We need congress to invest in race equity, childcare, and the digital divide immediately

We are sending our baby back to daycare this week and it is uncomfortable. I know it is imperative that we sustain the viability of our childcare sector through the pandemic and into recovery. Congress can take immediate action, covered in this article, but the conversation about supporting parents and families through transitions into childcare and schools are critical. After hours of discussion, we decided baby Mags needed to go back to daycare, but I am hearing other concerns from everyone. Are we making the right decision? Is this safe for my family? Is this safe for my community? What are your thoughts? Follow and tag me on Twitter @cmtpitts with your ideas.

On June 30, Senator Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) introduced the Coronavirus Child Care and Education Relief Act (CCCERA). This bill will provide $430 billion to state and local agencies for relief efforts to support schools, educators, students, and families beyond the CARES Act funding.

The call to action was clear, to make up for the longstanding racial inequities revealed by the global health pandemic, we need to invest across childcare and K-12 education in our Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities.

This legislation follows weeks of federal hearings on how to reopen and invest in schools to ensure students and families are well, healthy, and thriving. Last week, GOP Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) finally conceded that schools will require additional funding to reopen in -person this fall. Alexander said, “In my view, there is a great risk of not going back to school and the damage it will do the children, and to the parents and to the economy.” In a similar vein, CCSSO raised the bar for Congress last week asking them to invest $158 to $245 billion in additional funding beyond the CARES Act to reopen school buildings safely and Education Trust and 70 additional organizations suggested K-12 schools need at least $175 billion.

In the most recent hearing, on June 22, the House Education and Labor Committee met to discuss the topic “Inequities Exposed: How COVID-19 Widened Racial Inequities in Education, Health, and the Workforce.” The call to action was clear, to make up for the longstanding racial inequities revealed by the global health pandemic, we need to invest across childcare and K-12 education in our Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities. When asked how Congress can address the growing inequities in learning opportunity, Dr. John King, President and CEO of Education Trust and former Secretary of Education, explained it is critical to invest $50 billion in our childcare sector immediately. Dr. King illustrated how resourcing early childhood education leads to a nearly $8 return on investment for every dollar spent. Later, Rep. Bonamici (D-OR) agreed that childcare is a serious challenge for communities and the childcare workforce, predominantly women of color, are underpaid, leading to additional racial injustice. Related, a report released this month indicated that one year of universal high-quality preschool would nearly eliminate the Black-White reading skills gap at kindergarten entry.

Dr. John King’s advice was consistent and clear across each testimony this month. He asked Congress to invest $500M for state and local education governments, provide Maintenance of Effort and Maintenance of Equity provisions, focus on broadband, extended learning time, social and emotional health, and upholding civil rights by refraining from waivers. In response, the CCCERA provides:

• Maintenance of Effort protections for state and local education budgets requiring no cuts to education spending for three years
• Child Care Stabilization Fund ($50B) to ensure childcare providers are viable into the future, pay their staff, and can provide tuition relief for working families
• Education Stabilization Fund ($345B) including $175B for K-12 schools to address learning loss, public health protocols, and quality education in-person, distance, or hybrid; $132B for higher education, especially HBCUs, tribal colleges, and. MSIs; $33B for Governor’s Fund to provide educational services to areas hardest hit by COVID-19
• Provision for communities impacted by the crisis ($12.9B) including investments for families facing economic hardship, migrant children, students in juvenile justice facilities, students experiencing homelessness, and English learners
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ($12B) protecting services for students with disabilities
• E-Rate Program ($4B) to close the “homework gap,” through devices, technology, and internet access

New Devos rules put states and districts in a pinch

On June 25, the US Secretary of Education, Betsy Devos, introduced revised rules to the equitable services regulations she proposed last month, which caused an uproar amongst membership and advocacy organizations. By the end of May at least eight states had decided they were not going to follow Devos’ regulations including OK, MS, IN, ME, WA, PA, NM, and WI. The revised rule, taking effect immediately, allows district two decide whether to (a) give CARES Act funds to all students, including private school students, or (b) direct funds only to Title 1 schools serving low-income students.

The House Education and Labor Chair, Bobby Scott (D-VA) asked DeVos to withdraw the rule to follow the intent of the CARES Act and mitigate additional confusion for states and districts during an already uncertain time. The School Superintendents Associations, AASA, expressed disappointment in the revised rules, explaining that it will “shift an additional $1.3 billion beyond what Congress intended from Title I students” to support private schools.

The jury is still out on summative testing next spring

Until this past week, education leaders and policymakers have been discussing the role of summative testing next spring behind closed doors. This week AASA released a timely national survey of superintendents reporting that, when asked what state policy decisions waivers/ flexibility would be most helpful 75 and 83% responded accountability and assessment, respectively. We’ve also seen murmurings of this trend from Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee who’ve formally and informally started exploring how to address summative tests next year. Nationally, experts have started recommending innovative state possibilities, an opportunity the education community needs to explore in-depth and in-context before making any broad sweeping decisions. Dr. John King has expressed similar concerns about protecting students’ civil rights. For now, we can continue to build a position and narrative by engaging with our partners like Bellwether Education who published their new position on assessment and accountability this week.

we need bipartisan federal action immediately to build an onramp for states into a secure recovery phase

State leaders work towards a continuum of distance and in-person learning options

State legislators are working in collaboration with education leaders and communities to address the pressing challenges in reopening schools and offering equitable learning opportunities like connectivity, quality, and transparency for families. An analysis released this week concluded that 15-16 million K-12 students live without internet connection or a device, 9 million students lack both a device and connectivity, and 300,000 to 400,000 K-12 teachers lack adequate internet services. However, states and districts are busy developing solutions to address this issue:

• NGA This week a group of governors sent a letter to congressional leadership spelling out the costs and necessary partnerships associated with bringing high-speed internet to rural areas across America.
• Arizona Governor Doug Ducey released the AZCares plan outlining how CARES Act funds will be used to support schools, including broadband for rural communities ($40 million), innovation microgrants to accelerate learning solutions ($1 million), and additional funding for high-needs schools ($20 million).
• Iowa Senate bill IA SF 2310 will establish transparency for online school options, including a professional development project and online coursework standards.
• Louisiana In collaboration with leadership, community, and the Southern Regional Education Board, Louisiana DOE released their Strong Start 2020 guidelines and resources for reopening schools, including recommendations for bus capacity, student group size, symptom monitoring, face covering, food preparation, and meal services. 
• Minnesota House bill MN HF 16 was introduced in which parents can provide “parent-based” distance learning by giving notice to the school. Parents must agree to provide all education services under Minnesota statute. The student will continue to count for the school district as a pupil for any funding formulas.
• Mississippi The House passed two bills providing levers for increased access to digital learning. MS HB 1786 creates the "Technology Instruction and Digital Access to Learning (TIDAL) Act” to establish digital learning programs for K-12 education and provide grants for electronic devices used in instruction with a $200 million appropriations package. MS HB 1788 establishes another grant managed by Mississippi Department of Education for making available broadband access including a $50 million appropriation. 
• New Jersey NJ senate bill NJ SB 2603 will provide funds to school districts for acquisition of technology devices to address digital divide.
• Ohio The Cleveland School District is working with a local nonprofit to establish internet access as a public service available for all, similar to how you receive water or electricity.
• Wisconsin The DOE released Education Forward: Reopening Wisconsin Schools that outlines how schools can evaluate and prepare for at least 18 months of coronavirus planning. In partnership with UW Milwaukee, the DOE suggested that schools use a distance learning survey to collect data about parent, educator, and family needs.

States are working overtime to create policies and guidance that will protect communities and support our childcare, education, and social services, as well as our small business sector and workforce. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have reiterated to Senate Republicans that they let down Americans in June by failing to negotiate a bipartisan, bicameral additional relief bill. House Democrats passed the HEROES Act (HR 6800) nearly 50 days ago and it is unclear what the path for the newest federal relief package will be within the Senate. But, we need bipartisan federal action immediately to build an onramp for states into a secure recovery phase.

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Dr. Christine M. T. Pitts is a Policy Advisor at NWEA. As an Oregonian, raised by a multicultural family of educators, she brings a decade of progressive strategic leadership experience, a transformational vision, and analytic skill to crafting state education policy. An educator, leader, and researcher by training, she has conducted legislation, governance, and policy analyses on a wide array of education issues using social network analysis and mixed methods research. In addition, Dr. Pitts is a facilitative leader who deeply understands and executes transformative partnerships and convening across stakeholder groups. Dr. Pitts currently coordinates across policymakers and state leaders to investigate and advocate for policies that prioritize equity in education. Follow her on Twitter @cmtpitts.