This Cambridge high school made changes during the pandemic, leading to remote-learning success
By James Vaznis Globe Staff,Updated February 5, 2021, 8:32 a.m.
Email to a Friend
Before the pandemic struck, 18-year-old Cassandra Cordeiro didnât take school that seriously.
She had trouble waking up in time for classes at the High School Extension Program, an alternative school in Cambridge for academically struggling students, and she often skipped.
Cordeiro was exactly the kind of student school officials and researchers around the nation worried would vanish from the rosters when COVID-19 forced schools to close classrooms and move instruction online.
Advertisement
Instead, she has flourished with remote learning. She routinely attends classes, earned all Aâs during the first ranking period, and now is looking ahead to community college.
5 for Good: Co-working company offers free space to students for remote learning
Workbar is helping Cambridge school students with technology gaps Share Updated: 4:30 PM EST Jan 28, 2021
Workbar is helping Cambridge school students with technology gaps Share Updated: 4:30 PM EST Jan 28, 2021
Hide Transcript
Show Transcript GENEROSITY OF A COMPANY OPENS THEIR DOORS TO KIDS IN NEED. THERE ARE PLENTY OF SEATS AT WORKBAR. THEIR CAFE STOCKED COVID-19 SCREENING AND SANITATION. C.E.O. SARAH TRAVERS SAYS THEIR URBAN LOCATIONS LIKE THIS ONE IN CAMBRIDGE HAVE BEEN QUIET. p WE HAVE KEPT THE LIGHTS AT OUR LOCATIONS. THEY HAVE BEEN STAFFED BY COMMUNITY MANAGERS. WE HAVE REALLY STRONG INTERNET. THE DAILY UTILIZATION WAS LOW. p THINKING WHY NOT OFFER SPACE FOR FREE FOR STUDENTS IN NEED. HAVING ONE OF MY CHILD HOME TRYING TO DO REMOTE LEARNING AND TRYING TO WORK AND MY HUSBAND WORKS AND IT S DIFFICULT. EVEN MORE DIFFICULT FOR FAMILIES WITHOUT RESOURCES. A
Laurie A. Ferhani, a middle school science teacher at the Amigos School in Cambridge, has completely adapted her curriculum to an online format, using interactive online simulations to replace labs.
Due to the reduced class time remote learning provides, however, her students are only learning a third of what they would have in a typical year, Ferhani said.
âWhere I am now, in January, I probably would have been in November, she said.
While all Cambridge Public School students began the year with remote learning from home, on Oct. 13, certain eligible students began attending in-person classes, including students enrolled in pre-K through first grade, certain second and third graders, and students in special education programs.
BostInno - Student-focused business incubator plans expansion after remote pivot bizjournals.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bizjournals.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
What Cambridge life was like during the 1918 Spanish flu
Archived editions of the Cambridge Chronicles depict striking similarities between public response to Spanish Influenza and COVID-19
A century ago, Cambridge was in the middle of yet another wave of the Spanish flu.
Lockdowns, overcrowded hospitals, nurse shortages, school closures and high death tolls consumed the pages of the Cambridge Chronicle from 1918 to 1920, depicting an eerily similar scene to present day. Epidemic at an end, read one headline, followed just weeks later by its swift return.
Some advice offered at the time? Don’t worry about it. Also, eat wholesome food, don’t wear wet shoes, and certainly don’t share handkerchiefs. And, girls, stop kissing your boyfriends.