NEA Today June 2021

SPECIAL SECTIONS

First and Foremost

U.S. Schools Need an Infrastructure Upgrade
U.S. public schools get a D+ on an infrastructure report card. How the American Rescue Plan Act could help.

Modernizing Civics Education

The Educating for American Democracy project (EAD), a diverse collection of academics, historians, teachers, school administrators, and state education leaders, is proposing major changes in the way civics and history are taught in U.S. public schools. To help make this happen, the group is calling for a major investment of funds, a content overhaul, and more professional development for teachers.

The effort comes after a 50-year erosion of civics education in K–12 schools. The federal government now spends only 5 cents per student per year on civics, and according to EAD, fewer than a quarter of U.S. eighth graders score as proficient in the subject on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

“Dangerously low proportions of the public understand and trust our democratic institutions,” says Louise Dubé, executive director of iCivics, a non- profit civics education oganization founded in 2008 by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. “Majorities are functionally illiterate on our constitutional principles and forms. The relative neglect of civic education in the past half-century—a period of wrenching change—is one important cause of our civic and political dysfunction.”

Learn more at educatingforamericandemocracy.org.

Thinking Differently
“Terms like ‘learning loss’ or ‘COVID slide'...are deficit-oriented, they diminish our students and paint an inaccurate picture of how deep and purposeful learning occurs. We propose a positive framing that recognizes students’ strengths and stirs imaginative thinking about how to overcome the extraordinary obstacles we face.”

—From "Learning Beyond COVID-19: A Vision for Thriving in Public Education by NEA and the American Federation of Teachers
 

Recess During the Pandemic: More Important Than Ever
Physical distancing may be a challenge, but recess and other opportunities for play are essential for children to recover from pandemic-related trauma.

Parents Expect Schools To Be Safe This Fall
According to a March survey by Parents Together, a family advocacy group representing more than 2.5 million parents across the country, parents—regardless of income—are still concerned about the safety of total in-person learning. The poll found that 78 percent are “worried” and 38 percent are “very worried” about the COVID-19 health risks of their child attending school in person.

Still, most were optimistic that their child’s school would be able to provide a safe environment by the beginning of the 2021 – 2022 school year. And one year into the pandemic, a majority of parents feel favorably towards teachers (70 percent).

Sharp Drop in Pre-K and Kindergarten Enrollment
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a decline in public school enrollment across the country, a departure from recent trends. The sharpest declines—up to 30 percent—have been in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten.

According to an analysis by The Hechinger Report, many families chose from a “haphazard array of alternatives” to in-person early-learning programs. Some chose to skip the school year entirely, while others homeschooled or hired private tutors for their children. Because skipping or delaying kindergarten can disrupt a child’s emotional and physical development, experts say that first-grade teachers may face a wide readiness gap among their students—and it will likely go beyond academics.

Teaching and Learning

NEA’s School Me Podcast is a Real Education
NEA’s School Me podcast offers valuable advice and tips for educators

Find Purpose in the Classroom With Ikigai
Discover the Japanese concept of ikigai for a long and meaningful life.

DEPARTMENTS

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

With vaccines rolling out aross the country and a president who is throwing his full support behind public education, the future is looking brighter for educators and students.

PRESIDENT’S VIEWPOINT

We are moving toward our vision for just and equitable schools.

WHY I’M A MEMBER

Second-grade teacher Alejandra Lopez shares how she advocates for students of color in her school district.

TALK BACK

Toxic Positivity Takes a Toll

I wish we had a different label for this. I agree that never acknowledging that things are really difficult is a bad thing but also it can go south really quickly when just one person starts a grievance list. Especially with my students, I acknowledge that everyone is stressed

… . But I also tell them that there are ways to cope, things you can do to improve situations, if not for yourself but for someone else.

We can choose to walk away from toxic grousing. It’s quite another thing to be required by a job contract to remain in a space where positivity is forced upon one. I may be mature enough to not let my body language reveal my disgust at forced positivity, but people need to understand that when one has actual real reasons to be not happy, having someone try to force us to act happy backfires. —TERRI