Union-District Teams Agree Collaboration is Key to Student Success
By Edward Graham
Collaboration between teachers and school administrators, as well as the surrounding community, is essential in insuring the best education possible for students. That’s why on October 24th and 25th, the NEA Foundation welcomed 19 union-district leadership teams comprised of over 200 eager educators for a two-day conference at the NEA headquarters in Washington, DC.
The annual meeting, now in its 7th year, brought together union-district leadership teams from the NEA Foundation’s Closing the Achievement Gaps Initiative and the Institute for Innovation in Teaching and Learning to develop successful school-wide approaches to improving student success, learning conditions, and teacher-district collaboration.“It’s exciting to me that, at this time in our history, these kinds of things are happening through collaboration,” NEA President Dennis Van Roekel said during his opening remarks at the 2013 union-district convening. “I just absolutely believe that when administrators and school board members and unions come together and are able to reach out to parents and the community, it’s the only way to build really sustainable change. That’s the power of collaboration, of bringing minds together for the common goal of focusing on the student and
We Need a National Teacher Monument
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OCT 26
Better News in New Study That Assesses U.S. Students
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OCT 25
As Student Homelessness Worsens, Educators Work to Keep Them in School
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Absorbing the horrific details and media coverage of these events, parents could get the impression that homicides in schools are a common occurrence. But studies show that publicity about school violence inflates the public’s fears of these rare occurrences. An average of 23 youths per year were the victims of homicides at elementary or secondary schools or on the way to a school event, over the
Putting Single-Sex Classrooms to the Test
A school in Mississippi is experimenting with a different program this year: Single-sex classrooms. Gaston Point Elementary is the only school right now to separate the boys and girls. The change only affects classes for first and fifth graders.The principal decided to put the boys and girls in separate classrooms to test the program. She started with the first grade, because there are enough teac
OCT 24
What I’ve Learned: The Public Needs to Know More About ESPs
By Cindy Long Educators may spend their careers preparing lessons, but often the most memorable are those they learn themselves. With that in mind, NEA Today asked school staff – everyone from classroom teachers and bus drivers to guidance counselors and school nurses – to share the everyday lessons they’ve picked up along the way in a series called “What I’ve Learned.” Audrey Haskell: Administr
Two Teachers Killed this Week: How Safe Are US Schools?
Residents of Boston’s North Shore suburbs were struggling to absorb the news Wednesday that Danvers High School math teacher Colleen Ritzer was murdered, and that a 14-year-old male student has been charged. The tragedy occurred one day after the Sparks Middle School shooting in Nevada, in which police say math teacher Michael Landsberry was killed by a 12-year-old male student who then killed him
American Education Week 2013, November 18-22
American Education Week—November 18-22, 2013—presents all Americans with a wonderful opportunity to celebrate public education and honor individuals who are making a difference in ensuring that every child receives a quality education. The weeklong celebration features a special observance each day of the week. Check out NEA’s American Education Week page for more information. Related posts: Ameri