There has a great deal of news in recent weeks about the
current administration’s plans to deal with DACA children. Estimates indicate
that there are approximately 800,000 people in the US who fall in that
category. And while changes in government policy will have an impact on those
DACA students currently enrolled in school, nothing has been mentioned about
teachers. According to a USA Today article, there may be as many as 20,000 DACA
teachers currently employed in schools throughout the United States. These are
teachers who came into the United States as children with undocumented parents.
They attended school, obtained good grades, were admitted to colleges and
universities and graduated with degrees. They were also able to obtain teaching
certifications in the various states. Some obtained advanced degrees and are
teaching in institutions of higher education.
Imagine what would happen if those teachers were deported.
They came here, not on their own volition, and made the best of the American
experience.
According to reports from labor unions and professional
teacher organizations, there are already significant teacher shortages
throughout the nation’s public schools. Some estimates are cited at over
300,000. A loss of 20,000 additional teachers could be catastrophic, especially
if you agree that many of these teachers are bi-lingual and speak fluent
Spanish.
IT is imperative that the education community stay on top of
this issue, by contacting their legislators, writing editorials and letter to
the editor to keep this issue in the public forefront.
C.2017 J. Margolis
No comments:
Post a Comment