ABCFT - YOUnionews - March 26, 2020
YOUR VOICE MATTERS - REMOTE LEARNING SURVEY
We know our members have endured much upheaval and have adapted with professionalism and concern to our evolving situation. This is not a District survey and your answers are anonymous. Your answers will be confidential and any specific information will about sites or individuals is not shared. ABCFT will use your answers as background information to help give the ABCFT Executive Board and ABCFT Negotiating Team information and guiding parameters to better serve the needs of the members during these unprecedented times.
Click here for the Remote Learning Survey
MEMBER WELLNESS - Tanya Golden
Maximize Your Kaiser Health Plan our previous Personal Learning Opportunity was such a success and many more members wanted to attend but due to their busy schedules were unable to join us. We thought the information was too valuable not to share. Here is the link to the Kaiser resources.
AFT Member Benefits - Trauma Support is another free benefit available for ABCFT members only. Soon, you will have access for up to twenty-one hours over a 3 month period of remote counseling to support your mental health needs. This service will be available shortly and you will need your AFT member number to register. Send your request to get your AFT member number to ABCFT2317@gmail.com. We will respond promptly and share the new member benefit link as soon as it is available.
SEEKING MEMBER ASSISTANCE
ABCFT Teacher Leaders Seeking Participants for Surveys:
We are asking our fellow educators to assist the ABCFT Teacher Leaders action research by completing the following surveys:
The Teacher Support Survey which is meant to better understand what teachers are going through in the classroom each day. It is also an attempt to collect teacher suggestions for resources needed in order to improve the working lives of teachers.
Calling all elementary teachers! Whether you have been teaching for 1 year or 100 years, your experiences are valuable! This anonymous survey will help ABCFT Teacher Leaders better understand the types of behaviors you may have observed in your classroom. It will also gauge staff familiarity with restorative practices. BONUS: it's just 4 short questions!
The purpose of this survey is to gather information from teachers to answer the following question: What tools do teachers need to create a safe and effective learning environment for students who have or currently are experiencing adverse childhood experiences (ACE)? All teacher input is welcomed and appreciated, as this research will be used to help further meet the needs of all teachers and students in our larger ABC community. Please know this survey is anonymous.
Donate to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank: The pandemic we are facing has a disproportionate impact on lower-income communities. By donating to the LA Regional food bank 97% of the revenues go directly to programs providing food for children, families, and senior citizens. There are three food pantries within the ABC borders that receive support from this food bank. When $1 is donated it generates food for 4 meals. Every dollar helps and your impact will make a difference for our community.
KEEPING YOU INFORMED
Negotiations update: - Ruben Mancillas, Chief Negotiator
In ordinary circumstances I would be discussing our typical negotiations updates according to our standard calendar. Alas, these are not ordinary times. We continue to talk with the district about the myriad of issues that this sudden shift to an online format has presented to all of us. Everyday, almost every hour, offers new challenges and surprises. We will maintain the dialogue we have established with our partners as we work to solve the problems and situations that arise from this shutdown. Even though we won’t be meeting across the bargaining table in a live format anytime soon the negotiating team is still planning for the future. Sure, the May revise may now become the August revise but we are committed to representing our members and our priorities like equitable compensation and quality health benefits will not waver even as we deal with this latest crisis. So much depends on what the state and federal response is and what funding will look like in coming months. For example, the latest version of the coronavirus relief bill that the Senate just passed contains 13.5 billion dollars for K-12 education. We will have to wait and see what all of the implications are but the negotiating team is looking forward to things returning to something that feels more like “normal” just like we all are.
Lastly, let me encourage you to keep expectations realistic in your virtual classrooms right now. We are attempting to make some very big changes in a very short amount of time. Much is being asked of us and I fear that the natural tendency is that even more will be asked until we establish reasonable boundaries and limits. This public health crisis is NOT an opportunity to turn us into 24 hour a day employees. Yes, we need to be “available” but within reason. If you receive an email at 8 p.m., a reply can and should comfortably wait until morning. If you start responding then the next request will come in at 9 p.m. and the cycle will continue. We all want to do everything we can to support our students right now but we can best serve them by taking care of ourselves too. We need to care of our own families and maintain our health so that we can remain being the vital resource our students depend on now more than ever.
PAL Survey - Time Extended:
Most members have received their site/program PAL survey has been extended to April 3rd. Special Education and SLP members should complete the site survey based on where attendance is recorded. All comments are anonymous and should be focused on site/program issues and improving relationships. Upon completion of the surveys, the PAL survey committee consisting of three ABCFT leadership members and three ABC administrators will be reviewing the surveys for professional and objective comments. Words will not edit other than personal or inappropriate comments. This is your opportunity to provide constructive feedback so your site can reflect on the plan on how to best address the identified issues.
New to the PAL surveys are six questions the same across all sites to demonstrate trends amongst the schools. The intent of these questions is to gather information in one place so it goes beyond anecdotal and shows district-wide trend. For more information about the PAL survey click this link to the PAL Survey FAQ.
PICTURE OF THE WEEK
Work remains to be done! This picture is how your ABCFT Executive Board continues to get together to pushes forward remotely. Next week, we will hold our monthly Rep Council meeting virtually as well.
ABCFT PRESIDENT’S REPORT - Ray Gaer
Each week I work with unit members in representations, contract resolutions, email/text/phone call questions, site concerns, site visits, presentations, state/national representations and mediations. Here are some of the highlights of interest. Throughout the year I find articles that are interesting and food for thought;
This is the new world. Our world now consists of Zoom invites, Google classrooms and Google meetups, shared documents and shared desktop screens. Our meetings now are often follow-ups to shared documents that might need an explanation, a staff meeting, a department meeting or a grade level meeting. Our concentration is often interrupted by our computers telling us that our connection is too weak, frustrating when someone’s voice cuts out in the middle of their important contribution, we politely say that we didn’t hear their heartfelt ideas. “Can you repeat that please, my connection cut out.” Sometimes, I’m so distracted by my technical difficulties I just let it go and I’m thankful that I can piece together what was said. As teachers, nurses, and SLPs that’s the world of the adults who are working hard to keep our classrooms going. Like cars on a freeway or on our city streets, there is a new order to our meetings, people take turns, there’s more active listening, and it seems like there are fewer people distracted by their phones too. What a strange new world.
I was thankful on Wednesday when we looked at how many teachers had looked at our Tuesday FAQ document. It gave me a feeling of solidarity even in our new bubbles. We appreciated your follow up questions and comments. Next Tuesday, we are going to concentrate on mental health supports for ABCFT members in hopes of helping everyone stay connected during what is being called “the Great Adaptation.” I hope that you will all take a few minutes to fill out the most recent ABCFT Remote Learning Survey so that we can continue to advocate for the supports and clarity you need to move forward.
ABCFT Executive board members are continuing to meet with their PAL administrative counterparts so that we can continue to keep you updated on changes but most of all to provide your teacher voices to the decision making process. Currently, we are working with the Academic Services Department on new guidelines they are crafting to provide more clarity and guidance for teachers for remote teaching and all its many facets. Our preliminary thoughts are that these changes are good for teachers, students, and parents but it is your voices that are helping to craft these new guidelines. Whatever feedback you provide us we use as examples of the reality ABCFT teachers, nurses, special educators and SLPs are facing. For example, we know our special education brothers and sisters are beyond frustrated, we hear you. On Monday, ABCFT’s VP of Special Education, Stefani Palutzke will be sitting down (virtually) with her counterpart the Director of Special Education to discuss some of the most critical challenges facing our teachers and students. The discussions on how our SLPs engage their caseload is also part of this discussion. Rich Saldana met with Carol Castro about secondary changes today and Elementary VP Kelley Forsythe will be meeting with Beth Bray in the next couple days about changes for elementary. Unlike most districts across the nation, your teacher voice is helping to shape a successful strategy on how we implement remote learning so that it reflects reality and the reality of our ABC Community.
On Wednesday, I had my regularly scheduled meeting with Superintendent Dr. Sieu who is working around the clock from both home and the office. She informed me that ABC is providing 3300 meals a day for the students of ABC and that the District has bought an additional 4000 chrome books and 900 hotspots to give our students and their families internet access so that our students can continue to stay engaged. In our discussion about the next coming week, Dr. Sieu was adamant that the District was “going dark” for that entire Spring Break week stating, “everyone needs a break, they need downtime, they deserve it.” I was thankful to hear this come from her mouth because this has not been the case in many of our Orange County school districts who are taking this week off. She also informed me that the administrative Emergency Operation Committee (EOC) has been meeting almost every day for the last three weeks behind the scenes, often engaging LACOE and the latest guidelines from the State.
So, like you, ABCFT is adjusting to this new remote environment. This week we held our first-ever remote Executive Board meeting which was just as serious and fun as it is in person. Next week, ABCFT will hold its first remote Site Representative Council on Thursday and I’m sure it will be serious and as usual, we will have some laughs. After nine years of running Representative Council meetings, I feel like I’m starting something new and I have to admit, I’m nervous and I’m excited. Nevertheless, I’m sure it’s all going to be okay because today I discovered where the “mute all” button was located on my desktop but I promise not to use it too much. Hehe
Hang in there, send us your helpful questions and comments, and take care of you and your families.
This too shall pass…...but not without learning some new tricks along the way.
In Unity,
Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT
CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
Coronavirus: Education headlines
Quick take on the news that matters for educators and staff
The latest CFT articles and news stories can be found here on the PreK12 news feed on the CFT.org website.
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
American Federation of Teachers Endorses Joe Biden for President
WASHINGTON—The American Federation of Teachers’ executive council voted today to endorse former Vice President Joe Biden in the 2020 Democratic primary as the party’s nominee for president in 2020. The union represents 1.7 million educators, healthcare professionals and public employees across more than 3,000 locals.
The announcement comes after an unprecedented year of AFT member engagement around the 2020 election and the endorsement process, with more than 300,000 members nationwide participating in candidate events, town halls, polls, regional conferences and other efforts to maximize member participation leading up to the November election.
The AFT’s endorsement decision has been guided by three criteria: selecting a candidate who shares the union’s values, who has the support of the union’s members, and who can ultimately defeat President Trump in November. Internal union polling over the last two weeks has demonstrated that members, like Democrats across the nation, have coalesced behind the former vice president: he earned a majority (60 percent) of member support in all of the union’s constituencies and leads his nearest competitor by a 2 to 1 margin. 75 percent of the Democratic membership support the AFT making an endorsement in the primary.
“Before the COVID-19 epidemic, the 2020 election was about the soul of our country. Now it’s about our soul, our safety, our health, our security and our economic well-being. Joe Biden is the experienced and empathic leader our country needs right now,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “His character was forged getting up and going to work every day and trying to make life better for his family, facing the ups and downs so many of us face; it was tested by unspeakable loss and grief in life; and it was nurtured through public service, a love of people and the belief in the dignity of every human.”
Weingarten continued: “Biden is with us on investing in public education; making college a reality for everyone; fixing the broken Public Service Loan Forgiveness program; making healthcare a human right, not a privilege for the wealthy; prioritizing clean energy and environmental justice; and building an economy that respects the value of workers’ voices. His whole career has been devoted to building a pathway to the middle class for the millions of people facing an affordability crisis daily. It’s time to give him the chance to do that as president.
“In this moment of worldwide crisis, the contrast with Trump is clear. Our country is navigating the greatest challenge we have battled in generations, and it is essential that we rally around a candidate who can show courage, conviction and compassion in the face of uncertainty.
“Throughout this national emergency, the president and his administration have failed to secure testing and personal protective equipment to safeguard our frontline healthcare providers, have attempted to conceal the severity of the virus and downplay the public health risks, and have refused to deploy the full arsenal of the federal government’s resources, leaving the difficult work of leadership to our nation’s governors. Now more than ever, we need a standard-bearer who is actually looking out for us, and who has a proven track record of steering the country successfully through economic and social upheaval.
“From the beginning, our endorsement process and ultimate decision was guided by three principles: finding a candidate who shares our values, who has a clear path to victory, and who enjoys the support of a clear majority of our members. That time has come, and that candidate is Joe Biden.”
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
Senate Coronavirus Stimulus Bill Provides $30.9 Billion In Education Funding
CQ Roll Call (3/25) reports the $2 trillion stimulus deal passed by senators Wednesday night would “provide billions of dollars more in emergency aid for schools compared to the Republican version circulated earlier this week, while seeking to give student loan borrowers a pause in payments without penalty.” The bill allots $30.9 billion to the Education Department, including an “Education Stabilization Fund,” with specific amounts directed to elementary and secondary schools as well as higher education institutions, according to a Senate Appropriations Committee summary. Key provisions in the bill include suspending “monthly payments on federally-held student loans through September, with no interest accruing during that suspension,” but continuing “to count these months towards requirements for federal loan forgiveness programs.”
The New York Times (3/25, Green) reports the Senate stimulus bill will send around $13 billion to primary and secondary schools, “which had requested at least $75 billion to help keep their systems intact.” It also allocates about “$14 billion to colleges and universities that are hemorrhaging money as they close their campuses and try to stay afloat with distance learning.” While the funding for higher education is “significantly higher than the $6 billion first proposed by Senate Republicans, and is closer to the $15 billion proposed by House Democrats,” education leaders “say that is far short of what they need in the face of an education crisis that is greater than any they have faced in a generation.”
Education Week’s (3/25, Ujifusa) “Politics K-12” blog reports the legislation “also gives U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos new waiver power to grant states and schools flexibility under the main federal K-12 law.”
----- TEACHER STRIKES -----
Some Teachers Remain In Limbo As Districts Work On Distance Learning Plans
Education Week (3/25, Will) reports while “many districts have already kicked off online learning programs” after shuttering schools, “others have hit pause on the school year. Many districts are trying to figure out how to proceed both practically and technically” and some “don’t have the infrastructure set up to do online learning.” Other districts are “trying to figure out how best to serve their students with disabilities” and those who lack access to devices or the Internet. For now, “teachers in those school districts are in limbo.”
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
Federal requirements for standardized testing waived
President Donald Trump has announced that his administration is waiving federal requirements for standardized testing for K-12 students, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement echoes statements from the Department of Education, which detailed the procedure for waiving standardized testing in a news release earlier Friday. Schools affected by closures due to the coronavirus can forgo the typically required standardized testing, the release said. Following a proper request, the department will grant waivers to states impacted. "Students need to be focused on staying healthy and continuing to learn. Teachers need to be able to focus on remote learning and other adaptations," Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said. "Neither students nor teachers need to be focused on high-stakes tests during this difficult time. Students are simply too unlikely to be able to perform their best in this environment."
Schools face losing funding as shutdowns affect special-ed students
As schools around the country shut down to avoid further spreading of COVID-19, special-education services are facing particular challenges. Some students with disabilities and those in other exceptional circumstances are finding it troublesome to access the services provided by schools during closures, with districts risking losing federal aid as parents and disability rights campaigners claim they are violating federal civil rights laws. Meanwhile Kenneth Marcus, assistant secretary for education for civil rights at the Department of Education, stated: "Online learning is a powerful tool for educational institutions as long as it is accessible for everyone… Services, programs and activities online must be accessible to persons, including people with disabilities, unless equally effective alternate access is provided."
Sweeping powers on education law waivers for DeVos
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, introduced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on Thursday would see Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos granted wide-ranging powers to waive the main federal law for public schools as the coronavirus pandemic spreads. "National emergency educational waivers" from the Every Student Succeeds Act, as well as the Higher Education Act and the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act would be affected, while states, districts, Indian tribes, and colleges and universities would be able to submit waiver requests with Secretary DeVos given 15 days to approve or reject these. This follows President Trump’s signing of a coronavirus aid package earlier in the week addressing student nutrition and paid leave for employees during school closures.
AFT endorses Biden as Democratic presidential nominee
The American Federation of Teachers, the nation’s second-largest teachers union, is endorsing Joe Biden as the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nominee, joining the National Education Association in picking the former vice president over rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The AFT said Mr Biden has won nearly 60% of the party’s allocated delegates and proved that he “has the ability to attract voters and build a coalition to win not just the primary but also the general election.” “Our country is navigating the greatest challenge we have battled in generations,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten, “and it is essential that we rally around a candidate who can show courage, conviction and compassion in the face of uncertainty.”
----- STATE NEWS -----
Districts request more state cash to transition to online learning
The two largest school districts in California are asking the state for emergency support for all public schools, in the wake of school closures that are lasting longer than hoped. San Diego and Los Angeles are asking the state for an additional $500 for every child in the state to help pay for the transition to full online learning. “Said simply, our budgets will not balance for the current fiscal year because of the extraordinary costs associated with responding to the global pandemic,” the districts said in a joint letter to state legislators Monday morning. Both districts said they are spending their reserves now to make ends meet. San Diego Board Vice President Richard Barrera district officials are pushing for schools to be included in the federal stimulus package. The package currently says nothing about school funding, but Barrera said he is forecasting huge education budget cuts ahead due to a suffering economy and delays in collecting taxes. “We’re talking about hundreds of billions of dollars schools are going to need just to maintain our current staffing levels when we reopen next year. We need Congress and the president to do something they don’t normally do, which is think ahead,” he said.
Newsom: California schools unlikely to reopen before summer
California public schools are likely to be closed for the remainder of the school year in response to the spread of coronavirus, Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a news conference yesterday in Sacramento. “Don’t anticipate schools are going to open up in a week. Please don’t anticipate in a few weeks,” he stated. “I would plan, and assume, that it’s unlikely that many of these schools - few, if any - will open before the summer break.” Almost 99% of the state’s school districts are now closed, he said, and the state education department is assembling detailed guidelines on how schools can attempt to continue teaching 6.1m students out of their classrooms in the weeks and months ahead. In theory, closing schools for two or three weeks would be one full cycle of incubation, meaning those who have it would no longer be infecting others, said Dr. Robert Siegel, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University. However, he said, there are holes in the system, which may allow the virus to continue circulating in the community, until after schools open again. California's 415 hospitals have been planning for a surge of patients. They have about 88,000 beds and Newsom said health officials are running models to determine needs based on various infection rates and resulting hospitalizations. Under worst-case scenarios, California could be short 20,000 beds, he said.
CalPERS loses $69bn in biggest market losses since Great Recession
The California Public Employees' Retirement System has shrunk by $69bn as coronavirus has squeezed global markets, leaving its fund balance standing at $335bn on Thursday, down from a record high of $404bn a month ago. The California State Teachers' Retirement System likely experienced similar losses, but the system doesn't publicly report its value as often as CalPERS does. Its value stood about $243bn at the end of February. Absent a major market swing upward, the losses will impact local governments, schools, taxpayers and some state and local public workers. A return rate of less than 7.25% will trigger higher payments for the local governments and school districts with pensions administered by CalPERS. For state agencies, the rate is 7%.
----- DISTRICTS -----
Coronavirus closures at L.A. Unified extend to May 1st
Los Angeles public school campuses will be closed until at least May 1 in response to the widening coronavirus pandemic, complying with a recommendation from Debra Duardo, head of the L.A. County Education Office, which provides oversight for local school systems. “I wish I could start by telling you it will all be back to normal sometime soon,” said Los Angeles USD Superintendent Austin Beutner in a video statement Monday morning. “But that is not the case.” Work plans for students through April 3 will be provided to students this week. The Superintendent also set out a $100m plan toward securing a laptop or tablet device for every student and training for teachers and families to better support the estimated 100,000 district students who lack home internet access. Verizon telecommunications agreed to provide free wireless internet access for any LAUSD student without it, Mr Beutner announced. Last week, Spectrum also offered to provide free 60 days of broadband to local K-12 student and college households.
Sacramento teacher dies following coronavirus diagnosis
A substitute teacher who worked at Sutterville Elementary School in Sacramento City USD died Sunday of complications related to coronavirus. The teacher is the second person in Sacramento County to die from the virus. Both were older than 70 and suffered underlying health conditions, according to county health officials. “We join the family, friends, colleagues and students in grieving this tragic loss. This death underscores the seriousness of this current public health emergency,” Schools Supt. Jorge Aguilar said in a statement.
Long Beach to demolish old City Hall, replace with teacher housing
The Long Beach Planning Commission has approved plans to demolish the old Long Beach City Hall and will replace it with two new eight-story buildings that will offer ground-floor restaurant and retail space, along with 580 rental housing units. Around 100 of the housing units will be reserved exclusively for teachers who work for the Long Beach USD, Long Beach City College or Cal State Long Beach. The units reserved for teachers would offer one month free rent, waivers for deposit and application fees, and $200 annual transit credits for up to 10 years, which could be used for a Long Beach Bike Share pass or a Long Beach Transit pass.
----- LEGAL -----
Justice Department Sides With Lawsuit Opposing Treating Transgender Athletes As Girls
The AP (3/25, Eaton-Robb) reports the US Justice Department is “getting involved in a federal civil rights lawsuit that seeks to block transgender athletes in Connecticut from competing as girls in interscholastic sports.” Attorney General William Barr signed a statement of interest Tuesday, “arguing against the policy of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, the board that oversees the state’s high school athletic competitions.” The conference “allows athletes to compete as the gender with which they identify,” and argues “the policy is in accordance with Title IX, the federal law that allows girls equal educational opportunities, including in athletics.” The Justice Department, however, disagrees, saying the CIAC “deprives...women of the single-sex athletic competitions that are one of the marquee accomplishments of Title IX.”
Education Week’s (3/25, Blad) “Politics K-12” blog reports that when Trump Administration “rescinded Obama-era guidance on the treatment of transgender students in 2017,” Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said such decisions are best left “at the state and local level.” At the time, DeVos and then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions “did not release new guidance on whether the sex discrimination protections in Title IX applied to transgender students,” nor did they “advise schools on how to handle transgender students’ names, pronouns, educational records, participation in sex-segregated sports, and access to facilities like restrooms and locker rooms.”
----- SPORTS ----
A new path for high school athletes seeking to be recruited amid coronavirus shutdowns
Torino Johnson, the women’s basketball coach at Cal State Los Angeles and a former head coach at Palisades, is encouraging high school athletes to communicate directly with coaches and recruiters, despite the sports season being halted for coronavirus. “This is the time to be sending videos and resumes,” he said. “No one can actually physically see you. Everything is going to be virtual over the phone. Dominate that set. Those ... who don’t embrace the 21st century approach are going to struggle. If you’re a student athlete who doesn’t have a scholarship or inkling what to do, I would recommend they use their social media and that they be very professional in sending emails. They should be proactive.”
----- HEALTH & WELLBEING -----
School closures stress families as coronavirus halts L.A. service centers
Millions of families in Los Angeles and across the state were forced to adjust Monday to closed schools, childcare hassles, an uneven move to online learning and a strained social safety net. Los Angeles USD has canceled its program to offer childcare, counseling and learning materials at 40 new family resource centers, citing health risks. “At this time, state and local health and public safety officials cannot assure us it will be safe for the children and adults at the family centers for us to provide care for children at these sites,” said Superintendent Austin Beutner in a letter. “We are deeply disappointed.” Instead, 60 “grab-and-go” food centers will be available for school families.
Senators urge FCC to let schools use funds for student internet access
A group of 16 Democratic Senators sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Monday urging it to free up funds for schools to provide internet for students as more classes have to shift online because of coronavirus. The lawmakers are asking for the FCC to determine how much of the E-Rate program, which has a $4 billion yearly cap, can be used for one-time discounts to schools attempting to loan out Wi-Fi hotspots or enable internet access on other devices. “The E-Rate program is, and has been for over two decades, an essential source of funding to connect the nation’s schools and libraries to the internet,” the lawmakers, led by Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA, Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Brian Schatz (D-HI), wrote to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “We believe that the FCC can use its emergency powers to temporarily waive relevant E-rate program rules and allow its beneficiaries to utilize universal service funding to provide home wireless service to existing school devices and hotspots for students who lack internet access at home. This swift, immediate action would help ensure that all students can remotely continue their education during the current public health emergency,” they continued.
----- TECHNOLOGY -----
Are educators prepared for virtual learning?
The New York Times, CNBC and PBS look at how educators have been scrambling to bring classes to the cloud and whether America is fully prepared and ready for virtual learning. The Times notes that low-income families are more likely to rely on smartphones for internet access and children in those households may not be able to use more sophisticated learning software that requires a tablet or computer. Beth Holland, digital equity and rural project director at the Consortium for School Networking, tells PBS of her worries that younger children don’t have the independent learning skills, attention spans or social-emotional maturity to succeed in virtual learning environments for very long.
----- OTHER -----
NTA Life Insurance - An ABCFT Sponsor
About three years ago ABCFT started a working relationship with National Teachers Associates Life Insurance Company. Throughout our partnership, NTA has been supportive of ABCFT activities by sponsorship and prizes for our various events. This organization specializes in providing insurance for educators across the nation. We have been provided both data and member testimonials about how pleased they have been with the NTA products and the opportunity to look at alternatives to the district insurance choice.
