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about how to handle these types of situations. In the case that any given student does not have internet access at home—how should a teacher respond? With the resource a teacher has, what should he or she do to best alleviate the situation? These pedagogical understandings are absolutely crucial for a quality education and, therefore, the teachers themselves must be trained on how to properly react. School districts must understand that education is a constantly evolving field and, so, they must come together to help train one another on innovative techniques and discoveries for the good of all. AnExampleof Connectivity Highlighting how these suggestions are absolutely achievable, Paris Union School District #95 has been hosting these types of collaborative events for over a decade. Originally, they developed a county-wide Institute Day designed to help fellow educators and community members support one another with the goal of an overall improved educational experience. Due to the pandemic in 2020, our district took the event virtual, allowing the event to grow from five school districts to 30. This year, the same annual event grew to more than 160 school districts and 6,300 teachers. The Institute Day conference as a virtual event allowed educators from around the state to attend without needing to worry about distance. This type of collaboration proves how technology greatly extends communicative abilities and, therefore, teachers’ abilities to share knowledge and techniques. This event included keynote speakers and workshops on specific topics such as helping LGBT students, suicide prevention methods, financial integrity for schools, Google certification, curriculum writing and more. As the number of topics were quite extensive, it allowed teachers from all over to continue their professional development in areas they were not yet experts in. They also hosted roundtable workshops where educators were able to share their experiences. This type of collaboration is a prime example of how communities can come together to share resources, knowledge and skills with the goal of aiding one another. As society is currently facing unprecedented issues, it is a fundamental necessity that teachers and community members work together, communicate and share with each other in order to support each other and raise the country’s educational practices as a whole. Conclusion Although school districts across the country are facing huge issues, this does not mean they are without hope. Communities such as the Paris Union School District #95

have demonstrated that small and large-scale collaborative efforts are absolutely possible. Federal and state allocations of funding have eased the burden on school districts during this time. E-rate funding has made it possible for school districts to increase their bandwidth, obtain fiber and provide devices to students— laptops and hotspots. ESSER dollars have enabled school districts to upgrade their technology equipment and software to increase their ability to teach remotely. Paulo Freire, one of the most influential pedagogues and philosophers of the last century, wrote that, “There’s no such thing as neutral education. Education either functions as an instrument to bring about conformity or freedom.” This truth has become even more apparent within the last two years. For this reason, educators, school administrator, and communities must come together and cooperate with the goal of improving education for the country’s future leaders. Their freedom and livelihoods are directly affected by the quality of the education they receive, so it is up to scholastic communities to come together. Rather than competing with one another, they should feel encouraged to collaborate, share with one another and work together to help improve the education of all children across America through innovative teaching methodologies and improved internet access. References: Devlin, K. (2021, June 23). People in Advanced Economies Say Their Society Is More Divided Than Before Pandemic. PEW Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/06/23/people-in-advanced- economies-say-their-society-is-more-divided-than-before-pandemic/ Freire, P. (2000), Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Continuum. Klein, A. (2021, March 10). Acting FCC Chair: The ‘Homework Gap’ Is an ‘Especially Cruel’ Reality During the Pandemic. Education Week. https:// www.edweek.org/technology/acting-fcc-chair-the-homework-gap-is-an- especially-cruel-reality-during-the-pandemic/2021/03 OECD (2021), Education at a Glance 2021: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/b35a14e5-en. OECD (2021), Public spending on education (indicator) . doi: 10.1787/ f99b45d0-en (Accessed on 02 November 2021) OECD (2021), Mathematics performance (PISA) (indicator). doi: 10.1787/04711c74-en (Accessed on 02 November 2021) Schaeffer, K. (2021, October 1). What we know about online learning and the homework gap amid the pandemic. PEW Research Center. https:// www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/10/01/what-we-know-about-online- learning-and-the-homework-gap-amid-the-pandemic/

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