Week of 1-25-2021

Inside this issue

• Tell Congress why we need to waive standardized test requirements
• Student PSEA members read children’s books aloud via YouTube
• Biden’s America Rescue Plan proposes $170 billion for schools
• Dr. Fauci joins NEA and AFT for vaccine discussion
• PSEA’s Center for Professional Learning schedule
• Member Benefits spotlight: Get exclusive NEA member prices on GE appliances

Tell Congress why we need to waive standardized test requirements

Pennsylvania’s students and educators are facing enough challenges right now, and this is no time to force students to take standardized tests. That’s why it is so important to encourage members of Congress to tell the U.S. Department of Education to waive federally required standardized tests for Pennsylvania’s students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contact your U.S. senators and representative today and tell them how important it is for the U.S. Department of Education to waive federally required standardized tests.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Meeting the challenges of teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic is hard enough without forcing students to take standardized tests.
• Right now, it is extremely difficult to administer standardized tests in a way that is safe, equitable, and fair for every student.
• Pennsylvania needs the flexibility to do what is right for our students this year through a federal assessment waiver.
• The U.S. Department of Education has the authority to waive federally required standardized tests during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contact your U.S. senators and representative today and tell them how important it is for the U.S. Department of Education to waive federally required standardized tests.

On a bright note: Student PSEA members read children’s books aloud via YouTube

With the pandemic keeping many bookstores and libraries shuttered across the state, education students at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg took to YouTube this fall to read picture books aloud for children suffering reading withdrawal.

Early Childhood Education student Maura Carr teamed up with Student PSEA advisor and Director of Education at Greensburg Melissa J. Marks to secure a $500 grant for books that they purchased from local bookstore Sparks Books. The grant was called “We Can See Ourselves in Others,” and each of the books has a multicultural theme.

“The books are not about being Black or being female or whatever. They're just stories about kids, but they have diverse characters,” Marks said.  “A lot of kids who are a lot less privileged, libraries are closed during COVID and little kids don't go online and say, ‘I want that book.’ They go to the little kids section and they find a book that looks pretty or looks interesting or the kid looks like them. The library's closed. Poor kids are not getting books. Bookmobile is closed. Head Start is closed. They have Head Start online, but they're not getting read to. We know in early childhood education that one of the most important factors is being talked to and being read to.”

With the help of the university IT department and another Student PSEA member, Kayla Fencil, the UPG SPSEA YouTube channel was born. It currently hosts 16 titles read aloud by Student PSEA members, but Marks said her goal is to get up to at least 100 books.

Biden’s America Rescue Plan proposes $170 billion for schools

The Biden Administration is pushing for congressional support on the president’s aggressive plan to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The America Rescue Plan includes $170 billion for K-12 and higher education so that schools have the resources to meet students’ needs and safely reopen for in-person instruction.

Here’s what the plan means for education.

• Provide $130 billion to help schools safely reopen and meet students’ academic, mental health, and social and emotional needs. These funds can be used to reduce class sizes and improve social distancing; improve ventilation; hire more janitors and implement mitigation measures; provide personal protective equipment; ensure every school has access to a nurse; hire counselors; and provide summer school or other supports for students to make up lost learning time.

• Reserve a portion of this funding for a COVID-19 Educational Equity Challenge Grant to advance equity- and evidence-based policies and give all students the support they need to succeed.

• Provide $35 billion to expand the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund to ensure colleges have resources to implement public health protocols, execute distance-learning plans, and provide up to $1,700 in per-student financial assistance.

• Provide $5 billion for a Hardest Hit Education Fund for governors to use to support the learning needs of students significantly impacted by COVID-19 in K-12, higher education, or early childhood education programs.

Dr. Fauci joins NEA and AFT for vaccine discussion

On Thursday Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical advisor, joined NEA President Becky Pringle and AFT President Randi Weingarten for a virtual “fireside chat” where he answered members’ questions about the COVID-19 vaccine.

In case you missed it, you can watch the full half-hour discussion at the link below.

PSEA’s Center for Professional Learning schedule

Here’s what’s coming up at PSEA’s Center for Professional Learning, your one-stop shop for earning easy Act 48/Chapter 14 credits:

Webinars

• Digital Reading Strategies
  • Feb. 2, 6-7:30 p.m.
• Building Relationships at a Distance
  • Feb. 9, 6-7:30 p.m.
• Get organized with a Virtual Classroom!
  • Feb. 16, 6-7:30 p.m.
• Using HyperDocs for Online Learning
  • Feb. 23, 6-7:30 p.m.
• Schoology in Practice: The Essentials for Intermediate users
  • March 2, 6-7:30 p.m.

Book Discussions

• Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You - Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds
  • Feb. 10, 5-6 p.m.
• Book 1 - John Lewis & Andrew Aydin
  • March 10, 5-6 p.m.
• Refugee - Alan Gratz
  • April 7, 5-6 p.m.
• Out of My Mind - Sharon Draper
  • May 5, 5-6 p.m.
• New Kid - Jerry Craft
  • May 19, 5-6 p.m.

Wellness Sessions

• Mindfulness for Members 2021-III – This session includes mindful practices for experiencing love.
  • Feb. 8, 5-6 p.m.
• Mindfulness for Members 2021-IV – This session includes mindful practices for feeling connected to others.
  • Feb. 22, 5-6 p.m.
• Mindfulness for Members 2021-V – This session includes mindful practices for experiencing joy.
  • March 8, 5-6 p.m.
• Mindfulness for Members 2021-VI – This session includes mindful practices for experiencing calm in the chaos.
  • March 22, 5-6 p.m.
• Mindfulness for Members 2021-VII – This session includes mindful practices for preventing burnout.
  • April 12, 5-6 p.m.
• Mindfulness for Members 2021-VIII – This session includes mindful practices for experiencing gratitude.
  • April 26, 5-6 p.m.
• Mindfulness for Members 2021-IX – This session includes mindful practices for healthy minds.
  • May 10, 5-6 p.m.
• Mindfulness for Members 2021-X – This session includes mindful practices developing awareness.
  • May 24, 5-6 p.m.
• Mindfulness for Members 2021-XI – This session includes mindful practices for experiencing calm, joy, gratitude, self-compassion, and resilience.
  • June 7, 5-6 p.m.

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