Thank you for attending the 2008 Pacific Region Leadership Conference, and to all those who helped make it a successful event.

We look forward to seeing you at the 2009 Pacific Region Leadership Conference at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers in Seattle, Washington on February 13-15 .

Online Registration will be available in late October, 2008. Please check back at that time for detailed information regarding hotel and travel arrangements.

For immediate information contact:

Marija Buljan-Bergero
Sr. Program Assistant
NEA Pacific Regional Office
1705 Murchison Drive, Suite 100
Burlingame, CA 94010
Office: 650-347-6000

Thank you for attending the 2008 Western Region Leadership Conference and contributing to the success of this event.  We had 540 attendees!

Please mark your calendar for the 2009 Western Region Leadership Conference  at the Embassy Suites Hotel Albuquerque in Albuquerque, New Mexico from  January 16-18, 2009.  The room rate will be $125.00.

On-line Registration will be available in late October of 2008.

For additional information, contact:

Jeannie Battin
National Education Association
1401 17th Street, Suite 950
Denver, CO  80202
(303) 294-3548

Thank you for attending the Midwest Regional Leadership Conference in Minneapolis, MN.

We hope to see you next year at the 2009 NEA Midwest Regional Leadership Conference at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Chicago, Illinois on January 16-18, 2009.

Online registration will be availabe in late October of 2008.

For additional information, please contact:

Patricia Martinez
National Education Association
1401 17th Street, Suite 950
Denver, CO  80202
(303) 294-3541

Thank you for attending the 2008 NEA Northeast Regional Leadership Conference in Brooklyn, New York.

We hope to see you next year at the 2009 NEA Northeast Regional Leadership Conference in Boston, Massachusetts.  (However, please note that the host state is Vermont ) 

The hotel address is:
Boston Marriott Copley Place Hotel
110 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA  02116

For additional information, contact:

Liza Soviak
National Education Association
1201 16th Street, N.W. Suite 412
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 822-7793

Thank you for attending the 2008 NEA Mid-Atlantic Regional Leadership Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.

We hope to see you next year at the 2009 NEA Mid-Atlantic Regional Leadership Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina on January 23-25, 2009.

For additional information, contact:

Robin Jones
National Education Association
1201 16th Street, N.W. Suite 412
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 822-7713
RJones@nea.org

Labor/Management Partnership

Award Honors New Teacher Induction Programs

Retention of new teachers is a national problem. Although it is estimated that over two million new teachers will be needed in the next ten years, 30 percent of new teachers leave the profession within their first three years and within five years that number grows to 50 percent. However, when the administration and the local education Association work in partnership to establish and sustain new teacher induction programs that nurture and guide new teachers, professional satisfaction and retention rates soar.

The 2008 NEA-Saturn/UAW Partnership Awards will recognize exemplary new teacher induction programs based upon administration and association partnerships. The recognized programs must have a comprehensive induction program that contains high quality mentoring AND at least two additional components such as:

• Appropriate staffing for beginning teachers
• Common planning time
• Ongoing professional development
• Access to external network of teachers
• Standards-based evaluation

Principles of the NEA-Saturn/UAW Partnership:

• Trust
• Teamwork
• Shared decision making
• Focus on quality
• Training
• Accountability for results
• Long term ability to survive conflict & change

This summer, as many as six winners will be honored for their successful partnership efforts at the 2008 NEA Representative Assembly (RA) in Washington, D.C. They will also be invited to meet General Motors and UAW leaders in Michigan during American Education Week in November 2008.

Winners will have the opportunity to share "best practices" with each other and the broader education community. Expenses to the RA and the Saturn/UAW trip will be paid for one administration and one local Association representative. There is, however, no monetary grant associated with this award.

To apply, download and complete:

• Application Information ( 2pp, 60 KB)
• Application Instructions ( 2pp, 87 KB)

Completed applications must be postmarked by March 14, 2008. Mail to:

Partnership Award
NEA External Partnerships & Advocacy
1201 16th St. N.W., Ste. 317
Washington, D.C. 20036-3290

Or fax the completed application to (202) 822-7117.

Questions or Comments?

Send us an e-mail.

Thank you for attending the 2008 Southeast Regional Leadership Conference.

We look forward to seeing you at the 2009 Southeast Regional Leadership Conference at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa in Montgomery, AL on January 30-February 1, 2009.

Online Registration will be available in late October, 2008. Please check back at that time for detailed information regarding hotel and travel arrangements.

For immediate information contact:

Delona Curtis
Sr. Program Assistant
NEA Southeast Regional Office
1745 Phoenix Blvd. #330
Atlanta, GA  30349
770-996-9047

One Message...Many Voices: Empowering, Engaging, Enhancing

February 1-3, 2008 / Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

The NEA Southeast Regional Leadership conference is designed to further enhance the knowledge of K-12 teachers, education support professionals, higher education, student and retired members.

Use the following information to register and make your hotel reservations. Questions or Unable to register online? Contact the Southeast Regional Office at Serlc@nea.org or (770) 996-9047.

		Register Online ! It's Fast and Easy. The conference registration fee is $120. The registration fee includes all group meals, breaks, and conference materials. The last day for online registration is Monday, January 21, 2008. The last day for hotel reservations is Tuesday, January 10, 2008. Read our cancellation and refund policies. Download your: Please check back here in mid December for the Tentative Program Agenda . Conference Tentative Agenda ( 172 KB, 25pp) NEA Funded Travel Expense Voucher ( 79 KB, 1p) NEA PAC Fundraiser ( 45 KB, 1p) Read Across America Flyer ( 38 KB, 1p) NEA Funded Participants Garber Travel Discount Flyer ( 88 KB, 1p) Garber Travel Discount Flyer ( 88 KB, 1p) Ground Transportation Comparison ( 15 KB, 1p) Expense Guidelines (  16 KB, 1p) SERLC Flyer (  64 KB, 1p)
Conference Site		Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel 2101 N. Oak Street Myrtle Beach, SC  29577 (843) 918-5000   Room rates/additional information
Travel		Myrtle Beach International Airport -7 miles/10 minutes from conference site
Local Attractions		Myrtle Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Myrtle Beach.com Myrtle Beach Live

Lodging

Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel
2101 N. Oak Street
Myrtle Beach, SC  29577
(843) 918-5000

• The conference room rates is $128.00 per night based on single or double occupancy, $138 Triple + tax and $148 Quad + tax. Quoted rooms rates are subject to all applicable city, county, state, or federal taxes that apply at the time of room occupancy. 
• Hotel reservations must be made on or before January 10, 2008.
• Hotel reservations can be made by phone at (843) 918-5000. When calling, be sure to identify yourself as an "NEA conference participant" to receive the conference rate.
• When making your reservation, please inform the hotel of any special requests.
• Please contact the hotel directly with your concerns or questions and to confirm your reservation. You are responsible for making your own room reservations directly with the hotel. Do not call the Southeast Regional Office.
• A credit card will be required in order to secure your reservation.
• Check-in time is 3:00 p.m. and Check-out time is 12:00 noon.
• The Hotel's attached garage parking is available for $5 per day. 

Back to top

Cancellation Policy

• If you need to cancel your registration and you registered online, please cancel online. To make changes to your online registration or to cancel your registration, return to the online registration form, click existing registration, and then enter the e-mail address you originally registered with. Your online registration can also be easily accessed from your confirmation e-mail.
• Cancellations sent by e-mail should be forwarded to Serlc@nea.org.
• Cancellations sent by letter should be mailed to:

  National Education Association
  Southeast Regional Office
  1745 Phoenix Blvd., Suite 330
  Atlanta, GA 30349
  Attn: Delona Curtis, Sr. Program Assistant

Refund Policy

• For cancellations received prior to December 31, 2007 will be refunded in full within 4-6 weeks following the conference.
• All fees paid by credit card will be refunded to your credit card within 7-10 business days after the date of cancellation.
• All fees paid by check will be refunded by check within 4 to 6 weeks after the end of the conference.
• All refunds will be issued in the manner of original payment (credit card or check). 
• 50% of your fees will be refunded if your cancellation is received by January 21, 2008.   
• No refunds will be issued if you cancel after January 21, 2008.
• No refunds will be issued for NO SHOWS. 

Back to top

Miscellaneous

• Legislative and Resolutions Hearing - The Open Hearing on Legislative and Resolutions are scheduled for Sunday, February 3, 2008 at 7:45 am. Copies of the 2007-2008 NEA Resolutions will be provided at the Hearing and are also available for advance review on the NEA website by visiting http://www.nea.org/annualmeeting/raaction/images/2007-2008Resolutions.pdf.
  
• The Budget Open Hearing is scheduled for Sunday, February 3, 2008 from 8:30 - 9:15 a.m. with Lily Eskelsen, NEA's Secretary-Treasurer as the moderator in D Ballroom.

Back to top

Regional Leadership Conferences have the following objectives:

• Develop strategies and programs to advance a broad-based understanding and commitment to NEA's Strategic Plan.
  
  
• Encourage members to become more involved in leadership roles of the Association by expanding their knowledge of the NEA, its programs and activities.
  
  
• Develop and enhance personal leadership skills.
  
  
• Provide opportunities for hearings on NEA's budget, legislative program and resolutions.
  
  

2009 Conferences

Western Regional Leadership Conference
January 16-18, 2009
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Contact: Jeannie Battin
(303) 294-3548

Midwest Regional Leadership Conference
January 16-18, 2009
Chicago, Illinois
Contact: Patricia Martinez
(303) 294-3541

Northeast Regional Leadership Conference
January 23-25, 2009
Boston, Massachusetts
Contact: Liza Soviak
(202) 822-7143

Mid-Atlantic Regional Leadership Conference
January 23-25, 2009
Charlotte, North Carolina
Contact: Robin Jones
(202) 822-7111

Southeast Regional Leadership Conference
January 30-February 1, 2009
Montgomery, Alabama
Contact: Delona Curtis
(770) 996-9047

Pacific Regional Leadership Conference
February 13-15, 2009
Seattle, Washington
Contact: Marija Buljan-Bergero
(650) 347-6000

All Members are Invited to this Free, Important Event

Saturday, June 2, 2007 Renaissance Concourse Hotel One Hartsfield Centre Parkway Atlanta, GA 30354 404-209-9999 Top researchers will speak on: Closing the Achievement Gaps Conversations about Black Boys Perspectives of High School Dropouts To obtain a registration form: Download the form ( 81kb, 1p), print out, and fax to (202) 822-7578. Send an e-mail to request a registration form. All registration forms are due by May 21. No registration fee is required. (Note that hotel parking is $3.00.) Questions? Call ( 202) 822-7727.

NEA's ability to positively influence policy—to ensure every child's basic right to a great public school and to secure full rights for women—is in direct proportion to our ability to maintain an active and engaged membership.

Thousands of Association women leaders across the country have experienced NEA's Women’s Leadership Training. Each year hundreds of women Association members undertake this successful program, especially designed to meet their needs.

Created in the late 1970s in response to a proposal submitted by a Special Committee on Women's Leadership Training, the Women's Leadership Training Program (WLTP) has maintained a high standard for leadership training and a high volume of requests from NEA affiliates for training in their states.

Composed of five packages geared to meet the needs of all members—from those just beginning to participate in the Association all the way to experienced leaders who have been appointed or elected to the highest local, state, and national leadership positions—the training sessions include:

• Personal Assessment Leadership Skills, for members in the early stages of Association participation
• Personal and Professional Decision-Making Skills, for members beginning to move into leadership positions
• Group Process Skills, designed for diverse groups of male and female Association leaders who want to learn vital communication and decision-making skills
• Organizational Analysis Skills, for Association leaders who want to chart a path to higher levels of leadership in the Association
• Campaigning to Win, for Association leaders who want to learn how to conduct an effective election campaign to run for higher office, either for themselves or for others.

Women's Leadership Training is delivered regionally three times a year, just prior to Regional Leadership Conferences. State presidents select three members from each state in the region to attend. Often, women state presidents who make these selections have been WLTP participants themselves. Numerous women leaders, in high offices of the local, state, and national Associations, credit WLTP with their success.

You could join their ranks! For more information, contact Pamela Rios-Mobley by e-mail  prios@nea.org or telephone (202) 822-7727.

What Are the Seminars About?

Each MLT Regional Seminar is designed to foster, promote, and enhance ethnic minority involvement in local, state, regional, and national Association policymaking and leadership. The seminars offer a wide range of professional learning opportunities including:

• Leadership development skills training for emerging, experienced, and advanced leaders;
• Dialogue sessions with regional and national experts on current issues affecting our schools, profession, and community;
• Networking with other education professionals and national and state leaders;
• And much more.

Who Can Attend?

Official Team Members: (NEA Funded) Each state president is encouraged to select a 6-member team of ethnic-minority members/leaders to attend. Funding for state team members is provided by the NEA Human and Civil Rights Department. Members of this state team are expected to attend the seminar for two consecutive years.

Other NEA Members (State, local, or individually funded) are additional NEA members who can attend an MLT Seminar in their region. Funding for these participants can be provided by either their local or state association, or by individuals themselves.

Seminars in Your Region

Six seminars (one per region) are scheduled every year. The fall 2007-2009 seminars are listed below. Registration information is provided as it becomes available.

FALL MLT Seminars

Midwest Region
Online Registration
October 3-5, 2008, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Monique Bailey: 202-822-7766 or send an e-mail
Robert Kim: 202-822-7439 or send an e-mail

Northeast Region
Online Registration
October 10-12, 2008, Boston, Massachusetts
Cassandra Glymph: 202-822-7705 or send an e-mail
Jenny Phelps: 202-822-7706 or send an e-mail

Southeast Region
Online Registration
October 17-19, 2008, Mobile, Alabama
Monique Bailey: 202-822-7766 or send an e-mail
Patricia Wright: 202-822-7334 or send an e-mail

WINTER MLT Seminars

Western Region
January 14-16, 2009, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Cassandra Glymph: 202-822-7705 or send an e-mail
Jenny Phelps: 202-822-7706 or send an e-mail

Mid-Atlantic Region
January 21-23, 2009, Charlotte, North Carolina
Monique Bailey: 202-822-7766 or send an e-mail
Patricia Wright: 202-822-7334 or send an e-mail

Pacific Region
February 11-13, 2009, Seattle, Washington
Cassandra Glymph: 202-822-7705 or send an e-mail
Robert Kim: 202-822-7439 or send an e-mail

Debbie Minnick

Minnick, who is also President of the Ithaca Paraprofessional Association (IPA) and a member of the NEA Board of Directors, was honored for leading the successful fight in 2002 for a living wage for 220 underpaid paraprofessionals, most of them women.

With support from NEA-New York, other labor unions, parents, students, and the local community, the IPA Living Wage Campaign won a whopping 50 percent wage increase over three years and also increased membership in their bargaining unit to a perfect 100 percent.

In the wake of the Ithaca campaign, Minnick has traveled around the country to speak about the low pay given to education support professionals and how to organize successful living wage campaigns with strong parent and community backing.

Her work has been the inspiration for living wage campaigns by public school employees in Atlanta, Denver, St. Louis County, Mo., Seneca Valley, Pa., Oshkosh, Wis., Montgomery and Birmingham, Ala. and Fayette County, Ky.

Founded in 1979, NCPE is a broad-based coalition dedicated to achieving fair pay for women and people of color. The award is named in honor of Winn Newman, an attorney who achieved ground-breaking success in establishing the legal basis of pay equity and argued many of the most significant pay equity cases, including AFSCME v. State of Washington.

Public education was the winner by two-to-one in nine state initiatives submitted to voters in six states on Nov. 2. Voters supported public education in six of the nine contests.

Washington state voters supported an initiative backed by the Washington Education Association to repeal the charter school law just passed by the Legislature. Voters rejected a one cent sales tax increase for education funding.

Nevada voters decided two key initiatives: Education First passed and now requires the Legislature to set the education budget prior to approving other program funding. The other initiative would have required Nevada ’s education spending per student to at least equal the national average by 2012. It failed.

In Oklahoma, voters approved two initiatives: One creates a state run lottery to help fund education and the other establishes a Lottery Trust Fund to support education.

The South Dakota Education Association helped defeat a proposal that would have allowed schools to pay for transportation and food services for children in private schools.

Arkansas voters defeated a referendum calling for a 3-mill increase in property taxes to support school funding.

By a wide margin, Maine voters defeated a proposal to set a strict cap on property taxes.

NEA members are encouraged to submit grant applications to The NEA Foundation. Applications are accepted on an ongoing, year-round basis for both Innovation Grants and Learning & Leadership Grants, so it's never too late to apply.

The next review date is Feb. 1, 2005. Grants fund activities for 12 months from the award date.

NEA members have applied for and received more than 1,500 grants over the years. Read about their projects and then submit your own idea.

Innovation Grants and Learning & Leadership Grants are available for all subjects, including the arts, literacy, science, and technology.

All members who are practicing K-12 public school teachers, education support professionals, or higher education faculty and staff at public colleges and universities are encouraged to apply.

The NEA Foundation now offers bigger and better grants -- up to $5,000 per project -- to fund your good ideas.

Don't wait. Applying for a grant is easy. Visit The NEA Foundation online  today for more information, including guidelines and an application. Or call (202)822-7840.

Jennifer J. Montgomery

The NEA Foundation bestowed The NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence to Jennifer J. Montgomery, an English and journalism teacher at Bismarck High School in Bismarck, North Dakota.

This prestigious annual award recognizes, rewards, and promotes excellence in teaching and advocacy for the profession, and honors public education and the 2.7 million dedicated members of the National Education Association(NEA).

Nominated by the North Dakota Education Association (NDEA), Montgomery received the award at The NEA Foundation's 10th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Gala, and received a personalized commemorative gift and a check for $25,000.

In her acceptance speech Montgomery stated, "I am proud to be a product of a great American public school. I am proud to be an educator in a great public school, and I am proud to be counted as a member of the NEA, a force for the power and faith in education and all it promises to our great nation."

A National Board Certified Teacher, Montgomery felt a special calling to be a teacher more than 12 years ago. Her teaching style addresses students' unique learning needs and backgrounds, allowing them to "work on things that matter in ways that make sense to them as individuals."

NDEA president Gloria Lokken calls Montgomery "an amazing educator and professional whose exuberance for the teaching profession illuminates all that she does in the education environment and in the community."

Throughout her teaching career, Montgomery has actively participated in the NEA as well as her local and state associations. She was an NEA Women's Leadership Training Program National Cadres Trainer in 2002.

At the state level, Montgomery served on the NDEA Board of Directors, acted as a legislative lobbyist, and was a delegate to the NEA's Representative Assembly. At the local level, she has been Bismarck Education Association bargaining team member and head bargainer, and state representative assembly delegate.   

Montgomery has received numerous awards and honors, including the 2003 North Dakota Teacher of the Year and finalist for the 2003 National Teacher of the Year, 2001 Milken National Educator Award, and Award for Excellence in Teaching from American Councils for International Education in 2002. She earned a Master of Science in Education; Bachelor of Science in Education, Summa Cum Laude; and a Bachelor of Arts, Summa Cum Laude, from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.

Montgomery was among five finalists selected earlier this year as recipients of The Horace Mann–NEA Foundation Awards for Teaching Excellence. These five each received a cash award of $10,000 and financial support to attend the gala from the Horace Mann Insurance Company.

All state affiliate nominees received The I CAN Learn®–NEA Foundation Awards for Teaching Excellence, made possible by a gift from I CAN Learn® Education Systems. The other finalists are:

• Keil E. Hileman, II, nominated by the Kansas NEA, is a middle school history teacher at Monticello Trails Middle School in Shawnee, Kansas.
• Robert S. J. Hu, nominated by the Hawaii State Teachers Association, is a secondary social studies teacher at Mililani High School in Mililani, Hawaii.
• Katherine Scott Sturdevant, nominated by the Colorado Education Association, is Chair of History Department as well as member of the History faculty at Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
• Thomas Joseph White, nominated by the Washington Education Association, is a third- and fourth-grade teacher at Lynnwood Intermediate School in Lynnwood, Washington.

The NEA Foundation and the NEA jointly created The NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence, and partnered with the Horace Mann Insurance Company and I CAN Learn® Education Systems to establish additional awards to honor the excellence in teaching exemplified by millions of NEA members across the country.

Created by the NEA in 1969, The NEA Foundation inspires public education employees to ensure that all students succeed.

The Maryland State Teachers Association (MSTA) is highlighting national Education Support Professional Day by holding a news conference at its Annapolis headquarters to put the spotlight on the work of four outstanding support professionals.

The Wednesday of American Education Week, Nov. 14-20 this year, has been designated National Education Support Professional Day since 1987 .             

An MSTA media advisory explains, "This briefing offers a rare perspective of the employees who work behind the scenes as the essential spoke in the wheel of every public school. MSTA president Patricia A. Foerster, will introduce and honor four unsung heroes of public education in Maryland who are doing extraordinary things that positively impact students. Dr. Rosemary King-Johnston will bring greetings from Dr. Nancy Grasmick, state superintendent." 

The four education support professionals are from Harford, Prince George 's, Anne Arundel and Queen Anne counties and will be present for interviews.

Anne Arundel County -- Donna Ross, a paraprofessional at Ruth Parker Eason School is one of the many assistants at the school who work long, tedious hours with severely handicapped students.

Harford County -- Joann Cross, a health technician at Youth Benefits Elementary School is a cancer survivor, who worked through her illness with a determination to continue to give her students the highest level of service. Today, five years into her recovery, she mentors students and directly impacts their physical and emotional well-being.

Prince George 's County -- Raymond Petty, a paraprofessional at Oxon Hill High School, directs an award winning choir that has performed for President George W. Bush, members of Congress and at countless prestigious programs. A small group from the choir will perform at the briefing.

Queen Anne's County -- Ronnie Valentine, a bus driver for physical and emotionally handicapped children uses her upbeat and creatively understanding personality to help students by listening, advising teachers and administrators and working cooperatively with parents.

NEA has developed a "Guide to Celebrate National Education Support Professionals Day" (PDF, 30 pages, 314 KB) that contains ideas for celebrating, tips on media outreach, sample proclamations, letters to the editor, news releases, public service announcement scripts, and more.  

NEA Member Benefits offers NEA members quality benefits including financial, investment, insurance, and other products in a competitive nationwide market. The programs of NEA Member Benefits are supported by superior service, by a consumer education program designed to help members be better consumers of financial and other products, and by a process to resolve consumer concerns fairly.

You need to be a member of NEA and its state and local affiliates to take advantage of these services, programs, products, and other benefits.

The following links are offered to help you find the specific information in which you are interested.

Benefits -- Benefits of NEA membership

Credit card

Discounts

Insurance

Liability insurance

Life insurance

Loans

Long-term care

Magazine service/magazine subscriptions

Member benefits -- Benefits of NEA membership

Member discounts

Member only -- NEA Member Benefits offers member only information, financial products, and services

Money market

Mortgages;

NEA benefits -- Benefits of NEA membership

NEA discount card

NEA Member Benefits -- Offers NEA members financial products, information, and services

Car rental

Hotel discounts

Travel discounts

This Article Has Been Moved

The information in this article has been updated and moved to our "Legislative Action Center" at www.nea.org/lac/edtax/index.html. Please update your bookmarks.

NetDay and NEA have teamed up to give kids a say in how technology is used to improve their education in the October 29, 2003, Speak Up Day event.

On NetDay's Speak Up Day, some 500,000 students are expected to share their ideas about using technology and the Internet during a national online event. The results are intended to help shape the U.S. Department of Education's National Technology Plan, which is being developed as a mandate of the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) , also known as the "No Child Left Behind" act.

According to NetDay, a national education technology nonprofit organization, "Today's students are natives in the cyber world; adults are the immigrants. Students use technology like language or currency, without a thought about how or why. Adults have had to relearn how to work, play, and socialize using technology."

NetDay's research shows that students have "very distinct ideas about leveraging technology to improve their education…but for the most part, no one has asked their opinion." With Speak Up Day, students are being asked.

To find out more about how students, teachers, schools, parents, and friends of education can promote and participate in Speak Up Day, visit NetDay's Web site.

NEA members, staff, and their family and friends who want to participate in the events are asked to meet at the NEA headquarters in Washington (1201 16th Street N. W.) at 9:00 am. T-shirts and placards will be distributed to those who choose to participate in the events.

Teach-in planned

Organizers of the 40th anniversary activities have planned a "Teach-In" from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and a rally from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.which will take place in, at, or near the Lincoln Memorial. Teach-In activities will take place in tents near the Memorial. The NEA and the Ameircan Federation of Teachers (AFT) will co-host a tent in which there will be two panel discussions on public education. The first session, from 10:30 a.m. to noon will cover preserving access to higher education after the Supreme Court decision in the University of Michigan affirmative action program.   The second session, from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. will focus on assuring great public schools for all children and combating voucher schemes.

NEA participants who do not choose to actually march can depart the NEA to participate in the Teach-In and the rally. The closest Metro stop to the the Lincoln Memorial is Foggy Bottom/GWU on the Blue Line and Orange Line. The Metro Blue/Orange Line stop closest to the NEA building is McPherson Square. From McPherson Square, take the Blue Line in the direction of Franconia-Springfield and get off at Foggy Bottom/GWU (second stop from McPherson Square) or take the Orange Line in the direction of Vienna and get off at Foggy Bottom/GWU.

Two groups, UEAA and the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action & Integration for Equality By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) are sponsoring an actual "march" on that day.

NEA marchers have two options

Option 1: March from Howard University. It's about a three mile walk from Howard to the Lincoln Memorial. Marchers can get to Howard from the NEA building using public transportation. (Take the Red line in the direction of Glenmont to the Gallery Place stop. Change to the Green Line in the direction of Greenbelt, and get off at the Shaw/Howard University stop. The fare is $1.20 ) The march is scheduled to begin at noon and will arrive at the Lincoln Memorial shortly before the start of the rally at 3:30.

Option 2--Join the March as it passes just north of the NEA building. The NEA building is about the half-way point of the march route, with a distance of 1.5 miles to the Lincoln Memorial. The march should arrive near NEA between 1:30 and 2:00 p.m.

NEA members and staff who plan to participate or have questions are asked to email NEA at NEAmarchonwashington@nea.org or call 202-822-7200.

The National Education Association will participate in a march Aug. 23 in Washington, D.C. to commemorate the 40^th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's historic March on Washington that culminated with his "I Have a Dream" speech.

NEA's Representative Assembly, the organization's top policy-making body, voted at its Annual Meeting in July to support and take part in the March for Jobs, Peace and Freedom scheduled for Saturday, August 23, in D.C.

NEA is organizing a contingent of members to march in protest of the sanctioned provisions of NCLB/ESEA, privatization of federal Title I resources, the privatization, reconstitution, and closing of schools, and to realize the promise of Brown v. Board of Education.

NEA participants are asked to meet at 9 a.m. at the NEA building.  Special arrangements and options for participation in the day's events will be available to NEA members.

NEA members who plan to participate, or have questions, are asked to email NEA at NEAmarchonwashington@nea.org. Or call 202-822-7200.

Martin Luther King III and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference are spearheading the march with support from the NAACP, National Organization for Women (NOW), and United for Equality and Affirmative Action (UEAA).

The National Education Association is supporting the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride this fall that organizers say will help draw a "new map for the road to citizenship" in the United States.

A key player in securing NEA's official endorsement of the effort, Los Angeles math coach and NEA member Andy Griggs knows that immigration reform is very much an education issue.

In his work at Shenandoah Elementary School with non-citizens and their kids, this veteran educator sees the strain of “parents holding down two or three jobs that nobody else wants at minimum wage,” and the “emotional hardships” of families divided and “broken” by the nation’s immigration bureaucracy.

Hardest of all for Griggs: the sight of a child in tears after a holiday visit to family members stranded in Mexico or Guatemala, or a new immigrant student who “breaks down” and “will not go into a classroom” out of fear of being separated from relatives.

That’s why Griggs — co-chair of the Human Rights Committee of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) and Pacific region coordinator of the NEA Peace and Justice Caucus — recently worked with Mary Ann Pacheco and David Hernandez of the NEA Hispanic Caucus to win NEA Representative Assembly support of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride (IWFR)  on September 27-October 4.

Modeled after the Freedom Rides of the 1960s, which targeted racial bias in the interstate bus and train networks, the IWFR will focus the nation’s attention on the subservient, second-class status of non-citizens and prod Congress to reform the nation’s antiquated immigration laws.

IWFR buses packed predominantly with immigrants will depart from 10 major cities, stop for events in 80 towns, roll on to Washington, D.C. for a Lobby Day, and wind up at an October 4 mass rally in Queens, New York.

Among other objectives, IWFR organizers — including labor, civil rights, community, immigrant, and business groups — seek a “clear road to citizenship” for immigrant workers, the right of non-citizens to reunite their families, and the protection of immigrants’ labor rights and civil liberties. Immigrant workers “need equal rights on the job and the right to organize unions — regardless of their immigration status,” stresses IWFR spokesperson David Koff.

The Ride has gained some impressive supporters, including California’s lieutenant governor and state Senate and the governor of New Jersey. Now IWFR organizers seek the backing of NEA members and affiliates — to endorse the IWFR, sponsor riders, organize local events, or make contributions.

Tommy O’Briant Freeman, II Receives NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence

WASHINGTON, D.C., — The NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education (NFIE) bestowed its top honor on Tommy (Brian) O’Briant Freeman, II, a second-grade teacher at Peterson Elementary School in Red Springs, North Carolina. Freeman received "The NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence" for 2003.

This annual award recognizes, rewards, and promotes excellence in teaching and advocacy for the profession, and honors public education and the 2.7 million dedicated members of the National Education Association (NEA). Freeman received the award Dec. 11 at the Foundation’s 9^th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Gala, and was presented with a personalized commemorative gift and a check for $25,000.

Four other finalists receive $10,000 each

Freeman, nominated by the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), was among five finalists selected earlier this year as recipients of The Horace Mann–NEA Foundation Awards for Teaching Excellence. These five received a cash award of $10,000 and financial support to attend the gala from The Horace Mann Companies.

All nominees for The NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence received "The I CAN Learn^®–NEA Foundation Awards for Teaching Excellence," made possible by a gift from the I CAN Learn^® Education Systems, which funds the other nominees' travel to the gala.

An elected town commissioner for his hometown, Freeman makes learning fun for his students, one day playing the Nutty Professor, the next Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother.

Freeman attracts help from celebrities

"Within his classroom, Brian addresses diverse learners through hands-on teaching and a variety of techniques that support different learning styles," notes Carolyn O. McKinney, president of NCAE.

Freeman incorporates reading, drawing, singing, writing, and even dancing into daily lessons. One of his projects, Celebrity Adventures with Flat Stanley, challenged students to read almost 7,000 books and caught the attention of celebrities such as Halle Berry, Tim McGraw, and Shaquille O’Neal, who wrote letters to encourage the students to continue reading.

Says Freeman, "I will do whatever it takes to make sure my students are inspired to learn and challenged to excel. I try to make school magical and comfortable for all students."   

Secured $1 million in grants for his district

Freeman holds certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. His unique teaching style has garnered him many awards, including the National Second Grade Teacher of the Year award, The Terry Sanford Award for Creativity and Innovation in Teaching and Administration from the NCAE, the District Teacher of the Year award, a state finalist honor for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching, and the WBTW-TV 13 Golden Apple Award.

USA Today twice named him one of the top 40 teachers in the nation. He is a past recipient of an Innovation Grant from The NEA Foundation, and has secured almost $1 million for his district through the Reading Excellence Act, the largest grant ever received in the school system.

Freeman obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications in 1992 and a Master of Arts degree in Elementary Education in 1997 from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Mary Hatwood Futrell, other finalists also honored

The NEA Foundation also honored the other four finalists for The NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence, as well as all of the awardees, grantees, and NEA members who work so hard every day to teach, to learn, and to make public schools great for every child. The other finalists are:

• Wendy Doromal, an alternative education teacher at Timber Creek High School in Orlando, Florida nominated by the Florida Education Association
• Marian Galbraith, an eighth-grade reading teacher at West Side Middle School in Groton, Connecticut, nominated by the Connecticut Education Association
• Jolene Moreno Hyatt, a kindergarten teacher at La Junta Primary School in La Junta, Colorado, nominated by the Colorado Education Association
• Vaughn Tokashiki, a fifth-grade teacher at Benjamin Parker Elementary School in Kaneohe, Hawaii, nominated by the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

Last night’s award ceremony also included the presentation of The NEA Foundation Award for Outstanding Service to Public Education to Mary Hatwood Futrell, Dean of The George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development and Past President of the National Education Association.

This award is given annually to an individual who has made exceptional contributions to public education. Past recipients include Richard W. Riley, former U.S. Secretary of Education; the late Fred Rogers, creator and host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood; and LeVar Burton, host and co-executive producer of Reading Rainbow.

The NEA Foundation and the NEA jointly created The NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence in 2000, and partnered with The Horace Mann Companies and I CAN^® Learn Education Systems to establish additional awards to honor the excellence in teaching exemplified by millions of NEA members across the country.

The NEA Foundation was created by NEA members in 1969 and is sustained by their continuing support. For more information about the Foundation’s gala, teaching excellence awards, and grant programs, please visit the NEA Foundation Web site.

Dec. 12, 2003

###

For more information, contact:
Christine Chirichella
202.822.7803
cchirichella@nea.org

Washington, DC -– On behalf of the National Education Association (NEA), The NEA Foundation has awarded 10 grants to secondary fine arts teachers to create and implement programs that promote learning among students at risk of school failure.

For the second year, the NEA Fine Arts Grants program honors all art forms, including painting, sculpture, photography, music, theater, dance, design, media, and folk arts. Eligibility for these $2,000 grants have alternated between elementary and secondary fine arts specialists who are members of the NEA.                      

The NEA Foundation regularly offers hundreds of grants each year to fund innovative or professional development projects.  Grants are available for all subjects, including the arts, literature, science, mathematics, social sciences, and technology.  All practicing U.S. public school K–12 teachers, education support professionals, and higher education faculty and staff are eligible to apply.

Visit The NEA Foundation online for grant guidelines and applications or call (202)822-7840.

The NEA Foundation inspires public education employees to ensure that all students succeed. Created by the NEA in 1969, the foundation makes grants to improve public education nationwide.

NEA Secretary-Treasurer Lily Eskelsen will be the featured guest on The Washington Post Web site's "Teacher Says" live online chat from 2-3 p.m. (EST) on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

Ms. Eskelsen and "Teacher Says" columnist Evelyn Vuko will answer questions about today's top education news.

Visitors can begin submitting questions prior to the chat by logging on to the "Discussions" area  of the Washington Post Web site. From there use the drop down menu and click on either Evelyn Vuko in "Shows by Host Name" or Teacher Says in "Shows by Subject."

Do you know a teacher who goes the extra step to inspire, motivate, and educate students? Disney is searching for dynamic, creative teachers who lead their students to the height of learning for the 2005 DisneyHand Teacher Awards.

The Walt Disney Company will honor the selected outstanding teachers with monetary awards totaling over $700,000 and recognition at an awards gala.

Nominations are being accepted through Oct. 15, 2004. If you know a teacher, please raise your hand to nominate them. Students, former students, students' parents, principals, members of the community, or co-workers may submit nominations by calling the toll-free number 1-877-ATA-TEACH (1-877-282-8322) or by using the online nomination form.

For more information on the awards program visit the DisneyHand Web site.

More than $1 million to be awarded
to outstanding teachers and schools

Do you know a teacher who goes the extra step to inspire, motivate, and educate students? Disney is searching for dynamic, creative teachers who lead their students to the height of learning for the 2004 DisneyHand Teacher Awards.

Nominations are being accepted through Oct. 3, 2003. If you know a teacher, please raise your hand to nominate them. Students, former students, students' parents, principals, members of the community, or co-workers may submit nominations by calling the toll-free number 1-877-ATA-TEACH (1-877-282-8322) or by using the online nomination form.

Program will honor 45 teachers

In a special effort to diversify the pool of applicants, we encourage students and co-workers to recognize teachers of color who are making a difference in their communities. Also, in order to benefit more educators, and ultimately more students, Disney has expanded the program to honor 45 teachers.

DisneyHand Teacher Awards honor representatives of the teaching profession who construct creative learning environments in which students and teachers alike explore, imagine, and engage in a variety of thought-provoking experiences. These honorees will be selected from nominations submitted by students, parents, educators, and community members representing all regions of the country.

The 2004 nominees will be recognized at a four-day extravaganza at the Disneyland Resort, where they will take part in special events including VIP parties, a parade down Main Street, and unique professional development workshops focused on innovative approaches to teaching and learning through leadership development. The festivities will culminate in an awards gala where an Outstanding Teacher of the Year will be chosen from among the 45 nominees.

DisneyHand will award $25,000 to the Outstanding Teacher of the Year, with the Outstanding Teacher’s school receiving $10,000. All 45 honorees will receive $10,000 each, with their respective schools receiving $5,000.

Honorees to develop action plan for teacher learning

In addition to the awards ceremony and monetary contributions, the teachers and their principals will attend a workshop in October 2004 at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, where they will learn how to share their creative teaching practices, and also develop an action plan focused on improving professional collaboration and teacher learning in their schools during the 2004-2005 school year.

The honorees will be chosen by a selection committee composed of representatives of the following organizations: American Association of School Administrators, American Federation of Teachers, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the Council for American Private Education, Council for Exceptional Children, Council of Great City Schools, the Galef Institute, Harvard University’s Project Zero, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, National Education Association, National Middle School Association, National PTA. In addition, past DisneyHand Teacher Award honorees serve on the selection committee.

For more information on the awards program visit the DisneyHand Web site.

When Hurricane Charley ripped through Florida last month, it left more than 100 members of the Florida Education Association (FEA) in Charlotte, DeSoto, and Hardee Counties homeless and more than 600 with severely damaged homes.

Thousands of others suffered varying degrees of damage from the storm that destroyed more than 12,000 homes and severely damaged more than 20,000 others.

In Charlotte, DeSoto, and Hardee Counties, as well as in parts of Polk, Osceola, and Orange Counties, many schools were demolished or severely damaged and many teachers, school employees, and students there face a year of double shifts.

This is one of the eight Charlotte County schools destroyed or severely damaged by Hurricane Charley. But Florida Education Association leaders advise that members who are victims of the storm need financial assistance right now, not school supplies.

The FEA, an NEA affiliate, acted quickly to create the Hurricane Charley Relief Fund to bring direct assistance to members. FEA, NEA, the American Federation of Teachers, and a number of state and national Association staff unions have contributed to the fund, but the Florida members also need the help of their colleagues across the country.

The American Red Cross, government disaster relief agencies, and others have been everything they can to deliver assistance, but there are immediate and very real needs beyond emergency shelter and low-cost loans.

As the FEA officers reported in a damage update:

"One elementary school teacher was set to move on the weekend that Charley passed through. But the storm destroyed her new home and she has only a matter of days to leave her old place – with nowhere to go.

"Another Title I resource teacher is trying to scrape by in a severely damaged home. Her husband’s business was lost, and they spent the last of their money on a generator. She also lost all her teaching material that she had gathered over 29 years."

This report was from FEA President Andy Ford, First Vice-President Joanne McCall; and Vice-President for Financial Affairs Clara Cook. They wrote:

"Many of you have offered to send school supplies and other material contributions. Thank you for these generous offers, but for now, please hold on to them. Right now, there is no place to store materials in the affected counties and, until a more normal routine is established, they simply can’t handle those items. The immediate need is for financial assistance."