密歇根新闻广播 今年秋天开放教室

 

For many people in Michigan, one of the most pressing issues during the coronavirus pandemic is how to handle K-12 education. Parents and kids are still navigating¹ the final weeks of this school year, but there are major questions about what will be possible in the fall.

Michigan's State Superintendent² of Public Instruction Michael Rice spoke³ with Michigan Radio's Morning Edition about the posssibilities and concerns.

"Early" for final decisions

Rice says Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will decide when and under what conditions Michigan schools will be allowed to reopen for in-person classes. Rice is a member of Whitmer's COVID-19 Task Force on Education, which he says is working on those issues now.

The West Bloomfield School District announced this week that this fall its student body will be divided in half. One group will be in school Mondays and Tuesdays, the other Thursdays and Fridays. Both will have remote learning for the remaining three days.

Rice believes it's too soon to make those kinds of plans.

"We're in the midst of a pandemic. And reflect upon the fact that we've had fewer days since the first COVID-19 cases in the state than we will have between now and the beginning of the [next] school [year]," Rice said. "We do not know how the pandemic is going to roll out over the next three and a half months, so I think it's early to be making decisions."

Different districts, different approaches

However, Rice says districts will have to make many of their own choices.

"I believe that there will be a series of constraints⁴ or conditions under which we will operate in the fall. And within those constraints or conditions, there'll be a lot of room for local control," Rice said.

Rice, who served as the superintendent of Kalamazoo Public Schools for 12 years before becoming state superintendent in 2019, says different districts will have different options.

"I spoke earlier this week with superintendents⁵ from the U.P. and they have very small classes. They're going to be able to do certain things that aren't going to be able to be done in larger suburban⁶ or urban schools and school districts," he said. "The idea of one size fits all, I don't think it's going to work in a state as diverse as Michigan."

Remote learning and the "digital divide"

There are longstanding questions about equity⁷ among districts in Michigan. Those questions have gotten additional attention as remote learning became a necessity.

"We need every child to have a device, a computer or a laptop minimally⁸, with preloaded educational software, preferably connected to the internet," Rice said. "We're working on closing that digital divide with the governor, with the lieutenant⁹ governor, and others in philanthropy and in public schools."

This week, Republican State Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey told Bridge Magazine there shouldn't be cuts to school funding this school year. That's despite a $1.2 billion shortage in the state school aid fund. But there's another $1.1 billion shortage projected in the coming year.

Rice called Shirkey's position "helpful." Shirkey has also said he'll push for federal funding to assist schools. Rice also supports that effort.

"The reality is, is that if we don't get more funding from Congress, we're not going to be able to beat back cuts at the state level," Rice says, noting that he believes Michigan has "historically under-resourced" local school districts.

A lost year?

Asked if he's concerned that one day we will look back at this time as a "lost year" in the education of Michigan kids, Rice says no.

"I worry about what it is to be five years old, growing up in a pandemic, what it is to be 9 years old, or for that matter, what it is to be 17 or 18 years old and not having the sort of closure to one's high school career." he said. "I don't see it as a lost year. I really don't. We had traditional public education the first six months of [this] year. We continue to educate children to the best of educators' ability at a distance."

While the details haven't been worked out, Rice knows the changes to education aren't over.

"The coming year is unlikely to be anything like we've ever had in public education."

1 navigating   

v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃

参考例句：

• These can also be very useful when navigating time-based documents, such as video and audio. 它对于和时间有关的文档非常有用，比如视频和音频文档。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Vehicles slowed to a crawl on city roads, navigating slushy snow. 汽车在市区路上行驶缓慢，穿越泥泞的雪地。 来自互联网

2 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 constraints   

强制( constraint的名词复数 )； 限制； 约束

参考例句：

• Data and constraints can easily be changed to test theories. 信息库中的数据和限制条件可以轻易地改变以检验假设。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• What are the constraints that each of these imply for any design? 这每种产品的要求和约束对于设计意味着什么？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

5 superintendents   

警长( superintendent的名词复数 )； （大楼的）管理人； 监管人； （美国）警察局长

参考例句：

• Unlike their New York counterparts, Portland school superintendents welcomed McFarlane. 这一次，地点是在波特兰。
• But superintendents and principals have wide discretion. 但是，地方领导和校长有自由裁量权。

6 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

7 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

8 minimally   

最低限度地，最低程度地

参考例句：

• Food spoilage problems occur with minimally processed, concentrated frozen citrus products. 食品的变质也发生在轻微加工的、浓缩冷冻的柑橘制品中。
• So, minimally, they are responsible for such actions and omissions. 所以，至少来说，他们要对这样的行为和忽略负责。

9 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。