Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1512793
Compiled by Julian Peeples Quotes & Numbers " I come to these English classes because here, I don't feel alone. I chat with my classmates, and they greet me back." — HERMELINDA FIGUEROA, 80-year-old student, in a November CalMatters story about how students 50 and older are leading an enrollment rebound in California community colleges. " We were relentless about what needed to change and how it needed to change. Our struggle is not a series of challenges and accomplishments — it's an ongoing building of the profession and development of educators standing up for their rights. We don't stop." — MANUEL BONILLA, Fresno Teachers Association (FTA) president, on FTA's historic victory in October. (See page XX.) " Our students aren't sardines. The class sizes are unsafe, unlawful and makes it doubly difficult for teachers to do their jobs." — SARA LIEBERT, Auburn Union Teachers Association president, as teachers demanded safe drinking water, smaller class sizes and enough staff support to better teach and support students during events in October and November. " Education is the best profession in the world. We need caring adults who are qualified, who will love our students and help them be the best that they can be." — PRINCESS MOSS, NEA Vice President, on the nationwide educator shortage in a Prism story in November. " My name is Miguel, but a lot of my teachers called me Michael. In seventh grade, I finally had the courage to tell my principal that I'd like to be called by the name that my Latino parents gave me — Miguel, not Michael. To any student that is reading this, your identity matters." — DR. MIGUEL CARDONA, U.S. Secretary of Education, on X (formerly Twitter) in late October. 72% Percentage of students who said it would be helpful to learn how to use generative AI responsibly, according to a recent study by the Center for Democracy and Technology. Less than half said they received AI guidance at school. 23.3 Days of instruction lost to out-of- school suspension per 100 students in Kern High School District, according to a report by the UCLA Civil Rights Project. Kern High had the highest rate of instructional time lost among African American students — 80 days per 100 students. 0.7 Days of instruction lost to out-of- school suspension per 100 students in Los Angeles Unified School District, which reported 40 times lower lost instruction rates for African American students than Kern HSD. 50 States where education support professionals earn on average less than a living wage, according to NEA. Emil Kalibradov / Unsplash 13 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 3 / J A N U A R Y 2 0 24