Biden’s American Families Plan can boost Philly students and teachers | Opinion

President Joe Biden’s American Families Plan offers a historic investment in the future of the American people: into child care, support for struggling families, a multipronged attack on poverty.

If enacted, the educational components of this plan, in particular, would help ensure more Americans will be prepared to compete and thrive in the rapidly evolving global economy.

Many of the proposals are long overdue: Universal pre-K. Greater investment in early education. Free community college. An increase in Pell Grants. A major expansion of the school meal program so all high-poverty school districts can provide meals to all their students, including a permanent summer meals program.

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But perhaps most significant for our work at the Center for Black Educator Development in Philadelphia is the inclusion of $9 billion to bolster the teaching workforce, increasing diversity and expanding educator leadership opportunities.

Given our mission to increase the diversity of America’s teaching workforce — including the building of a robust Black Teacher Pipeline in 10 U.S. cities over the next decade — to significantly improve the academic achievement of students from marginalized communities, we consider this funding a landmark step.

Research has shown that few people can have a bigger impact on a child’s life than a great teacher, especially one whose racial identity and world views reflect their own. Unfortunately, only one in five teachers nationwide are people of color, while more than half of K-12 public school students are students of color.

Even before the pandemic, schools across the nation needed an estimated additional 100,000 certified teachers. This shortage was and is still most severe in schools with higher percentages of students of color, which have a higher proportion of uncertified, novice teachers, exacerbating educational disparities.

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The investments proposed by President Biden would not only improve the quality of new teachers entering the profession, but also increase the number and retention rates of teachers of color.

Here are the changes that make the plan a strong move for our students, and one idea the Biden administration should also tackle:

Addressing teacher shortages, improving teacher preparation, and strengthening pipelines for teachers of color: Doubling scholarships for future teachers from $4,000 to $8,000 per year while earning their degree, expanding the program to early childhood educators, and investing $2.8 billion in Grow Your Own programs, plus yearlong, paid teacher residency programs, will have great impact on student outcomes and teacher retention, especially for teachers of color.

Supporting current teachers to earn in-demand credentials: Many teachers are eager to get certified in areas their schools need, like special education, but are deterred due to the high cost of professional programs. The AFP would give a needed $1.6 billion investment to provide educators with opportunities to obtain additional certifications in high-demand areas like special education, bilingual education, and certifications that improve teacher performance. This funding will support over 100,000 educators, with priority for public school teachers with at least two years of experience at schools with a significant portion of low-income students or significant teacher shortages.

Investing in educator leadership: Millions of teachers — and their students — would stand to benefit from greater mentorship and leadership opportunities. President Biden is calling on Congress to invest $2 billion to support programs that leverage teachers as leaders, such as high-quality mentorship programs for new teachers and teachers of color — proven tools to improve both student outcomes and teacher retention by providing new teachers with the support they need. The president’s plan will also leverage teachers as leaders on other key priorities within their school buildings, and compensate teachers for this work, recognizing the incredible expertise of our veteran educators.

Investing further in public higher education to end the growing student loan debt crisis: As Congress considers the American Families Plan, we strongly urge them to consider including the Debt-Free College Act, introduced by U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D., Hawaii) and U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D., Wis.). This act would not only address the full cost of college — beyond just tuition and fees — to include the total cost of attendance such as room and board, books and supplies, and other expenses. It would also be an equity-focused solution that reduces the racial and socioeconomic disparities in student loan debt.

Congress should pass the American Families Plan quickly, commit to reducing student debt, and continue to move forward addressing the needs of a nation that has underinvested in its educators, its people, and their futures for far too long.

Sharif El-Mekki leads the Center for Black Educator Development, is the former principal of Mastery Charter School — Shoemaker Campus, founded the Fellowship — Black Male Educators for Social Justice, is a member of the “8 Black Hands” podcast, and blogs at Philly’s 7th Ward.

The Philadelphia Inquirer is one of more than 20 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the city’s push toward economic justice. See all of our reporting at brokeinphilly.org.