Biden’s wins for public education

The Biden administration announced support for universal healthy school meals for all children as a primary goal ahead of their Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. By supporting free healthy school meals for all students, President Biden has taken a significant step toward ending childhood hunger in this country. The White House has committed to working with Congress to expand access to free school meals for 9 million more children by 2032.

In recognition of sacrifices and efforts to protect the health of all Americans during the coronavirus pandemic, the Department of Labor (DOL) inducted Essential Workers of the Pandemic into the U.S. Labor Hall of Honor. Those inducted include educators like Andrea Beeman, a special education paraeducator from Maple Heights, Ohio. Beeman spoke at the event and received a Hall of Honor plaque on behalf of all ESPs. As she put it in her remarks, “Education support professionals are some of the most critical members of our education community. Our unique position in the classrooms, in the hallways, on school grounds, and beyond allows us to see the needs of our students and meet those needs in every way we possibly can.”

After many months of educator engagement and advocacy urging the Biden administration to do everything possible to address the educator shortage, the White House announced an effort to address the educator shortage through Registered Apprenticeship Programs. This plan increases pathways for those who would like to enter the teaching profession, commits to technical assistance opportunities through the Department of Labor, and elevates education to a priority labor sector. This plan also calls for states to ensure teachers are paid a livable and competitive wage, and identifies avenues by which they can do this.

Vice President Harris thanked educators for their partnership, praised their commitment to social justice, and asked them to keep moving the nation forward in an electrifying “call-to-action” address at the NEA Representative Assembly on July 5. “Again and again, you have been champions of social justice… You are not only essential to our children’s future,” Harris said, “you, I believe, are essential to the future of our democracy.”

On the same day that NEA members celebrated the 50th anniversary of Title IX—the landmark legislation that protects and provides equal access and treatment for millions of girls and women—the Biden administration announced a proposed rule to help fulfill the promise of Title IX and guide schools and colleges in implementing its requirements. The proposed rule will help ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn—regardless of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

Fulfilling his campaign promise to nominate a Black woman, President Biden named Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the nation’s highest court.

One of the nation’s brightest legal minds, Judge Jackson is the daughter of two public school teachers, and a public high school graduate. She is a top graduate from Harvard College & Harvard Law School and has decades of judicial and public service experience including eight years as a Judge on the D.C. District Court and nearly year on the D.C. Circuit Court, the most powerful appellate court in the country. She has been confirmed by the Senate three times before.

The NEA—with the U.S. Department of Education, Education International, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT)—organized and delivered a successful virtual edition of the 2021 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP). Staff and leadership from NEA’s Center for Policy and Implementation served on this year’s summit planning committee and weighed in on early decisions regarding the summit’s design and implementation.

This Executive Order will allow the Department of Education to update regulations allowing students to be able to learn without fear of harassment based on gender or sexual identification. Biden also applauded the House of Representatives for introducing the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act and urged swift passage of the legislation.

NEA applauded the announcement after months of tirelessly advocating for educator priority to keep students, educators, and families safe. Since vaccines began to receive approval in the US, NEA called the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to encourage them to prioritize educators in order to create safe and just schools for every student. By this time, nearly half of educators had received at least one shot.

“Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports,” said President Biden. Following the executive order, Secretary-designate Miguel Cardona also affirmed that within the Department of Education, he would also protect the rights of all students, including transgender students.