Latest news with #educationreform
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Charlene Andersson Champions Emotional Safety in Classrooms as Key to Student Success
Veteran educator calls for nationwide focus on social connection and confidence-building in education reform LOS ANGELES, CA / / June 2, 2025 / With over 28 years of experience in California public schools, award-winning educator and certified educational therapist Charlene Andersson is using her platform to advocate for a nationwide shift in how schools define-and measure-success. Her message: emotional safety and student connection are not just nice-to-haves; they are critical to academic growth. "Success doesn't start with a test score," said Andersson. "It starts when a student feels safe enough to take a risk, speak up, or ask for help. That's where real learning begins." Andersson, who received the Japanese International Educators Award in 2005 and held the highest standardized test scores in her district for a decade, attributes her results to student-centered strategies. One such example is her use of "looping," where students stayed with her for up to three years by parent request. "Students who feel seen and understood are more likely to engage deeply with learning," Andersson said. "That's not theory-that's decades of experience." The numbers support her point. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, students who report strong relationships with teachers are 32% more likely to feel confident in their abilities, and a study by CASEL found that school programs integrating social-emotional learning see an 11% gain in academic achievement. Andersson recalls one student who was socially isolated but fascinated by the Mars Rover. She turned his passion into a collaborative class project that led to a provisional patent and a letter of encouragement from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. "He went from isolated to celebrated," she said. "That kind of transformation doesn't come from a worksheet. It comes from creating a classroom culture where every student belongs." Andersson is calling on schools and education policymakers to prioritize social-emotional learning (SEL), build teacher training around relationship-building strategies, and give teachers time and autonomy to support students holistically. "We need to stop treating SEL like an add-on," she urged. "It's the foundation. Without it, we're just checking boxes." In addition to her classroom work, Andersson has created arts education programs for children at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House, authored three children's books, and served on the California Board for Gifted Students. About Charlene Andersson Charlene Andersson is a professional educator and certified educational therapist based in Los Angeles, California. With nearly three decades in public education, she is known for her student-first teaching philosophy, her work with gifted and special needs students, and her advocacy for compassionate, connected classrooms. Today, she continues to mentor fellow educators, speak at conferences, and push for systems that value empathy as much as academics. "We ask kids to meet our standards," she said. "But first, we have to meet their needs." Media Contact Charlene Anderssoninfo@ SOURCE: Charlene Andersson View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
CBC
a day ago
- Politics
- CBC
Police in schools debate revived by proposed Ontario legislation
Social Sharing A new bill by the Ontario government would force some school boards to put police officers in schools, and it has revived a debate in Ottawa about the role of police in the school system. The proposed legislation would require school boards to implement a school resource officer (SRO) program — which places officers in elementary and high schools — if one is offered by the local police service. It would go into effect in the next school year. "I completely disagreed when the decision was made in a number of boards to withdraw [SROs] from the school," Minister of Education Paul Calandra said at a Thursday news conference. "We're going to make sure that we work on doing it in a way that is beneficial to students and teachers." But some Ottawa trustees and advocates say the legislation would undermine local authority, and the presence of police would be more harmful than helpful to students. Board voted to end program Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) trustees voted in June 2021 to cut the SRO program, after a review prompted by concerns among racialized and LGBTQ students. The Ottawa Police Service subsequently ended the program at all school boards in the city. In January 2025, it started a new program that assigned one officer to each of Ottawa's four school districts to support educators without being stationed inside of school buildings. It was a response to a "larger trend" of violence in schools, developed in consultation with school boards, according to police. OPS Staff Sgt. Fernando Vieira, who works in the replacement school program, said the new provincial legislation "won't necessarily change" the approach of OPS — but added police will have a conversation with the school boards "and it's up to the school boards to invite us in." 'Undermining' local governance OCDSB trustee Lyra Evans said the province is undermining local elected officials. "[The OCDSB] spent a significant amount of time [and] resources ... creating a report to get a feel for what the local community feels about police involvement in schools," Evans said. "There are local differences ... so having locally elected trustees make these decisions based on all of the best evidence that we have available makes sense." Since 2021, the OPS has repeatedly reaffirmed it still wants officers in schools. "We never should have had police officers not engage with our youth," Vieira said in an interview this week. "[Police are not] looking for opportunities to charge youth. It really is to build our relationship with our youth, build the trust." Who is helped But that relationship-building is a "myth," according to Robin Browne, founder of advocacy group 613-819 Black Hub. The group supported the fight to remove police from schools and is also involved in an ongoing lawsuit against the police board over a different matter. Browne cited the 2021 review performed by the OCDSB, which found that the "common narrative" among members of the OPS that the primary role of the SRO is to focus on building relationships is not reflected in the policies, practice or impact of the program. The review concluded that a police presence prevents some students "from fully enjoying their right to education without discrimination." Similar conclusions were drawn by a report from the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Kaveeta Ajwani wants the SRO program to return for the safety of her children, who attend Vimy Ridge Public School. She served on its parent council while the SRO program was active. "My kids had major bullying issues, and the bullying did increase once the SRO program was taken away," she said. "It had to get to an extreme situation to be able to contact the police ... which I don't think was right." Ajwani said she's spent time volunteering with the OPS and added it's been valuable to expose her children to police officers. "[Police] are a valuable part of the community and the only way that the next generation is going to grow up to learn to respect them and know that they're the good guys is by having them involved in the community," she said. The legislation could change as it passes through the legislature, Evans noted. The OCDSB trustees will consider the board's relationship with OPS at its meeting on June 3.
National Post
2 days ago
- General
- National Post
Letters: Trudeau sneaks around at the throne speech
Article content Few, if any, of those students would question what they were being told by professors and the administration. Their main concern would be graduating and then starting to teach. If they had to endure lectures on decolonization and other controversial issues, they would go along with whatever was required. Article content It takes an older student, and one with real-world experience, to challenge the doctrines being presented in today's universities. Without students like Margaret Munn at Western and Lindsay Shepherd — who became embroiled in a highly publicized academic freedom controversy at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2017, and who was vindicated by an investigation and received an apology — the public would be unaware of how their taxpayer dollars are being used in post-secondary education. Article content Students are not going to rock the boat and demand change. Change will have to come from reductions in government funding going to institutions that are straying from their intended purpose. Article content We live in an 'entitled' world where the losing team seeks to off-load blame onto others. It's never about their own failures but something wrong with the rules, the judging, or the system itself. It now looks like that entitlement mentality, so prevalent among our youth, has crept into the halls of Parliament. Article content The Canadian public spoke loudly in last month's election, reducing the NDP to seven seats and sacking their leader, thereby withdrawing 'official party status' and all the perks that accrue. Surely it doesn't take a Nobel Prize winner to figure out how this happened. Propping up the minority Liberal government through the infamous 'Supply and Confidence Agreement' made the NDP indistinguishable from their already left-trending comrades in Parliament. Furthermore, with high-profile anti-Israel supporters among the membership, loyal NDPers were forced to question the party's moral principles. Article content Article content For interim leader Don Davies to argue that his party is a 'national' party is a bit rich. It has no federal representation east of Manitoba, save for one seat in Quebec. Instead of looking for special treatment from their former partners, in order to avoid the rules that govern 'official party status,' Davies and his party need to look inward and decide how they can become a legitimate, respectable choice for Canadians seeking a leftist alternative to the Liberal party. Article content Article content It is astounding how easily the Canadian electorate can be manipulated. Liberal strategists must be both cynical and self-satisfied to have developed and successfully promoted a false narrative to the public during the election campaign — that we were, in the words of Mark Carney, 'facing the most significant crisis of our lifetimes' due to Donald Trump's tariffs and threats. While many Canadians did not fall for this narrative, I wonder if those who did now feel duped.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
New Haven teachers reflect on 1975 strike impact
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Several New Haven teachers that went on strike in 1975 reunited outside of the New Haven Superior Court house on Saturday. The gathering was designed to bring everyone together to remember the sacrifices that they made for modern day teachers. This historic strike resulted in 90 arrests. The teachers were charged with contempt of court and arrested after going on strike. The educators were calling for a fair contract and higher pay. They were brought into court when the judge requested that they return to work, but the teachers told the judge they did not think they could go back without a contract. Despite not knowing that their efforts would result in jail time, the teachers said it helped to encourage more improvements for teachers today. 'These are the teachers who made sacrifices for the teachers today to have the pay that they are getting,' Saundra Stephenson, a former teacher, said. 'When we all started, we were making under $10,000 a year.' According to the New Haven Federation of Teachers, this strike was supported by students, parents and other union members. 'When people ask me about teaching in New Haven and what I was most proud of, this is one of the things I was most proud of,' Richard Romao, a former teacher at Wilbur Cross, said.' The federation said another public event will be held later this year featuring retired teachers, students and parents from 1975. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Loyalty pledges': New UF president's $15M contract ties pay to DeSantis' agenda
The University of Florida's tentative $3 million-a-year offer for President-elect Santa J. Ono includes an unusual clause that may ease some of his right-wing critics' biggest concerns: His job performance — and potentially his pay — will be tied to how well he upholds educational reforms championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Ono, a three-time university president most recently at the University of Michigan, is poised to lead Florida's flagship public university under a five-year deal worth up to nearly $15.4 million plus benefits. If the Florida Board of Governors ratifies Ono's appointment on Tuesday, it's possible he'll be breaking his own record for highest-paid public university president. But it's not just the money raising eyebrows — it's the terms. Appended to the final page of Ono's draft contract is an exhibit containing 'key metrics' that the UF's Board of Trustees — heavily populated with DeSantis appointees — will use to evaluate his salary raises and performance bonuses. Beyond traditional benchmarks like student success and research output, Ono will be judged on his cooperation with the governor's Office of Government Efficiency (known as 'Florida DOGE') and how effectively he combats attempts to spend funds on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The metrics also task Ono with appointing a provost and deans who are 'firmly aligned with and support the principles guiding Florida's approach to higher education,' as well as weeding out courses with 'low return on investment' from curriculum. Read more: DeSantis halts UF's search for liberal arts dean amid conservative backlash The inclusion of specific political directives in a university president's performance review is 'unusual — if not, unprecedented,' said James Finkelstein, a researcher at George Mason University's school of policy, who along with research professor Judith Wilde has analyzed more than 300 contracts for college presidents. 'These are loyalty pledges,' he said. Both were struck by the lack of clear quantitative measures for the metrics, and said their placement — tucked into an exhibit at the contract's end — potentially signals an effort to quietly anchor political oversight into the role. 'This is just a way for them to keep him in check based on what they've seen him do before,' Wilde said, referencing Ono's prior outspoken support of DEI programs. As president of Michigan, Ono pushed for a 'DEI 2.0' plan and oversaw a diversity office once considered at the forefront of academia's DEI movement. But amid escalating public scrutiny and potential funding threats from the Trump administration, Ono shuttered the office in March. The measure shows how Florida's flagship institution is formalizing political expectations for Ono, who conservative critics have renounced as a left-wing opportunist feigning opposition to DEI to appease the state's Republican base. Questions about whether Ono sincerely believes DEI is a well-intentioned movement run amok by political ideology have swirled since May 4, when he emerged as the sole finalist for the UF presidency. UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan, reached through email, declined to answer questions about why and when the performance metrics explicitly tied to prohibiting DEI spending and other DeSantis-backed measures were added into Ono's draft contract. Similar metrics aren't included in the contracts of previous UF presidents or recently appointed presidents at other state universities. Ono's contract also guarantees him a tenured faculty position within UF's ophthalmology department, securing him a post-presidential salary equivalent to the highest-paid full professor in the department. But the new deal also strips out some of the fringe benefits seen in his and his predecessor's prior contracts. Former UF President Ben Sasse's five-year, $10 million agreement included plenty of goodies, including tuition benefits for his entire extended family, as well as covered travel expenses for his wife and children. By contrast, Ono's tentative UF contract is notably leaner — and stricter. One notable requirement: Ono must reside in the Dasburg President's House on campus. This follows controversy during his Michigan tenure, when he purchased a home 40 miles from campus despite being contractually obligated to live in university housing. Gone, too, are some of the quirkier perks. Ono, a trained concert cellist, had previously insisted that the University of Michigan fund transportation and storage for his three cellos. That request is absent from his UF contract. Despite shedding perks, Ono's deal remains a financial powerhouse, solidifying UF's top job as one of the most lucrative posts in public higher education. And with that comes unprecedented accountability to a state-led ideological vision. 'I guess the only real similarities I see between the two [contracts] are the ability to get a world-class salary right up front,' said Wilde. 'And now, a very public test of political loyalty.'
