American Education Week 2008

November 16–22

Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility

NEA's 87th annual American Education Week (AEW) spotlights the importance of providing every child in America with a quality public education from kindergarten through college, and the need for everyone to do his or her part in making public schools great.

Our annual tagline,Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility, reflects the Association's calling upon America to provide students with quality public schools so that they can grow, prosper, and achieve in the 21st century. This year, AEW will be celebrated November 16-22:

• Monday, November 17: Open House Day. From national commemorations to local community events such as AEW house parties, millions of Americans will celebrate public education nationwide.
• Tuesday, November 18: Parents Day. Schools will invite parents into the classroom for a hands-on experience of what the day is like for their child.
• Wednesday, November 19: Education Support Professionals Day. Individuals who provide invaluable services to schools are recognized for their outstanding work.
• Thursday, November 20: Educator for a Day. Community leaders will be invited to serve as educators to get a glimpse at a day in the life of a school employee.
• Friday, November 21: Substitute Educators Day. This day honors the educators who are called upon to replace regularly employed teachers.

Use Our Toolkit to Plan Your AEW Event

Use our online tools to plan your celebration. Complete with downloadable templates, checklists, and activity ideas, the AEW toolkit has all you need to make event planning easy.

C.L.E.A.N. Award:  Nominate Your School Custodian!

NEA Health Information Network (HIN), in partnership with the Soap and Detergent Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is launching the first annual C.L.E.A.N. (Custodial Leaders for Environmental Advocacy Nationwide) Award to recognize the outstanding contributions custodians make to public health.  For more information, visit www.neahin.org/programs/cleanaward.html.

Educators First: Members of Congress Remember Their Days in the Classroom

More than 75 legislators were educators before their election to Congress. Do you know who they are?

The materials presented here reflect NEA's mission as an advocate for the nation's public schools, school employees, and the communities they serve.

Other organizations are free to use this material or create their own. If you use this material, please credit NEA as the creator of content (art, theme, articles, resources).