by Gary Kaplan
“How much did the pandemic affect students?” asked the lede of a July 28 New York Times story. The answer came in the next line: “Dramatically.”
The Times story is one of many reports on a McKinsey & Company study released July 27 with the title “COVID-19 and education: The lingering effects of unfinished learning.” This study is being received as the first authoritative statement on the question that preoccupies the education world.
by Greg Cunningham
“It doesn’t have to be perfect to be good.”
With this soothing mantra we began the first ever season of the Massachusetts Speech and Debate League during which all tournaments would be held online with students performing from home using video cameras. We quickly found that each tournament takes much more preparation than in-person tournaments, and nothing about them is easy. But something is preferable to nothing; and when students, coaches and league administrators work together, we know that even if the tournaments are not perfect, they provide an outlet for students to improve their public speaking skills and to craft and share their messages.
by Greg Cunningham, Learning Specialist
by Greg Cunningham, Remote Learning Specialist
