Public Education in the United States: Its time for hard conversations.

Tennessee is a true reflection of the United States. The educational challenges we face here are no different than other states across the Nation. Rural realities, urban realities, poverty, abundance, internet access, digital resources, economic challenges in addition to the changing child raising family structures of mom and dad, two moms, two dads, blended and single parents are part of the equation.  The post COVID questioning of historical, legacy institutions and beliefs, ranging from faith, religion, and democratic ideals add to the instability.

As we move into the 2023-24 election cycle, rhetoric about K-12 public education is ramping up. There is no doubt that over the next 24 months, discussion on K-12 public education will grow to a crescendo.  Both outside and inside, teachers, administrators, school boards, parents, community members, local, state, and federal elected officials, all seem to be voicing concern and frustration.

 

On the outside looking in...

The success of Glenn Youngkin’s election to Virginia governor, running on a platform of rooting out the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in public schools, to Mike Pompeo calling the president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, "the most dangerous person in the world"  to Fox’s Pete Hegseth’s book, "Battle For The American Mind", advocating a “revolution to save our children in public schools from leftist indoctrination,” reflect a loss of faith and confidence in our public education system.

Parents and community members are concerned with “learning loss” due to the COVID pandemic and worry about their children’s preparedness to enter and contribute to society. Elected local and state officials are concerned about economic growth, and community wellbeing. The ability to compete globally, and our Nation’s defense is directly tied to the education of our young people. If Public Education is the bedrock of a healthy society, how healthy are we?

 

On the inside looking out...

Those who work within the public schools feel stress, anxiety, and uncertainty. Veteran teachers truly want the best for their students, but are tired, feel underappreciated, and are burned out. The Georgia Department of Education commissioned the University of Georgia to study Teacher Burnout. The report, published in June of 2022, not only identified salaries, but cited the need to Preserve and Protect Instructional Time, Pressures and Unrealistic Expectations, Teacher Voice and Professional Growth, along with the need to address Mental Health and Wellness as key contributors to teacher burnout. These conditions are not unique to Georgia but can be found here in Tennessee as well as across the country.

 

 Gimme one about the teacher who's

Tryin' to change a life or two...

Where kids are climbing off the walls

It's scary walkin' down the hall

She's underpaid, she's overworked

Come on, man, shout one out to her!

Eric Church, “Put that in your county song”

 

Principals are anxious, tired, and stressed as well. Instructional leadership and student achievement, building operations, school climate and navigating community politics, are burning them out. Principals, as well as superintendents, are having to deal with staff shortages and funding as well as navigating the post COVID political landscape. A Superintendent’s tenure average of 5.8 years, coupled with Board and community relationship challenges all add to the uncertainty and instability.  

 

 “If the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is near.” Accept change before the change is thrust on you. If people don't perform, they perish. If companies don't innovate, they become obsolete. Jack Welch

 

All these signals reflect that the rate of change is accelerating exponentially. The question is can current practices, structures, procedures, and policies adapt to new realities and expectations? As a teacher and administrator for over 40 years, I have experienced the attempts to reform education. Beginning with A Nation at Risk (1980-1989), standards-based education model (1990-2000), No Child Left Behind (2001-2015), and Every Child Succeeds Act (2016-2021) there is question as to the successes of these initiatives. When you stop and think, what is different between schools of 1987 and school today?

 

Realizing new realities and conditions?

Larry Arnn, Hillsdale College president, wrote “Raising a child has always been difficult and expensive. With rare exceptions, it has always been true that the parents who conceive the child raise him the best. And throughout American history, it has been thought that the family is the cradle of good citizenship and therefore of free and just politics. Public education is as old as our nation—but only lately has it adopted the purpose of supplanting the family and controlling parents.” (Epoch Times, Nov. 22, 2022) Instead of blanket statements, there needs to be discernment as to why this condition arose in the first place.  When  37.6% of all marriages in the US end in divorce  and 50% of all children in the United States will witness the end of their parent’s marriage, the problem is much bigger than just the schools. 

It’s time to take a hard look in the mirror.

What is the purpose for public education? During my 40-year tenure it seems this has been a moving target. With working parents dropping their young children off at before and after school programs, how much time does the family spend together? How does this reality match up with Arnn’s comment that “Public education is as old as our nation—but only lately has it adopted the purpose of supplanting the family and controlling parents.”  Who, lately, has been spending the most time raising and caring for the children?

 

Let’s us, Tennesseans, be the first to begin the hard conversation, with inclusive dialogue of all stakeholders. What truly are all the challenges facing us? What do we want Tennessee to be and what do we want for our children?   

 

 

 

Public Education in the United States is not a people problem, it is a system problem.

JC Bowman, Executive Director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, recently posted an editorial entitled Building a Better Pipeline: New Teacher Corps. The focus was on the teacher shortage happening in Tennessee, and the crucial need to address the issue. I have the greatest respect for Director Bowman and agree with him that we Tennesseans are facing a human capital challenge, but Tennessee is not alone.  Every state in the Union is struggling to recruit and retain teachers. 

Recruiting Teachers
Tennessee State and local leadership recognizes the teacher shortage and is pragmatically seeking solutions. Federal government TEACHER grant programs, Tennessee Promise, Grow Your Own, and the creation of a New Teacher Corps can provide funds and pathways to becoming a teacher. But the challenge is motivating individuals to choose to become teachers in the first place.

Retaining Teachers

The challenge of retaining teachers, and the teacher shortage has been a growing problem that has accelerated as an aftershock of the COVID pandemic.  Education Week, April 27, 2022, shared that “survey data paints a picture of a disillusioned, exhausted workforce that feels burdened by a constantly growing workload – and disrespected by the general public.”

 

Teachers are the difference!

Director Bowman is correct in stating “When it comes to educating a child, nearly everything is contingent on the quality of the teacher in the classroom. Teachers make a difference when it comes to the academic performance of students.”  The fact of the matter is that teachers are being asked to do more than just teach academics.

 

Education Week shares that “As a teacher, you’re more than just a teacher. We’re parents, friends, we’re counselors... And sometimes it’s at the detriment of our own mental health and our own stress.”  For retaining teachers, the question becomes how are veteran and “new to the profession educators” supported by their districts?  For recruiting new teachers, are University teacher preparation programs preparing future educators for these realities?

 

I have the greatest reverence and respect for those who choose to become teachers, but in today’s dynamic environment, I understand why many are choosing to leave or make a different career choice.

 

Public Education is not a people problem, it is a system problem.

Tennessee’s 141 public school districts all face the same challenge, recruiting and retaining teachers. The challenge prospective teacher candidates face may not be the pathway to becoming a teacher, but the reality of working in a school or school district, designed for the 20th century, tasked to educate and prepare students for the 21st century.  The disconnect is the system, not the people.

New Thinking

Author Danial Pink, in his book Drive (2009), shares that “while carrots and sticks worked in the twentieth century, that’s the wrong way to motivate people for today’s challenges.”  Author Simon Sinek in his book Start With Why (2009) identifies that motivation is linked to purpose which is defined by the “Why.” He goes on to state that most companies and organizations can state “WHAT” they do, “HOW” they do it, but few can truly articulate “WHY” they do it.  Mr. Sinek writes “most organizations or people think, act, or communicate from the outside in, from WHAT to WHY. And for good reason -they go from the clearest thing to the fuzziest thing. We say WHAT we do, we sometimes say HOW we do it, but rarely say WHY we do WHAT we do.”

 

“Pump the Breaks”

In Tennessee, as well as across the country, there’s lots of discussion on “WHAT” K-12 Public Education is. There is a plethora of scientific research and practice on “HOW” to teach young people, but the “WHY” of public education in Tennessee, and across the country, is indeed fuzzy.

 

Yes, it is important to address the teacher shortage, but it is equally important to go deeper and discern WHY this is happening. What are the contributing factors? Is the focus for teachers to be academics? Is it to be a pseudo parent? A counselor? And if it is to be a counselor, what kind of counselor? One that addresses Social Emotional and mental health or be a college recruiter or career counselor.  

 

In Tennessee, the State Collaborative on Reforming Education SCORE is doing impressive work and is a valuable resource for collecting data to support their desired outcomes that:

1. All students receive an excellent public K-12 education. (with success defined as outcomes on statewide assessments and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test scores.)

2. All students earn a credential or postsecondary degree.

3. All students are prepared for a career that enables economic independence.

4. Across all goals, all students have equitable opportunities for success.

 

Test scores, workplace credentials, college degrees, economic success, with equitable opportunity seem more like “WHAT” public education in Tennessee is, not necessarily “WHY”.  There seems to be something missing.

 

What do other data points tell us? How does a 12.2% divorce rate, one out of six Tennesseans living below the poverty rate with 18.8% of children in poverty impact child development and academic achievement? With 13% of Tennessee children on Special Education Individual Education Plans (IEPs), 11.3 % high school dropout rate, with a rise in bullying and school violence, it appears student needs go deeper. How does this impact the “WHY”?

Higher teacher compensation and working conditions is but part of the equation. Consensus defining an inspiring, real “WHY” for public education needs to happen first. It is the foundation to build out from. Without a clear “WHY” public education becomes a wasted experience of superficial learning, memorizing meaningless knowledge.

 

Public Education in the United States is not a people problem, it is a system problem.

Public Education Is Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Public Education Is Between a Rock and a Hard Place

I appreciate the feedback and viewpoints many of you shared in response to my blog post, Public Education: Battle Lines are Being Drawn. THANK YOU!

 

It is my belief that only by coming together through meaningful debate and dialogue can we reach consensus on what teaching and learning is to be and its role in society and civilization. With the “why” defined, then the next steps are to design the processes, policies, procedures, and desired outcomes, along with identifying the means to financially pay for it. In short, define the purpose of public education, discern what does not work, rise above the current discourse, look over the horizon, and envision what could be and should be. Comprehending this means realizing that public education in its present state is between a rock and a hard place.

Showing what is possible in the future 

helps us better deal with what’s hard in the present.

                                                                               George Couros  

                                                                                   @gcouros

Against the backdrop of everything happening in our world today, it is hard to look objectively at public education, particularly in the United States. As I have said, family, relationships, religion, public education, commerce, business, industry, and governance, once the bedrock of society and civilization, are now being reflected upon, questioned, and evaluated. Factoring in political polarization, recent Supreme Court rulings dealing with abortion and gun rights, emotion, not logic, is engaged. There is this feeling of chaos as we struggle to realize that change is happening.

Chaos Is a Condition of Growth.

Chaos can be described as a human feeling of disorder and confusion. This happens when there is a deviation from predictable behaviors or outcomes. These deviations occur because of interactions, experiences, or breakthroughs of new knowledge, resulting in changing context, condition, or outcome. “The destruction created by chaos is necessary for the creation of anything new.” (Leadership in the New Science, Wheatley. P. 119)

 

Within the theory of chaos there are underlying patterns, interconnection, constant feedback loops, repetition, self-similarity, and fractals, all moving toward self-organization. Great emotion is generated in struggling to recognize emerging norms and let go of old predictable behaviors and outcomes,

 

As we try to apply 20th century industrial system thinking, morality, and beliefs to new 21st century conditions, dispositions, and realities, many are experiencing extreme disorder and confusion. What was and what we have always done does not fit with what is and what needs to be done. For some, these feelings of disorder and confusion are causing great angst and fear; for others, excitement and hope. These powerful emotions of angst, fear, excitement, and hope, felt in chaos, are generating the human energy which will result in change and transformation.

 

“Life seeks order but uses messes to get there.”

                                           Margaret J. Wheatley

 

Margaret Whitley’s book, Leadership in the New Science. Discovering Order in a Chaotic World (1999), identifies many emerging themes and conditions for navigating through chaos. Her belief is that historical thinking on leadership and system design is based on mankind’s understanding of science. Mankind’s previous thinking of cause and effect, linear, top-down driven, supported by data and charts, defined the world by lines and boxes. The presumed result for society was predictability and order. The coming of new knowledge in technology and science, now accelerating exponentially, is stressing long held beliefs, causing disorder and confusion. For many, it is difficult to let go of what was and seek new because no one has had to do it for many generations!

 

The Butterfly Effect and Chaos

Part of chaos theory is the butterfly effect. The butterfly effect is the phenomenon whereby a minute localized change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere. Think of throwing a large rock into a pond and it sends out ripples across the water, hitting against the shore, creating intended and unintended consequences. This illustrates the complexity and interconnectedness of the world. 

 

Rick Smyre, in his book, Preparing for a World That Does Not Exist - Yet (2016), identifies minute localized changes within a complex system as “weak signals.” He states that few people notice these weak signals or recognize their potential for disruption and challenge to the status quo. They do not see the waves of change coming. So instead of catching the wave and surfing, society, as well as public education, are now gasping and struggling to catch up.  

 

Multiple Weak Signals Hitting At Once.

Technology, relationships, the environment, and systems of governance are some of the weak signals that are now emerging, causing chaos. The result is that of mankind experiencing stress as we move from stability to instability and from order to disorder. Historically, mankind would have addressed each of these separately, but the reality today is that all of these are connected and interdependent, and need to be responded to collectively. 

Technology

Cell phones, computers, social media, the Internet, and other technologies are connecting mankind together in never before seen ways. This interconnectedness is contributing to the stress, disorder, and confusion of not only current institutions and organizations, but also communities and individuals. It is redefining quality of life, work, business, and industry.

 

Relationships

The decline of organized religion, specifically Christianity, revisioning of family, and definition of oneself is impacting societal morality. Multiple generations living and working together at the same time each have their own beliefs on relationships and family. Nostalgic relationship patterns of grandmas and grandpas married for life conflicts with mom and dad patterns of divorce, and young adults living together or just “hooking up” dilutes the ideals of commitment and intimacy. With relationships being redefined, unacceptance is generating judgment, guilt, anxiety, and fear. Empathy and tolerance seem to have slipped away. All of this is contributing to the disorder and confusion, and subsequently impacting schools and public education. 

 

Environment

Besides technology and interpersonal weak signals, the mistreatment of Earth resulting in climate change, is now sounding alarm bells. From earthquakes to droughts to sever storms, flooding, tornadoes, and hurricanes, Mother Earth is showing symptoms of alarm and sickness. These weak signals must be realized and responded to.

 

Governance

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their powers from the consent of the governed.”

Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

 

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Preamble to the Constitution of the United States, 1787

 

The creation of systems, governances, policies, and laws is necessary for the establishment of societal predictability and stability. In the United States, the Declaration of Independence and Preamble to the Constitution provided the rationale of why governments need to exist, and from the consent of the people, the power and authority to govern. Political polarization and the demonization of political perspectives is exasperating, creating fear, paralysis on reaching consensus, and impacts the ability to govern. This discourse is also reaching into classrooms and schools. 

 

With technology integrating into every aspect of life, the question of relationships and how we interact with one another, the impact of Earth’s climate change, and the interpretation and operation of governance are all contributing to the chaos and instability. Each of these weak signals is fluid, flexible, not yet fully defined, but building in energy. The ability to navigate in these conditions, see the interconnectedness, and realize the possibilities needs to be instilled in all, especially the youth. Public education, or some other system of learning, could be the connective tissue that empowers students to access, discern, and manipulate knowledge, and create new knowledge to solve real world problems. The ability to adapt, learn, unlearn and relearn, as conditions and context change, is crucial to the survival of mankind.

 

Public Education is Between a Rock and Hard Place.

Those within the public education system, the teachers, administrators, and school board members, are in a no-win situation. Emerging weak signals are coupled with the design flaws of an educational system that was designed 100 years ago with the goal of conformity; going to college, entering society, and participating in the consumer society are stressing.

 

Public education today equates learning to prescribed amounts of time and sorts students by age, and was not designed to individualism, personalization, or differentiated instruction. Student academic achievement is measured by high stakes, standardized tests, with letter grades - A, B, C, D, F - assigned by a percentage of content memorized. Assessment of student learning is dependent on the student’s ability to recall facts and not necessarily mastery or application of content. The ability to think and apply knowledge is not evaluated. High achievement is recognized, and students are sifted into winners and losers. Dissatisfaction and criticisms are growing with public education.

 

For some time now, in numerous books, articles and social media, school reform and the purpose of public education have been the focus. Books like The Battle for the American Mind (Hegseth and Goodwin, 2022), Unshackled, Freeing America's K-12 Educational System (Bolick and Hardiman, 2020), and Unschooled. Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside The Conventional Classroom (McDonald, 2019), as well as articles in Education Week such as What is the Purpose of School? (September 2021) detail the shortcomings in public education. The Public Broadcasting System documentary, School of the Future (2016), shared evidence-based instructional techniques, addressed how students learn, stay motivated, and get engaged, and envisions what schools could look like based on up-to-date scientific research. From all this, nothing much has happened. Public education continues to resist change and remains in its silo. The voice and energy of the dissatisfied are growing.

“The indoctrination of our children’s minds is happening as early as preschool.”

Parents: Get Back In the Fight. Do Not Outsource The Raising of Your Children,

Cissie Graham Lynch, Decision Magazine (2022)

 

In the United States, most everybody has had an experience of school and learning, and yet when asked, cannot articulate why they learned what they learned. To go forward, we must let go of the myth and memory of public education, and discern today’s mission and purpose for public education, and simultaneously, determine how it is to be funded.

 

Defining the why, designing a flexible system of learning to accomplish it, and figuring out the means to pay for it, will move public education away from the rock and the hard place it is now in.

A Safe and Secure Environment for Teaching and Learning, Are You Ready For 2022-2023?

 A Safe and Secure Environment for Teaching and Learning, Are You Ready For 2022-2023?

Just weeks ago, the 2021-2022 school year ended, punctuated in violence by the school shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas. This horrific tragedy left the Uvalde community, as well as the rest of the United States, traumatized. Did the school district plan and create a School Safety and Security plan? Yes. Did the school district practice what to do in the event of an active shooter? Yes. Yet with all this planning, resources, and preparations, kids were not kept safe.

As far as school shootings go, the Uvalde school shooting is not an isolated event. As reported by Education Week, July 7,2022: “There have been 27 school shootings this year. There have been 119 school shootings since 2018, when Education Week began tracking such incidents. The highest number of shootings, 34, occurred last year. There were 10 shootings in 2020, and 24 each in 2019 and 2018.”

 

Echoing from Columbine, Sandy Hook, Parkland, and now Rob Elementary, is the thinking that it is not a matter of if a shooting will happen at your school, but when?

 

21st century Risks and Threats

Schools are not exempt from all that is happening in society today. Gun violence, political polarization, and global pandemics are some of the conditions generating fear, anxiety, and depression. All of these are adding to the expectations and responsibilities of principals, teachers, support staff, superintendents, boards of education, and community stakeholders to keep kids safe and well while at school. The landscape of public education is now different.

 

For school leaders, school boards, parents, and community stakeholders, school shootings are just a part of all that must be considered in creating a safe and secure environment for learning. Traditional risks and threats have evolved from “trips and falls” and physical plant security, to now include cybersecurity, mental and physical health, and wellbeing. Optimizing teaching and learning by providing positive working conditions for school staff and students now requires new thinking, procedures, and policies. Old thinking is no longer viable.

 

How did we get here?

My safe and secure school experiences began as an Iowa high school social studies teacher, with fire and tornado drills, practiced twice a year. Moving into administration, it then included school bus evacuation. Before the Columbine High School shootings, as a middle school principal in a high-needs school district, we recognized the benefit and secured grant funding for a school resource officer to be assigned to the building. At the time, this was unheard of. A uniformed, armed deputy sheriff in a school, to many educators, was considered as unnecessary. I received criticism for not having control in my school. After the Columbine shootings, the criticism stopped, and many asked how I was able to make it happen!

 

As a high school principal, and later as a superintendent, safe and secure school expectations grew. Updated planning through lessons learned from school shootings grew to include building evacuation to a secure site, parents’ reunification with their children, and how and what to communicate to parents and community stakeholders. As I look back now, it’s interesting to note that after-action long-term mental health care was not part of the operational planning. 

 

When the school district I led as superintendent became one of the first in the nation to go “one to one,” that is to provide all students grades 6-12 a digital device, new dimensions of school safety and security were discovered. Cyber security needed to be added.

 

Preparing to be a school principal, and later as a superintendent, school safety and security was only briefly covered by college preparation classes. Specifically, as a superintendent, priority one was student academic achievement, then the dreaded “Bs” of buildings, budgets, boards, and buses. School safety was important, but instead of it being the first thing, it was but one of many.

 

I would venture to say my peer superintendents in Iowa, Tennessee, and those I connect with through social media nationally are all very much concerned with safe and secure schools. Like it was for me, it’s hard to stay abreast and keep the entire district, and all employees, diligent and engaged. It is important to note that those who choose to go into teaching, and those who go on to be become principals and superintendents, have a much different mindset and disposition than professionals in security and law enforcement. One is nurturing and trusting, the other observant and questioning. Both are needed to keep students and staff safe.

 

Preparing for the Unimaginable and Unpredictable.

As was illustrated in Uvalde, even with planning and preparation, a breakdown and human error can be tragic. The Education Risk Intelligence Center (ERIC) and the Center for Educational Leadership and Technology (CELT) understand this.

Beginning with the COVID lock down, I have been fortunate to work with these two organizations in developing processes and procedures to build capacity with school and community stakeholders to enhance school safety. ERIC’s focus on Risk Intelligence, and CELT’s work creating an Educator’s Holistic Perspective on School Safety and Security complement each other. Implementing them together will enhance the learning environment

Risk Intelligence

From the ERIC website, Risk Intelligence is described as “practices that go before, along with, and beyond risk management. Whenever there is a concern for safety and security, there is also the necessity of risk intelligence. Risk intelligence is an antidote for excessive fear and doubt. Organizational strategists apply risk intelligence when discussing integrative systems.  It belongs in any conversation about improving readiness, reliability, resilience, agility, governance, compliance, strategy, value creation, well-being, and leadership.

“Risk intelligence is a school district’s shared knowledge about the effects of uncertainty, combined with the essential language, skills, and tools it chooses to help achieve better outcomes.” 

This means that throughout the district, in every school, classroom, lunchroom, or on the bus, all staff think holistically about the effects of uncertainty, have a shared language abouts risks, can articulate them, and understand expectations and actions to mitigate them. This is the essence of a Risk Intelligence mind set.

 

CELT: Educator’s Holistic Perspective on School Safety and Security

CELT has been working for several years to define the landscape, stakeholders, conditions, and dispositions to address the threats and vulnerabilities to the learning environment. The result is the Educator’s Holistic Perspective on School Safety and Security.

CELT’s Comprehensive and Integrated School Safety process is a holistic approach that engages stakeholders and service providers to create a safe and secure learning environment. With school safety and security at the center, it builds out through the domains of Social and Emotional (red), Digital (light blue), and Physical (dark blue). Resources and stakeholders are identified in the red boxes and connected to the target creating a framework. Utilizing and leveraging technology as the connective tissue between the framework domains, school safety and security can be enhanced, monitored 24-7, and have the potential to be proactive instead of reactive.  

Here come the students

The beginning of the 2022-23 school years is at hand and the question to be asked is, are you totally ready? I know firsthand what all goes into the start of a new school year, and the excitement, anxious energy, and last-minute adjustments that need to be made. Teachers have attended pre service workshops, worked in their classrooms, and had back-to-school night open houses. Principals have worked with custodial staff all summer long for this moment, hired staff, met with the superintendent and district office personnel, and are ready to go. Bring on the students!

 

The thing is, in all the preparations, has school safety and security been a focal point? Do all staff members recognize, understand, and think about the risks and dangers they will face with school in session? Have the physical plant and grounds been inspected? Do all the security cameras work? What is the process for controlling visitors' access into the building? Are student and staff information kept digitally? Is network infrastructure secure? How will student and staff dealing with stress generated outside the schoolhouse door be monitored and how will they be supported? Ready or not, the school year begins.

 

School safety and security is foundational to a healthy learning environment and place for employees to work. Creating and maintaining this in society today is a challenge. It requires focus, constant conversations, and deliberate actions. ERIC and CELT have done the research and have ready-to-deploy staff development and tools. Like you, they want to make a difference. I very much recomend visiting and reviewing the CELT and ERIC websites. Reach out and connect with them.

Educating our young people is foundational to our freedoms and civilization.

Have a wonderful school year. Good luck and blessings to you all.