The educational fallout of COVID-19 | Morning Newsletter
And, bidding wars.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
First: We’re bringing you a special project on the push to close the education gap that the pandemic widened.
Then: If you want to buy a house in the Philly region, there’s going to be a bidding war.
And: Pa.’s largest pension fund admitted for the first time that it’s under federal investigation.
— Ashley Hoffman (@_ashleyhoffman, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
More than a year into the pandemic, student performance is drawing scrutiny. Billions in federal aid are flowing into schools in an endeavor to help with “learning loss” — an issue that has become a big topic as teachers, students, and parents assess achievement in a very disruptive year.
Test results show students are faring worse than they have in years past — especially in math — but younger children are presenting literacy gaps. And these drops are not uniform: Black and Hispanic students and those from lower-income families are falling further behind. For many area schools, the first answer will be summer school. But experts say it will have to go deeper than that.
Reporters Maddie Hanna, Kristen A. Graham, and Melanie Burney dug into what can be done about learning loss.
With low mortgage interest rates and housing inventory at record lows, demand is outstripping supply in the region’s hottest neighborhoods. Blame stalled construction, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the recession. The pandemic has also forced a more meaningful connection with the home front, leading buyers to seek outdoor spaces, offices, pools, and other accommodations.
Just how fast are homes selling? That depends. To the heat map! The typical home for sale in many zip codes in the Pennsylvania suburbs stays on the market for one week or less.
So it’s not enough to like it, you have to fight for it. Read on for staff writer Cynthia Henry’s story on how buyers can compete in today’s housing market.
Am I eligible to get vaccinated? Know the requirements for Philly, Pa., and New Jersey.
Where can I get a COVID-19 vaccine in the Philly area? Use our lookup tool.
Here’s how to prepare for a vaccine appointment.
Is drinking alcohol after getting my COVID-19 vaccine a bad idea?
Can I go on vacation yet? This is how to know what’s safe.
What you need to know today
Pa.’s largest pension fund, the $62 billion Public School Employees’ Retirement System, has admitted it is under federal investigation.
Expand your delivery radius. RiceVan, a new delivery service, brings food like Shanghai dumplings, rice noodles, and groceries from Chinatown to Philly’s suburbs.
The CDC says fully vaccinated people can travel safely within the U.S. But what about traveling with kids?
The head of emergency medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital, Kevin Baumlin, jumped into the U.S. Senate race, citing the failure of political leaders to respond to the coronavirus crisis.
And decorated military veteran, and a favorite of former President Donald Trump, Sean Parnell is “99% sure” he’s running for Pat Toomey’s seat, too.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
Thanks for sharing this guy thinking of a master plan.
Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout-out!
That’s interesting
🛍️ A Netflix show about a yeti/waffle hybrid and a mochi on a mission to escape “frozen food land”? How many more questions do you have? We spoke with the West Philly native artist behind the illustrations, which you really should see.
😷 Relief. Mature adults are just starting to cautiously test newfound freedom after getting vaccinated.
🦅 Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and his staff are young and inexperienced. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, Jeff McLane writes.
🏞️ It’s as if the Beatles never sang, “I want to hold your hand pie.” New businesses are popping up selling creative empanadas on both sides of the Delaware River. A yuca-flour bun filled with cheese and soft pretzels? We are listening.
Opinions
“This lawsuit filed on behalf of some Italian Americans upset about Mayor Jim Kenney’s decision to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day is ill-advised,” —columnist Jenice Armstrong writes.
A leader at a global litter intelligence company, Nic Esposito, is sitting out this year’s Spring Cleanup until the Kenney administration does more for Philly streets.
The NFL’s lengthening of the season is not a good look when it comes to player safety, journalist Rashhad Grove writes.
What we’re reading
Kensington students and teachers are looking for support on online learning, and Kensington Voice talked to them.
Hear from Egypt’s first woman sea captain about being falsely blamed for “crashing” that container ship into the Suez Canal in VICE.
Meanwhile, apparently a new subatomic particle could break the laws of physics, the New York Times reports.
Get in, The Ringer is talking about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Meet Hai Thai, a senior manager of software engineering and development at Comcast, who has refurbished at least nine laptops that have been donated to him through his one-man TechCycle show. He quickly gets each computer working like new with money out of his own pocket and then gives them away to kids, families, and even nuns in need — for free. Next stop: scaling up.
“Having access to the internet has opened a world of information to me,” he tells us. “It was a goldmine.” And he’s determined to get laptops in the hands of more and more.