As educators, we can use social media to push for change on how early assessments can negatively impact young kids’ learning and mental health. Here’s how to do it in a simple way: Make shareable posts explaining the research behind this issue, using hashtags like #StudentWellness. Tag school district, board members, and education groups directly so they see the posts. Asking people to help spread the word by liking, commenting, and sharing the posts across their networks. If we keep putting this issue out there consistently on social media and tagging the right people, the school admins will have to take notice. Targeted social media activism, when done repeatedly, can force them to address this crucial issue that impacts our youngest students. The key is creating posts that break down the research in a clear way, using the right hashtags, and directly calling out the decision-makers.
As an educator, one of the most important things to advocate for is the wellbeing of children in early childhood education classrooms. One way educators can do this is by creating an online petition that attracts the attention of education administrators, so they can make positive changes. Start a petition explaining how too much testing hurts kids’ learning, growth, and mental health. Share it a lot on social media and ask people to sign and pass it around. The more signatures there are, the harder it will be for school district leaders to ignore what the community wants. The petition shows exactly how many people care about fixing this issue. Once you get a big number of signatures, officially send the petition to the top school administrators. Demand that they respond and make a real plan to address over-testing of young students. Keeping public pressure on through actions like rallies or protests, along with having a huge petition, can force the school system to make the changes parents and teachers want.
