaps in our communities; subsequently, many people-including those from communities of color, people with disabilities, low-income households, and rural communities, overwhelmingly impacted by the digital skills gap-are at risk of being left behind in an increasingly technology-driven world, absent intervention. * According to a 2019 report from Pew Research Center, 58% of Black adults and 57% of Hispanic adults have a laptop or desktop computer, compared with 82% of white adults, and 66% of Black adults and 61% of Hispanic adults have broadband access at home compared with 79% of white adults. * Currently, 35% of rural Americans lack high-speed broadband access, and there are approximately 30 million rural Americans with no internet access.
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