None of us will ever forgot the surreal scenes of empty streets, ghosted public spaces, and cardboard cutout fans in stadiums during the early days of the pandemic. In most cases, people have returned to the scenes of their lives. But there are some places where the return has been more sluggish. The office is one obvious example. Schools have also been hit hard. The reasons given are varied (anxiety, less connection with school, rips in social fabric, kids more likely to stay home with colds or coughs) but the numbers are remarkably consistent. Did your school open quickly during the pandemic or stay closed? Do you live in wealthy or less wealthy area? What's your race and gender? Doesn't matter: absenteeism is up. "The increases have occurred in districts big and small, and across income and race. For districts in wealthier areas, chronic absenteeism rates have about doubled, to 19 percent in the 2022-23 school year from 10 percent before the pandemic, a New York Times analysis of the data found. Poor communities, which started with elevated rates of student absenteeism, are facing an even bigger crisis: Around 32 percent of students in the poorest districts were chronically absent in the 2022-23 school year, up from 19 percent before the pandemic. Even districts that reopened quickly during the pandemic, in fall 2020, have seen vast increases." All this means the learning lost during the pandemic will be more difficult to make up. And it's a lesson, as if we needed one, of the longterm impact of a trauma that continues to change the world. NYT (Gife Article): Why School Absences Have ‘Exploded’ Almost Everywhere. "The trends suggest that something fundamental has shifted in American childhood and the culture of school, in ways that may be long lasting. What was once a deeply ingrained habit — wake up, catch the bus, report to class — is now something far more tenuous." Let's face it. Our relationship to all of society's institutions has become far more tenuous over the past decade of pandemics and politics. 2Kingdom Kong"When Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997, the city’s people accepted, in good faith, Beijing’s promises that its capitalist system and way of life would remain unchanged for 50 years and that the city would move toward universal suffrage in the election of its leader. Not anymore. Now Hong Kong people are quietly taking precautions, getting rid of books, T-shirts, film footage, computer files and other documents from the heady days when this international financial center was also known for its residents’ passionate desire for freedom." Maya Wang in the NYT (Gift Article): Hong Kongers Are Purging the Evidence of Their Lost Freedom. "The Chinese government wants the world to forget about Hong Kong, to forget what the city once was, to forget Beijing’s broken promises. But Hong Kong’s people will never forget. Don’t look away." Americans shouldn't look away, either. Democracy is fragile. Life can change in a blink of the historic eye. It can happen there, here, and everywhere. 3The Days Are Long, The Years Are Longer"The Wall Street Journal Russia correspondent was set to stay in an Airbnb in the edgy Neukölln neighborhood, a base to explore the city’s cobble-lined streets with his tightknit crew of journalist pals exiled there from Moscow. He was going to drink coffee in hipster cafes and chat into the night over glasses of beer. It was the start of his stolen year." Evan Gershkovich’s Stolen Year in a Russian Jail. "The Wall Street Journal correspondent has been deprived of 12 months of normal existence; a year of missed weddings, reporting trips and travels with friends." Why? Because Putin wanted another pawn to bargain with. And because he is a journalist. Authoritarians Threaten Journalists Around the Globe. 4Weekend WhatsWhat to Hear: Unless you've been off the grid, you've heard that Beyonce has a country album that just dropped. It's got some excellent covers, including a re-worded version of Jolene. Do yourself a favor and ignore all the political hogwash about who gets to be in country music. It's art. Rock on. And a bonus, and less obvious, music pick, check out Last Dinner Party. 5Extra, ExtraParis the Thought: "The two-bedroom penthouse comes with sweeping views of the Eiffel Tower and just about every other monument across the Paris skyline. The rent, at 600 euros a month, is a steal." What gives? Well, it turns out that a "quarter of residents in the French capital live in government-owned housing, part of an aggressive plan to keep lower-income Parisians — and their businesses — in the city." Might be a good idea for your city, too. NYT(Gift Article): How Does Paris Stay Paris? By Pouring Billions Into Public Housing. 6Feel Good Friday"Capturing a boom in women's sports exemplified by the University of Iowa's Caitlin Clark, bars showcasing only women's sports are having a marquee moment, one that's building into a trend." Fans are flocking to bars that show only women's sports on their TVs.
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Friday, March 29, 2024
Absent Elementary
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