Florida should resolve to make bold, effective education moves in this new year | Opinion

As everyone held their breath during the final countdown of a turbulent and disorienting 2020, we knew things would not be magically different at the stroke of midnight. Merely turning the calendar page to 2021 would not be a panacea. However, a holistic focus on public education is always part of the remedy for any societal challenge..

Education has been one of the main themes, as we’ve maneuvered through the uncertainties of living and working during a pandemic. We have seen successes and failures, but mostly well intentioned efforts that focused on keeping our children and community safe. Our vocabulary also now includes terms such as isolation, social-distancing and virtual-learning, which have alarmed educators as we evaluate the realities of what a “COVID-slide” means for academic regression.

Here are the top three educational resolutions we can lean into as we remain vigilant, optimistic and enthusiastic for a prosperous 2021.

1. Hold lawmakers accountable. We need leaders in state government to put their money where their mouths are. If we truly want to return to normalcy, then we must respect the important role that schools play in a fully functional society. That means we need complete funding -- funding that provides for PPE and small class sizes (without loopholes lawmakers have invented. We need to pause punitive testing that acknowledges a lack of equity. Gov. DeSantis failed children and teachers by threatening to defund public schools if they didn’t reopen while failing to prioritize education professionals in getting vaccinated despite the CDC recommending otherwise. Those two things can’t be reconciled.

2. Support teachers. Educators and support personnel are worried about their students’ safety, as well as their own. They also are worried about the learning gains that students are achieving. Current data is skewed and shows two extreme sides of the story. Some of our students are soaring and truly succeeding under the virtual model. Experts suggest these students likely have an adult at home who is supervising their progress, making sure that they are connecting to their teachers. We also know that there are students, largely minority students from low-income households, who do not have the basic connectivity infrastructure or adult support they need. Standard goals, pedagogical techniques and normal benchmarks need to be reworked and modified. But we need to get the pandemic under control. Only then will we be able to determine the academic challenges and corrective measures required.

3. Be a better parent. Yes, I said that, and I’m including myself. We all can give more attention to our children and provide them with the guidance and support they need from us. Dedicate some time to sitting with your kids to read, check homework, prepare for an assignment or just touch base with them. If you haven’t created this habit before, you can do it incrementally. Start with 10-minute intervals and work your way up to the time that is necessary to be effective for your child.

It is time to think outside the box and prioritize innovation. We must rethink how we approach education and be ready to lead the way. United Teachers of Dade is committed to innovative ideas, such as year-round schooling to support vulnerable students or a hybrid model for those who are excelling in this new virtual world. We should also return to the good old days when summer school was always offered and reset school start times to reflect modern society, because kids need an adequate amount of sleep to function at a high capacity.

United Teachers of Dade is committed to ensuring every student in our community succeeds. Our education professionals are willing and able to get the job done.

Are you?

Karla Hernandez-Mats is the president of the United Teachers of Dade.