WEST SPRINGFIELD— The U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, visited West Springfield Thursday to highlight federal efforts to safeguard student paths to college, careers and apprenticeships.
Cardona said the COVID-19 pandemic brought the most disruption the Department of Education has seen in over 100 years — and the education system has not been the same since.
Schools must evolve to take advantage of new opportunity, he said.
“There are places and schools stuck in how schools were done five years ago who are going to miss out on that opportunity,” he said.
Cardona toured the West Springfield High School campus and participated in a roundtable discussion with Mayor William C. Reichelt, chair of the school committee; Superintendent Stefania Raschilla; Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeffrey C. Riley; members of the school committee, and other officials and educators.
During a roundtable discussion, Cardona spoke of the importance of creating community partnerships and engaging in strategic planning.
“We are listening and supporting them so they can continue to serve,” he said of the talks.
Cardona, a former Connecticut educator, asked how the district would ensure that all students and families have career or college paths and options.
“If you don’t have a strategy for helping parents understand the options, they are going to be less likely to support their students thinking about this (vocational technology) as a pathway,” he said. “I think part of it is not only having advice at the school level for students, but a marketing campaign to really let the community know what it is about.”
Riley said the state has worked since the pandemic to reimagine school, reengage students and connect curriculum to the real world.
To that end, Riley highlighted the state’s college readiness, dual enrollment, and vocational technology programs.
West Springfield School Committee member Diana Coyne cited the importance of programs in place to support multi-language learners in the district.
“The fact that we have so many students that are multilingual in this community is our secret sauce,” Conye said.
Cardona said that for a long time in the U.S., students who did not speak English were seen as deficient. Today, that can be looked on as a gift, he said.
“They come in with a skillset and gift that makes them more likely to be successful in international trade and business,” he said. Other countries need U.S. products and it is important to have students with international understanding and expertise to navigate and solve problems.
Cardona said the places that do it best are the ones that foster collaboration and see the potential, as in West Springfield.
When asked how to combat racism in schools, Cardona said the Department of Education has a responsibility not only to teach history accurately, but to counter those trying to edit history to take out parts they don’t like. He said diversity programs are coming under attack in many parts of the country.
Although he could not speak to the racist incident that happened in Southwick public school district in February, Cardona said “there is a price to pay for that ignorance.”
“What I can say is that what I saw in West Springfield today is an example of what we need to see in schools, where students from all of the world are welcomed and embraced and seen as valued members of the learning community,” Cardona said.
“It is important that we act…
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