American public schools need help. To achieve change, we need to vote
By casting their ballots and running for office, determined educators are fighting for change
As students and teachers return to school each year, so do I. As the American Federation of Teachers president, I visit classrooms throughout the country in order to see for myself how our students and teachers are doing. On the one hand, I find myself inspired by those helping our students to thrive. On the other hand, I’m angered by the many forces hindering public education.
Last week, teachers in Burnsville, Minnesota proudly showed me classrooms with reading nooks, educational games and extra supplies – all purchased with teachers’ own money – so no child would have to go without. Educators in Massena, New York organized a Ready-4-School event so their students could get free school supplies, clothing, books and even haircuts. And in Baltimore, where many schools were too cold last winter and too hot last week to conduct classes, school staff recently helped distribute more than $30,000 worth of books and school supplies to students in need.
I hear the same things over and over during these visits: disinvestment in public education is hurting our students. Teachers are struggling to get by on salaries that don’t reflect the importance of their work. Educators are frustrated by their lack of latitude to meet children’s needs because decisions about instruction and classroom assessment are driven more by standardized testing than by teaching and learning.
And yet, these educators persist.
After a decade of disinvestment and austerity, teachers are demanding adequate funding for public schools and professional salaries for educators. Thankfully, they have the public’s support. The 2018 Phi Delta Kappa poll of Americans’ attitudes about public schools is clear: People support public schools and want their state governments to invest in them and those educators who sacrifice much in order to make a positive difference.
Unfortunately, Donald Trump and the education secretary, Betsy DeVos, disparage these concerns. It’s not simply the cuts they proposed last year to eliminate summer school and after-school programs and to reduce class size, or their attempts to privatize education. Betsy DeVos’ big back-to-school idea this year was to divert funding for guidance counselors, mental health services and enrichment programs for poor kids and to arm educators.
No wonder teachers are angry. Many, owing to a lack of resources, even have Continue reading: American public schools need help. To achieve change, we need to vote | Randi Weingarten | Opinion | The Guardian
