The emotional and learning effects of the coronavirus pandemic on students, as well as effects on young adults just entering the workforce, will be felt for years to come. Without significant federal investment, the pandemic may have a greater impact than the Great Recession on students’ academic success. All students have lost instructional time, but due to existing disparities in education, health care, and family income, the pandemic is also exacerbating inequities. The Opportunity and Counseling Corps is an important investment in the long-term recovery and support students need. Each $1 billion invested could fund up to 17,000 tutors or up to 12,000 social workers. Not only will this help K-12 students, but it would also provide tangible benefits to Corps members who are graduating and starting their careers in a recession.
Please join the Center for American Progress for a discussion that will explore the Corps proposal and what it would look like for young people and new social workers. We will hear from grassroots organizations, providers such as Saga Education that have been doing this work before the pandemic, workforce policy experts who can speak to the risks of young people graduating into a recession, and policymakers working to respond to the this crisis.
In conversation:
Gov. Jared Polis, (D-CO)
Mara Rudman, Executive Vice President for Policy, Center for American Progress
Panelists:
Huiying B. Chan, Research and Policy Analyst, NYU Metro Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools
AJ Gutierrez, Co-Founder, Vice Chair, and Chief of Marketing and Communications, Saga Education
Dr. Renata Hedrington-Jones, Core Faculty, Walden University
Thomas Showalter, Executive Director, National Youth Employment Coalition
Moderator:
Neil Campbell, Director of Innovation, K-12 Education, Center for American Progress