Meriden Public Schools

A third survey of teachers jointly coordinated by labor and media partners presented a complex picture of distance learning challenges during the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) pandemic. The effort was conducted at a critical time, helping guide the work of the official state "re-open" advisory group's education subcommittee. Union members' input ultimately proved instrumental in prioritizing student and staff safety, helping assure that buildings would remain closed for the current school year.

 

Educators, families and communities are in a "David versus Goliath" battle against powerful special interests seeking to dismantle public education and rip opportunity from children and families. That was the message delivered last month to more than 1,400 teachers, paraprofessionals and school support staff at the biennial AFT TEACH (Together Educating America's Children) conference. Union members from Connecticut were there — and two local leaders shared their political engagement experience and discussed teacher-driven professionalism.

 

Educators, classroom support staff and school social workers know firsthand that for students, a day lost to absenteeism is a day lost to learning. Their concerns were reinforced by a landmark brief released earlier this month on national chronic absence data that reveals the true scope of the problem. As the month set aside to raise awareness of the issue wraps up, we're spotlighting union members devoted to helping students and families understand how achievement is connected to attendance.

 

The question of appropriate, effective responses for student misbehavior was the thorny issue addressed last week when AFT and the Albert Shanker Institute brought together a distinguished panel of experts. The goal was a conversation about positive alternatives to suspensions or expulsions in early childhood education (ECE) -- approaches that have been shown to be age-inappropriate and highly ineffective.

 

Click here to watch video of the full forum.