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Alpha Plus Blog: Alpha Plus News, Materials, Partners, and Education Materials

Alpha Plus Blog

Our latest press releases, and Oklahoma Education news. Subscribe for our teaching tips and resources for school improvement.

Did You Know?

DYK BassReeves

In Oklahoma history, one of the first of the deputies in Indian Territory was a former slave from Texas named Bass Reeves.

Bass Reeves, Legendary Lawman

One of the first black Deputy U.S. Marshals west of the Mississippi River, Bass Reeves was commissioned in 1875 and worked thirty-two years as a marshal. By statehood in 1907, Reeves was said to be the "most feared deputy U.S. marshal to work the Indian Territory."

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Buyer Beware: Not All Online Program Claims are Accurate

buyerbeware

Buyer Beware: "In fact, out of 10,654 studies included in the What Works Clearinghouse in mid-April, only 188 – less than 2% – concluded that a product had strong or moderate evidence of effectiveness."

From USA Today:

This story about education software was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education.

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Guidance for School Administrators

bus

Here's a nice digest of 74-pages of guidance for school administrators and several great perspectives from leaders on reopening schools this fall.

From OklahomaWatch.org:

"The coronavirus pandemic has erased the whiteboard for Oklahoma schools, leaving superintendents to sketch out plans for reopening with guidance from the state. What could your child’s school year look like?

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Decisions Must Address Local Needs Now

Blog LocalDecisions

Decisions being made now must address local needs, learning loss.
by Jan Barrick, CEO, Alpha Plus

Meeting the needs of every student in every class is difficult enough in school – much less, online at home. That said, schools must have distance-learning options available in case the pandemic returns in the fall, which means planning for the 2020-21 school year is at a critical stage.

Educators have long used online tools in the classroom; but that is not the same as teaching and learning in a virtual environment. Few teachers are also “IT people” and even teenagers are not always as “techy” as they seem.

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Did You Know?

DYK FDRandDustBowl

In Oklahoma history, April 14, 1935, is known as Black Sunday, the date of the worst storm in Oklahoma and many states during the Dust Bowl era. In responding to a drought that became a national disaster, a president become an environmental champion.  

An adaption of President Roosevelt and the Dust Bowl

By Paul M. Sparrow, Director, FDR Library

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