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Community Confronts TEA In Explosive Final Meeting

On March 30, TEA held the last of four meetings regarding the agency’s takeover of HISD. Parents, teachers, activists and concerned citizens met inside Kashmere Senior High School at 6:30 pm. The fourth meeting unfolded much like the last three: angry community members confronted the speaker directly, asking tough questions. Once again, the TEA spokesperson […]
The post Community Confronts TEA In Explosive Final Meeting first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 years ago

April 5, 2023

Forward Times Staff

On March 30, TEA held the last of four meetings regarding the agency’s takeover of HISD. Parents, teachers, activists and concerned citizens met inside Kashmere Senior High School at 6:30 pm. The fourth meeting unfolded much like the last three: angry community members confronted the speaker directly, asking tough questions. Once again, the TEA spokesperson appeared wholly unprepared for the confrontations with fed-up community; and once again, the meeting was interrupted by the shouts of angry protesters.

The meeting opened with remarks by Dr. Doris Delaney, one of three conservators supporting HISD. (She’s a native Houstonian and graduate of Kashmere High School.) She asked those present to be respectful of speakers and fellow community members during the presentation.

But that wouldn’t happen. The audience wanted to hear from Mike Morath, the TEA Commissioner – not TEA Deputy Commissioner of Operations Alejandro Delgado. When Delaney introduced Delgado, audience members booed. He chose to forego his planned presentation about the board of managers and skipped right to questions.

Keith Downing, co-founder of wraparound services for the district, came to the mic. “This community feels misrepresented,” he said. “We have to assure if there is a board of managers coming in, our children in these communities get equitable funding. In fact, we need more funding.” (Wraparound services connect students and their families with resources that address social and behavioral needs.)

TEA Deputy Commissioner of Operations Alejandro Delgado

“So, the point of the matter is: we have to make sure that the proper services are in the schools to help our students. A scholarship should not be the exception; it should be the norm in our schools. That being said, are you assuring us that proper funding for wraparound services is not going to go away?” he asked Delgado. “Are you assuring us that proper funding will go into these schools?”

“I can assure that the board of managers and the superintendent are going to work towards proper funding for HISD schools, including, importantly, the wrap-around services that are available right now,” Delgado said. But before he could move to the next question, the meeting was interrupted by a man shouting from the seats. Wearing cornrows and a blue suit, the man approached the stage. He asked Delgado: “Why did your boss just run outta here? Where did he just go? He was just right there against the wall. Where is he going?”

“I don’t know,” Delgado said.

“No, you know!” the man yelled back. “Go get your man in charge! Go get your boss! You not in charge!”

Delgado tried to move to the next question. But the man demanded to hear from the boss, leading the crowd in chants of “Bring him out!” Then the man came forward and took the mic. He called out Delgado’s work history: “Your teaching history – you were the principal at all charter schools,” he said. “If you look up this guy’s history on LinkedIn, look up Deputy Commissioner Alejandro Delgado, look at this LinkedIn profile. You’re a UT graduate, a Georgetown graduate. You taught at all charter schools before you came here.”

A nearby woman also called him out on his record. “I have a question as a taxpayer. In reading your job description, I noticed that if you have ever been involved with a closed charter school, you’re disqualified. My question is: why aren’t you disqualified for being involved with an open charter school? Charter schools are competitors to HISD. Are you going to allow charter school people onto the board of managers?”

Delgado responded: “I believe they’ll be under consideration, if that’s what’s on the application.”

“Don’t you think that’s an obvious conflict of interest?” she asked. He answered: “It was an addition made to add it as a criteria.”

The woman was unimpressed: “I can tell you as a taxpayer, you are not addressing any ethical conflict of interest issues. This just seems like you’re going to hustle us out of a lot of money, and I’m very unhappy.”

She wasn’t the only one. Several people present vented their frustrations; community members argued that the district was making improvements and that TEA should have let HISD continue its progress on its own. One former HISD teacher asked Delgado: “What happened during the pandemic, when HISD came out of the pandemic with 94% of the schools [grading] A, B, and C? Did you think about what would happen if you allowed them to continue the progress they were making?”

“You know none of us. You know none of the schools. You know none of the students. You haven’t worked with them,” she said. “Nothing that you do could possibly make the progress that they’ve made, so what were you thinking?”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Delgado responded.

Arnetta Murray, special education teacher at West Briar, asked about HISD teachers, counselors and bus drivers: “Are they going to have a job? Everything that you say, it’s based on the board of managers but these people they’re working right now,” she said. “They’re struggling. And this is looming over our heads.”

“What are you going to do? Can you guarantee that our teachers, our bus drivers, our nurses, that our cafeteria workers will have a job after June 1st, when the new board comes?” Murray asked Delgado.

“That’s a great question. I understand your concern,” Delgado responded. “What I can guarantee is that the board of managers and the superintendent are going to be committed to making sure you are supported, you’re well-resourced and that you have jobs.”

“The lies. The lies!” the woman behind her yelled. “Our teachers are with those kids every day. They are with them more than their parents…and those kids aren’t getting what they need because y’all are too busy fighting amongst each other trying to see who’s going to get paid the most! I don’t care about your salary! I care about the fact that y’all came in and took a damn hostile takeover to HISD!” She added: “We’re talking about taking away the last five high schools that are owned by or named after historical black people!”

She wasn’t done. “You all go up to Austin, you sit on your butts, and you make decisions for our teachers!” she screamed. “You make decisions, and then when they want a raise, y’all have the audacity to give them one or two percent? When they’re with those kids from 6:30 in the morning to 6:00 in the evening?!? Those school bus drivers that have to drive those kids, they have to pick up extra hours just to make the money! Our HISD Police department who have to come in – don’t nobody talk about that,” she continued. “I’m 51 years old, and it ain’t nothing wrong with a public school. What’s wrong is that the teachers are underpaid and overworked!”

Later, around 7 pm, a Kashmere High School graduate asked: “Why did they send you and you can’t answer any of our questions?”

“I tried my best to answer questions,” he said.

“I understand that, but you are not who we need to talk with,” the Kashmere alum responded. She quoted Delgado’s remarks from the first TEA meeting. “This is not about the students, the teachers, not about the principal,” said Delgado at that meeting. “This is about the school board, and this is about a subset of schools and kids that have been chronically underperforming for years.” “You quoted, ‘this is not about the teachers, it’s not about the parents,’” she recalled. “Then what is it about?”

“So, I misspoke there, and I apologize,” Delgado responded.

“No. You didn’t,” the woman replied. “I want to know: what is this takeover about?”

“MONEY!” yelled some in the audience. One observer added: “They want to sell the HISD properties to real estate developers.”

“And if you can’t answer the question,” the woman told Delgado, “you need to go back to your boss and tell him we no longer want to talk to you. Not any disrespect to you. But we don’t want, nor do we need, to talk to you. We need answers, and we need them now, because these meetings that y’all are holding – you’re trying to pacify us, and we don’t need a pacifier,” she said to applause. “We need some answers out here. You need Greg Abbott. Get him out here.”

“And I have one more question for you: when did you guys decide to take over? ‘Cause it wasn’t last night. It wasn’t last month. Y’all been planning this. This been in the making. and then you want to say, ‘Oh, it’s because of one school. No. No, it’s not. Because if that was the case, you would have taken over a lot of schools here in Texas. And why haven’t you all taken control over the other schools?”

“I’m going to go ahead and sum all of this here up,” she concluded. “And what it all boils down to, it’s all about money. And ask your boss to come to the meeting.”

“Thank you ma’am,” Delgado responded. He did not answer any of her questions.

Next, a man asked him: “When all of this is said and done, with the board of members and all this and we get our campus back, when is the deadline? What’s the timeline for how long it will take for us to get HISD back to the community and the constituencies in this area?”

“So, after two years it will be considered,” Delgado answered. “We’ll have to look at the exit criteria but two years is the minimum amount of time.” The man asked what he meant by exit criteria. Delgado answered: 1) no more multi-year D&F schools; 2) improvement in delivery of special education practices for students; 3) continued improvements in governance and board systems and processes.

“I’m an HISD parent. I have a student with a disability, and she receives special education services in HISD. For the last couple of years I’ve been advocating for them with our elected school board, the people that we chose to run our school district, and some of them are here tonight. I have access to them. I’ve been able to meet with them to help advocate for students in the district. I’m very concerned about a new board of managers and what qualifications they would have for special education since that’s one of the priority areas of the takeover. What qualifications is the commissioner going to be looking for to the board of managers that is going to help solve the special education crisis, which has been going on for years?” a concerned parent asked.

“So first and foremost, we believe all kids can learn, and that includes special ed students who are receiving special education services,” Delgado said. “We’re looking for folks who represent the community from all over the city, who represent the diversity of economic racial, geographic diversity of this city…”

“All these blanket statements,” complained a woman in front of me. Eventually, Delgado concluded his spiel and admitted that board members won’t necessarily have to have special education knowledge or expertise to serve on the panel.

An HISD teacher confronted Delgado about the STARR standardized test and the standards for schools: “This is the first year that felt normal since the pandemic. And really, due to the incredible efforts of students and teachers, we’re finally getting our schools back to pre-pandemic levels. Including Wheatley High School. Everyone’s getting back to those levels. But the state of Texas has now imposed three new measures.

One, we’re doing the STARR 2.0! Can anyone explain this to me? Why we’re making the STARR exam more difficult – one, I’ll let you get to that in a second. Two, why is that the T-test for the teacher evaluation system? It’s stressing our teachers and our administrators out to the max. We’re having to do more walkthroughs than ever before, more meetings…Teachers are on anxiety medication,” he said. “And then, to make it worse, our ratings system has changed. We’re going to change the scale score on the career writing and reading section, which is taking schools out of a ‘B’ and putting them into a ‘D’ or failing. So looking at these new criteria, why is the state of Texas making these changes if it’s not to set up our schools to fail?”

“The goal is not to set up students to fail; the goal is to support school systems,” Delgado said amid groans from the audience. “We’re trying to raise the bar and expectations for students.”

“Why are you trying to raise the bar and we’re still barely out of the pandemic?” the teacher asked.

“Students fell behind and we’re trying to make sure that they catch up,” Delgado explained.

“By giving them an exam that you know in advance that they’re going to fail?”

“We don’t believe they’re going to fail,” Delgado said. He could not answer a question about the teacher evaluation system or whether some schools pilot the test. Nor could he effectively address an HISD teacher who warned of the academic impact of a TEA takeover:

“They are not with our children! We are. And when they come in, they’re going to focus on STAAR preparation, which gets rid of non-STAAR testing classes and programs. That means music. That means art. That means sports, and those are the programs that keep our kids sane. Those are the programs that keep our kids willing to keep going in math, science, English, social studies, languages and their other academic electives. So what is TEA going to do when they come in here to recognize the humanity of the children?” she asked. “What are you going to do to prevent our children from being robbed of their life-saving life-giving programs?”

“We don’t plan to get rid of any of that,” he said.

“You don’t plan to,” she retorted, “but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen, and we know that.”

“We don’t plan to get rid of that. That’s what makes school special. And thank you for everything you do,” Delgado said. Audience members voiced disapproval over what they saw as a glib, dismissive answer from Delgado. And the teacher took umbrage: “Believe me, it means more coming from the children,” she shot back.

“You’re not gonna play in her face like that,” quipped an audience member. “That man played all in her face.”

Delgado also struck out with a woman who asked about TEA’s “District of Innovation” program: “HB 1842 also brought with it ‘District of Innovation,’ which gives the districts that participate the same freedoms as charter schools – freedoms to circumvent state laws that protect students, teachers and parents’ rights including the right to a certified teacher,” she said. “HISD is one of the only districts in the state that isn’t a district of innovation because our district advisory committee voted it down because it could be brought before the school board. My question is, what does the law say about our district advisory committee? Is the board of managers going to try and bring in their own people and enforce uncertified teachers on our children?”

“I’m not a lawyer, so I don’t want to give you any legal answers,” Delgado told her. “What I will say is that the board of managers is going to be expected to keep up most if not all of the advisory committees that are currently running.”

“Will they be picking the district advisory committee?”

“I imagine so,” Delgado replied. “I can’t answer that, but I imagine they will be.”

That answer drew more derision from the audience. “We don’t need your imagination,” quipped someone in my section.

“What do you know?” one man yelled from the stands.

“This man doesn’t sound very knowledgeable when it comes to education,” the woman added. She wasn’t wrong. All night long, it was evident that Delgado had little to offer in the way of specifics or even direct answers to community questions. Instead, he was stuck trying to pacify an audience steaming with outrage. And the simmering tension towards Delgado boiled over when an HISD history teacher took the mic.

“I have a question for the puppetmaster: you,” she told Delgado. “I have two questions but I also have a comment. First of all, I’m a history teacher here in this district. And TEA right now reminds me of the Ku Klux Klan. So let me give you a little brief history of the Ku Klux Klan: they used to ride at night where they couldn’t be seen by people as they went and lynched black people throughout the South. What you did during spring break when you knew that teachers wouldn’t be there, students wouldn’t be there, and board members wouldn’t be there, you went and lynched our district. That’s what you did. So I just want you to know: I see you, and it’s time that y’all be called out for the BS. That’s number one.

“Number two: my question is, what are you going to do about teacher consultation? What are you going to do? Are you going to sit down with the teachers who actually are with the children day in and day out, and get our input on what’s going on? Because again it’s easy to make decisions from a glass house.”

“So our expectation is going to be–” Delgado began.

“No, I don’t want to hear your expectation,” the teacher interjected “I want to know what’s going on…So I’m hearing you say that teachers will have a seat at the table and I also need teachers who are also in these Title One schools [with] these black and brown children who are poor and they’re in poverty. We also deserve a seat at the table.

“And my last question is about the STAAR test. I don’t know if y’all know, but the state of Texas has spent $78 million yearly on the STAAR test. So are we going to be required to keep teaching STAAR? Because again, your measurements – since we talk about data so much in this district – it’s just saying there are certain goals that we have to measure, and of course that’s around testing. And you already know that in certain areas, our children are not meeting the standard. And the standard is white, by the way. That is the standard for your expectation. So what do you plan to do about that?”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Delgado responded. He did not answer her questions about the STAAR test or address teacher consultation. And he struggled to address the inquiries and anxieties of a community lit ablaze by the TEA takeover. Indeed, when the meeting ended (promptly at 7:30 pm), many residents left still upset, with more questions than answers.

The post Community Confronts TEA In Explosive Final Meeting appeared first on Houston Forward Times.

The post Community Confronts TEA In Explosive Final Meeting first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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California, Districts Try to Recruit and Retain Black Teachers; Advocates Say More Should Be Done

SACRAMENTO OBSERVER — Many Black college students have not considered a teaching career because they have never had a Black teacher, said Preston Jackson, who teaches physical education at California Middle School in Sacramento. Those who consider a teaching career are often deterred by the cost of teacher preparation, taking required tests and unpaid student teaching.

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1 day ago

December 17, 2024

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A Series by EdSource | The Sacramento Observer

Recruiting and retaining Black teachers has taken on new urgency in recent years as California lawmakers try to ease the state’s teacher shortage. The state and individual school districts have launched initiatives to recruit teachers of color, but educators and advocates say more needs to be done.

Hiring a diverse group of teachers helps all students, but the impact is particularly significant for students of color, who then score higher on tests and are more likely to graduate from college, according to the Learning Policy Institute. A recently released report also found that Black boys are less likely to be identified for special education when they have a Black teacher.

In the last five years, state lawmakers have made earning a credential easier and more affordable and have offered incentives for school staff to become teachers — all moves meant to ease the teacher shortage and help to diversify the educator workforce.

Despite efforts by the state and school districts, the number of Black teachers doesn’t seem to be increasing. Black teachers say that to keep them in the classroom, teacher preparation must be more affordable, pay and benefits increased, and more done to ensure they are treated with respect, supported and given opportunities to lead.

“Black educators specifically said that they felt like they were being pushed out of the state of California,” said Jalisa Evans, chief executive director of the Black Educator Advocates Network of a recent survey of Black teachers. “When we look at the future of Black educators for the state, it can go either way, because what Black educators are feeling right now is that they’re not welcome.”

Task force offers recommendations

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond called diversifying the teacher workforce a priority and established the California Department of Education Educator Diversity Advisory Group in 2021.

The advisory group has made several recommendations, including beginning a public relations campaign and offering sustained funding to recruit and retain teachers of color, and providing guidance and accountability to school districts on the matter. The group also wants universities, community groups and school districts to enter into partnerships to build pathways for teachers of color.

Since then, California has created a set of public service announcements and a video to help recruit teachers and has invested $10 million to help people of color to become school administrators, said Travis Bristol, chairman of the advisory group and an associate professor of education at UC Berkeley. Staff from county offices of education also have been meeting to share ideas on how they can support districts’ efforts to recruit and retain teachers of color, he said.

The state also has invested more than $350 million over the past six years to fund teacher residency programs, and recently passed legislation to ensure residents are paid a minimum salary. Residents work alongside an experienced teacher-mentor for a year of clinical training while completing coursework in a university preparation program — a time commitment that often precludes them from taking a job.

Legislators have also proposed a bill that would require that student teachers be paid. Completing the 600 hours of unpaid student teaching required by the state, while paying for tuition, books, supplies and living expenses, is a challenge for many Black teacher candidates.

Black teacher candidates typically take on much more student debt than their white counterparts, in part, because of the large racial wealth gap in the United States. A 2019 study by the Economic Policy Institute showed that the median white family had $184,000 in family wealth (property and cash), while the median Latino family had $38,000 and the median Black family had $23,000.

Lack of data makes it difficult to know what is working

It’s difficult to know if state efforts are working. California hasn’t released any data on teacher demographics since the 2018-19 school year, although the data is submitted annually by school districts. The California Department of Education (CDE) did not provide updated data or interviews requested by EdSource for this story.

The most recent data from CDE shows the number of Black teachers in California declined from 4.2% in 2009 to 3.9% during the 2018-19 school year. The National Center for Education Statistics data from the 2020-21 show that Black teachers made up 3.8% of the state educator workforce.

Having current data is a critical first step to understanding the problem and addressing it, said Mayra Lara, director of Southern California partnerships and engagement at The Education Trust-West, an education research and advocacy organization.

“Let’s be clear: The California Department of Education needs to annually publish educator demographic and experience data,” Lara said. “It has failed to do so for the past four years. … Without this data, families, communities and decision-makers really are in the dark when it comes to the diversity of the educator workforce.”

LA Unified losing Black teachers despite efforts

While most state programs focus on recruiting and retaining all teachers of color, some California school districts have initiatives focused solely on recruiting Black teachers.

The state’s largest school district, Los Angeles Unified, passed the Black Student Excellence through Educator Diversity, Preparation and Retention resolution two years ago. It required district staff to develop a strategic plan to ensure schools have Black teachers, administrators and mental health workers, and to advocate for programs that offer pathways for Black people to become teachers.

When the resolution was passed, in February 2022, Los Angeles Unified had 1,889 Black teachers — 9% of its teacher workforce. The following school year, that number declined to 1,823 or 7.9% of district teachers. The number of Black teachers in the district has gone down each year since 2016. The district did not provide data for the current school year.

Robert Whitman, director of the Educational Transformation Office at LA Unified, attributed the decrease, in part, to the difficulty attracting teachers to the district, primarily because of the area’s high cost of living.

“Those who are coming out of colleges now, in some cases, we find that they can make more money doing other things,” Whitman said. “And so, they may not necessarily see education as the most viable option.”

The underrepresentation of people of color prompted the district to create its own in-house credentialing program, approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, Whitman said. The program allows classified staff, such as substitute teachers, paraprofessionals, administrative assistants and bus drivers, to become credentialed teachers while earning a salary and benefits at their original jobs.

Grow-your-own programs such as this, and the state’s Classified School Employee Credentialing program, and a soon-to-be launched apprenticeship program, are meant to diversify the educator workforce because school staff recruited from the community more closely match the demographics of the student body than traditionally trained and recruited teachers, according to research.

Los Angeles Unified has other initiatives to increase the number of Black educators in the district, Whitman said, including working with universities and colleges to bring Black teachers, counselors and psychiatric social workers to their campuses. The district also has programs that help school workers earn a credential for free, and channels employees completing a bachelor’s degree toward the district’s teacher preparation program where they can begin teaching while earning their credential.

All new teachers at Los Angeles Unified are supported by mentors and affinity groups, which have been well received by Black teachers, who credit them with inspiring and helping them to see themselves as leaders in the district, Whitman said.

Oakland has more Black teachers than students

Recruiting and retaining Black teachers is an important part of the Oakland Unified three-year strategic plan, said Sarah Glasband, director of recruitment and retention for the district. To achieve its goals, the district has launched several partnerships that make an apprenticeship program, and a residency program that includes a housing subsidy, possible. A partnership with the Black Teacher Project, a nonprofit advocacy organization, offers affinity groups, workshops and seminars to support the district’s Black teachers.

The district also has a Classified School Employee Program funded by the state and a new high school program to train future teachers. District pathway programs have an average attrition rate of less than 10%, Glasband said.

This year, 21.3% of the district’s K-12 teachers are Black, compared with 20.3% of their student population, according to district data. Oakland Unified had a retention rate of about 85% for Black teachers between 2019 and 2023.

Better pay, a path to leadership will help teachers stay

Black teachers interviewed by EdSource and researchers say that to keep them in the classroom, more needs to be done to make teacher preparation affordable, improve pay and benefits, and ensure they are treated with respect, supported and given opportunities to lead.

The Black Educator Advocates Network came up with five recommendations after surveying 128 former and current Black teachers in California about what it would take to keep them in the classroom:

Hire more Black educators and staff
Build an anti-racist, culturally responsive and inclusive school environment
Create safe spaces for Black educators and students to come together
Provide and require culturally responsive training for all staff
Recognize, provide leadership opportunities and include Black educators in decision making

Teachers interviewed by EdSource said paying teachers more also would make it easier for them to stay.

“I don’t want to say that it’s the pay that’s going to get more Black teachers,” Brooke Sims, a Stockton teacher, told EdSource. “But you get better pay, you get better health care.”

The average teacher salary in the state is $88,508, with the average starting pay at $51,600, according to the 2023 National Education Association report, “State of Educator Pay in America.” California’s minimum living wage was $54,070 last year, according to the report.

State efforts, such as an initiative that pays teachers $5,000 annually for five years after they earn National Board Certification, will help with pay parity across school districts, Bristol said. Teachers prove through assessments and a portfolio that they meet the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. To be eligible for the grant, teachers must work at least half of their time in a high-needs school. Teachers who qualify are also given $2,500 to cover the cost of certification.

This incentive will help teachers continue their education and improve their practice, said Los Angeles teacher Petrina Miller. “It’s awesome,” she said.

Teacher candidates must be actively recruited

Many Black college students have not considered a teaching career because they have never had a Black teacher, said Preston Jackson, who teaches physical education at California Middle School in Sacramento. Those who consider a teaching career are often deterred by the cost of teacher preparation, taking required tests and unpaid student teaching.

“In order to increase the number of Black teachers in schools, it has to become deliberate,” Jackson said. “You have to actively recruit and actively seek them out to bring them into the profession.”

Since starting in 2005, Jackson has been one of only a handful of Black teachers at his school.

“And for almost every single one of my kids, I’m the first Black teacher they’ve ever had,” said Jackson. “… And for some of them, I’m the first one they’ve ever seen.”

Mentors are needed to help retain new teachers

Mentor teachers are the key ingredient to helping new Black educators transition successfully into teaching, according to teachers interviewed by EdSource. Alicia Simba says she could have taken a job for $25,000 more annually in a Bay Area district with few Black teachers or students but opted to take a lower salary to work in Oakland Unified.

But like many young teachers, Simba knew she wanted mentors to help her navigate her first years in the classroom. She works alongside Black teachers in Oakland Unified who have more than 20 years of teaching experience. One of her mentor teachers shared her experience of teaching on the day that Martin Luther King Jr. was shot. Other teachers told her about teaching in the 1980s during the crack cocaine epidemic.

“It really helps dispel some of the sort of narratives that I hear, which is that being a teacher is completely unsustainable,” Simba said. “Like, there’s no way that anyone could ever be a teacher long term, which are things that, you know, I’ve heard my friends say, and I’ve thought it myself.”

The most obvious way to retain Black teachers would be to make sure they are treated the same as non-Black teachers, said Brenda Walker, a Black teacher and president of the Associated Chino Teachers.

“If you are a district administrator, site administrator, site or colleague, parent or student, my bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and my special education credential are just as valuable and carry as much weight, and are as respected as any other educator,” she said.

“However, it’s just as critical for all those groups to acknowledge and respect the unique cultural experience I bring to the table and acknowledge and respect that I’m a proud product of my ancestral history.”

Black teachers: how to recruit THEM and make them stay

This is the first part of a special series by EdSource on the recruitment and retention of Black teachers in California. The recruitment and hiring of Black educators has lagged, even as a teacher shortage has given the task new urgency.

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Christmas Travel: When is the Best Time to Take Your Trip

BIRMINGHAM TIMES — When planning for your trip, the thoughts of hitting the road or boarding a flight can be stressful. You envision not “sugar plums dancing in your head”, but crowded airports, long lines and very heavy traffic because Christmas travel can be notoriously difficult. It’s a time of high demand and volume with millions traveling during the winter weather, which is often synonymous with snowstorms, icy roads and delayed flights.

Published

1 day ago

December 16, 2024

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By Samuetta Drew | Birmingham Times

Christmas is one of the busiest travel seasons of the year. It’s a time when people schedule trips to visit family and friends, take that winter wonderland vacation or simply enjoy a festive getaway.

When planning for your trip, the thoughts of hitting the road or boarding a flight can be stressful. You envision not “sugar plums dancing in your head”, but crowded airports, long lines and very heavy traffic because Christmas travel can be notoriously difficult. It’s a time of high demand and volume with millions traveling during the winter weather, which is often synonymous with snowstorms, icy roads and delayed flights.

This safety article is meant to help you dodge the busiest crowds and make your trip as stress-free as possible, but also not to lose focus on practicing good safety measures. It will identify the best travel dates and times.

Most travelers wait until closer to Christmas, so plan your trips this year earlier in the week – specifically Monday, December 16, through Thursday, December 19. This is ideal for several reasons:

Lower Crowds – airports and highways are less congested.
Cheaper Flights – airlines often offer lower fares earlier in the week before the rush begins.
Less Stress – with fewer people on the road and shorter lines at the airports, your travel experience will be much smoother.

The least busy days with fewer travelers during Christmas are:

December 24 (Christmas Eve)
December 25 (Christmas Day)

While not as bad as the days immediately before, Christmas Eve still poses some challenges, such as:

Last Minute Travelers – many people wait until the last minute to travel.
Shortened Hours – some businesses and transportation services close early.
Higher Stress Levels – the pressure to arrive on time can add a little additional stress.

Avoid peak times at the airport. Opt for the late or early morning flights. The red-eye flights and early morning flights are generally less popular but offer significant advantages such as:

Fewer Delays – airports are generally less busy during these times, reducing the risk of delays.
Faster Security Checks – shorter lines at TSA means you will get through the airport faster, especially if it’s a large airport.
Affordable Options – airlines sometimes offer discounts on less desirable flight times.

Hopefully this article will help you Keep an Eye on Safety when traveling over the 2024 Christmas season by decreasing your holiday chaos, which could result in your lack of focus while traveling.

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PRESS ROOM: Trace and ARDN Join Forces to Promote the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The African Renaissance and Diaspora Network (ARDN), a New York-based nonprofit, is committed to promoting the African Renaissance by strengthening ties between Africa and its diaspora through development and peace-building initiatives. Trace, an international multimedia platform focused on Afro-urban entertainment and youth success, is globally recognized for its contributions to Afrocentric cultures and its support of creators and fans from the African diaspora.

Published

2 days ago

December 16, 2024

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Trace, a global multimedia platform dedicated to Afro-urban entertainment and youth success, and the African Renaissance and Diaspora Network (ARDN) have entered into a partnership to guide their joint actions over the next two years. The objectives and details of this partnership will be revealed during a digital press conference on Tuesday, December 17, at 3 PM (GMT+1). Main speakers will be Olivier Laouchez, CEO & Co-Founder of Trace, Djibril Diallo CEO & President of ARDN as well as Richard Gant, ARDN’s Art, Culture and Sports Chair and renown actor, screenwriter and director.

Mandatory registration here.

Two Organizations, One Shared Vision

The African Renaissance and Diaspora Network (ARDN), a New York-based nonprofit, is committed to promoting the African Renaissance by strengthening ties between Africa and its diaspora through development and peace-building initiatives.

Trace, an international multimedia platform focused on Afro-urban entertainment and youth success, is globally recognized for its contributions to Afrocentric cultures and its support of creators and fans from the African diaspora.

A Partnership for Global Impact

ARDN and Trace are collaborating to:

Advocate for equality and success,
Support the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030,
Foster peace and security, and
Provide aid to vulnerable communities”Our partnership with Trace represents a significant milestone in our mission to rally support for Africa and its diaspora. Together, we will amplify our impact and raise global awareness of African cultural richness and challenges,” said Djibril Diallo, President of ARDN.

“We are proud to collaborate with ARDN to contribute to the SDGs, positively impact people and societies, and elevate African cultures,” added Olivier Laouchez, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Trace.

The ARDN Red Card Campaign: First Joint Initiative

A central focus of this partnership is the ARDN Red Card Campaign, which tackles gender-based violence and discrimination. Positioned within the “Pathway to Solutions” framework, the campaign features the Red Card Pledge—a global movement aligned with SDG #5 to advance gender equality and empower women and girls worldwide, serving as a critical step toward accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The campaign encourages individuals and organizations to symbolically raise a red card, taking a stand against discrimination and promoting actions to eliminate inequality. It underscores the indispensable role of women as agents of transformative societal change. With the support of Trace and its innovative Trace+ streaming platform, the initiative will scale globally, reaching broader audiences and galvanizing international efforts for change.

This launch marks the beginning of a worldwide collaboration aimed at mobilizing collective action through symbolic gestures like the red card. It is the inaugural joint initiative between ARDN and Trace.

Adding a dynamic musical element, Trace will contribute to the Afrobeat remix of the campaign’s theme song, AOFB (“Africa Open for Business”), produced by Mackadamion. Featuring a prominent Afrobeat artist, the remix will premiere on Trace networks, celebrating Africa’s emergence as a hub of innovation and opportunity through captivating rhythms and uplifting lyrics.

A Committed Partnership for Sustainable Change

The Trace X ARDN partnership reflects their shared commitment to inclusion, cultural pride, and sustainable development. Together, they aim to contribute to societal improvements benefiting the African diaspora and beyond.

For more information about this partnership and upcoming initiatives, please contact:

Trace Contact: press@trace.plus

ARDN Contact: angelauzoeme@gmail.com

About Trace

Trace is a leading multimedia and digital platform dedicated to Afro-urban music and cultures, as well as the success of youth and artists. Trace regularly engages 350 million fans in 190 countries through entertainment and empowerment platforms. Learn more at http://www.trace.plus | Download the free Trace+ app on the App Store and Google Play.

About ARDN

The African Renaissance and Diaspora Network (ARDN), founded in 1990 and headquartered in New York, is a non-profit organization with consultative status at the United Nations and representation in over 80 countries. ARDN works closely with the United Nations to champion sustainable development across Africa and its diaspora. Its flagship initiatives, such as the Red Card Campaign, address critical issues like discrimination and gender-based violence while celebrating Africa’s potential and empowering women’s leadership. Through strategic partnerships, ARDN is dedicated to advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals and fostering meaningful global impact. Learn more at: http://www.ardn.ngo