UPPER DARBY, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — The deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education is touring schools this week to get a first-hand look at programs and efforts supported by the American Rescue Plan. The first stop was Bywood Elementary in Upper Darby.
Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten is visiting some of the schools that she called her ARP — or American Recovery Plan — stars. These are schools that have used federal dollars to develop innovative programs for students during the coronavirus pandemic, with a focus on learning and social, emotional, and mental health recovery.
"Seeing how the dollars are being invested immediately, right now, for our students, and seeing the real impact that is having," Marten said. "That means wise decisions are being made right here at the local level, with the superintendent and the school board working with the local communities, saying our kids are hurting and they need help."
One program at Bywood was in the lunchroom,where clapping and drumming are part of the routine. Marten explained how the students taught her how to play a drum.
"There was one student that was playing it. He first started with two hands, and then he switched to a one-hand beat, and then explain to me why," Marten said. "And he was able to process and be metacognitive about his learning style, which I love. The kids are super metacognitive."
Metacognition is the ability to think about thinking — the process of planning, observing and assessing one's own understanding and performance.
The deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, Cindy Marten, meets with school leaders at Bywood Elementary in Upper Darby, Pa.John McDevitt/KYW Newsradio
"And I said, 'How did everybody at the school get to be so kind?' Everybody is so kind and thoughtful and sharing with one another. And they said, 'Well it's our principal and our teachers.' I just love that," Marten said.
Parent Kia Fields told her daughter's story to the deputy secretary. Mrs Field's child receives special education services at the school, and she says the programs are top notch.
"I didn't see her as strong at home during the pandemic and doing [work] on her own computer," Fields said. "And when she came back in a setting where she knows that she loves a place where she is comfortable and the teachers treat her fairly and are concerned about her academics and getting her to the next level, it really made a difference."
President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law last year, which included $130 billion to support recovery efforts at K-12 schools.
In addition to Bywood, Marten went to Garretford Elementary School in Drexel Hill, also in the Upper Darby School District. Then it was on to two other schools in the William Penn school district. The deputy secretary will be visiting schools in Central and North Jersey over the next couple of days.
