"locals serving locals for 20 years."
Posts by Paul Costello1
I will get things done for America – to make our people safer, smarter, and healthier.
I will bring Americans together to strengthen our communities.
Faced with apathy, I will take action.
Faced with conflict, I will seek common ground.
Faced with adversity, I will persevere.
I will carry this commitment with me this year and beyond.
I am an AmeriCorps member, and I will get things done.
Being there for the community when they need it is the quintessential act of the citizen leader. He or she does not wait to be appointed, trained, called or ordained. The only qualifications are your need and my time and generosity, not because I want to make you feel needy but because this is the glue of our nation, that we meet each others humans needs in the most human way possible. I serve you knowing that one day, you will probably repay the favor. This is not just what we do, but who we are.
Every day, AmeriCorps members put their values into action and make a difference. Drive change in your community at AmeriCorps.gov/CoreValues #WhatsAtYourCore #AmeriCorps
By Alyssa Rosenberg Columnist Washington Post July 24th 2022
During the covid-19 pandemic, Americans asked children to make tremendous sacrifices. And while the coronavirus took something from everyone, the thefts have been particularly stark for children. As the magnitude of what we asked them to surrender becomes clearer, it’s time to ask: What does this country owe kids for everything they gave up — and had taken away?
Let’s start with school and the decisions to keep students learning remotely for weeks or months. These policies were motivated by a mix of well-intentioned caution and local politics. But researchers are now quantifying the impact of remote education — and the results are damning.
A typical school year includes 36 weeks of instruction. Students at high-poverty schools in the most cautious states spent almost 25 weeks in 2020-2021 learning remotely, according to a May report from researchers at Harvard University, the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) and the student assessment organization NWEA. Low-poverty students in those states spent 16 weeks learning remotely. Contrast that with one week remote for students in low-poverty schools in states that reopened quickly, and three weeks for students in high-poverty schools in those states.
The impact on students who were kept out of the classroom longest is catastrophic. Students in high-poverty districts in cautious states lost the equivalent of 40 percent of a year’s worth of learning. Students in wealthier districts in those states lost the equivalent of 27 percent of a year’s learning.
And that’s for children who stayed in school to be evaluated at all. As many as 1.2 million students left the public school system between 2020 and 2022. Many now attend private or parochial schools, or are home-schooled. But Bellwether Education Partners estimates that 600,000 children, 30 percent of them kindergartners, didn’t enroll in any form of school in the 2020-2021 year.
The implications of closed schools go far beyond education. The Food Research & Action Center surveyed 54 large school districts and found that, in April 2020, those systems served 65.1 million fewer breakfasts and lunches to students than they had in October 2019. By October 2020, the districts were still providing 61.6 million fewer meals than in the previous year.
As parents avoided doctors’ offices and school enrollments dropped, fewer children got vaccinations for measles, HPV and other diseases. There’s much we still don’t know about covid-19 and its long-term outcomes. But in the process of protecting children and their families from the coronavirus, we clearly subjected them to other health risks.
At least public schools and doctors’ offices are still standing.
Between 2019 and 2021, almost 9,000 child care centers and nearly 7,000 home-based day cares closed, some permanently, according to an estimate by the trade association and referral network Child Care Aware. That’s a 9 percent decrease in the number of centers, when the system was already under strain. Every lost slot in those facilities stands for a child whose family had to scramble to find care, whether that meant paying more, deciding that a parent (usually a mother) had to leave the workforce, or asking an older child or relative to step in.
Research on the pandemic’s impact on young children’s development and behavior is still in the early stages, but reports so far suggest that these children are slower to walk and talk, more prone to acting out and struggling to socialize with peers.
And this is just a tally of the most measurable impacts. How are we to weigh the effects of a missed prom or an underwhelming virtual graduation, the first dates that never were, the early steps toward independence now delayed?
Too often, debates about school closures and other pandemic interventions that fell heavily on children and their parents dissolve into backward-looking recriminations.
“There was considerable uncertainty, so those arguments about what should have been aren’t that useful,” Dan Goldhaber, director of CALDER and an author of the May learning-loss study, told me. Children need adults to look ahead on their behalf, rather than smugly rehashing who was right or wrong in summer 2020.
The policy solutions aren’t simple — even if we leave out expensive, politically contentious ideas such as huge investments in hiring and training teachers and grief counselors; subsidized child care; extra years of primary school; or universal basic incomes to prevent families from being plunged into poverty.
Intense tutoring, for example, might provide the equivalent of 19 weeks of class time for students who receive it. But for those who don’t, schools might have to try doubling the amount of time students spend studying math and reading, whether at the expense of electives or gym or during a longer school day. That effort might bring a gain of 10 weeks. Then, there’s summer school. But good luck finding instructors to facilitate all this in a white-hot labor market.
Instead, it might make more sense to simply extend the next two school years by six weeks each, according to Thomas Kane, a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and one of Goldhaber’s co-authors. “We already have the schools, we already have the teachers, we already have the bus routes, parents already have their pickup and drop-off procedures worked out,” Kane said in an interview. Such a plan would also give parents back 12 weeks of missed child care, a small down payment on money and time lost trying to find alternate arrangements when schools and day cares closed.
When we spoke in June, Ashish K. Jha, the White House’s covid-19 response coordinator, said a critical aspect of any response to children’s learning loss and other sacrifices would be a long-term commitment rather than a short-term infusion of cash.
And given the magnitude of the challenge, Goldhaber said, educators, parents and politicians will need to be modest: Some initiatives won’t work. But that’s no reason to stop looking for solutions.
Sadly, some children will never receive proper recompense. Students who graduated from high school during the pandemic won’t get to make up for those lost weeks. Young children who might have been evaluated for developmental and speech delays have missed a crucial, unrecoverable window for early intervention.
Then there are the most wrenching losses: A calculator from Imperial College London estimates that, as of this writing, 205,200 young people have lost one or both parents to covid-19.
Given what we have asked children to endure, we have an obligation to be ambitious on their behalf.
“Children have suffered enormously and, in many ways, disproportionately,” Jha said. “The thing I would not be okay with is saying, okay, let’s go back to normal.”
Project CHANGE had its first Film Festival Graduation at the storied AFI Silver Spring MD, and featured the premier of 8 short documentaries made by the members finishing their year of service and reflecting on what they had learned and what they wanted to share with the world. Thanks to Juliet at AFI and Salmom from Elegancia for looking after us so well.
Dear Friends,
We were all shocked by the planned attack on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh at his home in Montgomery County this week, and I want to thank the Montgomery County Police Department, the U.S. Marshals, and the FBI for their work to keep the Justice, his family, and the community safe. Violent behavior, or even the threat of it, is never acceptable regardless of any ideological differences. Violence in any form will not be tolerated in this County.
Our police arrested the man who was armed and traveled from California before arriving in the neighborhood and calling for help. We’re all grateful that this didn’t end with bloodshed or the loss of life, and it’s an opportunity to highlight the great need we have for mental health help in our nation. While the man will likely face federal charges of attempted murder and carrying a weapon, the judge will likely order a mental health evaluation as well.
We have a mental health crisis in this nation and the County. We are working to address these issues here in Montgomery County in our schools and elsewhere.
In schools throughout the County, we have student support teams that consist of school counselors, school psychologists, pupil personnel workers, and school nurses to help all children work through issues they come forward with. Following an individual or school-wide crisis, these teams provide the necessary support, care and interventions needed to help students, families and staff feel safe and secure. Our recently approved Fiscal Year 2023 budget expands these programs to give even more Montgomery County families access to this help.
People can reach out for help by calling or texting the hotline 301-738-2255.
Additionally, there is Access to Behavioral Health Services, which is a mental health screening and referral program that provides assessment and helps low-income adults living in Montgomery County who have no insurance. The program also helps people who abuse drugs as an attempt to cope. Infomontgomery.org is a wonderful resource to explore online that covers topics like mental health.
We believe in the hope and promise of science and research
Since taking office, I have been focused on building on our strengths in biosciences. The sector is booming I’m proud of the fact that we have 3 million square feet in lab space under development in Montgomery County right now and we are the heart of the fourth largest cluster for biotech companies in our region.
Covid cases decline in County, BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants on the rise
This week’s COVID-19 numbers show a decline in new case rates. For the first time in nearly a month we are once again below 300 cases per 100,000 residents, a more than 20 percent drop from last week. The hospitalization rate has also decreased slightly, and CDC community level status remains at medium.
The B-A 2 strains continue to make up nearly 90 percent of new cases reported in our region; however, the B-A 4 and 5 strains now account for about 10 percent of new cases—a significant jump over the last two weeks. The threat of new variants only emphasizes the need for people to continue to take safety measures seriously like cleaning your hands frequently, wearing a mask in crowded indoor spaces and on public transportation.
Vaccination status matters
Our unvaccinated COVID-19 case rates are four times higher than those that are vaccinated. And if you are vaccinated, you need to be boosted. The efficacy of these vaccines wanes and even if you caught COVID-19 before, you could still catch it again.
And through all of this, long covid remains a real “thing”. Covid can have both long-term and short-term health impacts that can be serious. According to an April report from the Journal of Infectious Diseases, 49 percent of COVID-19 survivors reported persistent symptoms four months after diagnosis. We want to remain vigilant and serious about COVID-19 in this County, and we continue to remind you to follow the guidance and best practices we know that work to help keep you and your family safe this summer.
A summer to learn
We all look forward to the summer, but I want to remind parents that it is also an excellent opportunity to help struggling students catch up with their classmates. Recovering from learning loss due to the pandemic is a priority for all our students.
We are fortunate that we have been able to fund more MCPS summer school programs as well as career and mentorship opportunities to help students make up what they have missed. Most programs will not start until July, but they run the gamut from early college classes to elementary school lessons.
The curriculum is designed to support students who need additional or repeated instruction in the major work of the previous grade level and/or are currently below-grade level in reading or math, with an emphasis on foundational skills. Some students may receive specific outreach from their local school based on need. And most importantly all summer classes are free to families.
Furthermore, our Recreation Department, County municipalities, Montgomery College and community partners, such as recently opened IgniteHub and Kid Museum in Bethesda, are also providing our youth engaging educational offerings throughout the summer.
But the most important educational engagement a child can have over the summer is the encouragement and engagement of parents, grandparents’ guardians, and peers to continue to read, learn, and explore throughout their summer break.
As always my appreciation for all you do,
Marc ElrichCounty Executive
People applying to AmeriCorps Project CHANGE can expect an interview. The conversation is usually pretty informal, but these are some of the areas that we most want to know about:
When you think of your life as an unfolding story, how would a year of service fit into that narrative?
What is it that leads you to consider it, and where would it take you in readiness for your next step, after AmeriCorps?
Project CHANGE members serve as mentors to support the social and emotional needs of high risk children. What evidence can you present us that you will be able to manage this high stress role?
Project CHANGE AmeriCorps is more a calling than a job, given the low pay and the lack of a benefit package that one would normally expect from a job. What other supports do you have financially, or regarding accommodation and family support that members need to rely on to carry out the role?
Following through with your commitment as regards time and being totally present are crucial elements of mentoring for students who have been abused and abandoned. What evidence can you present to show you are a person of commitment?
The one quality that every successful candidate needs to show before we sign them on is whether they have a servants’ heart, meaning that they have a history of putting others first, of responding to others needs, to showing empathy and compassion and acting on these deep feelings to make the world a better place. How have you shown a servants heart?
Because we put the needs of others before our own, we need to know what might get in the way of carrying out your year of service? What other competing interests or commitments might prove to be an obstacle?
Project CHANGE is a team of members serving across the county, and as a team, they rely on one another for support and advice. What kind of team member are you and can you share an experience of what your greatest contribution to a team effort might be?
What in your life experience so far would lead you to expect you can manage high needs or high risk students contribute positively to their social and emotional health?
Heather Kelly Washington Post
In many ways, the switch to virtual learning was an unexpected, unplanned experiment that was conducted on millions of school-age children. When the coronavirus pandemic struck the United States in early 2020, schools across the country closed their classrooms, handed out laptops and tablets, and gave educators a crash course in holding squirming kids’ attention over apps like Zoom.Help Desk: Technology coverage that makes tech work for you
More than two years later, there’s new information about the impact that switch has had on teens between 13 and 17 years old and their parents. In a survey released Thursday by the Pew Research Center, there are signs that some things are returning to the way they were before the pandemic, but some teenagers feel left behind.The survey found that most kids have kept close relationships with friends and families over the pandemic and that they prefer going to school in person more than remotely. However, there are notable differences in how the pandemic, specifically remote learning, has affected Black and Hispanic teenagers and lower-income families.
Virtual learning set poor children even further behind, study shows
“One thing that stands out is we tend to see a difference in teens’ experiences by their household income,” said Colleen McClain, a Pew research associate who focuses on Internet and technology research.
Some of the starkest differences are around completing homework, known as the “homework gap.” Some teens are falling behind in school work, often due to a lack of adequate technology to complete assignments at home. Twenty-two percent of teenagers said they have had to finish homework on their phones, and 12 percent said they sometimes can’t complete their homework because they don’t have the technology to do it. A lack of computers, smartphones and reliable home Internet are all contributing factors. Twenty percent of low-income students who live in a household with an annual income of $30,000 or less said they don’t have a computer at home.
Childhood experts had worried about the impact of isolation on teen relationships during the early part of the pandemic. About half of teens reported feeling as close or closer to their parents than before the coronavirus crisis, and 49 percent said they had managed to maintain their close relationships with friends. However, a third of teenagers said they were less connected with people outside that inner circle, such as classmates. These relationships were another area where Hispanic and Black teens reported some less-positive experiences. They were more likely than White teenagers to feel less close to their friends.
Even the teens who managed well while learning remotely prefer being back in classrooms full time, the survey found. A majority of all teenagers said they prefer to attend school entirely in person, while 9 percent said they prefer to be fully remote.
Even after shootings, experts warn against cellphones in schools
While there’s a stronger preference for in-person learning, there are some notable differences between groups. Black teens are less likely to say they want to only go to school in person since the pandemic, while Hispanic teens are more likely to want a hybrid setup. Teens living in lower-income households are less likely to want to go back to school entirely in person, with 15 percent saying they would prefer to attend school completely online.
The study comes just as most students are wrapping up the school year and are primarily back to in-person learning. Eighty percent of students said they had attended school completely in person in the past month, while only 8 percent said they had been entirely online.
While many of the changes required early in the pandemic were temporary, some of the technology requirements have stuck around — and not without consequences. A recent study by Human Rights Watch found that of 164 educational apps it examined, nearly 90 percent were designed to collect and share data about students with advertising technology companies. The increase in smartphone usage among students, particularly teens, has led some educators to try to incorporate those devices into their lesson plans. That can leave students without access to pricey smartphones behind, too.
Educators across the board have worried about whether remote learning would leave some kids behind. The parents of teenagers have mixed reviews of their various schools’ approaches to virtual schooling, and they tended to be more satisfied with it than the children themselves. Among parents, 39 percent say they’re satisfied with how schools handled remote learning, while only 28 percent of teens said the same.
Remote learning apps shared children’s data at a ‘dizzying scale’
The majority of teenagers also aren’t worried that they’ve fallen behind during the pandemic, while 28 percent of parents say they’re very or extremely worried about their kids falling behind because of the coronavirus crisis.
“There’s not a one-size-fits-all experience for teens when it comes to experiencing school during the pandemic,” said Monica Anderson, associate director of research at Pew.
The new report is based on a survey of 1,316 pairs of U.S. teens and their parents conducted April 14 to May 4, 2022, Pew said.
The average individual income in Montgomery County MD is $50,000
The average rent for a one bedroom apartment is $ 1609.00 a month
The living allowance for serving 1700 hours over 12 months in AmeriCorps Project CHANGE is $21,500
That works out at $1791 a month less taxes. If you are paying rent out of that, it leaves you with less than $200 a month for food, and other expenses!!!!!
You can only afford to do AmeriCorps Project CHANGE if you have the means to live beyond what AmeriCorps will be paying. It is not a job. It is a calling. You do it because of what you can give and not what you can gain.
The living allowance should be much higher but this is a year of service. One way to think about it is this- since you are serving those who don’t have much money, this is your way to build solidarity with them, to know the plight of the poor, and that when you struggle to make ends meet, your life is always at risk and your value always at the mercy of the job market.
There is an old spiritual tradition still practiced in countries like Thailand where young people serve a year or two as street begging monks to prepare for life, gaining a deeper sense of what is essential to a life, beyond a fat pay check and a double garage and a beach studio.