What's Going on in Education?

Issues surrounding the ongoing pandemic and the Great Resignation have only made the already complex field of early childhood education even more challenging than before. In today’s episode, you’ll hear about some of the issues that exist in this difficult time and how they can be addressed. You’ll also learn more about the push for equity in early childhood classrooms and what that can mean for educators and policymakers.

Today’s guests include Suzann Morris and Dr. Veronica Fernandez. Suzann Morris is the Senior Director of Public Policy and Government Relations at Teachstone. Dr. Veronica Fernandez is the Senior Director of Social Impact at Teachstone, and before taking that position, she was a Teachstone consultant for many years. Listen in to hear what they have to say about better meeting children’s and teachers’ needs, what classrooms need in order to drive equity, and what can be done with new funding that will move the field forward.

Topics Discussed in This Episode

• [00:00:41] Today’s guests
• [00:01:48] How to better meet children’s needs in this challenging time
• [00:02:37] The conversation around the importance of early childhood 
• [00:03:40] What the drive for equity in early childhood education needs
• [00:04:45] Example of inequity and equity
• [00:07:58] How equity shows up in the field of early childhood education
• [00:10:32] Who would be helpful at the table when it comes to early childhood education
• [00:13:32] How a wave of resignations has impacted the early childhood education field
• [00:16:40] Whether early childhood education is taking a step back in how people view its importance
• [00:19:08] The challenge of the traumas caused by the current challenges
• [00:22:55] What can leaders think about doing differently with funding to move forward
• [00:25:30] What universal pre-K is
• [00:32:12] How leaders can improve things to better than they were before the pandemic
• [00:34:52] Impacting the classroom from a teacher perspective
• [00:40:35] Episode summary

 

Resources

Our guests today, include:

• Veronica Fernandez
• Suzann Morris

Hosted by:

• Darlene Estes-Del Re
• Marnetta Larrimer

Learn more about Teachstone at www.teachstone.com

Listen to our other podcast for teachers, Teaching with CLASS, at https://teachstone.com/teaching/