What Schools Do For This City with Dr. Tania Reis and Director Jennifer Bacon

Off Color

A discussion about what public education means in the United States of America during a global pandemic, recorded on July 18th, 2020. Listen as we get schooled by Vice President of the Denver Public Schools Board and Colorado House of Representatives District 7 Candidate, Director Jennifer Bacon. Then Dr. Tania Reis, Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus gives us insight into being a scientist, immigrant and mother of two DPS students during these unprecedented times.

2:50 - Dr. Tania Reis introduction

5:00 - Director Jennifer Bacon introduction

10:00 - Public schools make rocket scientists

12:00 - How opening decisions were made

19:35 - The ‘rona is amplifying inequities

20:40 - What about the teachers?

24:00 - How Portugal handled the data

26:30 - Quaran-team pods

29:00 - What schools do for this city

32:30 - “I know what’s at stake!”

37:30 - “Our mind set would have to shift”

39:00 - Antibacterial vs Antiviral memo

41:00 - Cultural shift away from meritocracy and individualism

42:30 - Neighborhood schools

47:20 - We all need to eat, even if it’s not the perfect diet

50:00 - Portugal’s Pie in the Sky

53:30 - All kids can learn, what differentiates them is access and “things”

56:40 - Local Elections Matter!

59:00 - School is not the salvation we think it will be

1:00:00 - We learned these same lessons with AIDs

1:04:20 - The great equalizer