Every November, it is a time to redouble efforts to educate. It is when the National Education Association (NEA) celebrates American Education Week, a collective awareness about the vital needs for every child. This is the 90th annual celebration and the occasion provides an opportunity for leaders around the nation to do more.
Fortunately, the NEA provides a collective call for educators, parents, and community leaders to celebrate and do more. With a tagline “Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility,” it is imperative for those advocating for our youth.
For decades, literacy rates have continued to decline. In front of our eyes, we witness school cumulative test scores fall, public school funding decline, and school administrators lose consistent support. Our students are slipping through the cracks!
This might not seem like a crisis because our youth continue to function on a daily basis. Unfortunately, our young people refrain from reading and opt consistently instead for playing electronic games. Sometimes students are not challenged in the classroom. In the same way, teachers must do more with less. Administrators make tough decisions cutting essential programs and allocating scarce resources.
As leaders in our communities, our homes, and schools, we must act now. If we do not swiftly address these challenges, then our communities will continue to be plagued with poverty, ignorance, and illiteracy.
Each of us can take a moment to participate in the NEA commitment this month. Celebrating our educators and their diligence is one way to sound the alarm. Encouraging our parents and community leaders to ensure that they learn about the day-to-day life for students and teachers will help too.
When we take the lead to bridge our contrary perspectives as teachers, parents, administrators, and community allies, then we can do more to uplift the next generation.
-Dawn McCoy, author of Leadership Building Blocks: An Insider’s Guide to Success
