Latest news with #Lainez
Boston Globe
10 hours ago
- General
- Boston Globe
Five years after COVID closed schools, Mass. parents still worry about pandemic effects on kids
Here's a breakdown of the findings: Closing the digital divide About 68 percent of low-income parents report not having enough devices at home to support work and their children's education, a greater disparity than in 2020, when it was 80 percent. Among Latino families, the figure was 74 percent this year. Advertisement Jennie Williamson, state director for Ed Trust in Massachusetts, said this divide directly undermines student success and broader educational experiences, especially when it comes to students with disabilities or 'Access to devices and technology is not a luxury. It's a necessity,' Williamson said. Leonel Lainez, 55, from Brockton, has two children in college and a son in the eighth grade. Lainez, who works in construction, said his three children share one device and access poor internet service. Lainez said his son uses a device at school but is unable to bring it home, and the family can't stretch their budget to buy another one. 'He isn't up to speed with his peers, he needs a device,' Lainez said in Spanish. Advertisement Academic losses While the majority of parents agree educators are doing their best, more than 40 percent of parents expressed concern over their children's academic progress, up from 36 percent in 2022. Daniel Sosa, 33, from Revere, said his fourth grade son is falling behind in reading and math. 'I just feel like the classes are too full, so there's not enough attention to each student or the way the teacher teaches,' Sosa said. Sosa, who owns his own men's clothing business in downtown Boston, said when he briefly entered his son into an afterschool math program before school let out for the summer, his performance improved substantially, echoing a need for specialized instruction. Post-secondary expectations A majority of Black, Latino, and low-income parents have little expectation their children will earn a college degree, while their more affluent and white peers do. About 39 percent of Black parents and 31 percent of Latino parents expect their child to get a degree. Of families surveyed who earn less than $50,000, only 17 percent said they expect to complete college. By contrast, 62 percent of parents who earn over $100,000 said they expect their children to earn degrees. Williamson, the Ed Trust state director, said parents are reevaluating the cost-benefit of college, especially considering ballooning student debt and 'We find this gap to be really alarming, especially in a state like Massachusetts that has invested so heavily in making higher education more accessible and affordable,' Williamson said. John King, 33, from Boston, has a child entering the third grade at Saint Theresa of Avila School. He said he opted for his child to go to private Catholic school instead of Boston Public Schools to better prepare him for higher education, due to his own high school experience, where he felt he lacked college readiness and financial literacy education. Advertisement 'College might be a real optional thing for people. I start seeing a lot of people with degrees that don't have jobs. That's a lot of debt,' King said. Sosa said sending his kid to college is the family's priority. 'My parents, they didn't even finish school coming from a third world country, so now going forward, we have to do better than our parents,' Sosa said. Safety, fairness, and discrimination Of those surveyed, parents of color were more likely to report their children have experienced school-based bullying, violence, or racism. About 39 percent of Asian parents, 37 percent of Latino parents, and 30 percent of Black parents, also said their child received unfair treatment at school. King said multiple times he has needed to raise concerns to administrators for his son, who is one of the few Black students at school. He once raised concerns that school work his son was given promoted negative associations with the color black. 'You have to be a big advocate on those things, if not [educators] just assume everything is great,' King said. Lainez said his son has witnessed violence and drugs in his middle school. There's 'constant bullying for being Hispanic,' he said. Mental health concerns While concerns over their children's mental health and well-being improved from its peak during the height of the pandemic, 45 percent of parents Advertisement Christina Alquinta, 53, from Lynn, has a sophomore daughter who has ADHD and receives accommodations through a 504 plan. Alquinta said her daughter has benefited from her specialized program and will graduate high school with an associate's degree. Because of the support her daughter received through the specialized plan, Alquinta feels confident in her daughter's mental health. But three-quarters of parents whose children have individualized education plans do have greater concerns about student mental health. 'Families are still worried about their children's academic progress and emotional wellbeing, and many of the challenges that were exposed during the pandemic still persist today,' Williamson said. Maria Probert can be reached at
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Somersworth educators speak up for public schools in face of Trump cuts, NH legislation
SOMERSWORTH — Dressed in red, educators, paraeducators, administrative assistants, students, parents and allies staged a walk-in protest before the opening of school Wednesday, They condemned what they call attacks on education from the Trump administration and also criticized legislation in New Hampshire. Leah Lainez, president of the Somersworth Association of Clerical and Aides, said they intended to share a message of unity. "We will walk hand in hand into our schools to remind elected leaders that we will protect our students and defend our public schools," said Lainez. "America's students need more opportunities to succeed, and we need to strengthen our public schools where 90% of students — and 95% of students with disabilities — learn. And American families need community programs and resources to thrive." The events took place at Somersworth High School, Maple Wood Elementary School, and Idlehurst Elementary School and at other locations nationwide. Educators said there were more than 100 similar events in 26 states across the country on Wednesday, organized by the National Education Association union. Lainez said the national day of action is intended to raise awareness and show solidarity in the face of the unprecedented attacks on public education from the Trump administration, which recently cut the national Department of Education in half, laying off 1,300 people. More: NH Republicans vote to remove income limits on 'education freedom' vouchers Lainez said the Somersworth event follows the recent confirmation vote of U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, as well as the effort in Washington, D.C., to dismantle the Department of Education. She also pointed to New Hampshire legislation that would remove the income cap for families who can receive Education Freedom Accounts, which provides public money to fund vouchers for private school and religious school tuition or homeschooling. Republicans in New Hampshire have touted the vouchers as supporting "school choice" for families. The local educators are concerned, too, about cuts to vital services New Hampshire students depend on in their public schools. Speakers at the event included Lainez and Erich Ingelfinger, vice president of Somersworth Association of Educators from Somersworth High School, and Nikki Kinneavy from Maple Wood from Somersworth Association of Educators. In her speech, Lainez said they will never stop fighting for students and their schools. "Most Americans believe that every student deserves opportunity, resources, and support to reach their full potential no matter where they live, the color of their skin, or how much their family earns," said Lainez. "Public schools and the Department of Education exist because students, with and without disabilities, in every state and neighborhood have the right to an education that imparts academic lessons, life skills, and a lifelong love of learning. Public education is the cornerstone of our democracy - and right now, it is under attack." More: Trump cuts Education Department in half after laying off 1,300 workers Lainez said students deserve a Department of Education that's fully staffed and fully funded. "The U.S. Department of Education is the backbone of public education in the United States," she said. "All students benefit from programs run by the Department of Education, especially lower-income students, students in rural communities, and students with disabilities. Dismantling the Education Department and firing up to 50 percent of its employees will have a profound effect on schools in New Hampshire. If Congress doesn't stop the effort to dismantle the Department of Education, New Hampshire families will be hurt." More: Trump cuts to Department of Education spark divided reaction in New Hampshire Lainez is concerned about negative results, including hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for grants, Title I and Pell grants for college. She said the impact could also include larger class sizes, loss of funding for public schools in lower income areas, loss of services for students with disabilities and loss of employment for educators. Somersworth School Board Chair Maggie Larson stood with those taking part in the walk-in event. "This demonstration highlights the critical importance of public-school funding and resources that benefit all students, particularly those with disabilities and from low-income families," Larson said. "This effort resonates strongly with our local community's values and priorities. Our educators are advocating for the resources they need to serve our students and families effectively. The School Board recognizes that strong public schools are essential to our community's future, and are working collectively to protect educational opportunities for all Somersworth students." John Shea commentary: 'Education freedom' vouchers bill is a step toward giving up on NH public schools Larson said peaceful demonstrations before school hours reflect a shared commitment to public education. "Our community, like many others in New Hampshire burdened by an over-reliance on property taxes, deserves well-resourced schools that prepare every student to thrive," she said. Ingelfinger, who said he has been a teacher SHS for 15 years, said public schools are "the heart of our communities and our democracy. ... Further reductions in state and federal funding to our public schools are forcing impossible choices on our community and others like ours. Choices like: do we fund art or music? Do we fund AP classes or drama? Do we run classes designed to help students who have fallen behind catch up? Or do we run classes to help students get into the college or job of their dreams?" Ingelfinger said if the current attempts to reduce state and federal funding to public education succeed, Somersworth loses. "These cuts will force the community to make ever increasing tough choices, and will result in bigger class sizes, fewer activities, less choice, and fewer opportunities for Somersworth families and their children," he said. "This is at once cruel and short-sighted. ... Removing federal funding or state funding means raising property taxes." This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Somersworth educators speak up for public schools
