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Hello again everyone.

Thanks very much for joining us.

The first cases in Arkansas were reported a year and two weeks ago and within days of that the first public school districts were closed.

Only a handful at first, but soon classrooms from border to border.

Switched to remote learning.

And to one extent or another, so did colleges and universities, public and private.

Amid all that, to be certain was upheaval in the private sector, the economy, but with the end of spring semester insight, it's education will focus on in this edition.

Pre K to grad school, what happened and where?

From here Carol Fleming is president of the Arkansas Education Association.

Doctor Ivy Pfeffer is Deputy Commissioner of the State Education Department, and Laura Jacobs is vice Chancellor and chief of staff at the University of Arkansas and Co.

Chair of It's Covid task force.

Thanks to all three of you for being here.

Let me begin if I can doctor Pfeffer with you.

Do we know?

Can we quantify what was lossed in the last 12 months?

Thank you Steve for having me and you know, we we thought a lot about that.

I'm not so sure though, that maybe the question should be not not not.

What if we lost or miss?

But what do our students need in order to succeed from here?

What is it that we need to do to make sure that they are prepared to go to that next level?

And I think that's really where we want to drive that conversation with schools with communities with families, because we're as we're getting ready to end this school year.

We're already having conversations about where do we go through Summer 2?

You help keep keep students engaged in learning and how do we make sure that we have it have success now all the way through the end of the year and gearing up for next year?

Well, I'm a forward thinking is always admirable, I suppose.

But can we quantify what did did we did?

Did our kids K12 lose ground?

How much did we live?

And I think that in as we are able to administer our summative assessments, that's going to give us a lot of really good information.

We've heard from districts that have been giving their interim assessments throughout the year.

We've heard stories where students are really doing well in gaining ground.

We've heard some stories where maybe students are quite where they need to be.

We've seen different schools respond in different ways on bringing students back, reaching, doing more outreach.

Um, two to help students where they've gotten behind, so I think it's going to be an ongoing effort, and that's why getting that information is going to be so important for us.

Yeah, we'll go to aspire here in just a second, but Carol Fleming of the AEA.

Your take.

Well, I would concur with what Doctor Pfeiffer or Doctor Pfeffer has said.

We're hearing the same things from our members and we know that with us getting back to a more regular in person instruction that we're going to then see what our students actually need and how we can best meet those needs.

And moving forward.

Looking back, President Fleming was the 88 was it was.

It was the classroom teachers.

Two or they overly cautious.

I recognize hindsight being what it is, but.

In what do you mean that they were overly cautious, overly cautious as to re entering schools or what?

Yeah, yeah, in person instruction is what I mean, I'm sorry.

Well.

I don't know.

I would use overly cautious.

I would say that the educators were looking at things from a large picture and they wanted to have their voice heard in regards to how the schools were to reopen as well as listening to the medical experts because we felt that that is what was important when we reopened was based on the information from the medical experts, how we reopened would be based on information from the educational.

Professionals let me go to two to Laura Jacobs at Fayetteville.

Miss Jacobs.

What obviously the college experiences.

That's enshrined in American culture, essentially, or certainly in the culture of higher Ed, and we gave up a lot in the last year.

No.

12 months is no question about that.

I suspect Miss Jacobs.

Well, I would say the I would reinforce that the health and safety of our campus community was at the forefront of every decision we made.

Big and small starting a year ago.

At this time when we made the decision to pivot and to not come back after spring break for the safety and the ongoing concerns about the pandemic, our students or faculty or staff have been nothing short of resilient and flexible throughout this whole this whole endeavor and certainly the college experience has changed.

The classroom experience changed.

We were happy that we were able to.

Provide more hybrid classes in the fall and so even though we were completely completely remote starting in March and through the summer time, when we came back in August, we had a fair proportion of our courses were available in person and some sort of a hybrid format, so we know that there were changes and there were sacrifices that students made.

But, you know, students are resilient and they found a way to to maintain some level of college experience.

Well, come fall.

I mean you've got.

You're already planning the fall semester.

Every campus is every K12 institution already planning for fall.

What can what can can.

The returning class or classes?

What can they expect?

Well, on the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville campus and other campuses in the system, our expectation is that we're coming back to as close of a normal fall as possible.

We are, you know, again, following all the medical guidance and we will take our lead from the CDC and the Arkansas Department of Health with regard to masking.

There were some announcements that came out last week about the change in distancing for K12, and we're wondering about the guidance changing and social distancing.

If that applies to higher education as well.

So that's a game changer.

The availability of the vaccine has really created a lot of excitement about our ability to return to more normal operations with.

With about 6000 of our faculty and staff having already been vaccinated, the availability of vaccine for those who are in one C category, which includes congregate living, residence Halls, Creek housing, students who are between the ages of 16 and 64 with underlying health conditions that is really going to open up a whole new.

Feeling of safety and comfort for people as we really, really increase our vaccine numbers well, the trustees now have voted to have essentially told the administration of the University system you're going to be back in August on campus for for everything.

Have you been able to assess faculty and staff?

Acceptance of that or reaction to that.

Yeah, I think getting the reaction.

It's all very.

I mean we were already planning to be back and we had already signaled that to various leadership groups and student leaders that our anticipation was back to normal in the fall.

You know the biggest question is really about that distancing and the use of masks.

And again, we're going to continue to make decisions for the health and safety of our campus community.

I do think that the availability of the vaccine and the increased you know people numbers of people who are taking the vaccine.

Our every little bit helps, right?

So as we get those percentages up, I think that is just only going to increase peoples feelings of safety and returning to the office.

Returning to the classroom, returning to campus would offer as as Miss Jacobs just alluded to the seat.

And by the way for the benefit of the audience were having to take this program a few days before airtime.

But as as we go to press so to speak, CDC now says 3 feet as opposed to six in most K12 classrooms or elementary situations anyway.

Is appropriate?

How does that change the equation or doesn't?

I think from a school district perspective it's huge that many of our facilities are, you know, classroom spaces, that it was very difficult to accommodate 6 foot distancing.

So I think I changed to three feet will make a big difference in schools, and of course we're going to have conversations with the Department of Health and look to see whether or not guidance it's going to change.

I think it's also important to note that.

In addition to distancing, there are those other measures that are in place, so I think that the three feet came with the caveat of steel universal Mask wearing Carol Fleming.

Yes, and I would also agree with that because we have heard that it is the the 1 meter.

The three feet and that they would also be including the continuance of the mask wearing.

But when we discuss this, it's always important that we have collaborative communication between.

Administration and the educators and the communities.

When we're making these decisions and you know, we here at AEA, we've been having great collaborative conversations with the Arkansas Department of Education regarding how the schools have been reopened, how we're looking forward, and moving into the future.

And that's what's important.

Is that we have the voice of the Educat are involved in all of these conversations.

Well, I have those at the level of those conversations or the level of collaboration I should say, has that improved in the past year because I know it.

At the outset of this pandemic.

Both sides weren't altogether certain that it was adequate.

Well, I would not say that.

I mean we we may not always agree, but we do have very good conversations and we always put the students first and the educators at the top of all of our conversations that we have had with Department.

We've had very good conversations this entire school year and many of our conversations resulted in the increased PPE that we saw in our schools as well.

As the leave for our educators and all of that has been through collaborative conversations well in on the matter of PPE, are you reasonably confident now, as you've assessed your members across the state, have their supplies proven in the last several months to be adequate?

The supply has certainly improved over the course of the year.

At the beginning of the school year, we saw that there were issues and some of the school districts were having difficulty in getting the PPE, but through conversations with the Department of Education they were able to ensure that those school districts did have the necessary PPE that they needed in opening up the schools, Doctor Pfeffer can you keep that coming?

Those supplies?

So yes, we definitely are making sure that we have strategic reserves, the kind of PPE that's needed.

We are also the all of the federal funds that are going to schools have really kind of opened up an Ave for them to also be able to continue to purchase what they need.

And recently I think some of the updated guidance has clarified that ventilation is definitely an important component in schools to help mitigate.

The virus, and so you're seeing a lot of school districts that are looking to improve their HVAC systems and provide better, better ventilation.

Yeah, Miss Jacobs.

It has to be a massive undertaking for, well, any any University or college campus.

Of course, Fayetteville campus is the largest in the in the state.

Have the supplies proved adequate?

What sort of structural or or practical?

Changes.

Has the University system implemented?

Well, we really.

The supply has really opened up and I do concur with that and we've had great partnership with Arkansas Department of Higher Education which has really made a lot of resources available to higher Ed and through shared purchasing and the ability to order in bulk, which we have done and we have really stocked our stores.

We have, you know.

Obviously when we went into this made a lot of accommodations within classrooms we measured to make sure that we were able to distance desks apart by 6 feet.

We have installed touchless soap dispensers and hand sanitizers in every single building, so just a lot of sanitation improvements and enhancements that I don't think will ever go away.

Frankly, now that we have them and we are accustomed to using them, I think that will be a wonderful continuation.

One of the things too we wanted to do at the onset of the fall semester was provide every student with a safety kit and so we put in a bag for them to washable face masks if you disposable.

We gave them all a thermometer so they could monitor their own temperature.

We gave them hand sanitizer and wipes and information about how to use all of those things and so part of that education process understanding that the science pointed to those things working.

You know, face covering, washing hands, social distancing, and just we really wanted to have that PPE to provide to our community and make sure they know how to use it not to slide athletics on any other campus.

But I'd be remiss if I didn't ask about athletics in the University.

The system itself starting with the Razorbacks and the other campuses as well.

Well, you know everyone had to reduce their capacity, and that certainly was a big change and certainly a big change for us here on the Fayetteville campus.

With only being about two seed about a third of the normal capacity inside Donald W Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

And so I know that we have not made any announcements about the fall, and I'm not sure what the changes will be, but it's safe to assume I with the you know, the increase of the vaccine if distancing guidelines are changed.

You know, we'll take our lead from from what the agencies tell us to do.

And I know a lot of fans are really looking forward to packing the house as it were, for for a lot of our sporting events, right?

And is there a timeline on that?

Miss Jacobs?

No, I haven't seen a timeline on any of that, but you know, as as with everything in the pandemic, fluidity and our ability to pivot has been tested at every turn.

And so I know that we are ready.

I mean it's we were ready to increase that.

You know, I think sports, including baseball.

We've been able to increase our capacity a slight amount.

That's an outside activity, certainly.

So the parameters are just a little bit different, but I haven't seen a timeline for when any nonsense will be OK.

Doctor Pfeffer and Miss Fleming as well.

High school football, obviously, and even at the junior high level, very much a part of the Arkansas experience.

The American experience.

Are we ready?

It's a bit outside Mr.

Doctor pfeffer.

It's a bit outside your bailiwick.

I understand, but but yes so well.

So so for example we have the state basketball tournament going on right now and I think that there's been a really strong partnership between the Department of Health and the Arkansas Activities Association to work with schools and communities to make sure that guidelines can still be followed.

But people can still go and enjoy those types of activities like Miss Jacobs said.

I think going forward, things are going to change all the time.

We it is fluid and.

But as capacity opens up, and as you know, new guidelines on an, you know, science points to you know different different ways that we should go about protecting and keeping people safe.

I think that if anything we've learned to adapt much better and a lot of increased partnerships groups working together that really probably hadn't done so before.

Yeah, President Fleming comfortable?

Is there a comfort level?

So it's a little bit ironic that you're asking that question because I am an official with the Arkansas Activities Association, so I officiate high school and middle school soccer games and I can tell you the fact that the governor had opened up the vaccination.

To those that are actually officiating the games, and even now that he's opened it up to more individuals to receive the vaccination has certainly brought about a sense of relief as well As for the students.

It brings about a sense of normalcy for them to be able to participate in those extracurricular activities.

And I can tell you, even for me to be able to get out there and to to officiate a game, it's a great stress reliever and and it's a great way to interact with students and with parents within the Community so.

Our communities are very big in supporting our students in their extracurricular activities.

An we know that that's something that allows the child as a whole to grow and develop, and so I'm thankful that we are able to see these activities opening up well in is not just athletics I should add, but it's also like choral music band, right?

Other activities as well, right?

Which is why I said all extra curricular activities.

I have a sister who is a dance teacher.

And you know, now we're having the debate competitions we're having your dance and theater productions, be it that they are being presented in a new virtual hybrid format.

But yet the students are still able to participate and have those experiences that we know are so vital to their social socio and psychological emotional development to Doctor Pfeffer.

And then the Miss Jacobs.

What have we as or?

You as educate what is the education Establishment K12 and beyond.

Are there lessons that we have already taken from this?

Doctor Pfeffer, yes, definitely.

I think I think number one we have learned the value of in person interaction.

I think that there's been a much greater appreciation for educators.

We've developed an understanding of.

Of technology and its role and its importance in education.

But also we've developed an understanding of the barriers that are there, and I think we've learned that while it can play an important part that that in person learning still just cannot be replaced, I think we've grasp all important education really is to all of our students.

Especially those who are disadvantage for those who have special needs or those who are English learners.

And so I think that what we take away from that is that there are a lot of things that we learned that we want to continue we.

We want to continue to be able to enhance those learning experiences, but we know that we have to do that with being able to get kids back in school and connected Jacobs.

I would agree with everything that Doctor Pfeffer just said and that we we hope to to continue to keep the things that are good.

From this, the efficiencies created by use of this distance technology, but we do know that in person, face to face education is not something that anyone wants to take for granted.

I would add to it that we've always known that mental health is A is a huge issue and something that we are very serious about.

And I think this pandemic has really brought to the fore a lot of additional mental health challenges that.

You know the the isolation the this is the change in everyones flow and in the normal activities has taken a toll on a number of people and and more people are raising their hand and saying I need help and I think that is also I mean a big big takeaway is something that we will continue to provide for people.

Well that was on my list for Miss Fleming in fact and that was the emotional stress on classroom personnel not being in the classroom but having to deliver that that is or at least try to deliver that level of instruction.

Remotely.

No, and so Miss Jacobs actually addressed it very well because that is something that the pandemic has shown us and has brought to the forefront.

Is having a larger focus on our mental health for our students as well As for our staff because it's been difficult for the students not to be able to come to in person learning as well As for the educators because the educators students they actually.

They invigorate us, they they actually.

They they motivate us to be the best educators that we can be so that we can encourage them to be the best individuals that they can be.

Just seeing how they grow and develop and increase their independence and their creative thinking is what makes us as educators know that we're doing the best job that we can do.

But when we are virtual, we don't see them in person to actually see those subtle signs that we would normally see that we could say.

I need to talk to this child.

I need to see what's going on.

I need to talk to another individual to see if they're seeing the same signs so that we can make sure that we're providing the appropriate support for them and the virtual has.

Has provided a discord in that we've had a little bit of a loss in that connection, that we would typically have with the in person learning, well, an in fact you're losing some connection a great deal of connection anyway, for we did not mention parents in this context, because, financially, emotionally, educationally, it has been devastating on any number of households, Doctor Pfeffer.

It definitely hasn't something that comes to mind is thinking about.

We was valued in terms of homes.

Is open concept in your home and all of a sudden when students were at home and parents were at home and everyone was at home trying to do learning, trying to have a sense of normalcy.

I think it's really changed.

Even how we look at spaces where valuing those outside spaces so much now.

And so you know, just just the toll, even that in opportunities where you're all together that sometimes created challenges.

But I think schools definitely recognizing that as students are coming back that there there does need to be that support for parents.

There does need to be clear information, clear guidance as far as what happens an in terms of educators.

We really had a year where everyone was a first year educator.

And then just imagine everyone at the same time being a first year educator, Ann.

I think that when you look at all of those challenges plus parents putting put in a role as a teacher, in some cases there were just a lot of things that we have learned and I think going forward, taking that understanding and that awareness is going to be beneficial for us too to just make things better, not not much time remaining, but I did want to get to this is the state.

Going to continue to insist on in person on site aspire testing.

Yes, we are.

We know that for the validity of the testing, we've made very flexible arrangements for parents and for students so that that test can be taken and that we will have those valid reliable results.

Carol Fleming.

Flexible enough.

It depends on the educator with whom you're speaking.

Well, you're an educator.

Let me will start with you.

Well.

The fact that I don't have a child this year who is doing the testing, I'm going to leave that to the local decisions.

Well, I mean, there has been some pushback on that.

You would acknowledge that from some of your members.

Yeah, there has been pushed back and many are leaving that up to the decision of the parents because essentially that is apparent decision.

If they're going to have their child coming to in person or not.

Well, Doctor, let me go back to you for just a few seconds remaining.

Do we?

Is there a major conflict coming up here?

Boy, now I don't think so.

So far we've had very good success with participation with our students are English learners who are assessing with our students with disabilities who are taking the alternative assessment.

Those are being taken on site.

We don't have high stakes testing for students in Arkansas.

We value the assessment results for the information that it provides so that we can do better for our students.

So I have confidence we're going to work through this very well.

Fleming, Miss Jacobs.

Thanks very much for being with us.

We're simply out of time.

Thank you for being part of the panel.

Thank you for joining us.

As always, see you next week.

Support for Arkansas Week provided by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

The Arkansas Times and KUER FM 89.