Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) announced a new round of Innovation Grants last week. Nearly $500,000 in funds will be distributed to educators, students and communities, bringing AFT’s total Innovation Fund investments to $1.6 million since the start of the pandemic.
The 14 projects selected for this round of grants address teacher shortages, recruitment, retention, professional collaboration and aid to community schools.
“We want every public school to be a place where parents want to send their kids, educators want to teach and kids thrive,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “We know teachers do everything in their power to make this a reality for all kids. These grants will help them put their ideas into action; recruit and retain educators; access professional learning opportunities; and improve well-being, working conditions and workforce shortages.”