It's Teacher Appreciation Week, and in North Dakota, the tone is a little different this year - with deeper conversations about the need to keep educators in the field. Factors like teacher pay have been a rallying cry for labor groups as states like North Dakota struggle with educator shortages in some districts.

Jenny Bladow, director of teacher education, College of Education & Human Development at the University of North Dakota, and member of North Dakota's Task Force for Teacher Retention and Recruitment, said a statewide recruitment task force that she sits on is discussing other solutions, too. Talks about student loan forgiveness have opened the door to a list of potential perks.

"What if you were a teacher at a school, and instead of just having loan forgiveness options, what if you could have mortgage assistance? What if you could have childcare assistance?" she said.

Bladow admitted these preliminary talks still have to cross paths with the need to secure state funding. The task force meets again in June and is required to submit formal recommendations later this year. Meanwhile, the union North Dakota United points out new rankings reveal the state has fallen to 37th in the nation for the average teacher salary.

The state was last in year-over-year percentage increases for teacher salaries. Bladow said compensation is important, but not the primary reason teachers enter the profession. In choosing this job, she thinks community members need to reward them with moral support, too. Bladow feels that's lacking these days.

"We need to elevate the profession again, to a point where teachers are leaders in the community. They're the keepers of knowledge, right? And their job is to give all this knowledge, and all these skills and resources, to their students," she explained.

Bladow, who led classrooms before entering the academic arena, said parents can help set the tone by trusting the expertise of teachers. She suggests the dominance of social media in everyday life has prompted some parents to go out of their way to "critique" their child's teacher.

University officials in Indiana are rewriting guidelines for on-campus protests to address a tense political backdrop.

More students are watching and listening to see which institution shares their values.

Last month, a court blocked parts of Indiana University's "expressive activity" policy, which restricted when protests and speeches could take place.

Data from education consulting firm EAB show 14% of prospective students dismiss schools they deem too conservative, and 12% dismiss schools seen as too liberal.

Pam Royall - head of research, enrollment services, and marketing solutions at EAB - said future students are seeking colleges that reflect their beliefs.

"They're eliminating certain institutions that they believe are misaligned with their political values," said Royall, "either because they're too conservative, or they're too liberal, they're in a blue state, or a red state."

Observers call incoming students the Anxious Generation, because more young people now experience that mental health condition.

Royall said the greater sense of anxiety can also be linked to social media usage, and pressure to make decisions in an environment with competing messages.

Protection from gun violence and sexual assault are other key points students feel are important in their college search.

Forty-five percent of students surveyed said anxiety or feelings of isolation had a "moderate to extreme impact" on their college search.

Royall added that heightened stress from adjusting to the college experience can be overwhelming.

"Now," said Royall, "it's also a matter of support for mental health and wellness that is driving students' perception of safety and their sense of belonging on campuses."

Gen Z students also define a safe campus environment as one that supports diversity, equity, and inclusion, and supports free speech.

Two California nonprofits are working to make school boards more effective, diverse, and inclusive, to counter the weaponization of cultural issues that often plagues school governance. The Education Justice Academy trains school board members or candidates twice a year on how to read a budget, how state funding or school vaccination programs work, and more.

Briana Mullen, executive director of The Education Justice Academy, said she believes competent leadership on school boards can restore good faith.

"I believe it is the largest piece of our democracy that we could rebuild around a positive vision around how government works," she explained. "I also think we're not going to really believe in government until we see some of this get fixed at the local level."

Right now, only about 10% of California voters bother to cast a ballot in school board elections. So, the free program also teaches board members how to best communicate their policies, to inspire more people to make their voices heard. The academy will graduate its fifth cohort this month. The next 3-month program starts in the fall. More information is at edjusticeacademy.org.

David McKinney, vice president of the San Francisco-based nonprofit YouthTruth, said his organization also works on this issue, conducting in-depth surveys of students, then using the data to empower kids and the people in charge.

"In our experience when young people are actually invited to be a part of the conversation, what they say can be a powerful tool for helping school boards understand what students are actually experiencing in the schools they govern, and then use that data to help districts and schools actually improve," he said.

In 2023, the Student Senate in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District used their survey data to brainstorm ways to improve campus culture, then presented the results to the school board.


get more stories like this via email

Colorado, already considered a national leader in workforce development, is aiming to raise the bar even higher.

Gov. Jared Polis recently issued an executive order calling on state agencies to create a more integrated system which meets learners where they are so they can access the education and training they need to get good jobs in Colorado's evolving economy.

Angie Paccione, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, said the challenge is to restructure siloed agencies and initiatives and design a system to work even better.

"Bring together the best of what each individual division and department is doing," Paccione recommended. "Bring it together in a way that's going to make it easier for individuals to navigate and also ultimately get the skills and training that they need for the jobs that they want."

Colorado ranks first nationally, tied with Massachusetts, for its percentage of residents who have a credential or degree beyond high school but there is room for improvement. There are currently two available jobs for every unemployed person in the state. More than 90% of top-paying jobs require some form of postsecondary education but just half of graduating seniors are signing up for college or certificate programs, well below the national average of 61%.

Paccione stressed the new order aims to find out what's keeping high school graduates from taking the next step and then eliminate barriers so all Colorado students have a clear pathway toward a sustainable wage. She added it is not just about creating worker bees.

"We're all going to work 40 to 45 years," Paccione emphasized. "We want to make sure that students are getting the education and training they need for the jobs of the future and the jobs that will inspire them and fulfill them as well."

The executive order called for the Colorado Departments of Labor and Employment, Higher Education, and Regulatory Agencies, working with the Office of Economic Development and International Trade and key staff in the governor's office to submit a comprehensive plan by Dec. 1.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


get more stories like this via email