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Iain Macwhirter: Alex Salmond ... the trial that could split the SNP from top to bottom

The Scottish political world is holding its breath this weekend.




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Iain Macwhirter on coronavirus: this crisis could bring a Great Depression, not socialism

The Meadowbank Stadium was one of the shabbier landmarks in east Edinburgh until it was knocked down last year. A new one is rising from the ashes, looking like one of those massive cruise liners that appear in the Forth.




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Iain Macwhirter: The contagion of fear is worse than the fear of contagion

Writers have been ransacking the Brainy Quotes website looking for inspiration for their coronavirus think pieces. But there is really only one that matters: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself”. Franklin D Roosevelt’s epigram is appropriate because it is as disingenuous as it is paradoxical.




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Iain Macwhirter: Failures over testing means no end to coronavirus lockdown in Scotland

Next week, Nicola Sturgeon is promising to outline her proposals for lifting the lockdown. Good luck with that. She is unlikely to open the schools because she can't rely on parents to send their children.




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Iain Macwhirter: Adults need a timetable for normality, not indefinite house arrest

Nicola Sturgeon won plaudits from some unlikely quarters this week for her “grown-up conversation” on lifting the lockdown.




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Iain Macwhirter: 'Hard to conclude that there are any real villains of fifth columnists in Britain’s Covid war so far'

“It's not the end; it's not even the beginning of the end; but it is perhaps the end of the beginning”. Churchill's famous wartime speech after the battle of El Alamein in November 1942 was an ambiguous rallying cry. After all, by saying it was only the beginning, he was suggesting that there could be worse to come.




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An A to Z of Podcasts

A is for Audible




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TV: Richard & Judy - the return of one of the country's most-loved couples

One of the country's most-loved couples returned to Channel 4 this week with Richard & Judy: Keep Reading And Carry On. The presenters talk to Georgia Humphreys about marriage, their love of books, and filming in lockdown.




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Tv preview: Keith Lemon joins the craft world

Co-hosts Keith Lemon and Anna Richardson talk to Gemma Dunn about their new show, The Fantastical Factory Of Curious Craft.




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TV preview: Lucy Worsley's Royal Photo Album; Charlie Brooker's Antiviral Wipe

THE market for TV historians is crowded and fiercely competitive. Drop your guard for a second and Dan Snow or Bettany Hughes will be in the door and taking your gig faster than you can don a pair of those special white gloves all in the trade must have. Lucy Worsley made her name by combining immense knowledge – she is the chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces – with a steadfast dedication to raiding the dressing up box.




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What Coronavirus-Stricken Schools Want From the Feds Next: Online Learning Help

One of the biggest pieces of unfinished business for education groups when it comes to federal help with the coronavirus is connectivity and online learning. But what's the state of play?




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Rapid Deployment of Remote Learning: Lessons From 4 Districts

Chief technology officers are facing an unprecedented test of digital preparedness due to the coronavirus pandemic, struggling with shortfalls of available learning devices and huge Wi-Fi access challenges.




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Many Districts Won't Be Ready for Remote Learning If Coronavirus Closes Schools

E-learning may help some schools keep instruction flowing but major gaps in access and resources mean not all schools are ready to offer virtual classes, and not all students are equipped to learn online.




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Pritzker orders Illinois schools closed for rest of semester




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How Districts Are Helping Teachers Get Better at Tech Under Coronavirus

Educators are struggling to learn how to use new tech tools—devices, apps, software, and online textbooks—in greater volume than ever before.




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RAND Study: Online Resources Not Teachers' Top Choice Before Coronavirus Pandemic

Before the massive rush to remote learning, most teachers used digital resources as supplements rather than primary materials, a RAND study shows.




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SC officially shutters schools until fall due to outbreak




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FCC, Congress Weigh Overhaul of E-Rate to Fund Remote Learning

The Federal Communications Commission is engaging Congress to expand funding for in-home connectivity and devices for teachers and students grappling with the coronavirus crisis.




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R.I. schools to remain closed; 8 new virus deaths reported




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Ed-Tech Groups to Congress: More Than $5 Billion Needed to Address Internet Access Gaps

Schools need help from the federal government to prepare millions of U.S. students for remote learning this fall and beyond.




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How Weather Forced a Minn. District to Establish E-Learning Options On the Fly

The director of teaching and learning for a Minnesota district talks about putting e-learning days into action under difficult circumstances.




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Remote Learning Problems During Coronavirus Prompt Resignation of Big District Tech Leader

The top technology official for Virginia's Fairfax County schools resigned after the district struggled to handle some major technical glitches in its e-learning platforms.




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6 Lessons Learned About Remote Learning During the Coronavirus Outbreak

Northshore School District teachers, parents, and students practiced remote learning in advance of the district's closure for two weeks.




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Khan App Boosted Early Literacy, Parent Teaching in Small Trial

The free literacy app Khan Academy Kids boosted early literacy skills in children and parents said it improved their home-teaching skills.




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If Coronavirus Gets Worse in the U.S., Online Learning Can Fill the Gaps

Schools and tech companies in the U.S. and abroad have experience deploying virtual learning should a coronavirus emergency arise.




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E-Learning Overload: 8 Tips Educators Can Give Frustrated, Anxious Parents

Many parents are having to take on a variety of new roles, from playing IT help desk to becoming makeshift teaching assistants to supervising recess.




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New Warnings on Screen Time, as Students Nationwide Move to E-Learning

As millions of students nationwide start to settle into virtual learning programs to slow the spread of the coronavirus, a massive new research analysis sounds another note of caution about the effects of exposing significantly more screen time.




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Coronavirus Prompting E-Learning Strategies

Schools and tech companies in the U.S. and abroad have experience deploying virtual learning should a coronavirus emergency arise.




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Virtual Education Dilemma: Scheduled Classroom Instruction vs. Anytime Learning

K-12 teachers are faced with a question many likely thought they'd never have to ask: How often during the school day do my students need to see me and when?




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States' E-Learning Directives Pivot for the Long Haul

States are adjusting the policies and strategies designed for short- term remote instruction—like snow day plans—to support students for the rest of the school year.




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Scottish Government asks Westminster for universities to be bailed out

SCOTTISH Government ministers have appealed to Westminster for financial support to be handed over to universities during the Covid-19 pandemic amid a pledge that Holyrood is “ready to stand by” institutions.




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Coronavirus: Social distancing to continue in schools when they gradually reopen

EDUCATION Secretary John Swinney does not expect schools to reopen overnight as he stressed they would only do so when it was safe for public health.




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LOCKDOWN HOMEWORK: How to teach your children to code and build their own robot

HELP is on hand for parents hoping to inspire their children at home during the coronavirus lockdown – and it’s all free.




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Neil Mackay: Scotland’s handling of schools in lockdown is a national disgrace

THE teacher had four pupils yesterday. Just four pupils out of a class of 33 took part in virtual online lockdown lessons.




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Coronavirus: Fears universities could be merged if they don't embrace new normal

SCOTLAND’S universities must play their part in adapting to the “new normal” amid warnings that institutions could be forced to merge in return for government support.




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Home school resources: The Beano online, Glasgow Science Centre and Michael Rosen's beetles

Everyone who knows anything about education seems to now be running a livestream from their room, and the explosion of home-schooling resources can be enough to send a busy parent into lockdown meltdown. That's why we've created a check-list of some of the books and sites that could help. It’s not all about BBC Bitesize and the Khan Academy – it can be all the more fun when you go a little off the beaten path.




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Coronavirus: Schools in Wales could reopen in June, first minister says

Schools in Wales could be allowed to reopen their doors next month in a phased approach, the first minister has said.




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Coronavirus in Scotland: Schools not set to fully re-open “in the foreseeable future”

THE SCOTTISH Government “does not consider it likely” that schools will fully re-open “in the foreseeable future” - while working from home is “likely to persist as part of the new normal”.




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Coronavirus: Edinburgh nursery projects in doubt as construction company in administration

FIVE new nursery extensions being built at schools across Edinburgh have been thrown into doubt after the company building the facilities entered administration.




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'Mr. Turner, Are You Racist?' A White Teacher Grapples With His Privilege

Colin Turner thought he understood the dynamics of race and privilege. Until one of his students called him out for some insensitive comments he'd made in class.




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It's Time to Completely Ban the N-Word in Schools

The slur isn't appropriate for school personnel or students of any race to ever use, writes Tyrone C. Howard.




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How One District Is Raising Math Rigor and Achievement for Students of Color

The Long Beach, Calif., school district is deploying a multifaceted strategy to put more students of color in high-level math courses and help them succeed.




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The Art of Making Science Accessible and Relevant to All Students

Building science lessons around phenomena that students know equally and can see in their own lives is making the subject more relevant and interesting.




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Mining for Gifted Students in Untapped Places

An internationally known gifted-education center is scouting—and helping to develop—gifted students in after-school programs and pullout classes in one of Maryland’s most challenged school districts.




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Is Your School Affirming Institutional Racism During Black History Month?

One particularly tense staff meeting helped educator Robert Parker rethink how his school celebrated Black History Month.




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The Simple Policy Change That's Getting More Students of Color in Advanced Courses

By automatically enrolling all students in high-level courses, schools in Washington state are working to erase a long entrenched form of inequity.




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Black Parents Force District to End Academic Tracking

Fed up with their district’s unmet pledges to stop steering African American students into low-level classes, parents take action.




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Are GreatSchools Ratings Making Segregation Worse?

With more than 40 million unique visitors a year, GreatSchools.org is a wildly popular source of information on K-12 schools. Though the site has added more factors and nuance to how it rates schools, researchers argue that it’s exacerbating already existing patterns of segregation.




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Quiz Yourself: What Does Census Data Tell Us About Education in the U.S.?

Quiz yourself: What do census statistics reveal about school enrollment, classroom diversity, and education outcomes, and how could the 2020 Census impact school services?




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A Quick But Important Test for How Your School Perceives Students

And four strategies for fixing the underlying problems most often laid bare, from Great Schools Partnership’s Craig Kesselheim.