Lunch & Learn: Education in Charlotte

By Leslie Cramer

The Women’s Impact Fund hosted a Lunch & Learn on Feb 7 moderated by Lakeisha Rios on the topic of education in Charlotte from the lens of resources and support necessary in our community. The contributing panelists included Emily Gaffney from Heart Math Tutoring, Kellie Cartwright of MeckEd, and Shannon Tucker of the Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center.

Heart Math Tutoring provides tutoring services with a focus on building self-efficacy and confidence in students. MeckEd is a career readiness organization serving students in Title I schools in Charlotte. The Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center provides early intervention speech and language services to children birth to five, and also hearing services such as providing hearing devices and resources for children and older adults.

The panelists shared their personal motivations for entering the field and discussed the importance of adapting educational programs to meet the diverse needs of students and the evolving landscape of education.

The conversation also touched on the impact of pandemic-related school closures on students’ math proficiency rates in Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools, the need for mental wellness services for students, and the profound impact of virtual learning and the pandemic on students, particularly high school students.

The discussion emphasized the importance of providing life skills and social support to help students navigate through these unprecedented experiences. As young children struggle to understand how to communicate and play together, elementary school-aged children are missing crucial skills, and high school students are struggling with motivation for college because of their junior and senior year experiences during the pandemic.

The demographic changes in Charlotte and the importance of cultural competency in serving diverse populations were also discussed. The panelists emphasized the need for acknowledging and acting on the demographic changes and ensuring that staff and volunteers are properly trained and resourced to meet the needs of the diverse population they serve.

This looks like counselors, tutors, and speech therapy providers who look like and speak the native languages of the student demographics. The importance of considering the broader context of students’ lives, including issues of race and socioeconomic needs, was also highlighted.

Finally, the panelists discussed the pressing need for funding and support for education organizations.

Watch the full recording here on our Vimeo page.