New York State Teachers United have released a report detailing 20 policy recommendations for federal, state and local lawmakers it says would support public schools and help them deal with their challenges.
Among them are:
- Expanding academic support, increasing physical and mental health services and free school meals for all students.
- Expanding universal pre-K, reducing class sizes and having social workers and counselors available at every school.
- Repealing the state’s school receivership law, and implementing developmentally appropriate assessments and alternatives to standardized testing that accurately measure student learning, instead of penalizing children and schools based on flawed exams.
The recommendations are the work of NYSUT’s Future Forward Task Force.
“Educators have been there for their students and communities throughout the pandemic, just as they always were,” NYSUT President Andy Pallotta said. “But when children face poverty, when they need help processing trauma, when they don’t have the right tools to further their education, they don’t come to school ready to learn in the first place. What educators are asking for are the federal, state and local supports that every student deserves. Because when students thrive, we all thrive.”
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.
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