The View from the Hermitage, Day 482

I didn't take too many notes today, but let's see what I can come up with. It surprised me, but community college enrollment was down 9.5 percent in the spring semester. There was also a 6.8 percent decline in the number of high school graduates going on to any kind of college. Education experts say that delaying college decreases the chances a student will ever go back. They worry this will broaden the gap between education haves and have nots. Grad school enrollment increased 4.6 percent compared to 2020; that did not surprise me.

Another surprise is that Mississippi, with only 33 percent of residents fully vaccinated, is asking residents to do four things. First is that all residents over 65 avoid all indoor mass gatherings regardless of their vaccination status. Second is that all residents with chronic underlying medical conditions avoid all indoor mass gatherings. Third, that all unvaccinated residents wear a mask when indoors in public settings. Finally, and here's the surprise, that all residents 12 and older get vaccinated. Mississippi is tied with Alabama for last in the percent of residents fully vaccinated. That they are now openly encouraging vaccination says a lot. 

The two largest teachers unions, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, both approve of the proposed CDC guidelines for schools to fully reopen. They note that the CDC guidance sets a floor rather than a ceiling and localities can adjust for special conditions. Underlying all this is that K-12 schools proved to be safer than originally thought. Higher education is a totally different matter. 

The city made the national and even international news today by taking down statues of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. The city is reviewing proposals from people who have something they'd like to do with them. The Jackson statue is said to be among the top three equestrian statues in the world, which argues for not melting it down or otherwise destroying it.