The Educator Confidence Index as measured by publisher HMH sank to a historic low, from nearly 50% on the eve of the pandemic to 40% in 2022. That rebounded to 42% last year, according to the company’s annual Educator Confidence Report, which measures teachers’ perceptions of salaries, workload and well-being, and funding for classroom resources, among other factors.

About three-quarters of the teachers surveyed told HMH they had no plans to leave the profession, though some had not ruled it out. They also said seeing students grow and succeed was the biggest motivating factor in their jobs (aside from salaries.)

Teacher confidence sapped by politics

Meanwhile, a closer look at a series of recent surveys conducted by state education departments and unions shows that teachers and the districts that employ them continued to grapple with some considerable headwinds.

In Colorado, more than eight in 10 teachers said the intrusion of politics had dampened their morale while a third admitted that today’s political climate had driven them to alter their curriculum. “Due to the politicization of our schools, our educators have felt the need to censor themselves, which robs our students of the quality education that they deserve,” says the survey released last month by the Colorado Education Association. “We need to restore educator autonomy so that our educators are empowered to provide the best education possible for our students.”

Among the union’s goals for 2024 is to help pass legislation that will prevent book bans in Colorado schools and ensure students’ “freedom to read.”

Safety is also a significant concern. About one-third of the teachers reported being physically abused by a student in the past two years while a majority noted a deterioration in the mental health of both students and themselves.

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“Right now, we’re at the brink of a public education crisis,” the association’s president, Amie Baca-Oehlert, said in a statement. “We cannot expect our educators to remain underpaid, disrespected and unprotected and still show up to work day after day to educate our children. We are and will continue to lose quality educators to other states if this remains the case.”

9 in 10 teachers say …

More of Connecticut’s teachers—some 77%—were feeling frustrated and burned out in 2023, with nearly three-quarters telling the Connecticut Education Association they were increasingly likely to retire or leave the profession early. After stress and burnout, more than nine out of 10 Connecticut teachers reported having the following concerns:

1. School and classroom decisions made by politicians and non-educators
2. Staff shortages
3. A rising number of teachers leaving the profession
4. Lack of respect for educators
5. Declines in student mental health

Almost all of the teachers surveyed by Connecticut’s union listed the following solutions to burnout:

• More competitive salaries
• More planning and prep time
• Less non-teaching duties and paperwork
• More effective policies to address student behavior
• Smaller class sizes
• Appropriate mental health and behavioral support for students
• More teacher autonomy in instructional practices

“Political and personal attacks, toxic disrespect, and threats leveled at educators during school board meetings all contribute to the rapid pace of educators quitting the jobs they love,” the union’s president, Kate Dias, said in a statement.

Lack of applicants

Though not a direct measure of teacher confidence, recent data released by the Nebraska Department of Education show there were more unfilled teaching positions at the beginning of this school year compared to 2022-2023. There were about 140 more vacant positions reported by a smaller number of districts, according to Nebraska Public Media.

The top reasons for vacancies were a lack of applicants or a lack of qualified applicants, the department’s report explains. Special education had the most unfilled positions by far—more than double that of elementary education, the area with the second-higher number of vacancies.

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Students are struggling with what is happening around them at school and at home, including managing their mental health and stress. District leaders are concerned about student well-being as well as how a lack of engagement is connected to other issues.

Research shows engagement levels are closely connected to academic outcomes. Additionally, district leaders report that a lack of engagement plays a role in behavior issues, chronic absenteeism and a lack of academic progress. In a recent survey, 58% of district leaders connected disengagement to learning loss.

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To recapture student engagement and get students back on track, district leaders need to support teachers with the strategies, technology and time to personalize a student’s journey.

Enabling deeper student connections

Boosting student engagement starts with supporting teachers in what they do best: connecting with their students. Research demonstrates strong learner-educator connections can lead to students earning higher grades, building a deeper connection to school and feeling included and respected. These factor into engagement as well.

Focusing on the student-teacher relationship doesn’t mean telling teachers to connect and engage students, and then walking away. Nor is it about finding the best technology to take over as much teaching as possible.

Instead, district leaders need to give teachers the support they need to create personalized learning experiences. Yes, technology is an essential piece of enabling personalized approaches efficiently, but students still perform best when teachers are driving instruction.

District leaders need to introduce technology that enables teachers to shape the experience, including:

• Expanding choice: A lack of engagement can sometimes be a lack of emotional engagement with a subject. Teachers who can connect students’ interests with classroom content have a better chance of encouraging students to be curious, passionate and connected to what they’re learning. A digital curriculum that expands course choice can help students stay on track in school while also engaging them in topics they’re interested in learning without requiring additional teaching staff or time.
• Tailoring interventions: Measuring engagement is complicated. Educators can’t rely on just one input to determine whether a student is engaged or not. Incorporating diagnostic assessments can help educators understand on a deeper level what students know and identify ways to motivate them intrinsically and extrinsically.
• Emphasizing process with AI: The focus of using AI has often been on how students might use the tool to disengage and not complete their work. But AI can be an engagement tool that personalizes learning. Instead of punishing students for using a tool like ChatGPT, teachers can encourage them to use it to brainstorm and organize their thoughts, and then dedicate class time to analyze what the tool produced and identify ways a student should adapt it to their point of view.

Engaging students on multiple levels

Beyond adding more moments where teachers can easily draw students in, personalizing learning with technology can help educators tap into all styles of engagement. Too often student engagement is misunderstood as just basic compliance with classroom expectations.

But truly engaged students are connecting behaviorally, cognitively and emotionally. Without all three, the experience may be unbalanced, or a student’s progress may be misunderstood. For example, students who aren’t emotionally engaged, even if they are paying attention, may be less motivated when they encounter challenging topics.

Given the connections between engagement and absenteeism, classroom behavior, and learning loss, it’s essential district leaders empower educators with personalized learning strategies and smart technology. With a multi-dimensional engagement strategy, teachers can build stronger connections with students that deepen their learning and resolve some of today’s biggest classroom challenges.

The post Teachers need time, technology and strategies to personalize a student’s journey appeared first on District Administration.

To help K12 leaders envision new learning environments, District Administration chatted with Melissa Turnbaugh, a partner and national education and innovation leader at the architectural firm PBK, which specializes in school design.

1. What aspects of school design should be prioritized to make students comfortable?

Turnbaugh: “Creating a conducive and comfortable atmosphere for students at school requires a dual focus on physical and emotional well-being. Physical safety measures, such as established security protocols, limited access, security film, cameras and unobstructed visibility, are essential to provide a secure environment. Equally important is fostering emotional safety, achieved through learning spaces that cater to diverse needs—offering various sizes and scales to accommodate different learning styles.

“These environments should be warm and inviting, characterized by abundant natural light, clean air, and adaptable furniture, promoting a sense of ease and security. Additionally, ensuring access to outdoor spaces is crucial, as studies show that spending time outside contributes positively to students’ physical and emotional well-being, enhancing attention spans and test scores and addressing behavioral issues.

“Given the substantial time students invest in the school environment, it is imperative that the surroundings actively contribute to their overall support and comfort, addressing both their physical and emotional needs.”

2. How do lighting, furniture and other design components help increase attendance?

“Boosting attendance is directly linked to creating an appealing and immersive school environment. Even simple adjustments, such as introducing natural light into classrooms, have demonstrated a positive impact on both student and teacher attendance as well as academic performance. A recent article in The New York Times highlighted a concerning nationwide increase in school absenteeism, emphasizing that ‘research consistently indicates that student attendance is a powerful predictor of virtually every other outcome.’

“The solution to this issue is multifaceted. According to the EPA, maintaining indoor air quality is another crucial factor that can contribute to increased daily attendance and decreased dropout rates. Furthermore, fostering a positive perception of school and promoting engagement can be pivotal. A study involving first graders who had the opportunity to manipulate and control their furniture revealed higher levels of engagement and attendance.”

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When these solutions are integrated, addressing factors such as lighting, air quality, and student engagement, they collectively serve to improve both student and teacher attendance rates, ultimately contributing to enhanced retention within the educational system.

3. Describe some innovative designs schools have adopted for classrooms and other spaces, and how they are conducive to learning.

“Educational institutions are adopting innovative approaches to space utilization, promoting flexibility and extension for both students and teachers. One strategic design involves integrating collaboration spaces directly adjacent to classrooms, allowing educators to securely send students outside the traditional setting for activities like small group instruction, personalized learning, coaching or simply a peaceful break.

“Moreover, various areas across the campus are repurposed for learning purposes, utilizing outdoor spaces for classroom activities and providing designated areas for students requiring moments of de-escalation and reset.

“This comprehensive use of every inch of the school campus for learning and instruction not only facilitates a diverse range of choices and spaces but also aligns with the principle of responsible resource stewardship. Such intentional design encourages adaptability, promotes a variety of learning environments and maximizes the educational potential of the entire school infrastructure.”

4. What new types of furniture are schools installing to increase student comfort and achievement?

“Recognizing the significance of accommodating diverse learning needs, schools are increasingly valuing the use of flexible and adaptable furniture. Both students and teachers appreciate the versatility provided by furniture that can be easily rearranged to suit specific programs or projects.

“Furthermore, in catering to students with distinct learning requirements, adaptable furniture allows for rocking or wiggling, contributing to the maintenance of attention spans and focus. The furniture in educational settings must align with the specific type of learning taking place, thereby enhancing the overall effectiveness of the learning environment.”

5. How does design improve teacher retention, confidence and well-being?

“A concerning trend is the high rate at which teachers are leaving the profession. As previously noted, teachers must experience a sense of support within the school environment. This encompasses not only physical safety, ensured through the implementation of safety measures and improved air quality post-pandemic, but also support in the realm of teaching. This involves providing tools such as voice amplification and creating teaching environments that align with their individual styles, including the incorporation of flexible furniture.

“Additionally, teachers require intentional spaces where they can collaborate with peers, fostering their well-being, promoting connections and facilitating ongoing professional development. Recognizing and addressing these multifaceted needs is essential to retaining educators within the teaching profession.”

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That may be because the medical community also doesn’t have a full grasp on just how social media affects the health of students, researchers contend in a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

“Research shows social media has the potential to both harm and benefit adolescent health,” the report says. “For example, algorithms that generate content recommendations can provide young people with important health information or expose them to unscientific treatments.”

The “direction” of the relationship between social media and adolescent health is also murky because social media may influence health but health may also influence how young people use social media. “There is also much to be learned about how specific platform features—such as “likes” or the endless scroll format of some platforms—may affect adolescent health,” the report posits. For these reasons … a more judicious approach is warranted rather than a broad-stroke ban, and does not make recommendations for specific limitations on teens’ access to social media.”

What is clear is that attractive design can keep kids attached to their phones even when they want to disengage. Compounding the risk is that adolescents, compared to adults, have a harder time regulating emotions, are more sensitive to rewards and are meant to seek out independence and explore new identities, the National Academies adds.

Social media health solutions

District leaders should continue to emphasize media literacy and provide teachers with adequate professional development in the subject one superintendent recently told District Administration was among the most important schools could teach. The report also encouraged district educators to advocate for states to set media literacy curriculum standards, particularly in digital media to make students more sophisticated and discerning users of social media.

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Educators should counsel students to use social media for social support and to avoid content that depicts illegal or risky behavior, such as self-harm, harm to others, hate speech and eating disorders. Adolescents should also be routinely screened for signs of “problematic social media use” that interferes with their ability to engage in schoolwork and other daily routines.

Educators can also encourage parents and caregivers to set guardrails by creating a family media use plan that:

• Addresses what type of and how much media is used and what media behaviors are appropriate for each child and for parents.
• Places limits on the hours per day each media platform is used.
• Promotes children and adolescents getting at least one hour of physical activity each day and at least eight hours of sleep.
• Prohibits children from sleeping with devices, including TVs, computers and smartphones.
• Designates media-free family times (such as dinner) and media-free locations (such as bedrooms).
• Ensures parents view media with children so the latter learn to use platforms creatively and collaboratively.
• Use media to learn and be creative, and share these experiences with your family and your
  community

Parents should also form a network of trusted adults—such as aunts, uncles, grandparents and coaches—who can interact productively with children on social media and help them when they encounter challenges or suspicious behavior.

Outside of schools, the report called upon the International Organization for Standardization, a tech industry watchdog, to set standards for social media platform design, transparency and data use. Social media companies themselves should develop more robust systems for reporting and rooting out online harassment of minors, from cyberbullying to sexual exploitation.

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Pressures on the wider U.S. workforce caused by a lack of workers with the requisite skills will drive more collaboration between K12 schools and employers, say product developers who are forecasting 2024’s biggest education trends.

These college and career trends will also drive a surge in popularity in CTE programs. “As the talent shortage concern shifts to the state level, 2024 will be a year of increased collaboration between employers, schools and government agencies,” says Jeri Larsen, the chief operating officer of YouScience, a career guidance platform for students.

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“The goal will be to create a more responsive and adaptable education system that ensures the workforce remains well-equipped to meet the evolving demands of the job market.”

District leaders will be updating curriculums with a deeper focus on future-ready skills and adding more work-based learning, STEM education and vocational training programs.

“These efforts will be aimed at equipping students with the skills that are in high demand in the job market and promoting a broader range of career paths,” Larsen notes. “With a rapidly changing job market and evolving skill requirements, schools and education systems will find themselves under increased scrutiny to ensure that students are adequately prepared for the workforce.

Employers should grow ever more eager to collaborate with schools and districts, predicts Hans Meeder, a senior fellow for education and workforce education at YouScience and a former deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Education.

“Yet, a challenge lies in the limited experience of schools and districts in systematically collaborating with business partners,” Meeder points out. “Many are still navigating this uncharted territory, actively searching for tools, guidance and real-world examples to establish partnerships that are not only effective but also sustainable.”

What other issues will be top of mind for K12 leaders and their teams in 2024? Here are predictions, hopes and forecasts from solution providers that cover a range of education topics.

The post What will drive more urgency around career prep in 2024? appeared first on District Administration.

From year to year, our students have gone to college at a measurably greater rate than the national average. However, our research project uncovered that some of our students were “stopping out” of college altogether. Those who did graduate shouldered significant debt and many were not working in their chosen field of study. Many had settled into jobs close to home to pay off college debt. It seemed that for many of our students, college had become a very expensive sandbox.

In response, we have been developing several programs giving students opportunities to explore careers while still in high school so that—whether college-bound or not—they have greater direction upon graduation. One of the most successful of those is a training program giving our students an industry-recognized credential in the high-demand field of healthcare.

Their training is online, and additional hands-on clinical experience is provided at local employers. This article published in our local business journal shares more details, but for any school leaders interested in replicating the model, there are several important points to keep in mind.

Tie into local workforce development needs

As in many communities around the country, Cumberland Valley has a shortage of skilled workers in healthcare. Usually, employers look to local community colleges to develop skilled training programs, but high schools can also fill this need.

Getting such programs off the ground can be the most difficult part so having a knowledgeable workforce development partner is critical. Our partner is Emerge Education, which specializes in healthcare workforce development including the training, certification, and employer needs that give our students the best chance at landing good jobs.

Find a specialized training program and consider the long-term options for college

The specialized training needed in healthcare goes far beyond what the schools can provide. We turned to MedCerts because they specialize in online training that prepares individuals to take the industry-recognized certification exams in healthcare.

Our students also have an “articulated credit” option at several universities available to them through MedCerts’ network of university partners. That means any of our students could complete the training, land a well-paying entry-level job with a local employer, and also articulate up to a semester of college when they graduate from high school.

For those who want to go to college and perhaps couldn’t afford it, this could be the program they need. They can already be working in a well-paid, skilled healthcare job while attending college. It is a win-win: cutting down college costs while also boosting the certainty of their college degree choice.

Students are looking for career guidance so be prepared for overwhelming interest

Originally, our goal was to enroll 15 students in our first cohort. Interest was extraordinary, however, and we enrolled 66. This supports my observation that students are looking for more engaging opportunities in their senior year or are looking for a more direct pathway to a career upon high school graduation.

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College is often a de facto choice in our district but it isn’t for every district and—as we discovered—it isn’t always cost-effective or even the right choice. Students are looking for something to help them narrow down their career path. Discovering what fits—or what doesn’t—in high school before your family has invested tens of thousands of dollars in a college education is a much wiser choice.

Invest district resources wisely and hire a manager

Behind the scenes, keeping this program going required a dedicated manager to work with partners and provide continuity for the students. In our original plans, we hadn’t fully realized how much management time would be needed. With the outside partners involved, it quickly became apparent that we needed one dedicated person to manage the training, the students, and the workforce connection.

Emerge Ed and MedCerts track our students through online training, but the on-the-ground work of assessments and hands-on experience requires a dedicated person at the school site.

Make the workforce connection solid

Our local healthcare employer partner is UPMC, which sends HR leaders to meet with our students during informational sessions and throughout their coursework. The UPMC team also offers in-person clinical and job shadow experiences. That alone is a worthy lesson and a terrific opportunity.

We have full confidence that our students will land these jobs. This is the first year so we don’t have employment statistics yet, but all indications suggest this is going to be a very successful, long-term program for Cumberland Valley. All students are at or ahead of their progress in the online course and no students have dropped out of the program. They are 100% engaged with each other and the content in their group sessions.

There is an enthusiasm among these students that is often lacking among seniors. It is no wonder why that is, either. Our students are motivated and see a career pathway offering a good wage, interesting work, and a pathway to advancement, more certifications, and possibly, also a college education.

The post Our seniors are training for healthcare jobs. That might also lead to college appeared first on District Administration.

As of fall 2022, nearly 600 colleges took into consideration whether or not an applicant’s immediate family or relatives attended the school to which they’re applying, new survey data from the National Center for Education Statistics suggests. Among the 1,900 federally funded colleges that claim to have a competitive admission process, 1,344 say that legacy preferences aren’t a factor. Keep in mind, though, that this data is self-disclosed.

This first-of-its-kind data is important for higher education institutions that are still working to adopt new admissions policies at a time when higher education leaders wrestle with strategies to ensure diverse student bodies, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona asserted.

“Access to date on legacy applicants is essential for colleges and universities reevaluating their admissions practices and working to build diverse student bodies in the wake of the Supreme Court’s disappointing ruling on affirmative action earlier this year,” he said in a statement.

Legacy admissions’ impact on K12

Since the dismissal of affirmative action, the Education Department has offered strategies and solutions for K12 and higher education institutions alike, stressing the importance of leveraging partnerships and other strategies to ensure high school graduates have a considerable chance to pursue their preferred college, regardless of their background.

Earlier this school year, Cardona wrote that colleges and universities ought to partner with school districts in underserved communities and invest in the resources to ensure students are better prepared to apply to college.

“When individual states have banned affirmative action in the past, fewer students of color applied and fewer students were admitted,” said during a call with reporters in August. “We cannot afford that kind of backsliding on a national scale.”

The Education Department also published a Q&A document, which may answer any questions K12 and higher education leaders may have surrounding this new era of college admissions.

The post Do colleges consider legacy status in admissions? Here’s what the data says appeared first on District Administration.

Police in Henry County, Indiana, arrested a juvenile who allegedly threatened to bomb Tri Jr./Sr. High School in the South Henry School Corporation. Though the school was not officially closed because authorities learned of the threat on a Saturday, deputies swept the school. The suspect was arrested Dec. 9 on suspicion of two counts of felony intimidation because the teen also allegedly threatened to harm another student.

It was hardly an isolated incident. A 13-year-old boy was arrested earlier this month for allegedly making threats—via Snapchat—to commit a school shooting at Carwise Middle School in Florida’s Pinellas County Schools. When the 13-year-old allegedly threatened to shoot the student who received the message, that student told his parents and they called police, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office noted in a press release.

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The suspect allegedly admitted to sending the messages but claimed the threats were a joke as he was taken into custody and charged with written threats to kill or conduct a mass shooting.

An 18-year-old student was arrested Nov. 30 for posting text messages on social media that threatened Waterford Mott High School in Michigan. When the suspect was contacted by police, she blamed a classmate for the threats and showed them a Snapchat video that warned students not to go to school because the classmate had a gun, Waterford Township police reported on Facebook.

The young woman was charged with one count of intentional threat to commit an act of violence against schools and released on a $5,000 bond, police added.

The St. Clair R-XIII District in Missouri was closed for one day at the beginning of the month after authorities were notified of a bomb threat sent via text message through an internet app. The disturbing message was tracked to a student, who, when taken into custody, allegedly admitted to sending the text because they didn’t want to go to school that day, the St. Clair Police Department reported on its Facebook page.

Here is a sampling of school threats reported and arrests made within just the last month:

• A 14-year-old student in an orchestra class allegedly used a violin case to mimic and threaten a shooting at Van Buren Middle School in Ohio’s Kettering City School District, according to WHIO.com. The teen was arrested after another student reported the incident to administrators.
• Schools in Bemidji, Minnesota were closed Dec. 6 after dispatchers received multiple 911 text messages threatening a specific school and a staff member. Officers arrested a juvenile male “after an extensive search involving several 3rd party cellular re-sellers,” Bemidji police said on Facebook. The boy was charged on suspicion of making terroristic threats, a felony.
• Kent Roosevelt High School in Ohio was shut down on Nov. 15 after a threat was posted on Snapchat. A 17-year-old boy was arrested the following day on suspicion of making the threat and charged with inducing panic, a second-degree felony, the Ravenna Record-Courier reported.
• A 15-year-old boy was arrested at Danville High School in Kentucky on Nov. 15 after he allegedly called 911 to report a bomb at the school. Police swept the school and took the student into custody, charging him on suspicion of terroristic threatening, a felony, Danville police reported on Facebook.
• A 13-year-old girl was arrested after she allegedly threatened, in the presence of a teacher and other students, to blow up Lake Charles Charter Academy in Louisiana. The student was charged on suspicion of menacing and booked into a juvenile detention center, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office said.
• A juvenile in Shreveport, Louisiana was arrested for allegedly phoning in two bomb threats against Heritage High School, which is located more than 1,000 miles away in Wake Forest, North Carolina, police said.

The post More students are now being arrested when violent threats disrupt schools appeared first on District Administration.

Here is a look at what some recent research has found:

• Reading as a remedy: Children who read frequently self-report better mental health.
• Literacy motivates kids: Access to books that pique a child’s curiosity paves the way to academic success and builds empathy.
• Resiliency is a muscle: Resilience is a set of skills that can be developed and sharpened over time, including when children experience traumatic events.
• Classroom relationships are critical: Educators who cultivate positive connections with kids instill more security and confidence in children.

To help K12 leaders and their teams create these conditions, two experts—Michele Myers and Linda C. Mayes, authors of The Educator’s Guide to Building Child & Family Resilience—shared several strategies in a Q&A with District Administration. “An important part of mental health is having a positive self-identity and knowing who you are,” says Myers, a teacher-educator at Wake Forest University. “Books allow you to see that.”

“Reading lets children see that there are a thousand and one ways to go through this life,” adds Mayes, a professor of child psychiatry, pediatrics and psychology and director of the Yale Child Study Center. “It shows them how others experience life, deal with challenges and find opportunities.”

1. Explain how reading fosters better mental health and resilience.

Mayes: Multiple pathways link literacy and mental health. One is self-esteem, which is a major component of mental health. Reading grows your community and helps with stress regulation, which comes with remarkable health benefits. If you think you are the only one in the world who has ever experienced a certain situation, it can be incredibly stressful. It is a lonely experience if you cannot see others’ shared experiences.

The other piece that we should not underestimate is the ability to read and embrace a story. It is a good feeling to be immersed in a story and it gives children confidence. They feel confident when they can not only read but also when they can tell someone what they have read and engage in conversation. Data from the Scholastic Kids and Family Reading Report shows us that frequent readers are more likely than infrequent readers to report feeling proud and excited, while infrequent readers were more likely than more frequent readers to say they have felt lonely, sad or anxious. This trend carries onward in age as well: infrequent teen readers are more likely than frequent readers to say they feel nervous or anxious (50% of infrequent readers vs. 39% of frequent readers), sad or depressed (37% of infrequent readers vs. 25% of frequent readers), and lonely (30% of infrequent readers vs. 19% of frequent readers).

Reading lets children see that there are a thousand and one ways to go through this life. It shows them how others experience life, deal with challenges, and find opportunities. It also gives them a window into other people’s lives, teaching children important, health-promoting skills such as using their imagination and thinking of another person’s perspectives, especially when it comes to how another person is feeling.

Myers: An important part of mental health is having a positive self-identity and knowing who you are. Books allow you to see that. If a child never sees themselves reflected in the pages of a book, that tells them they are othered. But when they have literature that shows them positive aspects of their identity, culture, and things that are valued, they become a believer.

Rudine Sims Bishop’s work is foundational to our understanding of how reading fosters better mental health and acts as windows mirrors, and sliding glass doors for children. When we read books to children, we invite them to look into the windows of spaces where they may not have otherwise lived. We give them multiple ways of seeing the world and seeing themselves reflected in the world, which in turn gives them alternative perspectives.

2. How can educators intentionally make the connection between reading and mental health?

Myers: Literature allows children to understand themselves better. It can show positive aspects of identity, culture, and values. One of the things that I am passionate about is having a robust classroom library that offers many books reflecting the multiple ways of living within the world. These books can expand a child’s understanding of what it means to be one in a collective of others.

Educators need to build classroom libraries that have books reflective of positive, affirming messages about children and their worlds, cultures, and languages. This says to a kid: “I matter. Someone sees me. And I see myself reflected in this world.”

Mayes: It’s not only important for children to see themselves in a book but for children to see others. Reading creates a world that is more diverse than your own. Educators need to ensure that their classroom library has access to books that encourage kids to read widely, not only about themselves but about others, too.

3. How does literacy drive curiosity?

Mayes: Children are inherently curious. They come into the world curious. Curiosity is the engine that drives learning development and lifelong health. It keeps you open to possibilities to try something different. Our task as teachers, parents and adults is to make sure that curiosity thrives and flourishes alongside incidents of trauma and stress.

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Myers: Instilling the desire to learn in children is what we as teachers want to do. That is what we hope to accomplish every day. When children are engaged and curious about their education, they tend to learn more, behave better and thrive in classrooms.

When I work with educators, I encourage them to make sure that whatever topic they are discussing or studying is reflected in their classroom library. It is so important that students know where they can go to find answers to the questions they may have. Children must know that we as teachers will honor them and help them find the answers through literature.

4. Why does curiosity lead to academic success?

Myers: We want to teach children that it is OK to ask questions and that it is expected that you ask questions. This is how you create classroom communities that are safe and nurturing. We should see questions as a way to promote learning.

One of the things that I think is important when we work with kids is creating spaces where they can ask questions that matter to them, research to find the answers and challenge the answers that are not plausible. For example, if a child is told, “The earth is flat,” can that child do some research to find out those answers for themselves? We need to teach our children to not just accept answers that are given.

5. Why is empathy important for mental health and resilience?

Mayes: Empathy is a very complex cognitive response but essentially it is the ability to put yourself in another’s shoes and try to see their world from their perspective. Empathy builds relationships and communities. It is a key skill that helps kids learn how to make and maintain friendships. It is about bringing people together and is not about sympathy. Empathy is the ability to experience what another person is experiencing and relate to them.

Myers: It goes back to the African principle: I am because we are. When you can feel what someone else is feeling, you understand that our collective humanity resides in all of us being well, and realizing that we cannot go through life alone. When we understand this principle, we put our actions toward supporting whoever is the weakest link in our chain.

6. Should educators address specific events—such as the wars in Ukraine and Israel—as they help children process traumatic events?

Mayes: When we don’t talk about the things that children are hearing or what they are seeing on the news, it conveys the message that these are topics you cannot talk about openly. There are times when teachers will not know everything about the topic, but it is better to ask children about the questions and feelings they have.

The Israel-Gaza issue is especially challenging right now since it is so polarized, but fundamentally, children are being impacted on all sides. Encouraging kids to start thinking down to the level of how children and families are doing is critical. You have to talk about these things, or they become even more traumatic.

When we center the needs of our learners, we’re doing what is in the best interest of everyone involved. You’re not saying who’s right and who’s wrong. It’s a fine line to walk in our polarized world, but that’s where you want to be because you’re cultivating a resilience skill called altruism.

Myers: I think about one of the classroom teachers I used to co-teach with, Sara Suber. We talk about Sara’s great work in The Educator’s Guide to Building Child and Family Resilience, and how she always made space for kids to ask the questions that were on their minds. She never made her stance or opinion the only view that mattered. She allowed them to have opportunities to ask questions, to share their feelings and emotions, and for them to “Bring it to the Carpet.” They could bring anything to the carpet because she wanted them to know that it is OK to know that bad things happen in the world, but when you walk into the classroom, we are going to work through it together.

She created a space for the children where they could be vulnerable and open. For example, one of the students in Sara’s class had terminal cancer and the child died during the academic year. It was a traumatic event for all of them to experience but the children had a safe space to express their emotions, and Sara even took it a step further. She formed a connection with the hospital and encouraged the students to start fundraisers so that their money could be contributed to the hospital. Sara showed these children that we can use traumatic experiences to benefit others. Her students learned that we can do good, even when the bad things occur. We do not have to be stagnant.

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“It’s quite alarming,” says Javaid Siddiqi, the former Virginia secretary of education and now the CEO of Hunt Institute. The organization created the map for the One Million Teachers of Color campaign, which is a collaboration by several equity advocacy organizations. “[School leaders] need to be aware how their share fits in with the larger state share and how the state share fits in with the larger one million,” Siddiqi continues.

Superintendents can’t close the gap by themselves but there are several things K12 leaders and their teams can do once they are aware of the scope of the problem, Siddiqi counsels. Grow-your-own programs are gaining traction in many districts as educators look to move paraprofessionals into full-time teacher roles and inspire high school students to put education at the center of their college and career plans.

“Superintendents are sitting on goldmines,” Siddiqi attests. “They are graduating young people of color and they know who the five-star African American, Hispanic and AAPI students are.”

Approximately 40% of schools lack even a single teacher of color. And, as most educators know, extensive research shows that if students of color have even one teacher of color while they’re in school they are more likely to graduate, be ready for college and be enrolled in AP and other college-level classes. And they are also less likely to be suspended. “It improves the things we want to improve and reduces the things we want to reduce,” Siddiqi notes.

The same holds true for gaps between teachers and school leaders, and the U.S. education system now has a diversity gap of about 30,000 administrators. When teachers of color work with administrators of color, they feel less isolated and are less likely to leave, he adds.

Digging into the diversity gaps

The map measures the gap between the percentage of students of color enrolled in public schools and the number of teachers of color in each state. The numbers vary throughout the country’s region—for instance, some of the states with the biggest and the narrowest gaps are in the Northeast. However, those numbers may be skewed by the low number of students of color in states such as Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

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Some of the biggest gaps are in the West, and in states considered the most politically “blue.” California, for example, needs about 139,000 teachers to close its gaps.

On the other hand, the smallest gaps are concentrated in states with tiny populations of students of color.

These 10 states have the largest gaps based on the following percentage points:

1. Nevada: 46.5
2. Delaware: 45.1
3. New Jersey: 40.3
4. California: 39.7
5. Rhode Island: 39.3
6. Arizona: 39.1
7. Maryland: 38.8
8. Connecticut: 38.5
9. New York: 38.2
10. Washington & Virginia: 35.5

These 10 states have the smallest gaps:

1. Vermont: 9.1
2. Maine: 9.5
3. West Virginia: 8.6
4. New Hampshire: 15
5. Wyoming: 15.9
6. Montana: 17.6
7. Utah: 20.5
8. North Dakota: 21
9. Kentucky: 21.3
10. Idaho: 21.9

View the rest of the data included in the map, which also measures diversity gaps between students of color and school leadership.

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