% ARE PROFICIENT IN ENGLISH OR
% MATH.
% SINCE 2020, THE PANDEMIC
% ACADEMIC SLIDE IN SCHOOLS IS
% WELL-DOCUMENTED.
% ACCORDING TO THE NATION'S REPORT
% CARD, K-12 SCHOOLS IN THE
% MIDWEST SLIPPED THE MOST IN THE
% COUNTRY WITH READING SCORES DOWN
% 7 POINTS AND MATH DOWN 9.
% OVERALL, THE WORST SLIP IN 30
% YEARS, BUT ACCORDING TO OUR NEXT
% GUEST, IT MIGHT NOT BE JUST
% VIRTUAL LEARNING TO BLAME.
% AMERY SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST AND
% PRESIDENT OF THE WISCONSIN
% SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST ASSOCIATION,
% KATIE JOHNSON, JOINS US, AND
% THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
% HERE.
% >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
% >> Frederica: WHAT ARE YOU
% SAYING IN YOUR DISTRICT AND
% STATEWIDE, REALLY, ABOUT HOW FAR
% BEHIND STUDENTS ARE ACADEMICALLY
% THIS SCHOOL YEAR BECAUSE OF THIS
% PANDEMIC SLIDE?
% >> WE ARE SEEING A BIG SLIDE
% BACK BACKWARD, AND WE'RE NOT
% ONLY SEEING THAT IT'S NOT JUST
% PROPORTIONAL TO THE TIME KIDS
% HAVE BEEN OFF SCHOOL, AND I
% THINK THAT'S WHAT STANDS OUT TO
% ME, BUT IT SEEMS BIGGER THAN
% WHAT WE WOULD EXPECT GIVEN THE
% AMOUNT OF TIME THAT KIDS
% ACTUALLY MISSED SCHOOL, WHICH
% LEAVES ME TO BELIEVE THERE'S
% SOMETHING MORE TO IT THAN JUST
% THAT TIME OFF OF SCHOOL THAN
% MISSING INSTRUCTION.%>> Frede
rica: HOW SURPRISED
% WERE YOU BY THE -- WHAT YOU'RE
% DESCRIBING AS A MAJOR SLIP IN
% ACADEMICS?
% >> I THINK WE'VE ALL BEEN VERY
% SURPRISED BY IT.
% YOU KNOW, WE EXPECTED, IF WE
% DIDN'T GIVE FACE-TO-FACE
% ACADEMIC INSTRUCTION, THAT WILL%
WOULD BE A SLIP, BUT WE DID NOT
% EXPECT A LARGE SLIP, AND WE
% DIDN'T EXPECT THE BEHAVIORAL
% SLIP WE'VE SEEN AS WELL.
% >> Frederica: YOU SAID THAT
% THERE WERE OTHER THINGS AT PLAY,
% AND ONE OF THOSE, I UNDERSTAND,
% FROM YOU, IS THIS BEHAVIORAL
% ISSUEMENT DESCRIBE WHAT THAT IS
% AND WHERE YOU ARE SEEING IT.
% >> WE SEE IT ALL THE WAY K-12,
% PREK-12, AND WE ARE SEEING KIDS
% JUST NOT ADJUSTED TO CLASSROOMS.
% THEY DON'T KNOW BASIC RULES, YOU
% KNOW, HOW TO SIT STILL, HOW TO
% MAINTAIN ATTENTION.
% I THINK BEING HOME WAS VERY
% DIFFERENT IN A DIFFERENT
% ENVIRONMENT, SO -- AND YOU
% TALKED ABOUT WHAT WE SEE IT
% COMING FROM IS IT'S MORE THAN
% NOT JUST BEING ON SCHOOL, BUT
% STRESS ON FAMILIES AND IMPACT
% THAT THE PANDEMIC HAD ON HOMES
% AND FAMILIES AND PEOPLE'S
% OCCUPATIONS AND WE'RE SEEING
% THAT ALL CULMINATE IN KIDS'
% ACADEMIC AND BEHAVIORAL SUCCESS%
IN SCHOOL.%>> Frederica: IF BEH
AVIOR AND
% MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS ARE
% WORSE, HOW EQUIPPED ARE SCHOOLS
% TO HELP?
% >> SCHOOLS ARE VERY WELL
% EQUIPPED TO HELP WITH MENTAL
% HEALTH PROVIDERS IN SCHOOLS,
% SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS,
% COUNSELORS, AND NURSES, AND A%
LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING IN
% SCHOOLS TO HELP, BUT I DO THINK
% IT IS A BIGGER ISSUE THAN JUST
% SCHOOLS.
% I THINK WE NEED TO WORK AS
% COMMUNITIES AND STATEWIDE TO
% REALLY SUPPORT KIDS TO KIND OF
% GET BACK TO A MORE TYPICAL WAY
% OF FUNCTIONING.%>> Frederica
: DO YOU FEEL AS
% THOUGH THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND
% EVEN FAMILIES UNDERSTAND THE
% EXTENT OF THIS PROBLEM THAT
% SCHOOLS ARE SEEING IN THEIR
% STUDENTS?
% >> I DON'T THINK THEY DO.
% I THINK THEY EXPECT THAT NOW
% THAT WE'RE BACK IN FACE-TO-FACE
% SCHOOL, THE TIMES ARE BACK TO
% NORMAL, AND THEY ARE NOT
% UNDERSTANDING THERE'S REAL LARGE
% SYSTEMS DIFFERENCES IN OUR
% SCHOOLS NOW.%>> Frederica: HO
W IMPORTANT
% ARE HAPPY LEARNERS TO THEIR
% ACADEMIC SUCCESS?%>> WELL, W
E KNOW WE DON'T LEARN
% VERY WELL UNLESS OUR BASIC NEEDS
% ARE MET AND WE ARE COMFORTABLE,
% AND SO FOR KIDS TO BE REALLY
% CALM AND CONFIDENT AND FEELING
% GOOD ABOUT COMING INTO THE
% SCHOOL DAY IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
% THOSE ARE SOME OF THE NEEDS WE
% NEED TO MEET BEFORE MEETING
% ACADEMIC NEEDS.%>> Frederica
: SO WHAT DOES
% THAT MEAN IN THE CLASSROOM FOR
% TEACHERS, EVEN, OUTSIDE THE
% NURSE'S OFFICE?%HOW ARE TEAC
HERS KIND OF
% ADDRESSING THIS AND CARING FOR
% THAT FIRST BEFORE THEY EVEN OPEN
% A BOOK?
% >> I THINK THEY ARE DEFINITELY
% DOING MORE THINGS TO HELP KIDS
% ADJUST TO THE CLASSROOM TO HELP
% KIDS FEEL SAFE, TO MAKE SURE
% KIDS' BASIC NEEDS ARE MET THERE,
% AND THEY ARE CARING FOR THE
% WHOLE STUDENT AND NOT JUST
% TEACHING TO THEIR ACADEMIC
% NEEDS.%>> Frederica: IN YOUR
MIND,
% CAN THESE STUDENTS THAT HAVE
% WEATHERED THIS RECOVER FROM IT?
% >> ABSOLUTELY.
% YOU KNOW, I THINK KIDS WILL
% RECOVER.
% KIDS ARE RESILIENT.
% THINGS CHANGE OVER TIME.
% EDUCATION CHANGES.
% SOCIETY CHANGES.
% THIS, TOO, SHALL PASS, BUT I DO
% THINK RIGHT NOW IT'S REALLY
% IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE DOING THE
% BEST WE CAN TO SUPPORT KIDS, YOU
% KNOW, AND TO POURING INTO MENTAL
% HEALTH PROGRAMS IN OUR SCHOOLS,
% TO POURING INTO THE BEFORE AND
% AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS, ANYTHING
% THAT SUPPORTS KIDS SO THAT THEY
% HAVE THE BEST CHANCE OF BOUNCING
% BACK AND GETTING BACK TO
% WHATEVER A NEW NORMAL IS.
% >> Frederica: DO YOU HAVE
% ANTICIPATION THAT THAT KIND
% OF -- THOSE KINDS OF RESOURCES
% OR SUPPORT WILL BE FORTHCOMING
% TO THE SCHOOLS ACROSS WISCONSIN?
% >> THERE HAVE BEEN RESOURCES WE
% ARE ACCESSING TO PROVIDE
% ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING, AND IT
% IS REALLY IMPORTANT WE CONTINUE
% TO DO THAT.
% THERE'S A SHORTAGE OF SCHOOL
% MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS, SCHOOL
% PSYCHOLOGISTS AMONG THEM, SO WE
% DEFINITELY WANT TO KEEP POURING
% INTO THAT AND CREATING MORE
% OPPORTUNITIES FOR KIDS TO GET
% THOSE NEEDED SERVICES.
% >> Frederica: ALL RIGHT.
% KATIE JOHNSON FROM AMERY, WE
% REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.
% >> THANK YOU.