Was Live Friday, Aug 18, 2023 | 11 am PT
Guest Speakers:
- Dr. Shaun Harper, Provost Professor at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education and the USC Marshall School of Business
- Kasey Meehan, Freedom to Read Program Director at PEN America
- Dr. Tuan Nguyen, assistant professor in the College of Education at Kansas State University
- Evelyn G. Aleman, Founder, Our Voice: Communities for Quality Education
Event Overview
K-12 students return to school this month, amid a list of challenges. One of the biggest challenges is teacher shortages: 233,000 teachers left the profession during the Covid-19 pandemic, and have not returned. 41 states say they will be short of teachers — particularly in STEM education — as the school year begins.
Students also face gaps in learning, exacerbated by the pandemic. Children lost about 1/3 of the learning they would have received during the normal year, resulting in much lower-test scores, especially in low-income districts.
Finally, students face an increasingly polarized environment, as parents and politicians attempt to reshape curriculum and school libraries. Our speakers this week will discuss these challenges, among others.