Tonia Holmes-Sutton, Ed.D., NBCT, is a member of the NBPTS Board of Directors and is leading the way in education advocacy in Nevada. She is a twenty-year veteran teacher and leads as the State Director for Teach Plus Nevada. She is the 2020 Alumna of the Year at UNLV College of Education. Additionally, Holmes-Sutton served as a former Governor-appointed member on the Nevada State Board of Education. She presently serves as a Board Director for WestEd, a Board Trustee for the National Teachers Hall of Fame, a member of the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority Board, and as a founding member of the National Network of Accomplished Minoritized Educators. Please follow Tonia on Twitter at @tholmessutton
Leading, Teaching, & Learning in the Moment: Sustaining Excellent Teaching During a Global Pandemic
October 1, 2020
The number of teaching colleagues retiring or simply resigning as schools reconvene throughout the country has been sobering. The news has arrived via social media as millions of our colleagues ready classrooms for face-to-face, hybrid, and remote instruction, preparing to receive students. It’s difficult to believe that only six months ago school doors were shuttered due to the still-growing coronavirus pandemic. Remote learning immediately ensued. Teachers and families, immersed in new partnerships with one another as we navigated our students’ academic and social-emotional needs; wondered and worried, anxiously waiting for reopening plans and implementation guidance and strategies from state departments…
Read MorePrioritizing Self Care in Times of Crises
June 17, 2020
Co-authored by Tonia Holmes-Sutton, Ed.D., NBCT & Brittany Holmes-Sutton It has been nearly three months since schools closed. The shutdown impacted education in unanticipated ways as schools transitioned to distance learning overnight – with many teachers unprepared to engage and teach their students through digital platforms. The digital divide made visible inequities that persisted prior to the COVID-19 crisis, most specifically in underserved communities of great need. As the shutdown continued, the opportunity gap and the digital divide widened. Passionately committed, teachers advocated for access to technology and connectivity for their students and families, recognizing that many would continue to…
Read MoreThe Five Core Propositions: A Framework for Community and Connection
March 18, 2020
It’s 12:26 A.M here in Las Vegas. It’s only been a few hours since Governor Steve Sisolak ordered a statewide closure of all casinos, restaurants, bars, and nonessential businesses for the next 30 days. This latest response to COVID-19 comes only two days after Governor Sisolak announced the closure of all public, charter, and private schools, and five days after he held a press conference to declare a state of emergency for Nevada. Circumstances have changed quickly. It seems not that long ago that news of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China was being reported. Tonight, as I watch the…
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