President Biden nominates Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court
Earlier today President Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. The daughter of public school teachers and a former public defender, Ketanji Brown Jackson has been called 'an unwavering voice for justice and fairness.' She is widely regarded as imminently qualified for the Supreme Court.
In making the historic nomination of Jackson to the Supreme Court, President Biden said “she is one of our nation's brightest legal minds and will be an exceptional Justice!”
CFT President Jeff Freitas lauded President Biden’s nomination, saying “This is a historic day for the Supreme Court and for our country. Kentanji Brown Jackson is one of our nation's preeminent legal minds and she would make history as the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. She deserves a quick and fair confirmation process.”
Share the good news on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram about the historic nomination!
And check out Share My Lesson’ wonderful set of preK-12 resources on teaching about the U.S. Supreme Court, including lessons and activities to help build students' background knowledge on the role of the Court.
Countering misinformation in the classroom
Next Thursday, March 3 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. PT, the Albert Shanker Institute will host an important conversation on countering misinformation in the classroom.
Educators have long taught students the skills needed to evaluate sources and locate reliable information, but in an era of virulent misinformation, this task takes on greater importance. Teaching media literacy is not just about ensuring students cite quality sources in their papers; it’s about ensuring they’re prepared to be educated participants in democracy and civic society.
In this Q & A style session, AFT President Randi Weingarten will be joined by Steven Brill, veteran journalist and co-founder of NewsGuard, an online media literacy tool, to learn about the misinformation trends NewsGuard’s analysts are encountering in the field, and to discuss the tactics educators can employ in their classrooms to counter these trends.
RSVP for the webinar here. For more information about NewsGuard, which is free for all CFT members, click here.
A new CBS poll finds broad support for teaching about race and opposition to banning books in schools
A new CBS poll has found that Americans overwhelmingly reject the idea of banning books about history or race. More than 8 in 10 of those who responded to the survey don’t think books should be banned from schools for discussing race and criticizing U.S. history, for depicting slavery in the past, or more broadly for political ideas they disagree with. And parents were right there with the general public.
Having honest discussions about race and diverse backgrounds in our schools is critical to our students and their development. And despite very heated rhetoric from some, the vast majority of people agree.
Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers settle contract reopener with substantial gains
Congratulations to the members of the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers, who this week overwhelmingly ratified a contract reopener that includes substantial salary increases and maintains excellent benefits for the educators in their union. PVFT President Nelly Vaguera-Boggs said the settlement “recognizes the incredible work that PVFT members have done over the course of the pandemic and it will go a long way to help recruit and retain staff moving forward."
Want to support the people in Ukraine? Here's how you can help
As people across the world condemn Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, a humanitarian crisis is unfolding. NPR news has put together a list of organizations that are on the ground in Ukraine and asking for assistance. Click here for details on how you can help.
