California Educator

April / May 2019

Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1103796

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W hile CTA and NEA have long recognized ESPs as the superstars they are, it was great news in late March when Congress approved legislation that, once signed, will provide national recognition for the outstanding contributions of ESPs and classified school employees. Dan Kivett, 2019 Paula J. Monroe ESP of the Year, helped push for this for years. He's excited, but won't cel- ebrate till the ink is dry. "ere have been many attempts by so many people over a lot of years. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will actually happen this time." What is certain is that Kivett won't rest till this — along with his many other efforts to gain recognition and respect for ESPs and all educators — comes to fruition. It's a big reason he's being honored this year. Read more about Kivett on page 59. Elsewhere in this issue, you'll find our special report on early childhood education (ECE) and the positive impacts of preschool and transitional kindergarten (page 25). "e kids who went to preschool were far better and at grade level by the end of the year," says Kristy Caesar, a former kindergarten teacher in Lindsay. "I felt so bad for those who didn't have preschool. ey had so much catching up to do." Caesar tracked her students' progress over a year and found a correlation between attending preschool and academic achievement and social skills. Her data was so striking that it spurred Lindsay Unified to fund free preschool for all its students. Educators know, and research shows, that the benefits of preschool and TK impact students through K-12 and beyond, not just when they 're young. e ECE invest- ment in Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposed budget will give our children a boost that will pay off in the long term. Shorter-term investments are also gratifying! A new study has found that the Instructional Leadership Corps, established in 2014 by CTA, the National Board Dan Kivett, center, at CTA State Council, with CTA President Eric Heins, Secretary-Treasurer David Goldberg and Vice President Theresa Montaño. rESPect Resource Center, and the Stanford Center for Oppor- tunity Policy in Education, provides solid professional development and leadership and learning opportunities to educators. ILC's focus on "teachers teaching teachers" has "changed the paradigm for teaching and learning," said Linda Darling- Hammond of the Learning Policy Institute, which conducted the study. Find out more about the ILC approach on page 50. CTA is changing the teaching and learning paradigm in multiple ways. One example: CTA is joining forces with Mexico's teachers union to help migrant children and youth based at the California- Mexico border (page 55). Children of deported families who arrive in Mexico culturally American and unable to speak Spanish, as well as youth who have journeyed to the border and wait for weeks or more at shelters, number in the thousands, and their educational and other needs are enormous. Part of CTA's mission is to secure a more just, equi- table and democratic society and to promote human and civil rights, so these actions are not unusual. We are proud that many of our members are humanitarians as well as educators. For years, CTA has honored members who have gone above and beyond to advance and pro- tect human and civil rights with annual Human Rights Awards. Get inspired by this year's winners on page 61. Katharine Fong E D I T O R I N C H I E F editor@cta.org Forward Movement The #RedForEd movement in California is going strong. Read our coverage of CTA locals taking action to ensure students get a quality education on page 18, and check out our special interactive feature online at californiaeducator.org/hear-us-roar. 7 A P R I L / M AY 2 019 E D I T O R ' S N O T E

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