U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona joined Queens Congresswoman Grace Meng on a tour of P.S. 007 in Elmhurst Tuesday, Aug. 16, to observe the summer learning programs being offered there. Following the tour, Cardona and Meng joined other local officials running the programs, as well as the kids and their parents, to discuss the summer learning programs.
Before the roundtable discussion, Cardona and Meng stopped in on a class of kids creating art. Each student had been working on styles inspired by different artists, from Leonardo da Vinci to Pablo Picasso. Cardona came away very impressed with the art program, saying he hadn’t learned about some of the styles the kids were familiar with until he was in college.
Among those who joined Cardona and Meng to participate in the roundtable were New York City Deputy Chancellor of Schools Desmond Blackburn, New York City Department of Youth Community Development Commissioner Keith Howard and members of the Coalition for Hispanic Family Services. The main topics discussed focused on summer learning programs like Summer Rising and its benefits to the kids taking part in it, as well as the best practices that can be made to improve the mental health of students.
According to Cardona and Meng, part of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan involves significant investment in expanding summer programs for students and families. Under the American Rescue Plan, $122 billion was provided to states and districts to aid in reopening schools and help students catch up academically and access mental health supports, including by increasing summer programming.
“We spoke today and heard firsthand from parents, educators and our students on how much this funding is helping them as we climb out of this pandemic,” Meng said. “Not just for the purpose of substance, but also for the purpose of their social and emotional well-being as well. We’re grateful to Secretary Cardona for coming out today.”
After the COVID-19 pandemic forced students to go to school virtually for up to two years, a lot of concern was expressed about how they would adjust to physically returning to the classrooms. The American Rescue Plan is meant to take that into consideration by helping these students readjust their social skills with their peers after so much time apart and providing mental health assistance for them as they attempt to make extreme adjustments.
“The American Rescue Plan dollars are at work improving the lives of children,” Cardona said. “This is what it should be used for: summer programs to get kids caught up and help them get acclimated to the school. Schools are communities, they’re second families.”
The father of one of the students taking part in Summer Rising expressed a lot of gratitude for how much it has helped his daughter. He said these kinds of programs should be offered every summer.
Cardona also addressed the shortage of capable teachers throughout the country. While he noted there was a nationwide shortage even before the pandemic, he feels it is still a big issue. Cardoza said he believes the shortage at least in part has to do with a lack of respect for the profession. Cardona said educators need to get paid more for their work, have better working conditions and be granted a greater voice. He feels investing more in education could help relieve the shortage.
