Setting the Stage
As they take office, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and the new 117th Congress face unprecedented challenges. We bring you a gallery of recommendations thus far from Teachers College faculty and students 鈥 and we look forward to adding more in the weeks and months to come.
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Infrastructure and Industrial Policy, Left and Right: Political Implications
鈥淭he Biden Administration鈥檚 success in presenting infrastructure and industrial policy in economically, ecologically, and culturally compelling ways may be critical to constructing a political coalition that appeals both to the new left and to the working class voters whom Republicans wish to permanently induct into a neo-Trumpist populist party coalition.鈥 鈥 Kevin Dougherty, Professor of Higher Education and Education Policy and Tara Habibi (M.A. student, Economics and Education)
Infrastructure and Industrial Policy, Left and Right: Political Implications
鈥淭he Biden Administration鈥檚 success in presenting infrastructure and industrial policy in economically, ecologically, and culturally compelling ways may be critical to constructing a political coalition that appeals both to the new left and to the working class voters whom Republicans wish to permanently induct into a neo-Trumpist populist party coalition.鈥 鈥 Kevin Dougherty, Professor of Higher Education and Education Policy and Tara Habibi (M.A. student, Economics and Education)
As President Biden fights for an ambitious infrastructure investment, Kevin Dougherty, Professor of Higher Education and Education Policy, and Tara Habibi (M.A. student, Economics and Education) analyze the political divisions 鈥 and common ground 鈥 to offer insight for the debate ahead
Allow Safe Entry, as Soon as Possible: The Biden administration must end the cruel limbo endured by tens of thousands of asylum seekers
鈥淚n light of the harm inflicted on asylum seekers by the closure of U.S. borders, it is unreasonable to instruct them to 鈥榬emain where they are to await further instructions.鈥 The U.S. must develop procedures to allow these individuals and families to safely enter the country as quickly as possible.鈥 鈥 Kim A. Baranowski (Ph.D. 鈥14), Lecturer, Department of Counseling & Clinical Psychology
Allow Safe Entry, as Soon as Possible: The Biden administration must end the cruel limbo endured by tens of thousands of asylum seekers
鈥淚n light of the harm inflicted on asylum seekers by the closure of U.S. borders, it is unreasonable to instruct them to 鈥榬emain where they are to await further instructions.鈥 The U.S. must develop procedures to allow these individuals and families to safely enter the country as quickly as possible.鈥 鈥 Kim A. Baranowski (Ph.D. 鈥14), Lecturer, Department of Counseling & Clinical Psychology
Kim Baranowski, Teachers College faculty member and Associate Director of the Mount Sinai Human Rights Program, applauds the Biden administration for making human rights a top priority, but says reforms haven鈥檛 gone far enough.
Where to Begin? A faculty panel discusses the challenges facing the Biden-Harris administration
鈥淕iven the dynamics of the 2020 presidential campaign, the Biden-Harris administration may have a large reservoir of political capital to provide substantial changes in education policy.鈥 鈥擝asil Smikle, Adjunct Assistant Professor
Where to Begin? A faculty panel discusses the challenges facing the Biden-Harris administration
鈥淕iven the dynamics of the 2020 presidential campaign, the Biden-Harris administration may have a large reservoir of political capital to provide substantial changes in education policy.鈥 鈥擝asil Smikle, Adjunct Assistant Professor
As the Biden-Harris administration nears its second month in office, the challenges it faces are formidable in every area of governance 鈥 and education and public health are no exceptions.
But the good news says, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Education Basil Anthony Smikle (Ph.D. 鈥19), is that 鈥渢hought leaders have regained prominence in decision making.鈥
Watch TC faculty debate priorities for the Biden-Harris administration
Now鈥檚 Not the Moment: Resuming standardized testing amid the pandemic would be 鈥渇oolhardy,鈥 argues Aaron Pallas
鈥淪tandardized tests mandated by federal law 鈥渁re not designed to identify what individual schoolchildren know and can do with any specificity, and the results are made available to teachers and parents long after they are of any use in modifying instruction in the current year.鈥 鈥擜aron Pallas, Arthur I. Gates Professor of Sociology & Education
Now鈥檚 Not the Moment: Resuming standardized testing amid the pandemic would be 鈥渇oolhardy,鈥 argues Aaron Pallas
鈥淪tandardized tests mandated by federal law 鈥渁re not designed to identify what individual schoolchildren know and can do with any specificity, and the results are made available to teachers and parents long after they are of any use in modifying instruction in the current year.鈥 鈥擜aron Pallas, Arthur I. Gates Professor of Sociology & Education
As the first-year anniversary of pandemic-related school closings approaches, education stakeholders are debating whether to resume universal standardized testing of students who, in many instances, have gone as long as a year without in-school instruction. In an opinion for The Hechinger Report, Aaron Pallas, Arthur I. Gates Professor of Sociology & Education at Teachers College, writes that testing this spring should be called off.
(Photo: iStock)
Advice to the Biden Administration: Encourage the use of data in order to create bottom-up education reform
鈥淎 revamped approach to data collection could help restore and re-energize a community focus on public education鈥攁nd also help the incoming Biden administration avoid a bruising partisan battle.鈥 鈥 Jeffrey Henig, Professor of Poltical Science& Education
Advice to the Biden Administration: Encourage the use of data in order to create bottom-up education reform
鈥淎 revamped approach to data collection could help restore and re-energize a community focus on public education鈥攁nd also help the incoming Biden administration avoid a bruising partisan battle.鈥 鈥 Jeffrey Henig, Professor of Poltical Science& Education
Could data collection be the Biden administration鈥檚 key to successful education?
The thought might elicit a collective groan from educators left bruised by the era of 鈥渨eaponized鈥 standardized testing ushered in by the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act, acknowledges Jeffrey Henig . But, asserts Henig, Professor of Political Science & Education, 鈥渁 revamped approach to data collection could help restore and re-energize a community focus on public education 鈥 and also help the incoming Biden administration avoid a bruising partisan battle.鈥
ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING Educators and others came to fear data from standardized tests and other sources during the No Child Left Behind era, but TC鈥檚 Jeffrey Henig argues that implemented wisely, a culture of data use could lead to bottom-up education reform.
鈥楧eclare Your Intentions鈥: Peter Coleman urges the Biden administration to tackle polarization head on
鈥淒eeply divided societies are most likely to transform 鈥榳hen leaders take office after a major political shock has destabilized the status quo and lead in a way that differs dramatically from the leadership that instigated the divisions鈥. 鈥擯eter T. Coleman, Professor of Psychology & Education
鈥楧eclare Your Intentions鈥: Peter Coleman urges the Biden administration to tackle polarization head on
鈥淒eeply divided societies are most likely to transform 鈥榳hen leaders take office after a major political shock has destabilized the status quo and lead in a way that differs dramatically from the leadership that instigated the divisions鈥. 鈥擯eter T. Coleman, Professor of Psychology & Education
In published in the January 15th issue of Science, Peter T. Coleman, Professor of Psychology & Education, asserts that 鈥減iecemeal鈥 tactics will be insufficient to reverse 鈥渁 50-year trajectory of runaway division鈥 that have led to toxic polarization in the United States.
Coleman, who directs TC鈥檚 argues instead that deeply divided societies are most likely to transform 鈥渨hen leaders take office after a major political shock 鈥 like the COVID-19 pandemic or the 6 January storming of the Capitol by political extremists 鈥 has destabilized the status quo and lead in a way that differs dramatically from the leadership that instigated the divisions.鈥 He adds that in societies where 鈥渄istrust and suspicion reign,鈥 new political strategies are more likely to succeed when introduced with 鈥渁 public declaration of intention.鈥
CONNECT THE CONNECTORS Peter Coleman urges the Biden administration to scale up the impact of 鈥渂ridge-building groups across the United States鈥 through federal funding, recognition, and coordination. (Photo: iStock)
The Pandemic鈥檚 School Nutrition Takeaway: All kids should eat for free 鈥 from now on
鈥淭he longer-term economic crisis will likely leave millions teetering on the brink of food insecurity for years to come.鈥 鈥擩ulia McCarthy, Interim Deputy Director of TC鈥檚 Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy
The Pandemic鈥檚 School Nutrition Takeaway: All kids should eat for free 鈥 from now on
鈥淭he longer-term economic crisis will likely leave millions teetering on the brink of food insecurity for years to come.鈥 鈥擩ulia McCarthy, Interim Deputy Director of TC鈥檚 Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy
The expression 鈥渢here ain鈥檛 no such thing as a free lunch鈥 has been kicking around since the Great Depression. But since the COVID crisis hit last spring, the federal government has, in fact, been allowing schools to serve free meals to all students. And now, in published on the website of the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute, Teachers College鈥檚 Julia McCarthy is urging the Biden administration to permanently extend that policy, 鈥渕aking now the moment to end student hunger for good.鈥
(Photo: iStock)
A Primer on Early Child Education and Care: Advice to the Biden administration from TC鈥檚 Sharon Lynn Kagan and Caitlin Dermody
鈥淐hildhood lessons are often worth revisiting. Invoking the nursery rhyme that imparts the rudiments of counting, we suggest that the Biden administration focus on what really counts 鈥 improving the well-being of America鈥檚 young children鈥.鈥擲haron Lynn Kagan and Caitlin Dermody, writing in The Washington Post鈥檚 Answer Sheet
A Primer on Early Child Education and Care: Advice to the Biden administration from TC鈥檚 Sharon Lynn Kagan and Caitlin Dermody
鈥淐hildhood lessons are often worth revisiting. Invoking the nursery rhyme that imparts the rudiments of counting, we suggest that the Biden administration focus on what really counts 鈥 improving the well-being of America鈥檚 young children鈥.鈥擲haron Lynn Kagan and Caitlin Dermody, writing in The Washington Post鈥檚 Answer Sheet
Long before COVID-19 forced the shutdown of many early child care centers, early child care in the United States was in crisis, plagued by inadequate funding, lack of professional development for caregivers, and, in some places, ineffective oversight.
In an open letter to the Biden-Harris administration, published as in , a column in The Washington Post, Teachers College鈥檚 Sharon Lynn Kagan and , Research Assistant at NCCF, offer a way forward.
MAKING IT SIMPLE Sharon Lynn Kagan and Caitlin Dermody invoke nursery rhymes to lay out their vision for improving early childhood education and care in the United States. (Photo: iStock)
A Spiritual Plea to the Biden Administration: 鈥楨very Child Needs a Great School鈥
鈥淚f God truly lives within each of us when two or more of us are gathered, then we need to make the spaces where we gather our youth the spaces we know serve them.鈥 鈥擩os茅 Luis Vilson
A Spiritual Plea to the Biden Administration: 鈥楨very Child Needs a Great School鈥
鈥淚f God truly lives within each of us when two or more of us are gathered, then we need to make the spaces where we gather our youth the spaces we know serve them.鈥 鈥擩os茅 Luis Vilson
Growing up in Jesuit schools, was instructed to write the letters AMDG, signifying ad majorem Dei gloriam (鈥渇or the greater glory of God鈥) atop all his papers.
In a in National Catholic Reporter, Vilson, a mathematics teacher and Ph.D. student in Teachers College鈥檚 program in Sociology & Education, frames the message in terms likely to resonate with educators of all faiths (or none). 鈥淓very child needs a great school. We can't leave that up to the market,鈥 he writes. 鈥淭he Biden administration must create an educational system that allows for allocation of resources into every school regardless and because of their zip code and type. This means a system that holistically supports every school, not just financially, but spiritually as well.鈥
ACTIVIST AND AUTHOR Vilson heads , an organization dedicated to race and social justice issues in education. (Photo courtesy of Jos茅 Luis Vilson)
School Integration Isn鈥檛 Dead 鈥 and Why That Matters: Alumna Michelle Burris argues that the need to 鈥榞et it right鈥 has never been greater
鈥淪chool integration does work, and when done well, is one of the best tools we have to ensure a high-quality education for all Americans.鈥 鈥擬ichelle Burris (M.A. '19) and Stefan Lallinger
School Integration Isn鈥檛 Dead 鈥 and Why That Matters: Alumna Michelle Burris argues that the need to 鈥榞et it right鈥 has never been greater
鈥淪chool integration does work, and when done well, is one of the best tools we have to ensure a high-quality education for all Americans.鈥 鈥擬ichelle Burris (M.A. '19) and Stefan Lallinger
The New York Times鈥 podcast series 鈥淣ice White Parents鈥 may leave listeners convinced that school integration is a failed experiment, doomed by insincere White liberals and no longer desired by many Black families. But in (TCF), Teachers College alumna Michelle Burris (M.A. 鈥19) and co-author Stefan Lallinger argue that, in today鈥檚 鈥渕ulticultural, pluralistic society, in which K鈥12 White students are no longer a majority of American students, both the opportunity and the need to get it right have never been greater.鈥
On NPR, Sonali Rajan Calls a Record Year for Gun Deaths a Window onto Deeper Issues
鈥淚 am hoping that President-elect Biden and his administration will prioritize the prevention of gun violence as the public health crisis that it is.鈥 鈥擲onali Rajan, Associate Professor of Health Education
On NPR, Sonali Rajan Calls a Record Year for Gun Deaths a Window onto Deeper Issues
鈥淚 am hoping that President-elect Biden and his administration will prioritize the prevention of gun violence as the public health crisis that it is.鈥 鈥擲onali Rajan, Associate Professor of Health Education
Speaking on , Sonali Rajan, Associate Professor of Health Education, reflected on a record-breaking year for gun homicides in America, when nearly 20,000 people lost their lives due to gun violence.
There were several reasons for that nearly 25 percent jump from 2019, said Rajan, Co-Founder of the . Certainly the 鈥渃ollective trauma, grief, economic anxiety, stress that all were exacerbated because of the COVID-19 pandemic鈥 was a contributing factor. So, too, was the increase in gun sales, with 2 million firearms sold in March alone. Rajan also noted that 鈥減ublic resources simply were diverted due to the pandemic,鈥 resulting in 鈥渢he work of violence interrupters, social programs and support services not being as readily available.鈥 And she pointed to the role of institutionalized racism, exacerbated by police violence against people of color. 鈥淧olice officers are three times more likely to fatally shoot a Black individual than a White individual, for example. And we saw this year racism intersecting in a way with gun violence and with the COVID pandemic that really took its toll on Black and Brown communities in particular.鈥
MORE THAN WE CAN BEAR The number of people in America who died as a result of gun violence rose by 25 percent during 2020. (Background Image: iStock)
More than a Footnote to History: A paper by two TC alumnae is central to the Biden disabilities policy
鈥淭he research was definitely there, but we needed to get a seat at the table for deaf academics, deaf educational leaders and hearing allies. We were thrilled to find out that deaf education is already on Biden鈥檚 agenda鈥. 鈥擩odi Falk (Ph.D. 鈥17, M.A. 鈥95), Executive Director, St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf in Brooklyn
More than a Footnote to History: A paper by two TC alumnae is central to the Biden disabilities policy
鈥淭he research was definitely there, but we needed to get a seat at the table for deaf academics, deaf educational leaders and hearing allies. We were thrilled to find out that deaf education is already on Biden鈥檚 agenda鈥. 鈥擩odi Falk (Ph.D. 鈥17, M.A. 鈥95), Executive Director, St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf in Brooklyn
Like all researchers, Amanda Howerton-Fox and Jodi Falk understand that citation of their work by others is one of academia鈥檚 gold standards 鈥 proof that their ideas are not only intellectually stimulating, but have recognized application to problems in the real world.
Citation by the nation鈥檚 incoming presidential administration, however, wasn鈥檛 on their radar. So the two doctoral graduates of Teachers College鈥檚 Deaf & Hard of Hearing Program were happily stunned when they received word that their study, published in 2019 in the journal Education Sciences, has become a cornerstone of President-Elect Joe Biden鈥檚 federal disability policy.
EARLY INTERVENTION A paper by two TC alumnae, highlighting the need focus on English language development in deaf children, is a cornerstone of President-Elect Joe Biden's disabilities policy. (Photo: iStock)
Default Response: On NPR鈥檚 Consider This, TC鈥檚 Judith Scott-Clayton Explains the Real Dangers of the National Education Debt
鈥淪tudent loan default can have implications for your credit, your ability to borrow, and potentially even your ability to get an apartment or get a license for some professions in some states鈥. 鈥擩udith Scott-Clayton, Associate Professor of Economics & Education
Default Response: On NPR鈥檚 Consider This, TC鈥檚 Judith Scott-Clayton Explains the Real Dangers of the National Education Debt
鈥淪tudent loan default can have implications for your credit, your ability to borrow, and potentially even your ability to get an apartment or get a license for some professions in some states鈥. 鈥擩udith Scott-Clayton, Associate Professor of Economics & Education
It鈥檚 a number that鈥檚 increasingly in the news: $1.6 trillion, the amount of student debt in the United States.
But what does it really mean?
That was the question put to Teachers College education economist Judith Scott-Clayton by National Public Radio鈥檚 Ari Shapiro on a recent edition of the show
OVER THE LINE Student loan debt has become so massive, and with such severe consequences for the economy, that it鈥檚 time for a change in policy, says TC鈥檚 Judith Scott-Clayton. (Images: iStock)
The views expressed in these articles are solely those of the speaker to whom they are attributed. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the faculty, administration, staff or Trustees either of Teachers College or of Columbia University.