SUPPORTING STUDENTS AND SCHOOLS: PROMISING PRACTICES TO GET BACK ON TRACK
Summary
Senate Hearing 117-401 records the June 22, 2022 hearing of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on the pandemic's impact on student learning and practices to get students back on track, with Chair Patty Murray presiding; the Chair thanked Dr. Goldhaber, Commissioner Russell-Tucker, Mr. Russell and Ms. Wall, a parent from Cary, NC. Murray said data show kids are months or even years behind and that she fought to invest $122 billion for schools in the American Rescue Plan, and she urged additional COVID funding before the fall. Senator Bill Cassidy called the learning loss a direct result of school closures and said $190 billion is going to K through 12 education but only 23 percent has been drawn down.
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“SUPPORTING STUDENTS AND SCHOOLS: PROMISING PRACTICES TO GET BACK ON TRACK.”
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[Senate Hearing 117-401]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 117-401
SUPPORTING STUDENTS AND SCHOOLS:
PROMISING PRACTICES
TO GET BACK ON TRACK
=======================================================================
HEARING
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION,
LABOR, AND PENSIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
ON
EXAMINING SUPPORTING STUDENTS AND SCHOOLS, FOCUSING ON
PROMISING PRACTICES TO GET BACK ON TRACK
__________
JUNE 22, 2022
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
48-913 PDF WASHINGTON : 2023
COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, AND PENSIONS
PATTY MURRAY, Washington, Chair
BERNIE SANDERS (I), Vermont RICHARD BURR, North Carolina,
ROBERT P. CASEY, JR., Pennsylvania Ranking Member
TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin RAND PAUL, M.D., Kentucky
CHRISTOPHER S. MURPHY, Connecticut SUSAN M. COLLINS, Maine
TIM KAINE, Virginia BILL CASSIDY, M.D., Louisiana
MAGGIE HASSAN, New Hampshire LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska
TINA SMITH, Minnesota MIKE BRAUN, Indiana
JACKY ROSEN, Nevada ROGER MARSHALL, M.D., Kansas
BEN RAY LUJAN, New Mexico TIM SCOTT, South Carolina
JOHN HICKENLOOPER, Colorado MITT ROMNEY, Utah
TOMMY TUBERVILLE, Alabama
JERRY MORAN, Kansas
Evan T. Schatz, Staff Director
David P. Cleary, Republican Staff Director
John Righter, Deputy Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
----------
STATEMENTS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2022
Page
Committee Members
Murray, Hon. Patty, Chair, Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions, Opening statement................................ 1
Cassidy, Hon. Bill, a U.S. Senator from the State of Louisiana,
Opening statement.............................................. 4
Witnesses
Goldhaber, Dan, Director, CALDER (National Center for Analysis of
Longitudinal Data in Education Research at American Institutes
for Research), Director, CEDR (Center for Education Data and
Research at University of Washington), Seattle, WA............. 8
Prepared statement........................................... 10
Summary statement............................................ 16
Russell-Tucker, Charlene M., Commissioner, Connecticut State
Department of Education, Hartford, CT.......................... 17
Prepared statement........................................... 19
Summary statement............................................ 26
Russell, Kurt, 2022 National Teacher of the Year and High School
History Teacher, Oberlin High School, Oberlin, OH.............. 28
Prepared statement........................................... 29
Summary statement............................................ 32
Wall, Erin, Parent, Cary, NC..................................... 33
Prepared statement........................................... 35
Summary statement............................................ 36
SUPPORTING STUDENTS AND SCHOOLS:
PROMISING PRACTICES
TO GET BACK ON TRACK
----------
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:02 a.m., in
room G50, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Patty Murray,
Chair of the Committee, presiding.
Present: Senators Murray [presiding], Casey, Murphy, Kaine,
Hassan, Smith, Rosen, Cassidy, Braun, Marshall, Scott, and
Tuberville.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR MURRAY
The Chair. Good morning. The Senate Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions Committee will please come to order. Today
we are having a hearing on the impact of the pandemic on
student learning and how schools are helping students get back
on track. I will have an opening statement followed by Senator
Cassidy, and then we will introduce our witnesses.
After the witnesses give their testimony, Senators will
each have 5 minutes for a round of questions. One of our
witnesses is joining us by video and I want to thank our
Committee staff for making that possible. And while we are
unable to have the hearing fully open to the public or media
for in-person attendance, live video is available on our
Committee website at help.senate.gov.
The livestream will include closed captioning. If you are
in need of other accommodations, please reach out to the
Committee or the Office of Congressional Accessibility
Services. When COVID-19 upended daily life, the disruption for
schools, and families, and our students was especially severe.
I mean, seriously, put yourself in the shoes of any kid from
Washington State to Louisiana. These kids lost valuable time in
the classroom with their friends and teachers.
They had to confide in a counselor or teacher over Zoom or
a phone. And after school activities like sports are banned,
got cut totally short. And some kids as we now face the earth
shattering loss of a loved one. I hope we can all agree we need
to do everything we can to bring stability to our kids' lives,
which means keeping our communities safe and preparing better
for the fall so our kids can learn safely and grow.
Now, I have been talking to parents and educators and
students back in Washington State about what they are going
through. And every single conversation drives home how critical
it is that we provide the support kids need to recover from the
many ways this pandemic affected them. I think it is important
to recognize how this pandemic has really made things harder
for a lot of kids, particularly students of color, and students
from families with low incomes who often lack access to
resources.
These students have faced decades of inequitable resources
at the schools they attend, undermining these schools' ability
to hire experienced teachers and provide advanced coursework
options for their students. Kids living in rural communities
have struggled, and I believe very strongly that children in
the rural Yakima Valley deserve the exact same opportunities as
kids in Seattle.
I also want to note today is the anniversary of the
landmark Olmstead decision, which affirmed people with
disabilities have the right to an integrated life in their
communities, at home, at work, and at school.
We have to keep working to make the promises of Olmstead a
reality for everyone. And to me, that means considering and
meeting the needs of students with disabilities in our
policymaking. Now, while we are still learning the full extent
of how COVID has impacted our kids' learning, we know enough to
know this needs to be a top priority for all of us.
Data shows that kids are months or even years behind where
they would be in a typical year. And a deepening educational
divide between majority white schools and majority black
schools, between wealthier school districts and higher poverty
districts. The results of this year's statewide exams made
abundantly clear what other data is showing as well.
Our students across every demographic have been affected by
this pandemic, and we need to do everything we can to help
these students recover. This is something that I have been
focused on since the earliest days of this crisis.
It is why I was glad we were able to work across the aisle
at the start of this pandemic to make sure our early bipartisan
relief packages got schools the resources they needed to help
keep students connected during remote learning and reopen for
in-person learning as soon as public health officials deemed it
safe.
Given the scope of this crisis, I also fought hard to
invest $122 billion for schools in the American Rescue Plan,
which Democrats passed, by the way, without a single Republican
vote. Because recovering from this pandemic and ensuring kids
get the resources they need won't just take days. It is going
to take months and years. And we cannot shortchange our public
schools, our parents, or our kids.
That funding we passed, both in our bipartisan work and
through the Democrats' American Rescue Plan, has been critical
for getting us to where we are today, to getting the vast
majority of schools safely back open for in-person learning, to
getting schools additional tests and mass and better
ventilation, to supporting mental health and counseling
services for our students, to provide students with summer
learning, tutoring, and other opportunities to address the
impacts of this pandemic.
That last part is critical. I worked with Members on this
Committee to ensure that the American Rescue Plan included
specific resources to address learning loss. Because it was so
clear to me from talking with just about any parent or teacher
from Washington State that getting our kids learning back on
track was not going to be like flipping on a switch.
These are resources that were badly needed and are being
put to good use in all kinds of ways, like school districts
providing additional tutoring and addressing the social and
emotional needs of students. But let's be clear, our work is
far from over.
What happens next in this pandemic is not a given,
especially amid the threat of a fall surge and new variants. We
have fought to protect the hard fought progress we have made,
including schools--keeping schools safely open for in-person
learning. That means passing additional COVID funding so our
communities and schools can prepare now to keep students and
families safe from whatever this pandemic throws at us next.
These are resources we desperately need. I encourage my
colleagues to work with us to make sure schools safely stay
open for in-person learning this fall. We need to work together
to give our communities more than just empty words. We need to
get this COVID funding done immediately because our schools and
our communities cannot afford to wait until there is a new
variant or a new surge.
Schools and educators need action from Congress now and
support and expertise from the Administration so they can plan
ahead for the fall to keep our students safely in the classroom
because our kids cannot afford to deal with another major
setback in their schooling, especially after the hardships of
the past few years, the learning loss that has set so many
students months and years behind through no fault of their own,
the trauma and mental health challenges our kids are facing,
the burnout that is causing so many educators to think about
leaving a field they love, and the stress on parents' shoulders
as they try to get their kids the support they need.
Democrats are working to deliver real solutions for
students, schools, parents, and educators on these issues. I
want parents to know this. I am in your corner, fighting for
you and your kids. I got my start in politics as a parent
advocate. I organized moms and dads across my state to save a
preschool program. I served on my local school board.
I know how valuable it is to have parents involved, and I
want to make sure every child in this country can get an
excellent public education that prepares them to succeed in
life. And every parent can have their voice heard and be
involved in their kids school. Our schools are better off that
way. That is why I fought to pass the American Rescue Plan, to
deliver the resources our students, educators, and public
schools need.
Let's be clear, these resources are helping schools in
every single state because kids in every state have affected by
this pandemic. That is why I am focused on working to support
families and lower costs and deliver good paying jobs. We are
focused on the economy and tackling inflation, so parents
actually have the time to ask their kids about school or to
help with their homework and to stay involved.
I am glad we are working in a bipartisan way to make
progress on so many challenges families are facing right now.
Earlier this month, we passed bipartisan legislation on this
Committee to lower drug prices, address the formula shortage,
and strengthen families' emergency and retirement savings. And
we are in the process right now of passing meaningful,
bipartisan steps to save lives and keep kids and families safe
from gun violence.
I want to thank Senator Murphy, who is here today, in
particular for his hard work and leadership on this. Now, this
package is, of course, not everything I believe we need to do
to end gun violence, not by a mile, but the most extreme option
on the table is doing nothing at all. This package will close
the boyfriend loophole at the Federal level.
An important step we can take to protect people, especially
women, from abusive partners. And it is investments in access
to mental health will help stem the mental health crisis our
Country is experiencing. Let me be clear, we have to treat
America's gun violence crisis as a gun problem, not a mental
health problem. We need, I believe, universal background
checks, a ban on assault weapons, and more investment in
community violence intervention programs.
With that in mind, I am continuing to work with Senator
Burr to negotiate a bipartisan mental health package, as well
as to address the stress, depression, anxiety, suicide, and so
many other mental health challenges this pandemic has made so
much worse. And there is more we need to do and so many other
challenges that our families and students are facing.
But today, I look forward to hearing from all of our
witnesses about how we can tackle one of the biggest, the
learning loss caused by this pandemic. And with that, I will
turn it over to Senator Cassidy for his opening remarks.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR CASSIDY
Senator Cassidy. Good morning, and thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you for scheduling this meeting. And we are here to talk
about our students and the enormous, unprecedented learning
loss crisis, which is a direct result of school closures. I
feel as if I have a kind of personal connection with this.
My wife is the chair of a board for a public charter school
addressing the needs of those with dyslexia. At the outset of
the pandemic, she sent them all home with computers in which
they could monitor what they were doing online, and if they
didn't have internet at home, a Wi-Fi device by which they
could monitor.
But they had the--the school had the ability to check on
which kids were using which programs. And they found that those
children who are at the highest academic risk, their children
from the lowest socioeconomic background, never opened their
computer.
Makes sense, mom may have been at work, single family,
without supervision, and the child was not able to go online.
This idea that we were going to make things up by doing
things remotely turned out to be totally, tragically false. I
thank my witnesses for coming to talk about this issue. Keeping
schools closed flew in the face of logic, reasoning, science, I
say that as a doctor, and evidence. And now children are facing
the consequences of bad decisions made by adults with enormous
consequences.
Knowing that now it may take years to overcome the
downwardly adjusted trajectory for some of the students further
left behind. Now, by the way, money is not the issue. $190
billion is going through the door to support K through 12
education, but only 23 percent has been drawn down. So that is
troublesome.
Even with the massive influx of cash, we still, still
witnessed massive, widespread school closures months into the
pandemic, even after medical professionals said it was safe to
go back. Also, despite a Federal vaccination distribution plan
that prioritized teachers and other school employees.
But even as more teachers became vaccinated, the goalpost
for reopening schools was constantly moved back. Just this year
in January in Chicago, teachers unions shut down schools for a
week for refusing to return to in-person learning. And while
the adults bickered, the students fell further behind. They
struggled emotionally and mentally, which also affected their
grades.
While the evidence was clear that it was, in fact safe to
return to the classroom, teachers unions forced shutdowns to
continue, and in many cases, this was enabled by politicians.
We know that it was safe to reopen because others in the United
States did reopen and it was indeed safe.
Childcare facilities and private schools were able to
safely remain open even during the height of the pandemic, when
the interest of the student was truly put first, rather than
the interest of a union or a politician to pander to the union.
A way to reopen was found and the students got the
education and support they needed. As a result of remote
learning and shuttered schools, we find ourselves in this
current predicament. Scholarly research proves just how
detrimental virtual schooling was for students.
Keeping schools closed was detrimental for all, but
especially for students from the disadvantaged background.
While students in high income schools who had access to
resources fell behind academically during remote instruction,
their peers at lower income schools struggled even more.
English learners, minority students, students with
disabilities, and at least in the experience of the school my
wife is involved with, dyslexic students face the brunt of
this. Now, we already have problems with achievement gaps.
Imagine a kindergarten student who has dyslexia and has yet to
be diagnosed or given specific instructions during this time.
The student would surely fall further behind, and the
damage done could last for years. The student would have
trouble learning to read, which would then make it harder for
the student to read, to learn in the future. Now, these
achievement gaps have been exacerbated to an even greater
degree.
Remote instruction is for students and parents and families
into a crisis which we know could have been avoided. One study
out of Sweden, where most primary schools remained open during
the duration of the pandemic, showed no general learning loss
accrued. Now I want to make it clear that Sweden's decision was
not at the expense of teachers' and students' health.
Severe cases of COVID-19 students was very low, despite the
decision to keep schools open. GAO, the Government Accounting
Office, a nonpartisan entity, found that 85 percent of teachers
reported that any form of live instruction, whether fully or
partially in-person, was beneficial to their students.
Equally as telling, GAO found that 61 percent of all U.S.
teachers had more students experiencing emotional distress than
normal during the pandemic. And that's just for the students
who remain enrolled. Remote instruction also has led to
decreased enrollment across the Nation.
For instance, most remote districts have lost 8.1 percent
of their kindergarten students. I will also note that private,
parochial, and charter schools were, if allowed, much more
likely to remain open. And indeed their attendance increased.
Giving parents the power to choose the school that is best for
their child was powerfully good for the child. There is a long
road ahead. Keeping schools closed has led us directly to this
crisis.
On top of the learning loss amassed, students have
struggled and are struggling with emotional health. It is clear
that the decisions made by adults have inflicted tragedy upon
an entire cohort of students.
Current students will feel the effects and consequences
potentially years down the line if we do not work together to
turn the tide now. For each student, for each year, students
are behind academically, learning loss compounds and the issue
bleeds into subsequent years, with the next year being worse
than the last. We owe students more.
They deserve better from the adults who made decisions
daily about their lives and future livelihoods. I thank you
again, witnesses, for testifying today. Their insight is
valuable as we reflect on what could have been done better and
how we move forward to best serve our Nation's students, and
their families, and our collective future. I look forward to
your testimony, and once more, thank the Chair.
The Chair. Thank you. We will now introduce today's
witnesses. Our first witness is Dr. Dan Goldhaber. He is the
Director of the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal
Data in Education Research at the American Institute for
Research. He is also the Director for Education Data and
Research at the University of Washington.
Dr. Goldhaber's work focuses on the policies and practices
that impact student learning in K-12 schools, like the many
different issues that affect our teachers, including recruiting
new teachers to the profession and supporting teachers in the
classroom to be as successful as possible, and the connections
between students K-12 experiences and their experiences and
success after graduation.
Thank you so much for joining us remotely for this hearing,
Dr. Goldhaber. Appreciate you doing that. I am always happy to
have folks from Washington State bring their voices to the
Nation's capital, so great to have you here today. I will turn
it over to Senator Murphy to introduce our next witness.
Senator Murphy. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Looking
forward to this hearing and welcome all of our panelists. I am
here to introduce our State Education Commissioner from
Connecticut, my friend Charlene Russell-Tucker. She took over
as our state's Education Commissioner when Miguel Cardona was
selected by President Biden to serve as our Education
Secretary.
I will tell you that part of the reason that President
Biden selected Secretary Cardona is because Connecticut was
able to open our schools faster than many other states, and we
did it in a safe way that put our kids in a position to avoid
unnecessary learning loss.
During that period of time, it was Commissioner Russell-
Tucker, then Deputy Commissioner, who was Secretary Cardona's
right hand in making sure that we got our kids and our teachers
back in the classroom as fast as possible. She has worked in
education policy her entire career.
She has had a specialty in child nutrition. She was
President of the Connecticut Academy for Nutrition and
Dietetics for a period of time. I will just add that she is
someone who understands the needs of the whole child. How a
children's nutrition, how a children's social emotional growth
is so key to success in school.
When this Committee and you, Madam Chair, led the effort to
make sure that our Rescue Plan included funds for summer
programing and summer learning, it was Commissioner Russell-
Tucker who led Connecticut's sort of model setting effort to
get those funds out the door and give access to thousands of
low income kids to summer programing, summer camps, and summer
learning.
That Connecticut program, I think, has become, as I said, a
model many other states are following. I am grateful for her
leadership and to hear from her today. Thank you, Madam Chair.
The Chair. Thank you. Our next witness is Kurt Russell. He
is a high school history teacher at Oberlin High School in
Ohio. He is an advisor for his school's student led black
student union and the head coach for the school's varsity
basketball team. He is a 25 year veteran of the classroom and
the 2022 National Teacher of the Year. Congratulations on that
honor, Mr. Russell.
I am really glad you could join us today to provide a
teacher's perspective on the challenges our kids are facing
right now. And thank you as well for all you do for your
students, and for sharing your time and expertise with us
today. Our final witness is Erin Wall. Ms. Wall is a mother
from Cary,North Carolina, with three young children.
Now, no two families who faced the same challenges during
this pandemic. But it is pretty clear to me that every family
is struggling and that we need to make sure we are listening to
parents and making sure they have a seat at the table when it
comes to figuring out how we can support their kids.
Ms. Wall, I am really glad you could join us today to share
your family's experience. We look forward to hearing from you
as well. With that, we will begin the testimony. Dr. Goldhaber,
we will begin with you.
STATEMENT OF DAN GOLDHABER, DIRECTOR, CALDER [NATIONAL CENTER
FOR ANALYSIS OF LONGITUDINAL DATA IN EDUCATION RESEARCH AT
AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH], DIRECTOR, CEDR [CENTER FOR
EDUCATION DATA AND RESEARCH AT UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON],
SEATTLE, WA
Mr. Goldhaber. Thank you. Chair Murray, and Senator
Cassidy, Members of the Committee, good morning and thank you
for the opportunity to speak with you today. As Senator Murray
mentioned, my name is Dan Goldhaber and I direct research
centers at the American Institute for Research and the
University of Washington. But just to be clear of the opinions
that I am going to offer here today are not necessarily
reflective of either organization.
The views I will express, however, are informed by work I
have been doing over the past year with colleagues in a
consortium of school districts. This work is designed to better
understand the pandemic's impacts on student learning and the
efficacy of school district recovery efforts.
Some of what I am going to talk about was actually very
well said in the introductory remarks. But let me just say two
things. First, COVID had a devastating impact on student
learning. It is really hard to overstate the magnitude of what
we and other researchers have documented.
Our analysis of millions of student test scores from last
fall found that students were, on average, about 3 months
behind what they would have been expected to achieve in math
and about 2 months behind in reading. I don't know if these
numbers sound big or small but based on the connection between
test and future earnings, we estimate that this could result in
upwards of $2 trillion in lost future earnings if students
don't recover.
Historically, disadvantaged students are considerably
further behind. So the pandemic exacerbated existing lines of
inequity in student outcomes. But second, while COVID was on
average quite bad, it is clearly it did not have the same
impact everywhere.
I am sure this comes as no surprise, in fact, it is clear
from the introductory remarks that it comes as no surprise, but
remote learning was generally very bad for student achievement.
So places that were remote longer tended to be further behind.
For instance, high poverty schools that stayed largely
remote in the school year 2021, were behind expectations by
about 5.5 months in math versus 2 months for those that were
in-person for most of 2021.
Math generally, math achievement was generally worse than
reading achievement. But there are some districts that we are
working with where we see that reading losses were actually
larger than math losses. I think the message here is that
districts need to carefully assess the status of their students
and not assume that the national trends are necessarily
reflective of local student needs.
In the districts that we are working with, we are seeing
lots of smart academic recovery investments, high dosage
tutoring, various ways of extending, learning time, etcetera.
We don't yet to know the efficacy of these investments as part
of the work that we are doing, but I want to offer five things
that I think we should be doing to help ensure academic
recovery.
One, and honestly, this seems a little silly to say, but we
need to make sure to keep schools open. While schools were
almost all in-person this past school year, some school systems
were periodically closed due to a combination of COVID
outbreaks and tight labor market. I think to help prevent this,
there are two things that can be done.
One, states need to streamline the bureaucracy associated
with getting and keeping a substitute teaching credential to
make sure that there are enough substitutes. And two, I would
urge districts to have plans to reallocate staff so that not
all schools close in a district when there are labor shortages.
I also think it is important for districts to protect the
schools that are educating the most vulnerable students, too. I
think it's important to make sure that district responses to
the COVID pandemic add up and that we monitor progress over
time. Research can help here by providing estimates of the
effects of various interventions like tutoring in summer
school.
But states or the Federal Government could take this to the
next level with a COVID academic recovery calculator that
basically puts together the estimated effects of interventions
with the number of students that are receiving them and shows
the degree to which this all adds up to changes in student
learning at the district level.
I would encourage the Federal Government to require
districts to not just submit their ESSER plans, but also make
clear that the anticipated effects of their interventions add
up to a plausible recovery, and to report out at the end of
each year whether students are in fact on a trajectory toward
full academic recovery.
Three, districts are spending a good deal of their ESSER
funds on teachers and other personnel, and that makes sense.
But I am worried that some of that across the board raises or
generic retention incentives that we see are solutions to
staffing challenges that are kind of a mile wide and just an
inch deep and thus not sending really strong signals to the
teacher labor market about where there is acute need.
I would urge districts to tailor financial incentives to
schools and subjects that are especially hard to staff. Four, I
think we need to improve remote learning and--it was bad for my
kids too, so I get it firsthand. But it is easy to dismiss
remote learning as a failed experiment that we ought to
abandon.
But we need to help find ways for kids that are out for
sickness in the future and more generally, to allow instruction
for kids that are maybe out because of snow days and to reach
kids with specialized subjects, even in cases where there are
only a few kids in a particular district who might be ready or
want to take those subjects.
I sort of see digital instruction as part of our future. I
also think that the skill set that is necessary for digital
instruction is likely to be different than the skill set for
teaching in-person, so that it is important that we have some
innovation about how we prepare, train, and support teachers
for this kind of digital instruction.
Last, I think that we need a sense of urgency, and I
frankly fear that a sense of urgency has not fully permeated
throughout schools and communities. I urge leaders to make it
clear that academic recovery from the pandemic will in some
places be a long run project. And that we describe to the
community more generally in language that they get the
situation.
For instance, describe learning in weeks or months of
learning rather than in standard deviation or scale scores.
Clear communication is important because we shouldn't view
pandemic recovery as being solely taking place in the
schoolhouse. Parents need to know what is at stake for their
kids, so they know what to do--they know to do their part in
the home, including in some cases, getting kids off to summer
school.
More broadly, having a clear sense of the stakes involved
is important because some of the interventions that school
systems may need, like extending the school year, tend to be
not so popular.
Knowing the urgency of the situation, provide tools to
stakeholders to advocate for sometimes politically challenging
interventions. Thank you. And again, I appreciate the
opportunity to talk with you today, and I look forward to your
questions.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Goldhaber follows:]
prepared statement of dan goldhaber
Chair Murray, Ranking Member Burr, Members of the Committee, thank
you for inviting me to testify today. My name is Dan Goldhaber. I am
the director of the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data
in Education Research (CALDER) at the American Institutes for Research.
I also direct the Center for Education Data and Research at the
University of Washington. For the past 25 years, I have been studying
schools and how they affect student learning. I also study how schools
affect student outcomes later in life, including college attendance and
labor market participation. Much of my work focuses on the impact that
teachers have on student outcomes and the public policies that
influence the composition, distribution, and quality of the teacher
workforce.
Over the last year, I have been working with colleagues from NWEA,
Harvard University, and Dartmouth College to better understand the
impact of the COVID pandemic on student learning and school district
recovery efforts. \1\ This is what I will focus on in my testimony
today. Before I begin, I should note that the views I express here are
my own and do not necessarily represent the views of my organizational
affiliations or collaborators.
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\1\ For more information about our project and what we are
learning, see https://caldercenter.org/covid-recovery. Note that people
often refer to the pandemic's impacts on learning (especially test-
based measures) using the phrase ``learning loss.'' Learning loss does
not necessarily mean that individual student test scores decreased;
instead, it means student scores are lower than what we would expect
given historical (prepandemic) trends.
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COVID Had a Devastating Impact on Student Learning
Consistent with a growing body of research, our team found that
COVID has had a devastating impact on student learning. \2\ For
example, our analysis of millions of students in about 10,000 schools
nationwide found on average that students were roughly 3 months behind
where they would typically be in math in the fall of 2021. \3\3 In
reading, students were roughly 2 months behind.
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\2\ For more on the magnitude of the pandemic's effects on student
tests, see Darling-Aduana (2022); Goldhaber, Kane, McEachin, & Morton
(2022); and Kuhfeld et al. (2022). Test scores are only one measure of
the academic impact of the pandemic. Critics of testing
notwithstanding, test scores are a useful measure because they strongly
predict later life outcomes (Goldhaber & Ozek, 2019) and line up with
other pandemic impacts on schooling, such as challenges with student
attendance and engagement (e.g., Carminucci et al., 2021; Ohio
Department of Education, 2021), and enrollment in college (Leukhina &
Werner, 2021; National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 2022).
\3\ To put that in perspective, the magnitude of the pandemic
learning loss is larger than what we saw in the wake of Hurricane
Katrina in New Orleans. Fortunately, New Orleans also shows what is
possible: with massive investment and changes to the school system,
students largely recovered from academically from the effects of
Hurricane Katrina (Harris & Larsen, 2021; Sacerdote, 2012).
At the same time, there is clear evidence that COVID exacerbated
preexisting inequities in our schools. Like other researchers, we found
that students of color (Black and Hispanic students) and students in
higher poverty schools experienced larger COVID learning losses than
other students. These disparities threaten the decades-long progress
the Nation has made on closing racial/ethnic achievement gaps. \4\
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\4\ The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has
shown a gradual closure of racial/ethnic achievement gaps over the last
30 years. It is quite likely that we will see a reversal of this trend
in the short run because of the pandemic.
Preliminary analyses from NWEA of spring 2022 test data suggest
some signs that student achievement is rebounding. But it is clear that
there is still an incredible amount of work left to be done. \5\ At
current rates of improvement, the best-case scenario suggests it would
take several years to return to pre-pandemic levels of achievement. And
academic recovery will take even longer for historically marginalized
students who experienced the worse impacts.
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\5\ There is also some optimistic evidence from state assessments
that some students may be bouncing back from the pandemic (e.g.,
Kilbride et al., 2022; Kogan, 2022; Tennessee Department of Education,
2022). While this is encouraging, restoring pre-pandemic student
achievement will not address achievement gaps that have long troubled
public education.
To be blunt, the pandemic put the Nation in a deep academic hole.
Unless we climb out, many students will face diminished life prospects
and social inequity will increase.
COVID Impacts Were Not the Same Everywhere
As devastating as COVID's impact on student learning has been, the
story was not the same everywhere. In the face of uncertainty about in-
person schooling and community COVID spread, \6\ some school systems
opted to remain remote during significant portions of the 2020--21
school year while others returned to in-person learning. \7\ At the
time, there were lots of competing ideas about school reopenings. I
know because we felt some uncertainty about in-person schooling in my
own household.
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\6\ The evidence about whether in-person schooling led to
community spread of COVID is mixed, which is unsurprising given that
spread may be influenced by both conditions in schools (social
distancing, etc.) and in the broader community (Goldhaber, Kane,
McEachin, Morton, Patterson, et al., 2022).
\7\ By our calculations, about 50 percent of students nationally
returned in person in the fall and spent less than a month remote
during the 2020--21 school year. In these districts, where classrooms
reopened relatively quickly, student-achievement gaps by race and
socioeconomic status widened a bit in reading but, fortunately, not in
math.
However, in hindsight it has become clear that students who learned
remotely during 2020-21 saw larger learning losses than those who
returned to in-person school. Because students of color and students in
higher poverty schools were less likely to be learning in person,
remote learning explains a substantial amount of the widening test
score gaps that happened during the pandemic (Goldhaber et al., 2022).
Our team estimated that students in high-poverty schools that stayed
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remote lost the equivalent of about 5.5 months of learning.
Still, even these broad trends can mask important variation. In
some districts, for example, we found that learning losses were--
contrary to national trends--worse in reading than they were in math.
We also found that, while widespread, learning losses were not
universal. \8\ Such local variation is unsurprising given the different
community contexts in which schools operate and differences in how they
approached in-person and remote instruction. The point is that while
recovery plans need to be big enough to meet the scale of the challenge
they also need to respond to local context and avoid blanket solutions.
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\8\ Although the median student experienced lower math test
achievement growth during the pandemic than would have been expected
based on prepandemic patterns in 89 percent of districts, pandemic test
growth did not trail prepandemic trends in 11 percent of districts.
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How Can We Get Back on Track?
In most systems, the academic recovery from COVID will likely take
years. It will also require multiple strategies. In the districts our
team is working with, leaders are using everything from expanded
learning time (e.g., summer school, after school programs, Saturday
Academies, intersessions, extended school days and school years), to
tutoring, to extra instructional blocks (e.g., double doses of math).
\9\
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\9\ Although some similarities in interventions exist, districts
vary widely in the students and schools they target and other key
features of the implementation of their initiatives. For example, most
tutoring initiatives primarily serve students who are performing below
a district-determined threshold; most extended school years,
intersessions, and additional instructional blocks serve low-performing
schools; and summer learning is generally open to all students, with
priority given to disadvantaged and low-performing students. Other key
characteristics of the initiatives that vary within and across
districts include the intended frequency and duration (i.e., ``dose''),
student--teacher ratio, provider type and qualifications, mode of
instruction (i.e., remote vs. in-person), location of delivery, and
time of day.
We do not yet know if these strategies are working to help students
catch up. But when well implemented and targeted to students who need
them the most, these are plausible strategies for recovery. We should,
however, be cautious about assuming that the effects of strategies like
these can be inferred from prepandemic research estimates. Schools have
never tried to implement supplemental academic interventions at the
scale they are trying today. Intervention effects at this scale are
arguably less certain; there is already evidence, for example, that the
tight labor market is making it hard to implement some recovery
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programs at scale.
In the coming months, our team will be working with our district
partners to better understand which of these strategies are working and
for whom. In the meantime, I want to highlight six ideas that we should
keep in mind on the road to recovery:
1. Keep Schools Open
One of the best things we can do to support COVID recovery is keep
schools open. A significant share (roughly 50 percent) of districts
plan to spend Elementary and Secondary School Relief Fund (ESSER)
dollars on physical plant investments, such as heating, ventilation,
and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. \10\ These investments should help
reduce the spread of COVID and keep schools open for in-person
instruction.
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\10\ This estimate comes from FutureEd's June 7 summary of data
(2022) compiled by Burbio (2022) on spending plans (note that actual
spending may deviate from these plans). Burbio's data cover plans
submitted by more than 5,000 local education agencies that represent
nearly 75 percent of public school students; see https://www.future-
ed.org/local-covid-relief-spending/
But as we saw during the 2021-2022 school year, surging variants
(e.g., Omicron) and tight labor markets can still disrupt learning
(Goldhaber & Gratz, 2021; Velez, 2021). \11\ So, in addition to
investing in new HVAC systems, states should other things to help
schools stay open. For example, states can make it find substitute
teachers by ensuring that bureaucratic processes do not limit qualified
people from subbing in schools when teachers are out sick (Goldhaber &
Payne, 2022). Beyond expanding the pool of substitutes, states and
school districts should also have plans to redeploy teachers to schools
with the most vulnerable student populations during a COVID surge.
State and Federal Governments could provide guidance for and require
the disclosure of staffing plans that prevent the closure of whole
school systems during potential future COVID surges.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\11\ See data on school disruptions from Burbio: https://
cai.burbio.com/school-opening-tracker/.
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2. Make Sure District Responses Add Up
Even if they can keep schools open, school districts will still
need to use a range of strategies to help students catch up. Business
as usual will not be enough. As districts implement additional
interventions to deal with COVID losses, they should make clear-eyed
assessments of whether those interventions are up to the task.
Researchers can help here. Estimated effects exist for some of the
highest profile interventions that districts are using today, including
high-dosage tutoring, longer school days, and summer school. \12\
School districts should use these estimates to calculate whether their
intervention plans have a plausible chance of helping their students
fully recover academically.
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\12\ For example, see Figlio et al. (2018), Lynch et al. (2022),
Robinson et al. (2021).
States or the Federal Government could help districts make these
assessments by supporting a ``COVID recovery calculator'' that adds up
the possible impact of district initiatives and tracks academic
improvement over time. Districts need this information now. As one of
my colleagues has concluded, too many districts' plans currently appear
to fall short of what is needed (Kane, 2022). The broader community
also needs to know whether district plans add up to recovery. I would
encourage the Federal Government to require districts to not just
submit their plans for recovery but also make clear that the
anticipated achievement effects of their interventions add up to a
plausible recovery.
3. Help Districts Monitor and Adjust
Although a recovery calculator would be useful for broad
assessments of recovery plans, we should not overstate its precision.
As I noted above, the tight labor market and scale of the recovery
effort may mean that even smart strategies do not yield the magnitude
of positive effects we might expect based on prepandemic impact
estimates. It also seems likely that schools will be unable to meet all
students' needs during a regular school day and year. Some students
will need more schooling time to fully catch up, requiring districts to
work with new partners in extended school programming. We know from an
abundance of research that programs that are conceptually well grounded
often fail to improve student outcomes (e.g., Heinrich et al., 2010).
In the months and years ahead, we must be open to the possibility of
failure and adjustment and not assume that plans laid out now are set
in concrete.
As districts and schools navigate this uncertainty, they will need
data on programs and student outcomes so they can monitor results,
learn from bright spots, and adapt their strategies before it is too
late. Districts need to map out multiyear targets for student
achievement that measure whether students systemwide are on a
trajectory that looks like it will result in academic recovery and
improvement over time. Over the next 3 years that Federal resources are
available for recovery efforts, states and districts should
transparently report on their progress at the end of each school year
and comparing their progress relative to estimates of what students
need to recover.
4. Narrowly Target Spending on Personnel to Areas of Need
Districts are spending a good deal of their ESSER funds on teachers
and other personnel. Decades of research show that having a great
teacher (Chetty et al., 2014) and a stable teaching staff (Ronfeldt et
al., 2013) can make a huge difference in student learning. But when it
comes to teacher compensation, some districts appear to be using their
ESSER funds to pay for across-the-board ``thank you'' bonuses or raises
for teachers. This approach recognizes the real hardships and pressures
teachers have faced during the pandemic and might help retain some
teachers, but I do not see it as the most effective use of dollars.
Long-standing research on teachers suggests that districts need to
take a more strategic approach. Districts should target funds to hard-
to-staff subject areas and hard-to-staff schools to send clear signals
to the labor market about both the teaching skills needed and the
places where teachers are needed most (Cowan et al., 2016; Goldhaber &
Gratz, 2021). \13\ Treating all teachers the same ignores important
differences across positions, working conditions, and student needs,
differences that have important implications for improvement,
efficiency, and equity.
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\13\ Districts should also be cautious about the ``fiscal cliff''
and the fact that many forms of compensation are pensionable, meaning
that compensation today creates downstream costs. In short, raising
salaries may be a desirable use of ESSER funds, but once Federal ESSER
resources run out, districts may need to plan for ways to pay for
personnel brought on with ESSER funding.
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5. Improve Remote Learning
It is easy to conclude that remote instruction worked so poorly
that we should abandon it. But the possibility of future disruptions
due to staffing issues and other crises suggests we need to improve,
not abandon remote learning. Beyond the pandemic, remote learning has
the potential to address longer-standing problems in schools. For
example, although chronic absenteeism has been an issue during COVID
(Fortin, 2022), urban schools struggled with attendance long before the
pandemic (Gottfried, 2015). Likewise, snow days are here to stay. And
in some school districts, schools may not have enough students
interested or ready for advanced physics to merit hiring a new physics
teacher, but groups of students across systems might. In each of these
cases, effective remote instruction/digital learning could help promote
student learning for students who are out of school or for students who
lack access to teachers in hard-to-staff subject areas.
It is worth remembering that remote learning during the pandemic
was created during a crisis. Better systems are possible. To that end,
the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) recently expanded its
competitions to support education innovation (Schneider, 2022). We need
more of this kind of support for innovation in remote learning and
education in general. To recover from the pandemic and expand
educational opportunity, we need technological innovation. But we also
need to innovate in how we prepare, train, and support teachers so that
some teachers can specialize in effective digital instruction.
6. Make Sure There's a Sufficient Sense of Urgency
As we move into the next phase of the pandemic, the impulse to get
back to ``normal'' is strong. But it would be a mistake to believe that
we are ready to return to normal. Indeed, I fear too many of us lack
the sense of urgency needed to meet this moment. If we do not build a
sufficient sense of urgency and act quickly, the devastating impact of
the pandemic on students' learning and future opportunities will be our
legacy.
Leaders need to send clear messages to their communities about the
academic challenges students are facing and the importance of
addressing them. We need clear communication about the stakes and
magnitude of learning loss and recovery. Researchers and professional
staff in government must move away from talking about standard
deviations and percentiles and toward user-friendly language. \14\
Telling a parent that her child is recommended for summer school
because he is .3 standard deviations behind what would be expected does
not make sense. But telling her that he is a half-year behind where he
should be might make summer school feel more urgent. \15\
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\14\ See, for instance, Clifton (2022).
\15\ Beyond the need to avoid technical language, some schools may
also need to overcome cultural resistance to delivering bad news to
families about how students are doing.
Leaders will also need to rally political support for academic
interventions and frame our collective responsibility to ensure that
all students recover. As they clearly communicate about the stakes,
leaders will need to encourage families to ensure that their children
attend tutoring or summer school if recommended; leaders will need to
ask families to help their children learn at home. And in some school
districts, leaders will need to rally support for additional funding as
ESSER funds run out or prove inadequate (Shores & Stenberg, 2022).
State and Federal leaders will need to be ready to provide additional
funds to support recovery and be clear about how continued funding will
be spent to support students. Finally, communities should track
recovery in their schools and hold systems accountable for progress.
But communities also need to be flexible and supportive when educators
make midcourse corrections and work to improve. As tempting as it is to
move on, leaders need to make it clear that academic recovery from the
pandemic will, in most places, be a long-term project that will require
all of us to learn and improve.
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______
[Summary Statement of Dan Goldhaber]
Over the last year, I have been working with colleagues from NWEA,
Harvard University, and Dartmouth College to better understand the
COVID pandemic's impact on student learning and school district
recovery efforts. I highlight two findings from this work in my
testimony:
First, COVID Had a Devastating Impact on Student Learning. Our
analysis of millions of test scores last fall found students were on
average about 3 months behind in math and 2 months behind in reading.
Like other researchers, we also found that historically disadvantaged
students were hit the hardest by these losses. The bottom line is that
the pandemic put the Nation in a deep academic hole. Unless we dig
ourselves out, many students will face diminished life prospects and
social inequality will increase.
Second, COVID Impacts Were Not the Same Everywhere. As devastating
as COVID's impact on student learning has been, the story was not the
same everywhere. Recovery plans need to be big enough to meet the scale
of the challenge, but they also need to be responsive to local
variation.
My testimony also highlights six ideas for how to get schools and
students back on track:
1. Keep Schools Open. Beyond HVAC upgrades, states
can help keep schools open by streamlining the credentialling
of substitute teachers and helping districts plan to
strategically deploy substitutes and teachers in the case of
another COVID surge.
2. Make Sure District Responses Add Up. Districts
need to make clear-eyed assessments of the potential impact of
their recovery-focused interventions and whether they are
sufficient to help all students catch up. States or the Federal
Government could help these assessments by supporting a ``COVID
recovery calculator'' that adds up the estimated impacts of
district initiatives and tracks academic improvement over time.
3. Help Districts Monitor and Adjust. Although
interventions like high-dosage tutoring are promising, we do
not know yet if recovery interventions at scale will be
effective or sufficient. Districts will need to monitor results
as they go, learn from bright spots, and adapt as necessary. To
assess progress, districts should map out multi-year targets
for student achievement on a trajectory toward recovery.
4. Narrowly Target Spending on Personnel to Areas of
Need. Districts are spending a good deal of their ESSER funds
on teachers and other personnel. Districts should target these
funds on hard-to-staff subject areas and hard-to-staff schools
to send signals to the labor market about where teachers are
needed most.
5. Improve Remote Learning. To recover from the
pandemic and expand educational opportunity, we also need to
invest in remote learning. This includes technological
innovation but also innovation in how we prepare, train, and
support teachers to be effective at digital instruction.
6. Make Sure There's a Sufficient Sense of Urgency.
As we move into the next phase of the pandemic, the impulse to
get back to ``normal'' is strong. I fear that too many of us
lack the sense of urgency this moment demands. Leaders need to
make clear that academic recovery from the pandemic will, in
most places, be a long-run project that will require all of us
to learn and improve.
______
The Chair. Thank you.
Commissioner Russell-Tucker.
STATEMENT OF CHARLENE M. RUSSELL-TUCKER, COMMISSIONER,
CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, HARTFORD, CT
Ms. Russell-Tucker. Good morning, Chair Murray, Ranking
Member Burr, and Members of the Senate Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions. My name is Charlene Russell-
Tucker, and I am the Commissioner of Education for the State of
Connecticut. I am honored and excited to testify before you
today and to represent a state's response to the impacts of
COVID-19 on student learning, and the supports and promising
practices underway to maintain the forward momentum.
You have my full testimony that highlights initiatives we
have introduced for learning acceleration and enrichment,
attendance and engagement, evaluating the investments of our
COVID dollars, supporting educators, strengthening student
voice, be a voice for change, engage in families and
communities, and supporting the social, emotional, and mental
health needs of students and school staff.
I would like to underscore, however, that the single most
important construct in place in Connecticut on which we have
done and built everything since March 2020, is our best in
class collaboration, working together, listening to each other
in search of common ground for the sake of our children.
To illustrate that point, I will highlight initiatives that
served us well and provide a vision for improvement that may
also be exemplary to others. The Connecticut State Department
of Education fortified its relationship with our sister state
agencies, particularly the Connecticut State Department of
Public Health at the onset of COVID-19.
The Education and Public Health Departments worked jointly
in distributing timely and consistent communication in response
to the pandemic's impact on schools. Beginning in August 2020,
I launched with DPH, Health and Safety Tuesdays, which are
weekly cause that provided opportunities for health and
education stakeholders and policymakers to share COVID-19
updates and guidance to triage questions and concerns, and
answer life questions.
We have had 75 sessions since 2020 through the end of this
school year. With over 1,100 registrants, this became the
reliable and credible space for maintaining safe school
environments. We had districts that aligned their local COVID
team meetings with our Tuesday sessions.
Questions encompass the mundane to the complex, such as the
number of days of quarantine for close contacts, specific
practices to meet the needs of special education students,
medically fragile students requiring medication administration
and asthma treatments during the school day, requirements for
isolation rooms, upkeep on mechanical ventilation systems, and
more.
Both our agencies learned each week what was needed via
policy or guidance to navigate the pandemic and how to assist
in keeping our schools safely open. The next illustration
specifically addresses a learning recovery. We convened the
Accelerate CT Task Force to develop a statewide education
recovery framework and programing.
Additionally, with a focus on populations
disproportionately impact by COVID-19, the Department and
Governor Lamont designated more than $16 million in our ESSER
relief funds to provide comprehensive supports for students
with disabilities whose services were interrupted during the
pandemic.
The final illustration is about engaging families. Families
school connections, one of the Department's investment
priorities for ESSER funds, has been especially critical during
the pandemic. When families expressed concern about the return
to school in August 2020 and 2021, we held virtual house calls
for parents and caregivers in partnerships with the Connecticut
Children's Medical Center and the Connecticut Chapter of the
American Academy of Pediatrics. Through providing real time or
after the fact translations of up to five languages, we ensured
thousands of families were able to engage with these
professionals regarding the safe return to school each fall.
What you have heard, and we will see seen my detailed
written testimony is this intentionality in working
collaboratively toward multifaceted solutions for effective
learning recovery and education acceleration.
Together, we all must use this moment to think holistically
about the continuum of supports necessary for our children to
thrive. I will end my testimony there, and I am happy to take
any questions that Members of the Committee may have. Thank you
very much.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Russell-Tucker follows:]
prepared statement of charlene m. russell-tucker
Good morning. Chair Murray and Ranking Member Burr, Committee
Members, thank you for having me here today.
My name is Charlene Russell-Tucker, and I am the Commissioner of
Education in Connecticut. I am honored to appear before you all today
to represent our great state and share information regarding the
impacts of the pandemic--March 2020 to today-on learning in my state,
and the immense effort of the entire ecosystem that has been mobilized
to facilitate learning recovery (academic renewal) that includes
addressing the social, emotional, mental, physical and behavioral
health needs of our students and school staff. I will address the
impacts and supports/promising practices for students; our system of
school administrators, educators and school staff, and families; as
well as communities.
I want to lead with what makes Connecticut unique--what in
Connecticut is referred to as ``The Connecticut Difference.'' This is
our longstanding focus on best-in-class collaboration, working
together, and listening to one another, in search of common ground for
the sake of our students.
Throughout this pandemic, and into recovery, we have made it a
hallmark of our response and recovery efforts to work with our various
partners and stakeholders--educators and administrators, families,
students, advocates, policymakers, local health officials, and more--as
often as possible to develop and implement our policies. Policies
designed without hearing different perspectives, and without our
constituent's input and feedback, are not likely to produce the
intended and needed results.
In August 2020, I spearheaded, in robust partnership with the
Connecticut Department of Public Health, ``Health and Safety Tuesdays--
'' virtual calls to provide weekly opportunities for superintendents,
local health officials, school board members, school nurses, medical
advisors, policymakers, teachers' union representatives, and other
educational partners to engage in a dialog with the state education
agency leaders and our public health epidemiologists and key expert
staff for up-to-date and emerging COVID-19 guidance, to triage
questions and concerns, and ultimately, forge, build, and maintain
trusted relationships. These weekly sessions--75 held since the
pandemic began through the end of this school year--had over 1,100
registered participants and became the reliable and credible space for
maintaining safe school environments to support learning.
This collaborative approach is the way we build effective policy;
we bring it to the people we serve and create numerous opportunities
for conversation.
When our families were concerned about returning their students to
school in the fall of 2020 and 2021, we held Virtual House Calls for
parents and caregivers in partnership with Connecticut Children's
Medical Center and the Connecticut Chapter of American Academy of
Pediatrics. This gave thousands of families the opportunity to directly
ask questions and share concerns with pediatricians and medical
experts, and get immediate answers and guidance to COVID-19 and their
children's health and safety. This solidified trust among family
members regarding the safe return to school each fall.
When planning how to prioritize and implement our Elementary and
Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, this same methodology
was used. We engaged our stakeholders through roundtables, feedback
sessions, and focus groups. Some may ask why we do this? We do this be
because our students, educators, school staff and families deserve this
level of effort from their leaders.
Connecticut has a beautifully diverse student body of more than
half-a-million students. Across 205 districts, we have over 1,500
schools and more than 110,000 school staff devoted to helping our
students thrive.
Looking more closely at our student population, more than half of
students identify as nonwhite; 42.7 percent are eligible for free or
reduced-price meals, 16.2 percent are students with disabilities, and
8.2 percent are English learners with more than 145 spoken languages--
across our student body over 180 languages are spoken.
Also important to Connecticut's context and background, with each
round of ESSER funds distributed to states, Connecticut established the
priorities for investing the more than $1.7 billion that has been
allocated for education. The priorities at both the state and districts
levels are:
Learning Acceleration, Academic Renewal, and Student
Enrichment, which focuses on the academic supports students
need to thrive and become well-rounded, engaged citizens upon
graduation. (over $729M budgeted for investment statewide)
Family and Community Connections, which focuses on
investing in strengthening or forming new school-family
community partnerships to support students. (over $70M budgeted
for district investment statewide)
Social, Emotional, and Mental Health of Students and
School Staff, which focuses on supporting students and school
staff to re-engage with their school communities as we've
returned to in-person learning. (over $183M budgeted for
district investment statewide)
Strategic Use of Technology, Staff Development, and
the Digital Divide, which focuses on the importance of in-
person learning balanced with the strategic use of technology
to expand learning opportunities. (over $147M budgeted for
district investment statewide)
Building Safe and Healthy Schools, which focuses on
allocating resources to support the physical health and safety
of students and school staff. (over $254M budgeted for
investment statewide)
As you can see, these priorities cover the experiences of our
students, educators, school staff, and wider communities. It is through
thorough guidance issued at the state level, diligence and innovation
at the district level, and partnership at the community level, that
Connecticut has embarked on a bold and equitable learning recovery from
this pandemic.
As of June 10, 2022, all funds have been obligated for all three
streams of ESSER funds. The charts and table below contain more
information regarding the percent of each stream that has been drawn-
down at the district level and expended at the state level.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connecticut Federal COVID Recovery Funds--State Reserve
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ESSER I ESSER II ARP ESSER
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Obligated 11,106,393 49,242,646 110,669,666
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Expended 7,838,867 10,572,207 10,617,921
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Balance 3,267,526 38,670,439 100,051,745
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percent of Funds Expended 70,.58 percent 21.47 percent 9.59 percent
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Addressing the Digital Divide
In March 2020, when the pandemic necessitated the closure of
schools and the sudden shift to remote learning, we were all faced with
an uncertain future. Our state immediately bolstered our relationships
across state agencies, districts, and communities--and we provided
consistent, timely communication to the field. We had school districts
that made a smooth transition seamlessly to remote instruction, while
others struggled with paper packets that needed to be picked up by
families etc. In June 2020, the Connecticut State Department of
Education (CSDE) published results of its ``Student Participation in
Distance Learning'' survey. In sum, CSDE found that:
Over 90 percent of students who participated in
distance learning after class cancellations due to COVID-19
participated through technology-based online learning while
fewer than 10 percent participated through other methods (e.g.,
printed learning materials/packets, 1:1 phone calls, wellness
checks).
Tens of thousands of students statewide experienced
the following barriers to greater participation in distance
learning:
Y Access to a device in the home--nearly 10 percent
(around 50,000 students)
Y Internet access in the home--nearly 6 percent (over
29,000 students)
Y Family, health, and trauma issues--over 17 percent
(nearly 92,000 students).
With the first round of ESSER signed into law, we set out to ensure
students could access their learning, and this meant addressing the
digital divide. Ensuring connectivity among our student body required
strong school-family state partnerships, as we had to accurately assess
the need in each community.
Under Governor Lamont, we launched the Everybody Learns Initiative
which invested more than $43 million to purchase more than 142-thousand
laptops, 12-thousand hotspots, and 40-thousand cable broadband vouchers
to address the digital divide in Connecticut and empower students and
families across the state to learn from home. This initiative brought
together the Office of the Governor, Connecticut State Department of
Education, Department of Administrative Services, Office of Policy and
Management, and the Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology
to coordinate with internet companies and school districts.
Focusing on School Attendance and Engagement
Beginning with the 2020-21 school year, we also rolled out two new
data collections--weekly collection of Learning Models (e.g., in-
person, hybrid, or remote) and Enrollment, as well as the monthly
collection of Student Membership and Attendance, to allow us to make
data-informed decisions to focus resources on student engagement and
participation during the 2020-21 school year.
When we returned to school in Fall of 2020, 34 percent of districts
were fully in-person; 60 percent were hybrid; and 6 percent were fully
remote. Come December 2020, 42 percent of districts were fully in-
person; 30 percent were hybrid; and 28 percent were fully remote. By
June 2020 we were proud to announce that, 86 percent of districts were
fully in-person; 14 percent were hybrid; and none were fully remote.
For the 2021-22 school year, all districts operated fully in-person
with extremely rare exceptions of limited closure due to local COVID
outbreaks.
In 2020-21, student attendance on days when they learned remotely
was substantially lower than on days when they learned in-person. This
was true for almost all student groups. Additionally, students from
some of our more vulnerable populations including English learners,
students from low-income families, and students experiencing
homelessness, tended to be learning remotely at greater rates than
their peers.
These just-in-time data points allowed us to better identify
patterns early on around issues with participation so we could
proactively work with educators, families, and community partners to
address the root causes of chronic absence and disengagement and
establish systems of support to reach all of our students.
In September 2020, attendance rates were slightly lower than those
in the 2019-20 school year; however, student groups disproportionately
impacted by the pandemic experienced substantially lower attendance
rates when compared to the previous year.
Come December 2020, the year-to-date chronic absenteeism rate was
21.4 percent. However, the rate was 36.1 percent among English
learners, 33.1 percent among students with disabilities, 35.8 percent
among students eligible for free meals, and 55.6 percent among students
experiencing homelessness.
By the end of the school year, the state average chronic
absenteeism rate was 20.7 percent, 33.9 percent among English learners,
32.0 percent among students with disabilities, 36.1 percent among free
meal eligible students, and 57.9 percent among students experiencing
homelessness.
The state's response to this data collection was the Governor's
Learner Engagement and Attendance Program, or LEAP, which was announced
in April 2021. Underway in 15 high-needs districts, LEAP is aimed at
addressing student chronic absenteeism and disengagement resulting from
the COVID-19 pandemic. Local home visitors meet families where they
are--at home--and provide the necessary resources to support students'
return to school.
Through these visits, families have obtained back-to-school
supplies; support with technology, including student laptops and
assistance with school district portals; connections with healthcare
providers to support student mental health and well-being; and more.
As of December 2021, nearly 7,000 students across the 15 LEAP
school districts had received more than 12,000 contacts from home
visitor staff to encourage and support increased student attendance in
school. This upcoming school year, thanks to financial commitments of
our legislature, we are able to continue this program.
Learning Acceleration, Academic Renewal, and Student Enrichment
Learning recovery to me--our definitions may differ slightly--
begins with identifying gaps in learning that have occurred during the
pandemic. Then, we ensure we institute and bolster evidence-based
supports to promote academic achievement and improved outcomes for all
students. Importantly, a focus must be placed on student groups
disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including but not
limited to students with disabilities, English learners, students
experiencing homelessness and students who faced barriers to remote
learning in 2020 and 2021.
To objectively gauge the academic impact of the pandemic on student
achievement and growth, CSDE committed to administering all state
student assessments in Spring 2021 to the fullest extent possible. The
purpose of administering these assessments was not to hold the adults
accountable for student outcomes during challenging times; instead, it
was intended to objectively know how our students were progressing
academically through the pandemic so we could collectively target
supports and resources where they're needed the most. These assessment
data, when coupled with our attendance data, produced clear evidence to
show that students who learned in-person lost the least ground
academically, as compared to those who learned in hybrid or remote
modes. Moreover, the effects were greater in mathematics, and in the
elementary and middle grades, but not in high school. A similar finding
was seen in our chronic absenteeism analyses where the gap in chronic
absence rates between in-person and hybrid students was greater for
elementary and middle school students, but not for high school
students. These findings informed CSDE's decision to advocate strongly
for in-person instruction for all students in 2021-22.
With the third round of ESSER funding, we used our state-level set-
aside to extend licenses with online learning/credit recovery
platforms, continue the development of our K-8 model curricula, and
provide direct financial support to our 58 Family Resource Centers.
With Governor Lamont, we announced the deployment of more than $16
million to provide comprehensive supports for students with
disabilities whose services were disrupted during the pandemic. This
includes addressing delayed, interrupted, suspended or inaccessible
individualized education program (IEP) supports and services;
conducting special education evaluations; supporting supplementary
tutoring and reading instruction; and providing individualized in-home
support.
At the district level, we saw flexible course offerings to promote
credit recovery, improvements to parent-school communications,
continued technological updates, and more. All approved district ESSER
plans, among other grants, are available for anyone to see on
Connecticut's electronic grants management system (eGMS) at
connecticut.egrantsmanagement.com. This information is routinely
communicated with families and stakeholders to encourage two-way dialog
at the district level regarding ESSER investments.
With the more than $1.1 billion American Rescue Plan ESSER funding
coming to Connecticut, learning recovery was certainly at the forefront
of our minds--and we knew this was a collective call to action to
transform education in Connecticut.
Moving quickly to deploy these funds, we invested more than $8.6
million in our first round of Summer Enrichment Grants, which served
more than 108,000 students and was evaluated by our research
collaborative, the Connecticut COVID-19 Education Research
Collaborative (CCERC). CCERC found that the initiative met its goal of
expanding access to summer programming for Connecticut students,
including nearly doubling the number of students among camps that also
operated in the summer of 2020, and students and staff overwhelmingly
enjoyed their camp experiences. This year, our Summer Enrichment grants
total more than $12.2 million, and we look forward to learning from
another evaluation to guide future investments.
The Department, as well as our legislative counterparts in
Connecticut, has recognized the immense need to focus on ensuring our
students are reading at grade level and that students who need
additional literacy support are identified.
In collaboration with experts and stakeholders, the Department
recently announced the launch of the Science of Reading Masterclass,
funded through ESSER II. The Masterclass includes statewide
professional learning and coaching to district teams to support
comprehensive K-3 literacy instruction aligned with the science of
reading.
Evaluating Effectiveness and Sustainability
ESSER II funds were used to establish the first-of-its-kind,
aforementioned research collaborative called the Connecticut COVID-19
Education Research Collaborative (CCERC). CCERC will not only study the
impacts of COVID-19 on students' learning but also study the efficacy
of the programs and supports put in place in respond to the pandemic's
effects. CCERC brings together researchers from public and private
universities across Connecticut to work collaboratively on these
evaluations. Among its projects, CCERC is currently conducting a remote
learning audit so that we can learn of the impact, challenges, and
promising practices brought about by the sudden shift to remote
learning in March 2020.
Beyond understanding the impacts of the pandemic, CCERC
demonstrates the Department's commitment to programmatic
accountability, and sustainability. So, instead of being concerned
about a funding cliff that is talked about in many circles, Connecticut
is instead focused on building evidence on the effectiveness of its
interventions because by knowing what works, we will be able to
advocate for continued, sustainable funding at both the state and
Federal levels as well as with philanthropy. Connecticut will have the
strength of results to say, ``fund and sustain what works.'' This will
hopefully serve as a parachute that will help Connecticut's education
community land safely from the cliff.
Supporting Educators
Our Connecticut educators and school staff worked heroically
throughout the pandemic. In working to keep schools safely open,
Connecticut prioritized access to COVID testing, vaccines, and contact
tracing support for educators and school staff. However, we were not
immune to the nationwide staffing shortages.
We offered staffing flexibilities to districts while ensuring that
all Connecticut students have access to appropriately certified,
authorized, and permitted educators through collaboration with educator
preparation programs across Connecticut. In addition to the
Department's efforts, our State Board of Education also approved
emergency certification endorsements and flexibilities regarding
educator evaluation.
Responding to the need for increase technological support, CSDE
used a portion of its ESSER funds to offer the International Society
for Technology in Education (ISTE) Summer Learning Academy to
Connecticut educators at no cost, and we are currently contracting to
provide additional professional development to districts, including,
but not limited to, ISTE certification and additional ISTE University
courses.
At the district-level, we have seen innovative practices such as
offering training workshops on school learning platforms, creating a
technology-based Professional Development Hub for educators to expand
their expertise in utilizing learning platforms, upgrading all school
and district-based technology systems, and more.
CSDE's continued efforts to diversify the state's educator
workforce did not cease amidst the pandemic. In fact, in May 2021,
Governor Lamont announced we had met our State Board of Education's 5-
year goal of having 10 percent of Connecticut educators be people of
color. Continued efforts include Educators Rising, recruits and
supports high school students' with interest in the teaching
profession, and NextGen Educators, which brings highly motivated
students enrolled in educator preparation programs into classrooms to
serve as building substitutes. NextGen not only provides additional
relief to substitute teacher shortages; it also allows teacher
candidates to build strong resumes and rapport with districts.
Finally, we recently announced a $2-million investment in aspiring
educators in preparation programs across Connecticut. This investment
will help defray costs associated with testing and obtaining educator
certification in Connecticut.
Supporting and Engaging Families and Communities
I like to say, ``It can't be about them without them.'' We cannot
assess the impact of this pandemic on student learning, educators, and
families without authentically engaging with them. CSDE is staunchly
committed to two-way dialog with our array of stakeholders--from
educators to families to advocates, including our monthly meetings with
partners representing unions, superintendents, and school boards, and
advocates who represent families.
Family and community engagement is a particular passion of mine. In
2017, I developed and implemented the Commissioner's Roundtable for
Family and Community Engagement in Education, which is a diverse
constituent group of education stakeholders representing school and
district staff, advocacy organizations, parents and guardians,
community members, and students, to advise the Commissioner of
Education regarding policy and programmatic priorities. The Roundtable
meets quarterly to bring authentic parent and community voice to CSDE's
products and initiatives; communicate state-level initiatives with
families and communities; recommend effective practices to increase
successful school and district engagement with families; and provide
strategies to empower families in supporting their children's
education.
Prior to the pandemic, the Department, the Family Engagement
Roundtable, and other partners led the co-creation of a Definition and
Framework for family engagement in Connecticut. It states: ``Family
Engagement is a full, equal, and equitable partnership among families,
educators and community partners to promote children's learning and
development form birth through college and career.'' This provided an
excellent foundation on which to build our pandemic relief efforts.
Authentic partnerships between schools and families have been
especially critical during this pandemic, which is why Family and
Community Connections is one of our ESSER investment priorities--not
just one we set for districts.
We also recently completed our second formal round of ARP ESSER
stakeholder forums/surveys just last week. Stakeholders participated in
focus groups and were also given the opportunity to complete a survey
to provide feedback on current and planned investments of state set-
aside funds in family and community connection initiatives. District
investments in this area include partnering with non-profit and
community agencies to support the creation of parent academies on
technology; supporting emotional well-being; and expanding family
access to cultural experiences, no-cost after-school programs, and
multigenerational activities at local libraries and parks in the
community.
Strengthening Student Voice
In November 2021, we launched Voice4Change, the first statewide
student participatory budgeting initiative in the country, to give
students a direct say in how a portion of the ESSER funding ($1.5M)
should be spent across Connecticut schools. With goals of boosting
engagement among high school students and sparking lifelong passions
for civic engagement, Voice4Change is grounded in the Connecticut State
Board of Education's mission emphasizing the importance of preparing
students to civically engage in the world around them. Studies have
shown that modeling civic engagement in school prepares students to
make it a lifelong habit. We are preparing our students to be future
leaders by empowering them to make an impact today.
Under the guidance of the same five investment priorities we set
forth for districts, students crafted and voted on proposals. What did
we see? More than 80 percent of winning proposals addressed the need
for more supports for student social, emotional, and mental health.
They also saw what worked during the pandemic--best practices they
wanted to make permanent in their school going forward, like creative
and innovative learning environments such as outdoor classrooms. We are
so proud of the innovation we saw among the students who participated
in Voice4Change, and we cannot wait to see these projects come to life
this fall.
Supporting the Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Needs of Students
and Staff
This pandemic has brought keen attention to the need to address the
social, emotional, and mental health needs of our students and school
staff. While Connecticut has a longstanding history with this work,
COVID-19 has increased the demand for mental health services and
supports. ESSER funding has afforded us the opportunity to support
resources that can be deployed locally at no cost in districts and to
launch the Connecticut Behavioral Health Pilot.
The Behavioral Health Pilot stems from what I call my ``Big
Audacious Goal,'' which is to ensure every Connecticut school has a
coordinated and sustainable system of care for all K-12 schools to
provide comprehensive behavioral and mental health supports and
services to students and staff. Currently, our Behavioral Health Pilot
is underway in select demographically varied districts in partnership
with community partners to assess their mental health support needs.
The specific needs and gaps in service will drive the development and
implementation of these systems of care. The Pilots will then inform
our plans to scale these systems statewide.
I am privileged to live in a state where education receives robust
bipartisan support from the legislature. This past session, Connecticut
lawmakers passed the most comprehensive mental health bills in the
state's history--including grants for schools to hire staff to support
student well-being, bolstering the Governor's home-visiting initiative
already underway, increasing summer programs' capacity to support the
mental health of its campers, and more. We all know that recovery is a
long path ahead of us, but I am confident in leveraging the strong
partnerships already in place in Connecticut for the benefit of our
students.
Mobilizing the Community
While you would be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't believe
this pandemic has caused unprecedented disruptions to school, work, and
life, disruption is a time to innovate, create, partner, and
collaborate so we are constantly learning and growing together.
This is the time to find our collective strengths and intentionally
move forward to redesign education with a focus on equitable access to
a world class education, including leveraging new and existing
strategic partnerships to strengthen our systems of support.
Connecticut is grateful for the financial support provided to spark
learning recovery, and we look forward to continued partnership with
our Federal counterparts, including the U.S. Department of Education.
As Commissioner, I am part of a strong, nationwide network of state
commissioners, and I can guarantee you no two stories are alike. But
what I can surely guarantee you is that we wake up every morning with
our students, educators, and school staff at the forefront of our
minds, because it is when our schools are supported that our students
achieve more, and our communities achieve more, and together--we all
achieve more.
We must use this moment to think holistically about the continuum
of supports necessary for our children to thrive.
Finally, none of the efforts and initiatives that I bring from our
great state would be possible without the excellent staff at the CSDE,
our sister agencies, particularly the Department of Public Health, our
policymakers, and the many education partners in our state. That truly
is the Connecticut Difference.
Chair Murray and Ranking Member Burr, HELP Committee Members: thank
you once again for the opportunity to share CT's education story with
you today. Thank You.
______
[Summary Statement of Charlene M. Russell-Tucker]
The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) fortified its
relationships with sister agencies, particularly the Connecticut State
Department of Public Health (DPH), at the onset of COVID-19. CSDE and
DPH distributed timely and consistent communication in response to the
pandemic's impact on schools. Beginning in August 2020, CSDE and DPH
met weekly with superintendents, local health officials, school board
members, school nurses, medical advisors, policymakers, teachers' union
representatives, and other educational partners during ``Health and
Safety Tuesdays.'' More than 1,100 were registered for these calls,
where CSDE and DPH would share the latest guidance and answer live
questions and concerns from the field.
When families expressed concern about the return to school in
August 2020 and 2021, CSDE held Virtual House Calls for parents and
caregivers in partnership with Connecticut Children's Medical Center
and the Connecticut Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics. Having
the ability to ask questions and hear from these professionals
solidified trust among family members regarding the safe return to
school each fall.
Learning Acceleration, Academic Renewal, and Student Enrichment
CSDE has invested portions of its Elementary and Secondary School
Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to extend licenses with online learning/
credit recovery platforms, award grants for summer enrichment to expand
access and affordability, continue the development of our K-8 model
curricula, and provide direct financial support to our Family Resource
Centers. At the district level, we saw flexible course offerings to
promote credit recovery, improvements to parent-school communications,
continued technological updates, and more.
With a focus on populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-
19, CSDE and Governor Lamont announced the deployment of more than $16
million to provide comprehensive supports for students with
disabilities whose services were interrupted during the pandemic. This
includes addressing delayed, interrupted, suspended or inaccessible
individualized education program (IEP) supports and services;
conducting special education evaluations; supporting supplementary
tutoring and reading instruction; and providing individualized in-home
support.
Strengthening Student Voice
In November 2021, we launched Voice4Change, the first statewide
student participatory budgeting initiative in the country, to give
students a direct say in how a portion of the ESSER funding ($1.5M)
should be spent. With goals of boosting engagement among high school
students and sparking lifelong passions for civic engagement,
Voice4Change is grounded in the Connecticut State Board of Education's
mission emphasizing the importance of preparing students to civically
engage in the world around them. Under the guidance of the same five
priorities we set forth for districts, students crafted and voted on
proposals. More than 80 percent of winning proposals addressed the need
for more social, emotional, and mental health supports. They also saw
what worked during the pandemic-best practices they wanted to make
permanent in their school going forward, like creative and innovative
learning environments such as outdoor classrooms. We look forward to
monitoring proposals' progress in the fall.
Supporting and Engaging Families and Communities
CSDE is staunchly committed to two-way dialog with our array of
stakeholders-from educators to families to advocates. Family school
connections have been especially critical during this pandemic, which
is why Family and Community Connections is one of CSDE's investment
priorities-not just one we set for districts.
Some of our standing meetings including the quarterly
Commissioners' Roundtable for Family and Community Engagement, monthly
Special Populations Roundtable, and weekly meetings with partners
representing unions, superintendents, and school boards. We also
recently completed our second formal round of ESSER stakeholder forums/
surveys just last week. Stakeholders participated in focus groups and
were also given the opportunity to complete a survey to provide
feedback on current and planned investments of state set-aside funds.
______
The Chair. Thank you.
Mr. Russell.
STATEMENT OF KURT RUSSELL, 2022 NATIONAL TEACHER OF THE YEAR
AND HIGH SCHOOL HISTORY TEACHER, OBERLIN HIGH SCHOOL, OBERLIN,
OH
Mr. Russell. Chair Murray, Ranking Member Burr, and Members
of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on
such an important topic today. My name is Kurt Russell. I have
been a high school history teacher at Oberlin High School in
Oberlin, Ohio for 25 years and proud to represent teachers
nationwide as the 2022 National Teacher of the Year.
Allow me to invite you into room 200 where I have taught my
entire career. A place filled with joy and excitement. A safe
place for all children. A place of creativity and learning.
Room 200 is home. It is a place I enjoy spending time with
students. A place where I feel energize.
A place of belonging. Sadly, room 200 has changed. During
virtual learning, the room that was bustling with student
voices and energy suddenly became silent and dull. The sound of
discussions about major events in history, like the role of
Margaret Thatcher during the Falkland Wars, was suppressed with
hesitance and apathy.
The intentionality of reading and analyzing primary texts
to better understand the time period was replaced with
summaries. Due to the lack of resources and stable internet
connections, students became frustrated and many of my students
checked out, ultimately resulting in academic loss.
Students who were once able to orally defend and debate the
most sacred historical documents with evidence and supporting
details are now using emotions and feelings as answers. Along
with this, emotionally, students were not well. Online learning
caused many of my students to experience social anxiety and
even a fear of returning to school.
As Oberlin returned to a hybrid model in spring of 2021,
over two-thirds of students remained home. This further caused
an academic gap for students who remained virtual and for those
with learning disabilities. As students suffered during online
learning, teachers were also affected.
The toll of more responsibilities with stagnant pay has,
for some, become unattractive and unbearable. Teachers are
leaving the profession in alarming rates, causing school
districts to scramble to find replacements. The disregard of
teacher voices and expertise when dealing with educational
policies is appalling.
It is unfair to blame teachers for the current educational
crisis. In order to solve this generational teacher shortage
problem, teachers must feel valued and important. Teachers must
receive pay comparable to other professions. There must be a
concentrated effort to recruit a more diverse teaching pool
that better reflects the student population. Thanks to ESSER
funding, Oberlin City Schools are able to address some clear
problems facing our students and teachers.
We hired literacy and math coaches to work with our
struggling students, along with providing tools to equip
teachers in better instructional pedagogy. Money was also used
to provide a summer enrichment program to focus on the
continuation of summer learning while providing recreational
activities that support the social and emotional growth of our
students.
Furthermore, Oberlin City Schools hired a social worker to
deal with students and faculty trauma. It is the first time my
school has had a social worker in my 25 year career. This is my
fear.
Despite the unprecedented Federal investments that have
shown a positive impact on student growth, what happens when
the money is no longer there? Many schools will be forced to
let go of quality teachers, end summer enrichment programs, and
stop new mental health supports.
Sustaining ESSER funds is vital in ensuring a successful
recovery for our students and teachers. Thank you for inviting
me today. I look forward to answering your questions.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Russell follows:]
prepared statement of kurt russell
Chair Murray, Ranking Member Burr and Members of the Committee,
thank you for the opportunity to testify on such an important topic
today. My name is Kurt Russell. I have been a high school history
teacher at Oberlin High School in Oberlin, Ohio for 25 years and am
proud to represent teachers nationwide as the 2022 National Teacher of
the Year.
As an Oberlin native who teaches at the school that both I and my
children attended, I have the unique perspective of having been a
student, parent and teacher at Oberlin High School (OHS). Throughout my
career, I have been proud to support students outside the classroom and
am passionate about my work as an advisor to our Black Student Union,
junior class, student council and prom committee and my role as head
coach of the varsity boys' basketball team. For those who don't know
about Oberlin, it is a small town located about a half an hour outside
of Cleveland and is home to Oberlin College. OHS enrolls about 300
students. About half are white and half are students of color, and
approximately three-quarters are from economically disadvantaged
families.
In the spring of 2020, as with schools nationwide, OHS had to
quickly pivot to online learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This online environment was different and difficult for our students.
Many students didn't have the necessary equipment or strong enough
internet connections to fully engage with and participate in online
learning. Students who had previously been active participants in class
discussions were now quiet and unwilling to speak up. Some were
frustrated by technological challenges, and others were embarrassed by
their families' economic circumstances and didn't want classmates to
see into their homes. A wide disconnect developed between me and my
students.
These challenges forced my colleagues and me to recognize the
importance of checking in on our students' well-being. When we were
completely virtual, I capitalized on this by having one-on-one
conversations with my students who logged into class early, and I began
spending the first few minutes of each class checking in with students
to see how they were feeling, even if it was asking for a simple
virtual thumbs up or down.
In spring 2021, OHS began offering students hybrid learning
options, though less than a quarter of students chose to attend in
person. With some students in-person and others virtual, teachers had
to split their time and attention in an effort to keep two classrooms
engaged at once. This proved to be a very difficult task, particularly
as the challenges of virtual learning didn't go away for the majority
of students--they had trouble hearing lectures, participating in class
discussions, and connecting with teachers and peers.
We were thrilled to finally return to full in-person learning in
the fall of the 2021-2022 school year. As a result of the challenges
posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Oberlin City School District has been
allocated slightly over $3 million among the different COVID relief
bills. Our school was quick to begin spending on academic and social-
emotional supports for students.
The rest of my testimony will walk through how COVID-19 has
impacted my students, how my colleagues and I have worked to combat any
negative impacts, how Federal COVID-19 funds have been used to help
support those students succeed, and the need for more teachers to
support this work going forward. I hope that these examples
successfully highlight how critical this Federal funding for schools
is, as teachers like me work daily to combat the learning disruption
and emotional trauma caused by the pandemic.
The students I welcomed back after 2 years of virtual and then
hybrid learning were not the same students I said goodbye to in March
2020. Prior to the pandemic, I was able to use primary sources to teach
history first-hand. Since the pandemic, I feel that I've had to ``water
down'' my curriculum because students can no longer dissect or
comprehend the same complex concepts and ideas as before. This literacy
loss has impacted all my students from 9th grade general education
classes to advanced 12th grade courses. Student writing has suffered as
well, as I find that students are not as able to fluidly communicate in
writing as they used to and they now rely heavily on internet sources.
Their oral communication skills have also declined.
An example that particularly illustrates these changes is a lesson
I use every year debating Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's role in
the Falklands War. After the pandemic, I found the majority of
students' responses missed the mark--they didn't have a factual backing
for arguments or based their arguments on emotions rather than facts.
These were students I had previously taught in 9th grade, and who I
knew had the skills to be successful in this assignment. When they
returned in person in 11th grade, they had lost those skills. I noticed
that students with learning disabilities in particular lost confidence
in public speaking when presenting their arguments, on top of facing
the same challenges with formulating arguments. Again, these were
students who had thrived with this type of assignment before the
pandemic.
While I have observed deficits in student achievement, the shared
experience of the pandemic has also led to student growth in other
areas. For example, having been the varsity basketball coach for 15
years, I can clearly see that my players are friendlier with their
competition than in prior years--they are just happy to be playing.
I've also noticed students are mixing up the groups they're eating
lunch with and making a more conscious effort to socialize with
different people. It seems as if the shared trauma of the pandemic has
pushed students not to take things for granted and to gain a stronger
sense of community and take better care of one another.
This type of empathy and kindness can be seen clearly throughout
the school. The pandemic reminded our school--both students and
teachers--that we provide much more than academic learning, and we are
working hard to support students in healing from the trauma caused by
the pandemic, whether they are experiencing a new sense of social
anxiety or grief over the loss of a loved one.
The need to consider both academic achievement and mental health
needs of my students has shifted my perspective as a teacher. I no
longer jump right into my lesson plan at the beginning of each class.
Instead, I continue the practice I started when we were learning
virtually, and now spend a few minutes checking in with students to
make sure they are mentally and socially present. There have also been
times when our quick check-in lasts a half hour or more when students
need the time and space. When students are able to share their concerns
about their own lives, or to discuss broader events happening in our
Country or across the globe, they're better able to focus on their
lesson and are more willing to participate in discussions.
I have always seen basketball as an extension of the classroom and
adopted a similar practice with my team. We have ``baseline talks''
before and after practice, where the only rule is that we don't discuss
basketball. This gives students another outlet to express their
concerns and get any resources they might need--because practice ends
at 5:30 p.m., this often means ensuring my players have enough food for
dinner.
In responding to the pandemic, I also engaged families in
consistent and new ways. When we were fully virtual, our school decided
to hold ``Asynchronous Fridays,'' where we assigned students
independent lessons for the day and spent the time we would have been
teaching reaching out to and engaging with parents. Even when we
returned to the classroom in person, maintaining strong relationships
has been a priority--OHS has given us two prep periods rather than just
one, which gives us additional time to make sure families are engaged
and involved in their student's learning.
While I am trying to make my classroom and the extracurricular
activities I lead safe and nurturing environments for students, my
school needs additional assistance as it tries to navigate post-
pandemic learning.
We appreciate the resources provided to our school from the CARES
Act, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations
Act, and the American Rescue Plan. They have been critical in getting
much-needed support to our schools, teachers, and students. Our school
has implemented many new initiatives and policies with this funding.
These initiatives include the hiring of a new social worker--the first
school social worker I've had in my building in my 25-year career--who
works with about 10 percent of students, those who are struggling the
most in school. Having a social worker in our school makes me more
confident as a teacher, as I know that there is somebody who is
committed to supporting student mental health. I have also seen the
confidence of my students grow after working with the social worker.
Our social worker also created the school's first food and clothing
bank for students in need.
Additionally, OHS used Federal COVID-19 relief funds to hire both a
reading coach and a math coach to provide targeted support to
struggling students. Collectively, these coaches work with roughly 60
percent of students, and I have seen how their support increase
students' engagement with, and comprehension of, lessons. These coaches
work at all levels across the district. Additionally, the funding has
allowed us to provide after-school tutoring for students at the
secondary level, and, for younger students, an 8-week summer enrichment
program that combines academic lessons in math, science and reading
with fun summer recreation activities.
Our school has also invested in student morale, as we now have
quarterly ``fun days'' where we recognize student work and celebrate
with a fun activity--whether it's an ice cream sundae bar or a field
day. Additionally, we have hired an individual to help lead a girls
program called ``Girls Rock'' to help empower young women in our
school.
The funding has also helped hire additional custodians to help make
sure our schools are clean and healthy environments for students and
staff.
Collectively, these programs are strengthening our school's
academic and social success and giving us hope for a full recovery in
the future. We will continue to invest in our kids to make sure we can
get our students back on track with learning and engaged in school,
while also paying attention to their non-academic needs. I do have
concerns that, while we have the resources now for these new staff and
programs, once COVID-19 relief funding runs out we may not be able to
continue these critical supports. Having Oberlin College in our school
district is a great asset academically, but has, in the past, limited
the funding the district can raise locally because the College's
properties are non-taxable. We ask for continued help and support from
Congress to be able to sustain these important and impactful efforts
into the future.
While we are doing a lot of positive things in our school, we have
a long way to go. Continuing all of this essential work to help
students will require excellent teachers at OHS and across the country,
just as we are facing a massive teacher shortage.
As one example, OHS has recently had trouble filling a job for a
math teacher. We usually had a wide pool of qualified applicants and
found excellent teachers, even in harder-to-fill subjects like math and
science. Now, there are maybe one or two people applying for these
jobs. Although our district's pay is around the median for our area,
and our district is considered relatively high-need, we simply didn't
have this problem before the pandemic.
There are several reasons why teachers are leaving the profession,
including low pay and increasing demands. Additionally, there is a lack
of respect for the profession. Teachers are truly the experts in the
classroom, but in many places aren't treated as such. Instead, they're
being told what to teach without having a say in setting education
policy.
As we look to stop the exodus of current teachers, we also must
look at how we can attract new teachers to the profession. Along with a
focus on higher pay and student loan forgiveness, we should also
support grassroots programs like Educators Rising that seek to identify
students who want to pursue jobs as teachers early in their academic
careers. Throughout all of this work, we should commit to diversifying
the teaching profession, so that teachers look more like the students
in our schools.
Though the pandemic presented huge challenges for our students,
academically and emotionally, they are resilient and have the support
of communities and teachers behind them. Like my colleagues in Oberlin
and I, teachers across the country are committed to doing everything in
our power to help students recover from the pandemic.
Resources provided through the Federal COVID relief bills have made
a huge difference to our ability to help students accelerate their
learning and work through trauma brought about by the pandemic. We need
more excellent educators to help us continue this essential work over
the long run. I urge you to look at the great work going on in your
states and across the country to help students' recovery and to
continue funding these programs.
Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to
answering your questions.
______
[Summary Statement of Kurt Russell]
Students' Struggles During Virtual Learning + Impact on Academics
The online learning environment was difficult for students. Many
students didn't have the necessary equipment or strong enough internet
connections to fully engage with and participate in online learning.
Students who had previously been active participants in class
discussions were now quiet and unwilling to speak up. Some were
frustrated by technological challenges, and others were embarrassed by
their families' economic circumstances and didn't want classmates to
see into their homes. A wide disconnect developed between me and my
students.
When we returned to school, I saw a deficit in students' academic
skills. I've had to ``water down'' my curriculum because students can
no longer dissect or comprehend the primary sources I used to use. I've
seen this drop in students at all levels, from 9th grade general
education classes to advanced 12th grade courses. Student writing has
suffered as well, as I find that students are not as able to fluidly
communicate in writing as they used to and they now rely heavily on
internet sources. Their oral communication skills have also declined.
Importance of Federal COVID Relief
Federal COVID relief has been critical in getting much-needed
support to our schools, teachers, and students. My school has hired a
social worker, the first I've had in my building in my 25-year career.
Additionally, Oberlin High School used Federal COVID-19 relief funds to
hire both a reading coach and a math coach to provide targeted support
to struggling students.
Collectively, these new staff, and other programs we have
implemented, are strengthening our school's academic and social success
and giving us hope for a full recovery. I do have concerns that, while
we have the resources now for these new staff and programs, once COVID-
19 relief funding runs out we may not be able to continue these
critical supports. We ask for continued help and support from Congress
to be able to sustain these important and impactful efforts.
Teacher Shortage
Continuing all of this essential work to help students will require
excellent teachers at OHS and across the country, just as we are facing
a massive teacher shortage.
There are several reasons why teachers are leaving the profession,
including low pay, increasing demands and, particularly, a lack of
respect for the profession. Teachers are truly experts in the
classroom, but in many places aren't treated as such. Instead, they're
being told what to teach without having a say in setting education
policy.
Along with a focus on higher pay and student loan forgiveness, we
should also work to attract new teachers through programs that identify
prospective teachers early in their academic careers. And throughout
all of this work, we should commit to diversifying the teaching
profession, so that teachers look more like the students in our
schools.
______
The Chair. Thank you.
Ms. Wall.
STATEMENT OF ERIN WALL, PARENT, CARY, NC
Ms. Wall. Good morning. My name is Erin Wall, and I am from
Cary, North Carolina. Chairwoman Murray, Ranking Member Burr,
and Members of the Senate HELP Committee, thank you for having
me today and for convening a hearing on such an important
topic. I have three young children ages 10, 7, and 5.
My oldest son, Carter, has a learning disability which
causes significant developmental delays. At the age of four,
Carter entered the Wake County public school system through
North Carolina's Child Find. Since that time, he has received
services including physical therapy, speech therapy,
occupational therapy, and special education services.
I will never forget that Friday in March 2020 when school
as we knew it came to a screeching halt and teachers, students,
and parents were thrust into the unknown world of virtual
learning. From that point until the start of the following
school year, Carter did not receive any of his required
services.
The following school year, Wayne County schools were
virtual, which included special education services. One of
Carter's biggest challenges in school is his focus. Therefore,
someone had to be physically present and engaged with him
during his virtual learning. Considering we had a front row
seat, we saw the struggles teachers and students had in trying
to adapt.
We observed that teachers were spending most of their time
trying to focus the students and engage them in their lessons.
Students were often distracted and unable to navigate the
technical aspects of being online at such a young age. A
virtual platform is a huge transition, and for this community
of children, change is very hard. The therapies that Carter
receives require a hands on approach.
These are interactions that often use personal touch and
demonstration to achieve success in reaching his goals. Another
important part of Carter's IEP is to buildupon and improve his
social skills. This requires the teacher to encourage and help
Carter navigate these social interactions, which simply cannot
be done in a virtual environment. At the same time, we also had
to consider the educational needs of our youngest boys.
Our middle child was a rising kindergartner, and we
enrolled him in a private school which provided in-person
instruction. Our youngest son also intended an in-person
preschool program the same year.
It became clear to us that we could not rely on the public
school system to provide in-person instruction, so we had to
take matters into our own hands. We hired a tutor to work with
Carter daily. In order for Carter to meet his specific
educational goals, we had to choose in-person instruction with
the tutor over virtual learning.
Because of Carter's learning lost experience over this
timeframe, we were forced to continue his tutoring on a weekly
basis to help bridge the gap. Fortunately, we are blessed to
have the resources for this outside service. However, most
parents in this situation do not. Up to this point, Carter has
always experienced some delays. However, that gap has grown
even wider because of the length of the pandemic and continued
disruptions to his learning.
Just this year, our son's school has experienced the loss
of several dedicated educators. For example, Carter's speech
language pathologist left the school at the beginning of the
December, and that position was never filled, and the vacancy
remained until the end of the school year.
Carter went 7 months without speech services. On multiple
occasions, I was reassured that they were working diligently to
fill the position and that Carter was owed compensatory
services. However, not only was the position not filled, he did
not receive any compensatory services during those 7 months.
I also want to focus on the important role of special
education teachers and what they face to care for children,
both educationally and mentally. Special education teachers in
the State of North Carolina provide direct instruction and case
management that includes paperwork, reports, and meetings.
There simply isn't enough time in a school day for all the
roles that special education are asked to perform.
Because of all the responsibilities that special education
teachers are required, they have very little time to work with
the children, which is their passion. Now is the time for
teachers, students, parents, and all stakeholders to come
together to work on solutions and improvements. Everyone needs
to take a step back and really look at our children. A lot of
them are not okay.
I was recently told by one of Carter's therapists that even
if we think a child seems okay, most of them are not. She
spends most of her sessions allowing kids to talk and to be
heard. We need to slow down, teach the basics, stop, look, and
smile at the kids, and give them what they have been missing
for 2 years.
Many children entered school this past year, nervous,
behind, and unsure. They need to be cared for. School systems
need to work closer with teachers and parents to problem, solve
and develop feasible and meaningful solutions. As parents, we
need more support from the school to help our children at home.
Brainstorming what might be beneficial, parents needs to be
in collaboration with teachers to develop strategies to extend
their learning at home. In closing, the fallout from the
pandemic resulted in setbacks for our children academically,
socially, and emotionally.
There isn't a quick fix, but I certainly hope that we can
come together to create some solutions to help us move forward.
Students, teachers, and parents are crying for help. Our boys
would not be where they are today if it weren't for the village
of teachers and therapists that have supported and love them
along the way.
We must take steps to provide support for students,
teachers, and parents for the sake of everyone's future. Thank
you for your time.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Wall follows.]
prepared statement of erin wall
Good morning. My name is Erin Wall and I'm from Cary, NC. Chairman
Murray, Ranking Member Burr and Members of the Senate HELP Committee,
thank you for having me today and for convening a hearing on such an
important topic. I have three young children ages 10, 7 and 5. My
oldest son, Carter, has a learning disability which causes significant
developmental delays. At the age of four, Carter entered the Wake
County Public School system through NC Child Find. Since that time, he
has received services including physical therapy, speech therapy,
occupational therapy, and special education services.
I'll never forget that Friday in March 2020 when school as we knew
it came to a screeching halt and teachers, students and parents alike
were thrust into the unknown world of virtual learning. From that point
until the start of the following school year Carter did not receive any
of his required services.
The following school year, Wake County schools were virtual which
included special education services. One of Carter's biggest challenges
in school in his focus; therefore, someone had to be physically present
and engaged with him during his virtual learning. Considering we had a
front row seat we saw the struggles teachers and students had in trying
to adapt. We observed that teachers were spending most of their time
trying to focus the students and engage them in their lessons. Students
were often distracted and unable to navigate the technical aspects of
being online at this young age. A virtual platform is a huge transition
and for this community of children change is hard.
The therapies that Carter receives require a hands-on approach.
These are interactions that often use personal touch and demonstration
to achieve success in reaching his goals. Another important part of
Carter's IEP is to build upon and improve his social skills. This
requires the teacher to encourage and help Carter navigate these social
interactions which simply cannot be done in a virtual environment.
At the same time, we also had to consider the educational needs of
our youngest boys. Our middle child was a rising kindergartener, and we
enrolled him in a private school which provided in-person instruction.
Our youngest son also attended an in-person preschool program the same
year.
It became clear to us that we could not rely on the public school
system to provide in-person instruction, so we had to take matters into
our own hands. We hired a tutor to work with Carter daily. In order for
Carter to meet his specific educational goals we had to choose in-
person instruction with the tutor over virtual learning. Because of
Carter's learning loss experienced over this time frame we are forced
to continue his tutoring on a weekly basis to help bridge the gap.
Fortunately, we are blessed to have the resources for this outside
service; however, most parents in this situation do not. Up to this
point Carter has always experienced some delays; however, that gap has
grown even wider because of the length of the pandemic and continued
disruptions to his learning.
Just this year, our son's school has experienced the loss of
several dedicated educators. For example, Carter's speech language
pathologist left his school at the beginning of December and that
position was never filled and the vacancy remained until the end of the
school year. Carter went 7 months without speech services. On multiple
occasions I was reassured that they were working diligently to fill the
position and that Carter was owed compensatory services. However, not
only was the position not filled he did not receive any compensatory
services during those 7 months.
I also want to focus on the important role of special education
teachers and what they face to care for children both educationally and
mentally. Special education teachers in the State of North Carolina
provide direct instruction and case management that includes paperwork,
reports, and meetings. There simply isn't enough time in a school day
for all the roles that special education teachers are asked to perform.
Because of all the responsibilities special education teachers are
required they have very little time to work with children which is
their passion.
Now is the time for teachers, students, parents and all
stakeholders to come together to work on solutions and improvements.
Everyone needs to take a step back and really look at our children. A
lot of them are not okay. I was recently told by one of Carter's
therapists that even if we think a child seems okay most of them are
not. She spends most of her sessions allowing kids to talk and be
heard. We need to slow down, teach the basics, stop, look, and smile at
the kids and give them what they've been missing for 2 years. So many
children entered school this past year behind, nervous, and unsure.
They need to be cared for. School systems need to work closer with
teachers and parents to problem solve and develop feasible and
meaningful solutions.
As parents we need more support from the school to help our
children at home. In brainstorming in what might be beneficial, parents
need to be in collaboration with teachers to develop strategies to
extend their learning at home.
In closing, the fallout from the pandemic resulted in setbacks for
our children academically, socially, and emotionally. There isn't a
quick fix, but I certainly hope that we can come together to create
some solutions to help us move forward. Students, teachers and parents
are crying for help. Our boys would not be where they are today if it
weren't for the village of teachers and therapists that have supported
and loved them along the way. We must take steps to provide support for
students, teachers, and parents for the sake of everyone's future.
Thank you for your time.
______
[Summary Statement of Erin Wall]
My name is Erin Wall and I have three young children ages 10, 7 and
5. My oldest son, Carter, has a learning disability which causes
significant developmental delays. At the age of four, Carter entered
the Wake County Public School system and has since received special
education services and related therapies.
Due to the pandemic and disruptions to the school year, students
have experienced significant learning loss. We are witnessed to the
struggle our school system continues to have to keep qualified
personnel and to address the deficits in learning the students are now
facing.
During the pandemic, in order for Carter to meet his specific
educational goals and bridge the learning gap we had to choose in-
person instruction with a tutor over virtual learning. We are blessed
to have the resources for this outside service; however, most parents
in this situation do not. If we don't come together to address this
problem now our educational systems will worsen. The fallout from the
pandemic resulted in setbacks for our children academically, socially,
and emotionally. There isn't a quick fix, but I certainly hope that we
can come together to create some solutions to help us move forward.
______
The Chair. Thank you so much to all of our witnesses today.
We really appreciate your being here and your testimony. We
will now begin a round of 5 minute questions of our witnesses.
I ask my colleagues to please keep track of your clock and stay
within the 5-minutes.
My first question is for Mr. Russell. And first of all, Mr.
Russell, congratulations on being selected 2022 Teacher of the
Year, and thank you for all the work you do educating our kids.
You know, the past few school years have been incredibly
challenging for educators, and I know the tragedies in Uvalde
and elsewhere only add to that strain as educators have to help
students navigate the heartbreak that comes with these far too
frequent school shootings as well.
Amid all of this, our educators like yourself continue to
work hard to get our students back on track. Mr. Russell, I
wanted to ask you today, what can districts, and states and the
Federal Government do to better help our educators, including
by addressing burnout and supporting their mental health
challenges that they face today so that you are able to focus
on what you are expert in, which is teaching our students?
Mr. Russell. Thank you so much, Chair, for that question.
There are several levels to that--to my answer. I think, Number
1 is the responsibility that teachers have now is demanding.
And there has to be a way in which we could elevate teachers by
compensation is one, in regards to making sure that the level
of compensation is equal to the responsibility that they have.
I think Number 2 is for teachers to have a voice, for
teachers to sit down at the table with legislation and create
policies. Teachers are the experts. Teachers are the ones that
are on the grind every day in the classroom. I believe that
teachers must have the respect to be able to sit down and make
policy changes along with legislation.
The Chair. Thank you. My next question is for Commissioner
Russell-Tucker and Dr. Goldhaber. The last few years have been
incredibly tough on our students and our families and our
educators.
Given this pandemic's impact on learning, we need to do
everything we can to help our students get back up to speed and
successful, which I think is why it was so important the
American Rescue Plan provided schools with the resources they
need to stay open and to address students' learning loss, with
a particular focus on addressing the disproportionate impact of
the pandemic on students of color, students with disabilities,
students from families with low income, and so on.
Commissioner, let me start with you. Congress required
states to address learning loss with the American Rescue Plan
funding. How is Connecticut using this funding to help our
schools and districts and students address learning loss and
address their academic, social, emotional needs?
Ms. Russell-Tucker. Thank you, Chair, for that question as
well. So critically important. I am really pleased to say that
we were very intentional in Connecticut to make sure that we
had investment priorities. And to your point, the learning
recovery and acceleration was a big part of that.
Our districts are actually investing over $700 million
across all the districts in that particular domain. They are
looking at smaller class sizes, bringing in tutors in that
particular space. But you are also so clear, it is so clear
that we have to address fundamentally the social, emotional,
and mental health well-being of not only our students, but for
our staff.
That was another funding priority that Connecticut put in
place not just for our district, but also for ourselves with
our state set aside funding. And in that particular priority
area, over $183 million have been invested in that space. It is
hiring additional support staff, social workers, and counselors
to be in that space.
In some cases, it is working with partner organizations
that are providers of services that can also support them in
that category as well. So those are the kinds of things that we
are working on.
In Connecticut, I talk about my big audacious goal, which
is to make sure that every school building has that level of
behavioral health supports in it to make sure that children can
thrive, and the teachers can also be supported.
The Chair. Thank you. Dr. Goldhaber, what strategies are
you seeing work best to help boost students learning?
Mr. Goldhaber. Well, I want to be clear that we don't have
evidence yet about what is actually working based on the
current investments. But there is lots of evidence from pre-
pandemic investments about what works.
There are some of the strategies that I outlined earlier
that seem to have quite large effects on student achievement.
High dosage tutoring, which is small group tutoring at least
three or four times a week throughout the school year, that has
been shown to have quite large impacts on student achievement.
Double dosing of academic subjects.
Where some where students may get extra subjects in math or
reading. That has larger impacts. And then various ways of
extending the amount of learning time that students get. So
extended school days, Saturday school, intersession extended
school year, and summer school.
All of those are strategies that make good sense. But
again, as I mentioned before, are a little bit politically
contentious.
The Chair. Thank you. Finally, Ms. Wall, these have been
pretty difficult years and I think parents' concern about their
students' learning is at the highest level since the start of
the pandemic. As a parent of three children, looking forward,
how would you like to see schools and districts use these funds
from the American Rescue Plan and better communicate with
families?
Ms. Wall. Thank you for the question, Chairwoman. As
everyone has kind of mentioned, I think it is important for the
teachers and parents in the schools to come together to try to
help address these needs for the children. And coming out these
past 2 years, children are faced with a lot of deficits in
their learning. I think that those need to be identified by the
teachers.
Then the teachers are--they need training and resources to
help those children. I feel like children have been promoted to
the next grade level and those teachers are required to teach
at that grade level. However, those children are behind in math
and in reading.
For instance, our son Carter, he is still learning how to
read, and he is going to be going into the fourth grade next
year. And so a fourth grade teacher doesn't have the training
and the resources to teach a child phonics and how to continue
their reading skills. I feel like they are not able to fully
help him.
I feel like giving teachers the training and the resources
they need so that they can then identify those learning gaps
for the children and then working with parents too, so parents
can then help their children at home and work outside of the
school setting to try to help them move forward.
The Chair. Thank you very much.
Senator Cassidy.
Senator Cassidy. Thank you. Mr. Russell, once more man, how
impressive is that? I feel like you are the LeBron James of
secondary and primary school teaching. So just hats off to you.
That said, Dr. Goldhaber, okay, you say that 5 months is the
average for children with dyslexia versus an average of 2
months for all students.
What if you just compare students who are lower
socioeconomic class versus higher socioeconomic class? What is
the difference in math progression in that spread, if you will?
Mr. Goldhaber. Well, actually, the comparison was not for
dyslexic students with----
Senator Cassidy. No, I am sorry--I shouldn't have--lower
socioeconomic class, lower socioeconomic versus higher
socioeconomic. If you just compare those two without the
overall average, what is the difference?
Mr. Goldhaber. Oh, the difference is and these are around
about but roughly five and a half months behind for students in
high poverty schools versus more like a month and a half to 2
months in--for students that are in low poverty schools.
Senator Cassidy. But did you--in a low poverty school, that
is a mix of students. That is, those children who are both from
poor families as well as those who are richer. Is just that the
average is that the students are richer. Were you able to
differentiate again between students who come from a census
track of high poverty versus a census track of low poverty?
Mr. Goldhaber. In our study, we couldn't differentiate at
the individual school level based on poverty.
Senator Cassidy. Okay, let me stop you there, because I
have limited time. Ms. Wall creates a very compelling case that
children with disability--learning disability or disability in
general are particularly vulnerable. Did any of your research
look at the impact upon children with--now I will go to
dyslexia, but just pick learning disability in general versus
those who do not have a learning disability?
Mr. Goldhaber. Again, I don't want to rely on our research,
but I have read a lot of research by other researchers and the
answer is that more vulnerable students were clearly made worse
off by the pandemic. It is not clear that is solely about what
was going on in the schools, as I think you mentioned in your
opening remarks.
Some of this may be about what was happening in the homes
from folks from different backgrounds, too.
Senator Cassidy. Did you track in your--we have talked
about the 8.1 percent of children leaving public schools, but
we have seen an uptick of about 240,000 of children going into
charter schools. And anecdotally, there has been increased
enrollment in private and parochial schools. Did your data
track the migration of such students?
Mr. Goldhaber. No, that was not the focus of our work.
Senator Cassidy. Ms. Tucker, in your experience in
Connecticut, have you tracked, I don't know of the fallen
enrollment in public schools in Connecticut, but assuming that
there was some decrease in enrollment, did you track what
percent of those students who are no longer in public school
are either in a charter, a private, or parochial school?
Ms. Russell-Tucker. Thank you, Senator, for the question.
We have a really robust data system that allows us to do data
tracking of our students. Specifically, we have looked to see
when we did an assessment in the previous year, basically how
students did based on their learning models.
We have looked, out enrollments are down and also now
coming back up, and we are able to disaggregate. I don't have
those specific numbers for you, but we are able to disaggregate
our data and we are able to tell how all those student groups
are performing.
To the point that was made earlier, certainly they were all
impacted, or students with disabilities and I know it is a
concern of yours, were disproportionately impacted wider areas
than a student group that we are working very hard to address
those needs.
Senator Cassidy. But specifically, were you able to track
whether or not the children who disenrolled from a public
school subsequently enrolled in a charter--I don't know if you
have charters, I assume that you do, a charter, a private, or
religious school?
Ms. Russell-Tucker. We--I don't have that level of data----
Senator Cassidy. Okay, let me stop you there. I happen to
know that the people who literally wrote the book on dyslexia,
Dr. Shaywitz in Yale, and one in five children are affected by
dyslexia. I don't know if you screened first--the first part of
the question is if you screen for dyslexia.
Second, do you have specific data as regards how those
children did during the kind of remote learning period,
subsequent to the remote learning period. Did they fall further
behind than their peers independently of their income level of
the family?
Ms. Russell-Tucker. We have looked at the student with
disabilities. We can disaggregate. I don't have the information
specifically for students identified with dyslexia, but those
students with disabilities in general, certainly were
disproportionately impacted.
Senator Cassidy. Does Connecticut screen and then
subsequently test to confirm if somebody is dyslexic? Do you
screen children for dyslexia?
Ms. Russell-Tucker. That is occurring. It is an area of
concern for us this past session. An Office of Dyslexia and
Reading Disabilities was placed by our legislature in our
office to really get closer to those issues, to work with also
higher education. Make sure that our teachers----
Senator Cassidy. Okay. I am sorry. She is about to rein me
in.
Ms. Russell-Tucker. Okay.
Senator Cassidy. Can you tell me what percent of your
students have been identified as dyslexic?
Ms. Russell-Tucker. I don't have that specific number for
you, but we will get back to you.
Senator Cassidy. I suspect there will be a second round, so
I yield.
The Chair. Thank you.
Senator Kaine.
Senator Kaine. Thank you, Chairman. Thank you to all the
witnesses. I am going to ask a question about teacher
recruitment, teacher retention. I want to hear from all of you.
Before I do, Chairman, I just wanted to recount something that
I heard not long ago.
It has been a tough challenge for parents and teachers and
school board members. I have had some school boards in
Virginia, and almost all of our school board members are
parents of kids, and some are grandparents, maybe former
teachers. They are deeply connected to education issues.
Many of them have kids in the system right now, and they
are very poorly paid. I had a school board member in one of my
jurisdictions where there has been really volatile public
meetings, choose not to run again. I asked her why. And her
answer stopped me absolutely dead in my tracks. She said my
salary would not pay for a funeral.
She and her children have received death threats over
decisions that they have been grappling with the school board
members. And it has been a tough time and people are stressed,
I get that. But I worry about people choosing other lines of
work because of a perception that, wow, this is a job that's
always been tough.
Now I got to grapple with physical security issues, whether
it is a shooter in a classroom or somebody who is putting death
threats on my email because of a decision that the school board
might make.
Here is the question I wanted to ask. Ms. Wall talked about
in her school, the school that are older son is connected, with
a speech therapist leaving midyear and then one replaced at the
end of the year. And as I talk to superintendents, they really
sing the blues to me about teacher shortages and teacher
retention, and particularly about any teacher in the special ed
space.
Could each of the four of you from kind of the research
standpoint, a state system, a local high school and parent,
just share with the Committee what are things we ought to be
thinking about in terms of attracting and retaining teachers?
Mr. Goldhaber. I am happy to quickly weigh in, and thank
you for the question, Senator Kaine. I think that we do need to
be concerned generally with the desirability of the teaching
profession, given everything that is going on in schools.
But I also think that it is very important not to talk
about teachers generically, because what we know about the
teacher labor market is that the degree of staffing challenge
varies a great deal based on geography. It varies a great deal
based on teacher specialization. So you mentioned special
education teachers, and that is an area where I think that it
is much more challenging to staff classrooms than it is to
staff, for instance, elementary education classrooms.
It is tougher to staff classrooms in schools that are
serving disproportionately disadvantaged or historically
marginalized students. So my view, and this is perhaps not
surprising as I am a labor economist, is that we ought to be
focusing resources in the areas where there is more acute need.
That would be, again, the places where staffing challenges
are more extreme. I do think that additional pay and retention
incentives do make a difference in terms of the likelihood that
we are going to attract people----
Senator Kaine. Excellent. Could I ask Commissioner Russell-
Tucker? I just I would love to hear from everybody before my
time expires.
Commissioner Russell-Tucker.
Ms. Russell-Tucker. Thank you, Senator. Certainly it was an
area of extreme focus for us, as you can well imagine, with
schools open, trying to address the staffing needs, helping a
district address the staffing needs.
Some of the things we have done with our state board that
we have looked at flexibilities around certifications and I
think those are the things we continue--we need to continue to
look at and long term--so there is a short term, but long term,
how do we continue to encourage folks to come into the
profession, which is so important.
That is the work that we have to continue to do together
and not without hearing from the teachers themselves. What is
those things that make the environment much more attractive to
come into, starting with students as well?
Senator Kaine. Mr. Russell, what are those things that make
the environment more attractive? So you are well positioned to
answer that question.
Mr. Russell. Yes, thank you so much. Number 1, the value
placed upon teachers has been lost, that respect. Once upon a
time, teachers used to be the pillar of a community. Now that
is no longer there. The respect of teachers in regards to their
expertise is not taken--is taken for granted.
Therefore, there is many things that we can do in order to
increase. Number 1, as I mentioned in my testimony earlier, is
pay. We have to be compensated. It is not an attractive
profession because of that. I think No. 2, as I said earlier,
that teachers must be a voice in regards to policies and
legislation.
Senator Kaine. Chair, could I ask if Ms. Wall could respond
briefly?
The Chair. Yes. Absolutely.
Ms. Wall. Thank you, Senator. I spoke to a lot of Carter's
special education teachers leading up to today. Sadly, two of
them are leaving Carter's school. I think it is because, as Mr.
Russell touched on, pay is obviously a huge concern of theirs.
And also they are just stretched too thin.
I mean, special education teachers have to educate the
children, but yet they also have to handle the case management,
which is a lot of paperwork and meetings, and that eats up a
lot of their time. And they are not able to work with the
children, which is their passion.
That should be the Number 1 thing that they are working on
is the children and their education and there is just not
enough time for them to be able to do that.
Senator Kaine. Great. Thank you so much.
Thanks, Chair Murray.
The Chair. Thank you.
Senator Tuberville.
Senator Tuberville. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for
being here today. That was excellent questioning there. Senator
Kaine, I have spent 40 years teaching and coaching and you hit
it right on the head, respect, environment, and pay. Mostly
women are teachers, a high percentage of them.
I think all three of those should be accountable if we are
going to get our education back to where it should be. So thank
you all for being here today. Mr. Russell, Congress
appropriated three waves of Federal K-through-12 pandemic
relief funding.
In the third wave of funding that came with the passage of
the American Rescue Plan in March 2021, Congress required
school districts to set aside 20 percent of the funds to
address student learning loss through evidence based
interventions. What evidence based interventions would you
prioritize if you were running your school district? What would
you do with that 20 percent?
Mr. Russell. Thank you so much, Senator. Thank you so much,
Senator, for that question. There is a couple of things I would
do. I think, Number 1, I would have a more robust inclusion
program with our students, making sure that all of our students
are able to be included within the curriculum.
What I mean by that is making sure that teachers are
equipped to teach all of our students, making sure that
students receive that quality of education that they deserve. I
think Number 2, as we have done at Oberlin High School, is that
we hire specialists, and we hire instructional coaches to
really focus on students who are struggling and also to really
focus on teacher instructional pedagogy. So those are the two
things I will really focus on.
Senator Tuberville. Anybody else got anything I want to add
to that?
Ms. Russell-Tucker. Just a point on that. Not all our
schools are resourced similarly. And so within our districts we
have districts that received $40,000 and districts that
received $200 million. What you can do between there is really
very different. So allowing districts to assess their need and
determine what they--what needs to occur for them locally, I
think is really important.
Senator Tuberville. Thank you. Anybody else? All right. Ms.
Wall, extensive research has shown that students achieve more
in school when their parents are involved in their education. I
think we will all agree with that. And as a former educator and
coach, I couldn't agree more. I have seen it firsthand.
Children are empowered to reach new heights when their
parents or guardians are engaged. In your testimony, you
highlighted that as the parent of a child with learning
disability, you supplemented your son's virtual learning with a
tutor who provided in-person instruction.
While not every parent is fortunate enough to do that, your
decisive action ensured your son would not fall further behind
the classroom, which I have seen that time and time again. In
your opinion, what are the primary barriers to parent
involvement in school programs? What do you think keeps parents
out of involvement now?
Ms. Wall. Thank you, Senator, for your question. I think
one of the struggles with the virtual learning was just the
time of day. I mean, it took place in the middle of the school
day.
Parents were at work, and they weren't able to sit there
with their children at home and be a part of their school day.
I think that is the biggest issue.
I think that is why it is important for teachers to work
with the parents to help identify what those learning gaps may
be so then the parents can be more involved with their
children, whether that is at the end of the school day helping
them with their homework or providing tutoring services,
whatever that may be, but just finding the right time so that
parents can be involved in that educational process with their
kids.
Senator Tuberville. Thank you. Mr. Russell-Tucker, recent
data indicates that charter schools experienced undeniable
success despite COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, nearly every state
saw charter school enrollment increase in 2019 school year to
2021.
In Alabama, there was a 65 percent increase in charter
school enrollment and a 1.4 decrease in public school
enrollment. In your State of Connecticut, charter schools saw a
1.2 percent increase in enrollment and a nearly 3 percent
decrease in district public school enrollment.
Without charter schools, overall public school enrollment
declines might have been far worse, leading to further learning
losses. Why do you think charter schools experienced record
growth during the pandemic?
Ms. Russell-Tucker. You know, in some cases, Senator, I
believe families were looking for smaller learning
environments. And so that was something that they might have
gravitated to. I know in Connecticut, we have worked across the
board for families to be able to have the ability to make
decisions around what they needed to do for learning.
But also critically important that our schools are all
sharing specific information with families so they can make
decisions to the point sometimes of having families walk
through a building to have a sense of health and safety that is
in that building. And so it is really--what is important is to
make sure that all our families were able to make those
decisions based on the school types that they were a part of.
Senator Tuberville. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
The Chair. Senator Smith.
Senator Smith. Thank you, Madam Chair, Ranking Member. And
thanks, welcome to our panelists. I really appreciate this
discussion today. I want to focus in on mental health and the
importance, the value of providing good mental health services
in schools.
This is something that I have heard consistently from
parents and students and also educators in Minnesota even
before the pandemic. But of course, the pandemic really
exacerbated that challenge. In Minnesota, I am sure like a lot
of districts, we really struggle with finding resources in
order to provide this.
Minnesota actually has one of the worst school counselor to
student ratios in the country. The recommended ratio is 1 to
250 students. In Minnesota, it is 1 for every 654 students. And
it is even worse for social workers and mental health
providers, psychologists, and so forth. So one of the things
that has happened in Minnesota is that ARP funding has been
deployed to address this challenge.
In Albert Lea, Minnesota, they are hiring counselors and a
social worker. In Dover, Iowa, they are bringing in outside
mental health professionals to try to fill this gap. Mr.
Russell, and then I am going to turn to you, Ms. Russell-
Tucker, as an educator, could you talk to us about the value,
what you see around having mental health professionals in
schools to be able to provide the--fill that need for students
and what difference it makes in the work that you are doing?
Mr. Russell. Thank you so much, Senator, for that question.
There is a great need for that. In my testimony, I mentioned
for the first time in my 25 years of teaching, we had a social
worker. And what I noticed is the emotional and mental growth
of our students were substantial.
Our social worker brought in new ways of trying to
encourage our students. Our social worker was able to really
tap into not only students trauma, but also faculty trauma as
well. And from there, it seemed as though there is a healing
process that is taking place. And so therefore, there is a
great need, even in my teaching, in my classroom, what I
noticed is students are more emotional, well, because of the
social worker that we brought in, and students are more able to
really focus on the lesson right at the moment.
Senator Smith. That allows--it is sort of the link. Of
course, it is just one student. It is not like, oh, here is my
emotional wellness health and here is my academic wellness
self. It is one person.
Everybody, everything that I have read has talked about the
sort of how there is also delay, social emotional development
growth, just as there has been academic delay in academic
growth because of the pandemic. And it sounds like that's what
you are seeing as well.
Mr. Russell. Yes, I am.
Senator Smith. Ms. Russell, would you like to comment on
this from your perspective and what you are seeing as far as
the importance of addressing mental health care needs for
students in their learning environment?
Ms. Russell-Tucker. Thank you, Senator. And that is a
passion of mine. Even before the pandemic, we recognized that
students had to have their social emotional well-being
addressed because that is foundational to learning.
We made that investment priority with the ESSER funds that
came in, again, not for just ourselves. And we also realize in
Connecticut, so all our districts, as I have said, have
invested over $183 million across the state.
We are also doing it from our state reserve as well. But
our legislature just passed landmark legislation on mental
health that is also providing additional resources for schools
to be able to hire mental health staff and others that they
need. Assess what they need at the local level.
It is critical for students to be--to learn, and it is also
critical for staff when we talk about the environment that they
are working in, that their needs are also met. But if the
children, if their needs are met, then they can also focus on
teaching and learning.
Senator Smith. Thank you. I couldn't agree more. I think
this is an area of very important focus for us. I want to just
note that not only has this Committee has just done--is in the
midst of doing really important work.
I am marking up and working on a mental health--broader
based mental health legislation. But I am in the package that
we just voted on for last night. We are also looking as we look
at gun safety issues, also looking at mental health issues and
what we can do to support that. I think that is a very
important priority.
Maybe just quickly, Mr. Russell, before I run out of time
here. I also believe that strong after school programs are
incredibly valuable to help to support students and kids. We
are seeing how Rescue Plan dollars were used to extend
afterschool programs.
My colleague on this Committee, Senator Murphy, has worked
a lot on this and I have been glad to partner with him. Could
you just have a minute to talk a little bit about how those
afterschool programs also can be helpful to advancing kid's
social, emotional, and academic growth?
Mr. Russell. Thank you so much again, Senator, for that
question. Yes, it has been a great, great benefit to our school
district. Because of the ESSER fund, we were able to create and
to enhance our afterschool enrichment program. Our program goes
from afterschool to around 6.00 in the p.m., maybe 3 hours per
day.
What we bring in are tutors, but at the same time we bring
in recreational activities just in order for our kids to be
kids. And what I noticed is that after school program has
really benefited our school. As I said earlier, in regards to
bring in the social worker, the after school program has been a
direct link into our emotional well-being of our students as
well.
Senator Smith. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
The Chair. Senator Casey.
Senator Casey. Chair Murray, thanks very much. And thanks
for having this hearing. Both, thank you and the Ranking
Member. I wanted to start with an issue which I don't think
anyone here or anyone listening would contest, and that is that
the pandemic has had a devastating impact on students across
the board.
There is just no way to calculate that or adequately
describe it. That devastating impact on children in our schools
is often worse if that child has a disability. And obviously,
all of you are critically concerned about these issues that
relate to children in our schools generally, but in particular
with regard to the terrible impact of the pandemic.
I wanted to start with Commissioner Russell-Tucker to ask
you about that focus on children with disabilities, and in
particular children with disabilities in our schools who may
not have access, have had access, I should say, to all of their
individual education plan services.
We know the American Rescue Plan provided dollars to
support reopening schools and about $130 billion, as I recall,
and dollars to address the academic challenges students face.
It also included additional funding to support students
through the ADA, through those grants. What do you think we
need to do, Commissioner to support the academic renewal of
students with disabilities to ensure that they can achieve
their academic potential?
Ms. Russell-Tucker. Thank you, Senator, for that question.
And as I laid out in the testimony, in addition to the IDA
funds and the additional resources which we are grateful for,
that we also tapped into the states Reserve funds to even add
to that because this is so critically important for us to do.
We need to listen and hear from families what they are
experiencing so we can provide specific supports. We need to
hear directly from our school districts about what their
challenges are as well so we can be again supporting them in
all their needs.
Connecticut has 80,000 or so of our students who are
students with disabilities. And back to your previous question
about 11,000 of them with dyslexia.
It is really important for us to be able to lean in on our
families and hear directly from families what their experiences
are and how to support the children. Also from my children,
their voices matter as well as we are doing this work.
Senator Casey. Could you also expand on the question of how
states are using those rescue plan dollars to support students
with disabilities, either through the lens of the State of
Connecticut or more broadly?
Ms. Russell-Tucker. Thank you again. We see in Connecticut
that districts are using it for supplemental tutoring and
reading instruction. We have also provide individualized in-
home supports by organizations that are able to do that.
Certainly doing more special education evaluations and
ensuring that IEP are indeed implemented as we know that there
were disruptions to that. So working very closely with our
districts.
Those are the things that are emerging. And we are looking
to also share those as best practices across the system as
well.
Senator Casey. Commissioner, thank you. I another question
for you as well. I don't think anyone would contest as well
that the pandemic was the ultimate emergency, on so many fronts
and so many facets of our lives, and in particular for schools
and for students and for educators.
I have a piece of legislation called Prep for All Students
Act, which would make sure that the voices of students and
families, students with disabilities and their families are
included in school emergency planning.
You have engaged in extensive efforts to get that kind of
stakeholder feedback, including parents and students, on how to
prioritize the use of elementary and secondary schools'
emergency relief funds.
How would, including the voice of students with
disabilities and their families, help to improve both the
quality of emergency or preparedness planning, as well as the
effectiveness of that planning?
Ms. Russell-Tucker. Senator, I always say it cannot be
about them without them. And so it is so critically important
that they are at the table. And this is what we have championed
in our state here and from our families. A student with
disabilities engage in, frankly, even with their attorneys that
are supporting families.
We know exactly what the issues are. So their voice are
critically important it is not an afterthought. It must be a
part of the dialog and conversation. We have got to hear that
perspective so that we can craft policies that are not in
search of a solution--in search of a problem, but actually
addressing a problem that does exist and it is a real solution
with intended results.
Senator Casey. Thank you, Commissioner.
Thanks, Chairman Murray.
The Chair. Senator Rosen.
Senator Rosen. Oh, excuse me. Thanks. It is on. Thank you,
Chair Murray. And thank you, Ranking Member Cassidy. I really
want to thank the witnesses here today for your thoughtfulness
and your caring on behalf of the children, the families,
everybody who works in the school and the community, really
appreciate that.
I want to build a little bit on what Senator Smith was
talking about and student mental health, because we are in the
midst of a youth mental health crisis. It has only been made
worse by worse by the pandemic.
We know how hard distance learning was for everyone,
particularly difficult for students with mental health
challenges. They lost access to their friends, to their
teachers, and to, if they were available, any in-school mental
health resources they may have previously relied on for
support.
Tragically, in Nevada's Clark County School District, the
number of students who died by suicide in 2020 more than
doubled from the year before, tragically. And so we have to do
more to help.
Along with Senator Cassidy, we are working on bipartisan
legislation that would reauthorize and enhance a Federal
program to train teachers, school staff, and other personnel to
better recognize the symptoms of youth mental illness or mental
health issues before they escalate, referring students and
their family members to appropriate community based mental
health services.
I have also introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator
Murkowski to expand SAM grants for comprehensive student mental
health promotion and suicide prevention to K-12 school
districts, as money is currently only available to colleges and
universities. I just wanted to build on that.
You have answered my questions already. So the next thing I
want to move to is the learning loss. We had a lot of learning
loss. It highlighted our educational inequities facing our
students in low income rural communities, as Senator Casey
mentions, our student students with disabilities.
We have to focus on eliminating that educational deficit as
quickly as possible. I know in Nevada, across the country,
educators are working to move forward and overcome many of
those setbacks.
Dr. Goldhaber, as we prepare for the next school year this
fall, how do we bridge the gap for those students who face the
most inequities and challenges, particularly our low income
minority or rural students? And as Senator Casey highlighted,
you have responded to our disability community.
Mr. Goldhaber. Well, again, I think that one of the things
that is really important is that we do a good job of figuring
out which students really need which kinds of help and
tailoring the interventions to really target those students and
target the kinds of help that they that they need.
I think that the school systems, at least that we are
working with, we are seeing that kind of targeting in a lot of
the kinds of investments that one would expect and hope for.
Again, tutoring programs, extra support in core academic
subjects and summer school.
But I guess I want to take this moment to just sort of
emphasize something that was said earlier, which is that
systems received very different amounts of money. And there are
some estimates out there about whether it is going to be
enough. And my take is that it is going to be enough.
The ESSER funds are going to be sufficient to help students
in lots of school systems, but not all school systems. I think
that we need to look at this as not a short run.
We are going to get over the hump in a year, but in some
cases a longer term endeavor and make sure that we are keeping
our eye on the ball of student achievement when hopefully the
pandemic has faded in the rearview mirror, but that it may not
have fully faded in terms of learning loss for some students.
That in the out years, we are continuing to provide support
for those students that really need it.
Senator Rosen. Well, thank you. I want to build on that in
the short time we have left, because we can't do all of this
without addressing the teacher shortage, especially in
specialized subject areas such as career and technical
education in Nevada. We are hearing that we have about 1,500
CTE educator positions currently unfilled due to insufficient
resources.
Again, Dr. Goldhaber, what does the initial data tell us
regarding which subjects are most at risk in terms of teacher
recruitment and retention? And we can buildup mental health
services and other wraparound services, but we need educators
in the classroom. So what do you think we need to do to help
thee?
Mr. Goldhaber. I think that just very quickly, there are
three--four areas. So you mentioned CTE, special education,
STEM areas, and ELL areas where the staffing challenge seems
much more acute relative to teachers at the elementary
education level. And what is important is that it is acute for
different reasons.
In the case of special education, there is higher than
average attrition of special education teachers. But for
instance, in the case of STEM teachers, it looks like there is
an issue with the number of people who are being trained and
entering the workforce.
I guess I would just sort of push us toward tailored
solutions that really get at the nature of the problem. And
ultimately, I think that we need to have a school system send
stronger signals to the teacher labor market and prospective
teachers about the areas where there are real shortages and
challenges in getting classrooms staffed.
Senator Rosen. Thank you, Madam Chair.
The Chair. Senator Cassidy.
Senator Cassidy. Thank you again, Madam Chair. You know, in
my opening remarks, I mentioned how unions and politicians
enabling the unions have really done a disservice to our
students. I mention that because as a physician I know that
brain development intertwines or, if you will, interacts with
the instruction a child receives.
If a child misses out a year of education, when her brain
is at that critical point of development, it may not be
recoverable. That is what we have to acknowledge. And at the
outset, in the Chair's testimony, she had mentioned some
differences between the two parties. I will mention those as
well.
In these packages that we passed to give financial aid to
the school, it was a battle for Republicans to get resources
for parochial and private schools. And once we allocated it,
some Democratic Governors refused to give it. It was incredibly
frustrating, but that probably points to a difference in
perspective from this.
From the Republican standpoint, we take it from the
perspective of the student and her or his family, not from the
teachers--or excuse me, not from the school itself.
That is distinctly a different perspective because, Ms.
Wall, you spoke about taking your children into the private
setting and you implied, you were very delicate, that they cost
you a fair amount of money, but your family could afford. There
are a lot of families out there who cannot afford. Any comment
on that, Ms. Wall?
Ms. Wall. Thank you, Senator. We had every intention to
send all three of our children to public school. I went to
public school. My husband went to public school. However, when
it was clear the public school was not going to provide in-
person instruction for our children, we chose to send our
middle son to private school.
Now, had they had in-person instruction, he would have been
at public school. So we made that decision for him because we
knew it was best for him and he had more or less a normal year.
And we were grateful that. But as you mentioned, most
families----
Senator Cassidy. Stop for a second. He had essentially a
normal year.
Ms. Wall. Yes.
Senator Cassidy. You are about to say most families could
not afford such an arrangement.
Ms. Wall. Correct.
Senator Cassidy. I suspect if you had to send all three, it
would have been difficult for your family.
Ms. Wall. Yes.
Senator Cassidy. Mr. Goldhaber--Dr. Goldhaber, I am sorry.
Mr. Goldhaber. Thank you, Senator Cassidy. I guess I just
wanted to strike a little bit of an optimistic note, because I
actually think that recovery is possible----
Senator Cassidy. Can I stop you in that because I need to
develop another point? In your data, did you differentiate
between students who attended a public school and students who
attended an alternative setting?
Mr. Goldhaber. These were all students that were in public
schools.
Senator Cassidy. What about those who are in charter versus
those who are in traditional public?
Mr. Goldhaber. We did not separately analyze. We were
looking at data from test scores administered by NWA and we
didn't separately look at students that were in charter
schools.
Senator Cassidy. Sounds good, or I understand that. Let me
put it that way. Let me make the point that I do know that
there were religious schools and private schools and charter
schools that made the decision to remain open and, or to open
earlier and, or to put in these enriched possibilities.
But not--well public schools were closed. Now what we have
heard today, we don't need Dr. Goldhaber to have analyzed that,
because what we have heard today is that the determinant
variable in how students did was whether or not the school was
open from the point of view of the teacher and from the point
of view of statistical analysis.
Really, our focus should be how do we give the parent the
right to choose the school where her child can get the best
instruction for that child no matter the moment? If one school
is shut down, then another school would be open, and the parent
should have that choice.
We have also heard that there can be financial barriers in
order to achieve that option. I have introduced legislation
that would allow, encourage the ability for a family of limited
means to still be able to attend the school that is best for
their child because another school might be closed or for other
reasons.
I hope that in the future both parties, it can be
bipartisan, that we take the perspective of the student and her
family as opposed to the school itself, agnostic as the school,
so that the school--so that the child will actually have the
greatest opportunity for herself or himself. I thank you all
for being here. I yield.
The Chair. Thank you. Commissioner Russell-Tucker, I wanted
to ask you, given the very real threat of the fall surge and
emergence of new variants, we need to be supporting our schools
right now as they prepare for back to school in a few short
months and more disruption for students and families just
cannot be an option.
That is really why I am so focused on passing supplemental
COVID funding to make sure you have tests, vaccines, treatments
so that schools and districts and parents are prepared for
whatever comes next in this pandemic. I also want to make sure
that HHS, the Department of Education, are giving very clear
direction to our states and school districts so they are
preparing now for fall and winter.
Congress, by the way, also needs to pass an extension of
the school meal waiver to help make sure our schools are
feeding our kids. But. Commissioner Russell-Tucker, can you lay
out what steps you in Connecticut are taking to make sure
schools and school districts are ready for the fall and winter,
especially if we face another surge?
Mr. Goldhaber. Thank you, Senator. In my testimony, you
have heard me talk about our Health and Safety Tuesdays in the
collaboration with our communities. The last meeting we had
with this team, we asked them, so we asked everyone that was on
that call, please tell us what it is that you need for this
coming for the fall. We are meeting in a few weeks.
We are having our own summit with Public Health and the
Department of Education to start thinking about what are those
things that we need for support--with our history, what we have
learned in the past to where we need to go. The resources you
have talked about, making test available, all of that was a
part of our package that we were using to support and that we
are looking forward to.
But it really is going to be important for us to think
about, if there is a new variant, what do we do to make sure
that learning is not as interrupted or disrupted as it was in
the past, because of what we have learned and that we are
pivoting to based on that.
All of the supports from the Federal Government is
certainly important as we go back to our states and continue to
think about planning for this upcoming fall based on lessons
learned.
The Chair. Thank you very much. Thank you to all of our
witnesses today. That will end our hearing.
I want to thank all of our colleagues. I want to thank Dr.
Goldhaber, Commissioner Russell-Tucker, Mr. Russell, Ms. Wall,
for a really thoughtful conversation about the challenges that
our students are facing from this pandemic and what we can do
to help them recover and to thrive after such a few very hard
years.
For any Senators who wish to ask additional questions,
questions for the record will be due in 10 business days, July
7th at 5.00 p.m.
With that, the Committee stands adjourned.
------
[Whereupon, at 11:36 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
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