Our 2021 GLR Learning Tuesdays kicked off with a two-part series to highlight the voices of teachers, providing us an opportunity to recognize the heroic efforts of educators who worked tirelessly to ensure that 56 million students across our nation continued learning despite the pandemic-precipitated school closures. Indeed, they are our unsung heroes, and we are grateful for their service and dedication. 

In this first webinar, moderators Peggy Brookins of National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and Wes Moore of Robin Hood Foundation engaged two of our nation’s top education leaders — Becky Pringle, President of the National Education Association, and Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers — in prerecorded interviews. Their conversations focused on the lessons learned over the last 10 months, their thoughts on “building back better” and their advice to Secretary of Education-Designate Dr. Miguel Cardona. Following the interviews, the moderators continued the conversation with Weingarten, who also joined the live webinar, and engaged participants in a Q&A opportunity with Weingarten.

In the interviews, both Pringle and Weingarten acknowledged that the pandemic exposed just how deep the inequities are for students from economically challenged families, including food insecurity, health disparities, lack of mental health supports and inadequate access to learning tools, materials and technology. “We learned that schools cannot do this work alone. Partnerships with community partners are essential; we need a whole child/whole community approach,” shared Pringle. She also emphasized just how little time teachers had to pivot on how to teach virtually. “Overnight, our teachers had to learn how to engage students through screens. We learned that when we do not have the time to learn, plan, think, reflect and assess, our students suffer.” For Weingarten, she outlined key lessons around the need to build trust and transparency; focus on systems, structures and strategies; and prioritize collaboration and collective responsibility. She emphasized the “need to focus on the effects of COVID on children and their futures, including the effects on instruction, academics, and social-emotional well-being.”

As Pringle and Weingarten reflected on “building back better,” Pringle focused on taking on the antiquated funding systems and transforming or expanding our accountability systems to move beyond academics to include social and emotional well-being. Weingarten pushed for wrap-around services.  “We need to meet the needs of kids, provide guidance counselors, nurses and so much more,” she said, emphasizing that students excel when we remove barriers to learning.

With respect to advice to Secretary-Designate Dr. Cardona, priorities ranged from building trust and collaboration, increasing investments in public education, elevating the importance of professional practice and excellence, and helping the profession heal through a year of learning and engagement “because we’ve been through what feels like a war.”