DETROIT – During this time of distance learning, Local 4 is devoting time to figuring out how to keep children from falling behind.
Local 4 put together 13 local educators to discuss the problems and solutions for remote, distance learning. Their views are realistic and candid as they grapple with educational inequities, an exhausted workforce, struggling parents and the real possibility that some students will get lost. Their vow that the State and Federal government will have to find ways to fund a new kind of hybrid or blended learning model so that students will never get lost again.
A complete list of the educators involved can be read below:
| Educator | Title | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Wanda Cook-Robinson | Superintendent | Oakland Schools, Oakland County |
| Jen Curry | Asst. Superintendent | Wayne-Westland Community School District |
| Dr. DeSheil Echols | Asst. Super. Education | School District of the City of Pontiac |
| Michael Devault | Superintendent | Macomb Intermediate School District, Macomb County |
| Kenneth Gutman | Superintendent | Walled Lake Consolidated Schools |
| Paula Herbart | President | Michigan Education Association |
| Dr. Randy Liepa | Superintendent | Wayne Regional Educational Service Agencies |
| Dr. Jennifer Martin-Green | Superintendent | Southfield Public Schools |
| Dr. Steve Matthews | Superintendent | Novi Community School District |
| Dr. Todd Robinson | Superintendent | Romeo Community Schools |
| Dr. Robert Shaner | Superintendent | Rochester Community School District |
| Katie Solomon | Academic & Programs Director | Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program, Detroit |
| Peter Spadafore | Associate Executive Director for Advocacy and Communications | Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators |
| Dr. Nikolai Vitti | Superintendent | Detroit Public Schools Community District |
Remote, or distance learning, is different for many students. Things like zip-codes, economics and access can change things dramatically for students.
What Michigan is experiencing paves the way for blended, or hybrid learning, a morphed education system where school houses are only a part of a system of organized learning.
You can hear from all of the educators in the full, unedited video below.