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She argues that attacks on teachers and unions stem from discriminatory politics and deliberate distrust of public education. Weingarten cites criticism of voucher policies, culture-war tactics, and book bans, then points to Florida’s anti-teacher approach and federal political pressure as examples of wider attempts to weaken public education. She closes by affirming teachers and school communities’ commitment to students.",{"@graph":69,"@context":123},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/real-solutions-for-kids-and-communities-addressing-loneliness-learning-loss-and-literacy/591249/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/real-solutions-for-kids-and-communities-addressing-loneliness-learning-loss-and-literacy/591249.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"eBook King","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-05","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",11,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"What problems does the talk focus on for kids and communities?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"It focuses on loneliness, learning loss, and literacy, linking these challenges to the need for strong public schools and educator support.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"Why does the speaker say educators face attacks?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"She argues that political extremists and fearmongers try to divide Americans and undermine public education, using misinformation and hostility toward teachers and unions.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"How does the speaker critique school choice and vouchers?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"She states that vouchers do not improve achievement and often discriminate against children and families, while siphoning funds from already underfunded public schools.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":125,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":127,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":129,"site_id":62},591249,1792660304,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":132},{"doc_id":129,"user_id":133,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":34,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},962088006270,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_085a072bc5b1113ac321206ff7593b45","PHOTOS BY THE AFT, EXCEPT WHERE NOTED  \nReal Solutions for  \nKids and Communities  \nAddressing Loneliness, Learning Loss, and Literacy  \nBy Randi Weingarten  \nI  \n’m so glad we’re back at our first in-person TEACH since 2019.* It’s been a tough year. Actually, it’s been several tough years. And how do you “reward” yourself during your time“off”? By signing up for some sizzling professional develop-  \nment in sweltering Washington, DC. That’s who educators are. Working together to improve our craft, recharging through our connection and camaraderie. That’s what keeps us going.  \nSame with me. After Mike Pompeo, the former secretary of state and CIA director, called me the most dangerous person in the world,1 our members had my back. Teachers, being teachers, reached out, telling me others who were so labeled: Mother Jones, the most dangerous woman in America.2 Walter Reuther, the most dangerous person in Detroit.3 Martin Luther King Jr., the most dangerous Black man in America.4 You get the point.  \nWhy were they dangerous? They challenged deprivation and discrimination. They fought for a better life for their families  \n*To learn about the AFT’s TEACH conference, visit [aft.org/teach](aft.org/teach).  \nRandi Weingarten is the president of the AFT. Prior to her election in 2008, she served for 11 years as president of the United Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 2. A teacher of history at Clara Barton High School in Brooklyn from 1991 to 1997, Weingarten helped her students win several state and national awards debating constitutional issues. Widely recognized as a champion of public schools and a better life for all people, her recent commendations include being named to Washingtonian’s 2021 Most Influential People in Washington and City & State New York’s 2021 New York City Labor Power 100.  \nand their communities. I’m honored to be in their courageous, righteous company. And that righteous company includes all of you—and teachers and school staff across the country. The malicious attacks and outright lies to which our members have been subjected are appalling. So why have Pompeo, the president he served, and others unleashed this vitriol against educators and their unions?  \nRemember the beginning of the pandemic? Parents showered praise on teachers and school staff. People saw just how essential the connection is between educators and public schools, and kids, families, and communities. And then the far right wing started their smears.  \nThat’s no accident. As extremists try to divide Americans from one another, they know that public schools unite us. As they wage culture wars in our schools, parents know we have children’s best interests at heart. We teach. We help young people learn how to think critically—to discern fact from fiction, tobe curious and tolerant, to learn the basics and discover their potential and passions.  \nThat’s why 90 percent of parents send their children to public schools. Most parents trust teachers, and they want public schools strengthened, not privatized.5  \nSo why do extremists demonize, distort, and demagogue public education? And why don’t they offer a single idea to strengthen public schools?  \nBecause they don’t want to improve public education. They want to end it. When they’re not trying to slash public school funding, they are diverting it to private and religious schools through vouchers. That’s despite the evidence that vouchers do not improve achievement. That voucher schools often discriminate  \n64 AMERICAN EDUCATOR | FALL 2023  \nagainst children and families. And that vouchers siphon funds from already underfunded public schools.6  \nNever forget what Christopher Rufo, who invented the conflict over critical race theory, said: “To get universal school choice, you really need to operate from a premise of universal public school distrust.” Toward that end, he said,“you have tobe ruthless and brutal.”7  \nDistrust. Ruthless. Brutal. That’s the playbook of fearmongers who call hardworkin","cbCaioMdJcgI1djQ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaioMdJcgI1djQ","pdf",267802,"English","# Real Solutions for Kids and Communities\n## Loneliness and learning loss\n## Literacy and critical thinking\n## Attacks on teachers and unions","[{\"question\":\"What problems does the talk focus on for kids and communities?\",\"answer\":\"It focuses on loneliness, learning loss, and literacy, linking these challenges to the need for strong public schools and educator support.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does the speaker say educators face attacks?\",\"answer\":\"She argues that political extremists and fearmongers try to divide Americans and undermine public education, using misinformation and hostility toward teachers and unions.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the speaker critique school choice and vouchers?\",\"answer\":\"She states that vouchers do not improve achievement and often discriminate against children and families, while siphoning funds from already underfunded public schools.\"}]","Real Solutions for Kids and Communities - Addressing Loneliness, Learning Loss, and Literacy | PDF",1792071423,18]