Summit. Hello, everyone and welcome. I am the anchor of cnn newsroom weekend. Welcome to this closing plenary, reimagining the future. Schools have started in much of the nation and today of course we have had a full day of this valuable virtual summit, and so many questions remain. How should schools fully reopen . Who should remote learn . Who should teach Remote Learning . Is this the school year that is lost, and can kids really learn and benefit as best they can from such a variety of issues . And is the gap between the haves and havenots, is at widening . What needs to change right now to promote and protect the greatest potential for every child in every neighborhood in every Apartment Building in every shelter . Because times are that tough. We have good number of our kids now operating and living in shelters. We are going to try her best to tackle all of these questions. Iveot an incredible panel with me now. You have seen some of them. That you can see them. Paul kerger, president and chief executive of pbs, the nations largest noncommercial media organization. Doctor spencer crew, acting director of the National Museum of African American history and culture. Secretary arne duncan managing partner at emerson collections and former u. S. Secretary of education. And secretary margaret spelling, ceo of texas 2036, and former u. S. Secretary of education. Welcome to all of you. Thank you. If anyone has children at home you know that this is a particularly taxing and challenging time. I have got twin second graders and 15yearold High School Sophomore and challenging at a minimum is what we are all experiencing. I wanted you, secretary spelling, should we all change our expectation of what getting an education is today in the pandemic . We shouldnt change of expectations that ive won his holster and on path progressing to the fullest potential and giddy a years worth of education that we taxpayers continue to pay for and that these children and students so desperately need. What we do need to change our expectations about how thats going to happen. Clearly time is just a Concept Network the school year, these arbitrary 185 200 a schedules are out the window. We need to think about how we deploy and use human capital, our teachers. We need to think about how we use the physical plant. Everything is on the table. We reinvent education but we cannot shy away from expectation that this is not a lost year. This is a here that not only is not lost but we need to double up and make great progress for our students. Pbs kids, there any commitment to really opening childrens eyes and it really is about thinking outside the box. Should we all be looking more outside the classroom, outside of these Remote Learning classrooms that are at home . What other resources . Look, we have since a beginning 50 years ago october 4 is a 50th anniversary, we were involved in education. We start out as educational television. We are all local, our stations. Many of our stations have very deep relationships with school. Some of our stations are owned by School Systems. I got a call early march from l. A. Unified and he said look, i think with kids that are going to be at home. We know you offer this robust learning experience through broadband. We have millions of users a month. We jumped almost 1 million users all contextual plants and so forth. What he is most concerned about with the kids and i who were not going to access to broadband. We are all well aware of digital gap and even in this shortterm how to be closed that come how do we look for ways, not just in light education but true educational experiences, how do we approach of those kids . We began quickly to convert our broadcast which is how we started ironically at the beginning. There are a lot of questionsn this time were in right now of what we should be doing everytng for the work we do with littlest kids whi is all core curculum but also as a look to the future. Its clear that hybrid learning is in synchronous learning is going to be a continuum. And how do we media staons, state agencies, other organizatis like the smithsonian, how do we all come together look at this new arning paradigm and think about both how are we reaching kids that have access and means through broadband ptforms and others, to how do we make sure were not leaving kids behind, even at the nation were debating the policy of everything from access to ubiquitous broadband and so forth. This is a momt that we need to be worki very hard so that were not losing time. It also we should be looking at the future toigure out howe are building something that w close gaps in the longterm. Access, thats key. Secretary duncan, there have been no National Plan ding this pandemic as a pertains to education. School districts have been doing th best they can. And have been guided by such a variation of leadership. How worried are you about the disparitie the differences in the approaches and staards . We havent had a National Plan to defeat the virus and we havent had a National Plan t try to educate. Virus this and no red versus or state boundaries. The leadership at the federal level has been bad. [inaudible] across the country, creativity and humility and urgency and compassion still working is extraordinary. [inaudible] the fact theyre trying to do all the things by themselves is really hard. Talked about l. A. Theyre trying to put inlace and Time Health Systems and try to tt every child, every animal, family. Its unbelievable what were aski School Systems to d on the educational parthey are feeding children to try to take care of children social and emotional health. Just hard rock work at the local level and its way too hard. They shouldnt be in this positi. Its not fair and its not right. It is really hard. My heart goes out to the educators and the course to all the families and parents who feel like theyre trying their best to be surrogate teachers, instructors, and theres no lesson plan book for that. I think so many households are struggling and are and i realld about whether their kids are getting the most out of this experience, even though some of the resources are being poured into a district, districts across the country. I wonder, doctor crew, your museum is the learning and teaching institution. I grew up in Public Schools in montgomery county, maryland, a part of the curriculum was going to the smithsonian, going to the variety of smithsonian museums and buildings there. But because you had a stiff social distancing, kids may not be able to do that. Except, dr. Crew, you will be opening the doors very soon, right . But have you changed your capacity to instruct and reach kids . I think the focus for us has been to really shift our attention away from inside the building activities. A few were done an awful lot of special between teachers and school rooms. Moving more towards kind of a digital presence so that a lot of the learning, a lot of the ideas, a lot of the information that we have in the museum would now be outside the museum to a variety of people. We found not only teachers but parents and caregivers are coming to us looking for materials and things they can use to help inform their children but also give them a variety of different ideas and concepts to wrestle with. We have found to be much more creative and do that. And also we found out is what we can provide for parents and caregivers along with teachers is a chance for them to step back and allow us to interact with the children and they can have a chance to take a deep breath. We found that its been just as important as anything else in terms of how we can be helpful to all those who are now trying to figure out about learning and about education in a new kind of way. We talked about the importance of helping people care for themselves as does care for their children and care for education. Were hoping to provide that can support system so we can step forward and provide educational experiences for children and others, and caregivers and education can take a deep breath. We can regroup and go back into the conversation. Tha deep breath is really important. Families are stressed beyond any nd of notation. Anything theyve ever experiencebefore. You have familiesho are dealing with loss of js, loss of roof over their heads, rent or their mortgage not being met. How can the educational system help these families when they e trying their best to help provide the educati with these remote classrooms . Theres so many other stressors. Right. One thing i do think were saying, seeing and its been a hard lesson for sure is that parents understanding obviously how valuable our schools are, how important that are i so many ways. Secondly, they are having the lands they might not otherwise have hadnto their childrens progress and into the reading levels and how well they are doing and not come at the kind of suprt they need and the kent resources it will take. I do think the fact that parents understanding oh, my gosh, my kid may or may not be on track. Its a good thing. T what i am seeing is communities, districts above all are seeing some really disturbing numbers right off the bat as school heads back and kids are lost. We are seeing far reduced enrollment in Early Childhood programs. Are seeing reduced numbers all overhis country from kids and families, they are just check out, that is a very,ery worrisome sign and we have to find them and recover them and get them back on track. Those are the families and parents that i worry most about. Secretary duncan, how do you measure what upside to come from this very new uncharted territory for so many families . A lot of down size. We shouldnt be in this position. We have given them [inaudible] what do we do . Were talking when the show started National Tutoring program to help those kids across the country, catch up who fell behind with covid in the spring, fell behind in the summer slide during the summer and as you said, may not have been rolled back in school so they are months behind. We cant allow that to happen. We have to step up, find the kids, go get teachers, social workers and go out. What can we do differently with technology . Ways we could make sure every child in the country has access to a device into the wifi, the internet. Children should not be confined to learn in a physical school building. And let children find a path wherever that might be where they can learn anything they want anytime anywhere 24 7. Margaret has talked a lot about this, rural environment, one of our best algebra teachers not teaching when hundred kid today but i found to today are 100,000 to today and today and just doing our best best teachers to reach more and more students. Other time for individual instruction, small individual instruction, tutoring whatever it might be. Finally School Calendars obsolete. Why do we need the summer break . We just need to meet kids with arthur some kids for many kids that so we nowhere near enough. We have to be more creative and that confidence in time i think [inaudible] its been updated. Now is a time for us to do that an try something better. Pla, you agree, it really is, we are all challenge with what do we do, but isnt this the motivation of inventions, reinvention of how to best reach kids, how to maximize resources that are available . The one thing i want to add in as we were talking about parents, there are a lot of teachers in the classroom right knee. There are a lot of teachers and classrooms were trying to manage hybrid classes were you may have ten kids in class and 20 kids in distance learning. With no training on how to manage that kind of environment. The stresses on teachers is unbelievable. We manage, we create because we work with so many teachers across the country. I have sat in on a number of discussions with teachers because we have groups of Early Childhood champions that meet on regular basis. We have teachers that create virtual faculty rooms. If you listen to those conversations that should really make you sit up straight and think about we have got to get our priorities straight in education in this country. Everything has been thrown from teachers to become how to manage during this time the schools are open. The may or may not have all the tools and support they need. Parents are stretched beyond belief, and we are expecting teachers to jump in in ways that they have never tried to anticipate before. Many of our stations because we have experience in distance learning, and i agree with arne and margaret that this idea finding our best teachers and figure out how to connect them to a much wider group. I mean, that Technology Enables that but we also have to Pay Attention to how we are managing the Mental Health of teachers that are actually in the classroom now, and how we look to the future of the kent what i think will end up being a very different way of education. I agree, the School Calendar has got to shift. Maybe this is the moment for that. Parents i think the through the Spring Semester because it was march, april by the time for having to deal with the kids at home, some School Systems used the summer as a jumping off point. Many School Systems spent time trying to figure what theyre going to do in the fall and hoped the virus would be on a different trajectory. So now here we are. What do we do about it . This is a policy question, a big question by community. There has to be a moment would look at how ever going to fill these gaps, how are we going to create the opportunity our stations using the educational broadcast. Again you cannot expect in every home is going to have access. Its going to be this. Which may or may not be connected to broadband. We have done a lot of work in the space. We download stuff into a divide. You dont have to have a live broadband connection at all times. The pieces are there but we desperately need is some leadership to try to knit some of this together so you dont have 15,000 Solutions Across the country but yet some really good examples of whats working that can be built upon. Youre nodding a lot. What have you been hearing from families, caregivers, people that youve been in touch with about the digital divide, about the stress or alleviating some of the stress that just but every household is feeling . I think we go what all the others have been talking about, and that is a fact this is a new era, a new way of trying to function and operate. Everyone trying to figure out how they can best provide for the children. What weve done a lot of these two really listen to teachers and parents and to find out what it is we can do and how we can provide information in the way they find useful. A couple things set of hit us along the way is that, first of all, what people are saying is they want things in smaller bitesize chunks. You dont want a large instructional information takes a long time to navigate. But instead a lot of times they want to use and get the children engaged and then step away from and going to the next thing. We look at how we are providing Data Information to those children and to think as an institution what were kind of think about is that we are 19 different museums. As an institution what were trying to look at is how it do e begin to get her Education Department to work in unison and work in collaboration so we provide sort of a unified, organize set of materials that people can turn to and use. And how do we position those materials for people find them useful . Theres no point for us to create these things if no one wants to use them. So were listening to the teachers, listening to the parents, understanding how we can best provide the data for them. Its an important part of what we do. At the same time in this pandemic, we are also dealing with the nation with the reckoning of race. Im wondering, secretary dunc, are you any more hopeful today that children of color will have more equitable opportunities . This is the milliondollar question. We have been making calls [inaudible] i see it only bins if it works. Its a moment of reckoning for a country. [inaudible] very much in the wrong direction in terms of equity, terms of fighting basis of the last couple of years. We are finding fighting to make Public Health crisis, the pandemic and systemic racism. In chicago refighting gun violence. [inaudible] black and brown communities. The question is are we willing to reimagine, reinvent and do something that is more fair and equitable across our society, including education . I dont think youll find a cure for cancer putting a man on the mars. This is heard and will. I hope and pray we as a country can find the courage so we come out of here and not go back [inaudible] millions of kids across the country. Sitting here today i cant guarantee you that we would do that. I hope to be a small, small part of the army that works to move to a betterlace. Doctor crews, do you have any more reason to be more hopeful today . [inaudible] i have lost his idea. Im sorry. I am cautiously optimistic. I think we are at a time in the country that has the possibility what i think the wing and a better different direction. The question is do we take advantage of it and make the kind of commitment that is necessary . This commitment of resources. We begin to equalize the Resources Available to all children so that they had that chance to assess that. The other thing thats very important for us to think about is also how do we think about what these children face when they go to try to learn . What are the challenges one of the challenge i believe is now that their more at home, all of those things, the environment that are pushing against him, to take the chances away from learning the, magnified. What we have to begin to do is take that into account in serious kinds of ways. We do that when the going to school which had make sure they were fed. You have to know whats going on at home. If something happened and gotten them refocuses the meals at how do we bring them back in. This is even more magnified as we of children atome and all those issues are right in front of them rather than something they can put aside during the course of the school day. Theres a lot to be done. A lot of issues to take into account. I dont think they are unsolvable but but i think they woul take a lot of commitment and will to make him change and make them better. For so many kids going to school might be, a small part and escapeut at the same time, home, whats going on at home is a huge distraction. Of getting an education that also becomes vy complicated. I am wondering, secretary spelling scum if anything to add that if i do make a shift in our topic. I think wenger sense of urgency around that there we hurried about operation warp speed and debating whether we will have a vaccine within weeks or months and as an international imperative that everybody gets a vaccine and so forth between. We knew that same sort of urgency and operation warp speed mentality about the needs of our young people. Its less visible because we dont act now, the consequences of these gaps, this learning loss, it would be a crisis for our country. And for of course these individuals and it will live on and linger for decades. We need that urgency, resources, all the things dr. Crew and artie spoke about, but an imperative that this urgent crisis situation. It is. Pollock, you touch on this bit earlier and talked about the obligation that pbs had and what you have done to reallocate some of your resources to meet the needs of families at home. This is just a freeforall for anybody if you want to talk further about what obligation media outlets, private enterprise, civic organizations, spaces have to jump in to what you just said, secretary, is an urgent crisis. This is definitely, for us, this is a Public Service moment. Thats what pbs stands for. As we have looked at everything around education alongside of that, after the horrific murder of george floyd, really beginning to look at and building on our partnerships with organizations like the smithsonian and others. Theres a wealth of content that has already been built, to be shared at both in broadcast, accessible and one. People forget broadcast is available to anyone. But also building new resources, particularly for families and particular to those who are seeking content to talk to kids about this time were in. How to talk to kids and thumbs of a race and racism in the way kids can process and understand . Theres so many extraordinary scholars and people that have done great work in organizations like dr. Crew and had a drink too much, much larger audience quick review our role as a megaphone and during these periods of time, not dissimilar from 50 years ago when public broadcasting was created, that there is i think theres a a specific role for media. We have an outsized influence in society. Theres an obligation that is like my organization was created, is to try to use the tools that have access to reach everyone in a way that provides content that is of importance and significance of the time. I do think that this is a moment in our countrys history, and to be able to think about the vast array of challenges. And you touched on just the few as you think about kids not in school that having access to free lunch. Theres just an array of challenges that sit in front of us. But we have a moment where we could try to propel ourselves forward and look at what already exists in purchase magnified by these twin epidemics that are facing us now. I am hearing from everybody that everyone has to be part of solving the problems that we are experiencing in education across the board come with it school dishes, whether its the state, whether its private enterprise, civics, et cetera but then he will make that determination, i wonder . What really matters the most . Its going to be a major topic of state budget debates because obviously it all gets down to resourcing. In my Perfect World we have kind of a National Leadership around these imperatives. Obviously some resources but obviously education is largely state and local function. And so weve got to get real about this moment of matched up with resources many of them, restricted and constrained because of the Economic Situation and then set ourselves on priorities. Arne and i were in a discussion earlier in the day. My my Early Childhood, early years development, Family Support around that is certainly sacrosanct in my mind. Were going to have to make some tough decisions about resources what are the nice trip and the musthave. We have the resources frankly our media committees are vigorous weights and others. Thats a hard thing for educators and policymakers around the country to do. Dr. Crew . I think youre right. Its a matter of how do you balance out the resource table to our children . Right now its not equally dispensed and what we find that is those less resources dont have an ability to get things equalize so tt they could is the same sort of attention, the same sort of material that other schools are getting more taxes help pay for them with the parents are able to help chip in. We had to figure how to create a much more balanced resource distribution so that all children get the same basic minimum amount of resources as a way of equalizing in the process of learning. Secretary duncan . This is just a true reckoning. People say Strong Military is her best defense and great educational system is her best offense in the country. Look at state and local budgets, sale tax downtown property tax down. We have to make tough decisions but they cant be doing this by themselves. I think now more than ever we need a massive federal investment. And absent that, bad things will happen for education, that things will happen for kids. The Current Administration they are trying to bully people to go back to school with no resources behind making the schools safe. It doesnt any sense whatsoever. It should happen months and months ago. Lets do something that would make our schools safe. More ppe, talking about lets invest in our children come in education at the federal level. Thats the only place with kind of resources it needs to be. Thats the only ways to can come from. They cant come from the state level but that is dried up. Thats whats missing now, total absence of investment, of come f commitment, of vision at the federal level. I wonder if this convergence of the pandemic and education really revealed the deficits, exposed the needs, the real disparities. I wonder what did this pandemic, what did it teach us . That was particularly and fans i spelled out but what did it teach us about the deficits, the needs in the classrooms, in the School Districts . I will start with the easy one, and thats broadband. We have nearly 6,000,000 students in texas and nearly 2 million, 1. 8 million texas students did not have access to either broadband or the devices to be online. When you had that kind of gap on something that is as basic as ectricity and water, in 2020, its just horrifying. Thats the place where we can find consensus across party lines and certainly facilitate telemedicine and ecommerce and on and on. Its a great place to start. But just to give you the scale, about a third of our kids didnt have access to what it took. I think a lot of people saw that for the first time, even in a number of news stories of various Networks Europe when it really comes to mind, released on image of a mom come shut a minivan, three kids. They were all in elementary, middle school and High School Come and she would drive around looking for the Fast Food Restaurant parking lot where they could get a signal. So for kids could do their homework online. I mean, yeah, on the phone for a lot of people, too. Dr. Crew, one of you been hearing or experiencing about what are the differences in educational system as a whole that have to be fixed . What struck me is the realization by a lot of people having different roles schools place in the lives of children is a deficit in terms of resours for education directly but the fact kids go to school to get food, kids go to school sometimes to get a stable adult relationship. Also i think parents just realizing how their children are doing and maybe the things they thought easy for teachers to do is much more challenging. I think a greater appreciation for what schools provide and a Broad Spectrum of ways. In terms of education i think i will go back to the idea that we need the resources and for commitment by all parts of this aside to understand the children are anmportant resource for us. As secretary duncan said, if we invest now, we will pay later. Whyot invest now and really give these children will start to life as opposed to having been struggling on with deficits that have accrued over time. Paula, do you see that these aners might come sooner rather than later withreater urgency . I would hope so. The facthat this panel, his symposium, hopefully opinion leaders and others will rally together i mean, i think that margats comment about broadband is correc i mean, if we could rally time as we did around rural electrication a number of decades ago to ensur and, frankly, it is not just wat crickets making sure from an economic standpoint that i would have access. That is such a glang divide. The other is everything that gets heaped o the Education System on teachers in particular, i think ts has been an introductory as well. Theres so much schools present for kids but also what were expecting teachers to do now. s unrealistic. I think that reckoning around that is important and then margarets earlier commen Early Childhood education. This is where we spend most of her time in the work that we do both in broadcast as well as in the wider space. We invest the least and the teachers and that impact our kids. Everybody knows all the research is done about brain science. Its in the early years when the kids are being wired and kids learn how to learn, and we treat earlyhildhood teachers like babysitters. We pay them nothing, given no professial development and we reap the consequences. I thin there are a series of issues that w need too seriously address, and whether this is the moment that jars people do stupid attention to whats happening, or we see ten, 15, 20 years down the road implications of this time we are in. Thats our choice. And as a leaders we can come together and try to resolve at least pieces of this, or we can st back and deal with the consequences later. Thats our choice. Secretary duncan, do you believe this is a moment that will redefine the role of teachers, educators, and by asking them to redefine how people appreciate what kind of resources are provided district to district, for instance . This is really dark concert everyones appreciation of teachers is what appear teachers polls are way, way up. Again its not an issue. The pandemic passivity a lot of things. We putting a bandaidn it. But how we train teachers can i we reward them and, sit in, we help them develop, how we find help them nurture the next generation. Theres so much along the pipeline the talent that we must do better. [inaudible] shouldnt think about how either. Investing in training heek in this virtual world, we have to do that. We owe that to the and we owe it to our kids. Final thoughts for each of you a we wrap up ts fantastic plenarsession. Ill begin with you, secretary spelling spiri any final thoughts, hopes how you assess and wrap up everythingeve all experienced in just, what, the first months . People are seeing our schools for the final institutions that are come for families can replace, the progress over kids come for the future of our nation. We need to build on that recognition by saving the day to really maximize this opportunity. We need a Marshall Plan for our kids in this moment. I know everybody on this call will be pounding the table in that way but we are talking a lot about restrooms for airlines and whatnot, and i am all them but lets not forget about our most precious asset, our human talent of our country during this moment. I dont want to end on a down note but i just want one more cautionary note, which is after going through this time im ao very concerned about the number of teachers that will leave the profession. We have now heaped so much pressure on them, and so i would pe that as arn said, that there is this National Recognition of the importance of teachers and that we can figure out a way to really rally around themecause they are such a pivotal, the ministers obviously, are such a pivotal piece of thisuzzle and are deserving of the investment. Dr. Crew . I want to echo what was just said. I hope in his change that is taking place that parents have a greater appreciation of what teachers have to do and the roles they play an important are in the life of the children and students develop. I think in the past not going to school. I can do that and i think theres a new revelation that, in fact, this is a very difficult, challenging with skilled task. I hope people will recognize that and they see the need for this investment weve talked about to give teachers the resources they need to be able to be as effective as possible and to have decent not have to struggle and work during the summer due to the lack of funds to do their regular work. Secretary duncan, last word. We need courage, leadership and we need recognition. Thank you so much to all of you. All of us have been enriched by al the fantastic ideas and were all of course hoping for better days ahead. For all of our educators, all of our families and kids to really situate the most promising future possible for all these children. Thank you so much, everyone. Thank you. You are watching cspan2, your unfiltered view of government. Created by americas cabletelevision companies as a Public Service and brought you today by your television provider. This afternoon at 145 eastern president elect joe biden is joined by Vice President elect, harris in wilmington, delaware, and well talk with reporters about the plan for a u. S. Economic recovery from a coronavirus pandemic. Live coverage again starting at 1 45 p. M. Eastern. The use the u. S. Senate gavels in three eastern to consider a judicial nomination for the Southern District of mississippi. In the meantime Senate Republican leadership is working to get the votes to confirm judy shelton for the Federal Reserve board of governors. In the house bills dealing with veterans issues, faa oversight and human rights and china. Off the floor both parties are selecting their leadership for the next two years. If you dont have the tv you can watch our live coverage online at cspan. Org or listen with the free cspan radio app. Listen to cspans podcast the weekly. Were talking about the recent elections with Kelly Dittmer from the center for american women and politics at rutgers university. What changed this election cycle for women and why. Find cspans the weekly where you get your podcast. Host joining us to talk about the president ial process of a president ial transition is max stier, president and ceo of the partnership for Public Service and the group center for president ial transition period max stier we will start by
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