(KMAland) — As American Education Week wraps up, Iowa teachers are working to hold on to the gains they have made in the state.
Iowa public school students have historically had some of the highest test scores in the nation. The state quarter even used to be emblazoned with a school house.
Joshua Brown, president of the Iowa State Education Association, said while most kids still score well on tests, Iowa’s public schools are threatened by new laws allowing tax dollars to be used for homeschool and private education tuition.
“It’s unfortunate,” Brown asserted. “Especially in Iowa, I think we’ve always really valued education, and I think, generally, when you go into the streets and you talk to just a regular Iowan, they still do.”
In addition to honoring teachers, parents, and educators, American Education Week also marks the accomplishments of those who support them. Nov. 19 was Educational Support Professionals Day, recognizing paraeducators, skilled trade workers and health workers who assist the classroom.
Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, said the Trump administration’s plans to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education are having a direct effect on the country’s most vulnerable students and teachers.
“Our students with disabilities, our students who come from low-income families,” Pringle outlined. “In particular, our students living in rural areas where they need the federal government to provide those supports and to provide those people to assist them.”
The administration said it is trying to eliminate waste from the federal budget. Education Support Professionals Day was first marked in 1987, when the National Education Association announced it would recognize the contributions of all school support staff.