Download the Paper (845.79 KB)The pandemic has revealed and exacerbated inequities
Minnesota often ranks highly in high school graduation rates at the national level, but this is only true for white students. Our state has long been home to the worst racial disparities in education, health, housing and economic outcomes in the country. The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified and intensified many of these disparities.
Educators crafted policy recommendations and are demanding that decision-makers prioritize educational equity
The conditions of the pandemic call for a new, radically equity-focused approach to learning environments, whether students are learning online or in-person. We call on school districts, state legislators, and teachers’ unions to:
- Relentlessly prioritize school resources for those who need it most
- Provide anti-racist social-emotional learning and mental health support to students most impacted
- Prioritize teacher diversity during budget cuts by protecting teachers of color from layoffs and investing in critical teacher preparation programs that lead to an increase in teacher diversity
About the Teacher Action Team
In the fall of 2020, ten educators came together to craft an education policy platform that urgently addresses the widening academic opportunity gaps that students of color face in Minnesota. The team narrowed their ideas and anchored their recommendations in several shared values. At the forefront is equity which calls for making difficult budget decisions in our school districts to better serve students of color and those from low-income backgrounds, students with disabilities, and English language learners. The Teacher Action Team cohort works to ensure that their policy recommendations not only lead to a positive impact on students, but also that they are actionable, and excite a wide base of teachers.