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A study that found teachers -- not students -- were the probable source of several school-related Covid-19 outbreaks highlights the need to maintain mask and distancing guidelines and to prioritize teachers and school staff for vaccination, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Monday.

The "concerning report," published Monday, details an investigation of Covid-19 spread in at least six public elementary schools in a Georgia district in early winter, when there was high community spread, the director said. "The two main reasons for the spread of Covid-19 in these schools were inadequate physical distancing and mask adherence," Walensky said. "In the schools, physical distancing of at least 6 feet was not possible because of the high number of students in class, as well as because of classroom layouts."

The findings show how important it is for schools to strictly adhere to the CDC's five key Covid-19 mitigation strategies, Walensky said. Those strategies are: universal and correct wearing of masks; physical distancing; washing hands; cleaning facilities and improving ventilation; and contact tracing, isolation and quarantine.

"The findings also highlight the importance of scaling up vaccination efforts across the country, including the continued need to prioritize teachers and other school staff for vaccination as part of the frontline essential workers, consistent with the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices," she added.

Walensky did not say teachers need to go to the front of the vaccination line. Instead, schools need to work harder to make sure teachers, staff and students wear masks properly and maintain social distancing as possible, she said.

Vaccinations are not among the "key" Covid-19 mitigation strategies the CDC lays out for schools. Instead, the agency calls them "additional layers" of Covid-19 prevention.

Teacher meetings likely fueled spread, study finds

The CDC study looked at 700 school staff members and 2,600 students who participated in in-school learning at eight public elementary schools in suburban Atlanta from December 1 to January 22. The in-school learning resulted in nine clusters of Covid-19 cases involving 13 educators and 32 students at six of the schools.

Eight of the nine clusters involved at least one educator and an educator was the first identified coronavirus patient in at least four of the clusters. Half the school-associated cases owed to educator-to-student transmission that likely originated from educators first spreading the virus amongst themselves, including "during in-person meetings or lunches," the study found.

"Initial infections among educators played a substantial role in-school transmission and subsequent chains of infection to other educators, students, and households, highlighting the importance of preventing infections among educators in particular," the study authors wrote.

All nine clusters "involved less than ideal physical distancing" and five involved "inadequate mask use by students," according to the study.

The study authors said vaccinating teachers, when a vaccine is available, might be helpful. To read more, see here.

Here Are the Resources We Shared This Month for Black History Month:

• The first week of February, we featured resources from the Abolitionist Teaching Network. You can access their resources here. 
• The second week of February, we featured resources from Facing History. You can access their resources here. 
• The third week of February, we featured resources from the Center for Racial Justice in Education. You can access their resources here. 

Student Achievement Partners has released a new publication on literacy that compiles research from 500 expert sources to explore the ways research-based literacy approaches combined with strategic personalized learning can accelerate literacy and create equity in the classroom. When you download the report, you receive:

• Evidence-backed, actionable tools, tips, and ideas for educators and decision-makers;

• Guiding principles to optimize personalized learning;

• Evidence-based components of literacy acceleration; and

• Research-based practices that promote equity and counteract bias in the classroom. 

Fulbright Global Classrooms and Distinguished Awards Programs
Applications are open for the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program and Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Research Program. Deadlines for applying are March 24th and March 7th, respectively. You access the application here.

Stay True to the Teacher in You Summit
The "Stay True to the Teacher in You" Virtual Summit is the official K-12 educator conference for Identity Talk Consulting, LLC.  The Summit will be a 4-day professional development experience designed to help K-12 educators prioritize their personal and professional well-being in order to be their most authentic selves within their school communities and beyond. By proactively taking this approach, educators can position ourselves to, not only have success and longevity in the education field, but to engage in the advocacy work necessary to transform educational outcomes for Black & Indigenous People of Color.

 The workshops for this Summit will focus on the following areas: 

• Teacher Wellness & Self Care

• Culturally Responsive & Antiracist Practices

• Social-Emotional Learning

The Summit will officially launch on social media on February 28th and early bird registration will be open then. If there are any NCTR teacher residents who are interested in attending, please contact the organizer, Kwame Sarfo-Mensah at kwame@identitytalk4educators.com.  Attendees will earn a certificate of completion and 10 professional development hours. Early bird registration period will be from February 28th to March 2nd and that fee will be $69.  Immediately after that period, the registration fee will go up to $99.

Job Opportunities
Kansas City Teacher Residency is hiring a Curriculum Coordinator; Communications and Operations Associate; Director of Development; and a Continuum Coach. See here for more information. 

Alder Graduate School of Education is hiring a Multilingual Learners Education Specialist Faculty Member. See here for more information. 

Posting your Opportunity in the E-blast
If you have a job posting, a research opportunity, a request for proposals (RFP), or another opportunity you would like the E-blast team to consider sharing, please submit your request by email to tgrossman@nctresidencies.org. Please put "E-blast posting" in the subject line. Someone will get in touch with you about your request so we can feature it in the next edition of the E-blast.