 Dear reader,
We are entering the holiday season at a frightening time. Omicron is spreading and the pandemic continues to hurt schools and families, such as these four Florida siblings who lost their single mother and are determined to carry on and continue their education. School finances are also uncertain, despite additional federal funding. To truly understand how complicated the model is, The Hechinger Report’s Neal Morton spent an eye-opening year following a school superintendent in Centralia, Washington, an extraordinary behind-the-scenes look at hope, despair and coping through this enormously painful pandemic era.
We are also in a precarious time for the early childhood industry, as uncertainty over the future of Build Back Better threatens new funding. This week, we take a look at how a different infusion of federal funds has helped child care programs access training, improve quality and provide owners and teachers a living wage. We’ll be closely following what happens next.
I also hope you will spend time reading how one large district is solving a longstanding challenge of maintaining a diverse teaching force, along with an inspirational comeback tale of a New Orleans high school quarterback who persevered through injuries, pandemic disruptions and a hurricane. In addition, we take you inside a California school district that has figured out ways to thrive with online learning, and share stories of Black and Hispanic students who are starting their own businesses to serve their communities.
Readers and members like you make it all possible. Please consider a donation and spread the word. Here’s to a safe and peaceful holiday season.
Liz Willen, Editor
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Unless America dramatically changes its public school funding model, the current $122 billion meant to shore up K-12 education will do little to fundamentally change how reliant schools are on local money.
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Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships have raised quality, increased staff salaries and supported local child care programs for years.
As the omicron variant begins to sweep the U.S., the country is still grappling with the devastation of waves past — including the upended lives of more than 140,000 children. Four Florida siblings who lost their single mom open up about their heartbreak, their day-to-day struggle, and their shared sense of resilience.
A high school district in Phoenix is succeeding where most districts are not: They’re retaining a diverse teaching staff. One key to their success is simply listening to what teachers of color say they, and students who look like them, need.
A low-income, rural district was already all-in on technology, which helped it weather the pandemic.
Schools see a market in helping Black and Latino Americans start their own businesses.
He raised hopes even after disaster in a year that has been harder than ever in New Orleans, for students and educators alike.
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