Direction can be difficult to find in challenging times. Jimmy Cliff sang in 1969, “Many rivers to cross/ But I can’t seem to find my way,” and one would imagine that many people feel that same way in 2022.

Americans, like all people, continue to grapple with a pandemic that impacts every aspect of their personal and professional lives seemingly without reprieve. If we, as educators, are confident in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, trauma-informed instruction, and socio-emotional learning, then our more basic requirements – feelings of safety, warmth, sufficient food, clean water, and dependable shelter – take precedence over other concerns such as self-actualization, systems-level thinking, and strategic planning. According to Maslow, in our current situation, our short-term problems would supersede our long-term goals, and the social and academic readjustments that are occurring right now in schools, which might subsume other work, need outside context for balance and collective direction.

I was thus pleased to see that the Educate Maine Education Indicators Report for 2021 makes an earnest attempt to contextualize what we are experiencing in the present with steady points of reference to the future. Just as in the past, the report prompts educators, citizens, and policymakers to work together purposefully for the betterment of all students via data analysis and recommendation, but it does so with different timbre this year. Through a variety of different sources and methods of explanation, it seeks to balance our short-term reality with our longer-term educational progress in the hope that all students are able to move forward. Dr. Jason Judd, the executive director writes, “These are hard times, but it’s during these moments that we are able to focus on what is most essential. If we continue to focus holistically on the full education pipeline – and looking at the complex needs of all Maine learners within it – we will build a better future for all.” I wholeheartedly agree.

The entirety of this year’s report resonates with me and what I see in my classroom everyday, but several elements stand out among the others. First is the emphasis on well-being measures for K-12 students. A sizable portion of middle and high school students are experiencing chronic unhappiness; a comparable portion of our students are grappling with the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), pandemic or not; and, very nearly half of the students represented in the data do not feel as though they “matter” in their communities. As a teacher, I find these factoids sobering but not disparaging of my work. My local and statewide colleagues at every developmental level and in every school have put forward herculean efforts to help students reengage with school in spite of adversity, but it is also clear that we must consider the child in context by providing as many wraparound services, such as counseling, therapy, and extracurricular programs, through the school as possible. Schools remain conduits for greater societal good, and they remain community pillars for students and community members alike.

Beyond the aforementioned points, the Report discusses enrollment trends, early childhood education access, the digital divide, college access and attendance, and possible opportunity gaps among different demographics. These are longstanding priorities that will linger long beyond COVID because the students who experience them in real time will ultimately become our community and civic leaders. In synthesis, I see these points as touchstones to inform our long-term planning, a reminder of all that we have accomplished up to this point and all that we can collectively work toward in the immediate.

Ultimately, the Education Indicators Report shows us that there are many rivers to cross. What is critical, then, is how we decide to confront them, in what order we do so, and in which direction we want to go. For my part, I remain proud to be part of an essential public service, and I hope that other educators, community members, and policymakers might use the Report for their own sense of balance as we navigate our educational landscape with more confidence.

— Special to the Press Herald