January 2005

Stop, Look, and Listen

Cookies and Doritos? Exotic destinations? You can't pass up this road trip. Hitch a ride as the Utah Education Association re-connects with members.

By John O'Neil

The Utah Education Association (UEA) latched onto the concept and made it even cooler. What if the vehicle of choice was actually an RV? And instead of going somewhere frivolous, like the Transamerican Museum of Beeswax, you journeyed to the places members worked, got to see a slice of their lives, where they hang out?

The latest UEA Road Trip, a fall staple for three years running, rolled to a stop recently after putting in 1,198 miles visiting schools across the state. Over two weeks, UEA staff and leaders, working with local leaders and UniServ folks, pulled off a Road Trip extraordinaire featuring 14 appearances of the Cat in the Hat, 26 schools visited, and too many donuts and soft cookies to count.

As they wheeled the 28-foot cruiser from the red-rock plateaus of Southern Utah to the mountain-ringed suburbs of Salt Lake City, the intrepid Road Trippers found Utah educators facing challenges head-on and reinvigorating their union.

Bursting at the Seams

In Stansbury Park, a bedroom community of Salt Lake City where new developments dot the landscape at the base of the Oquirrh Mountains, school construction simply can't keep pace. Carol Robertson, a fifth-grade teacher at Stansbury Elementary, said overcrowding has cramped teachers and students alike. "The faculty room's been converted to a kindergarten classroom, and we meet in a closet," she said, and in the lunchroom, "the kids have to put their trays sideways to eat."

Teachers at Viewmont High School in Bountiful also were feeling the strain of budget shortfalls and higher class rolls. Science teacher Barbara Progess said her classes are getting larger and she is teaching fewer sections of electives like astronomy. Despite rising student enrollments, four teachers had recently been involuntarily transferred, with another five in the offing, added building rep Dan Linford, "We're seeing many cuts, including some, like the AP humanities program, that have made Viewmont a special place," he said.

Federal Mandates Add Strain

In the southern leg of the trip, which passed through small towns like Hurricane, St. George, and Kanab, educators gave ample testimony to the mischief caused by NCLB, especially the requirements for highly qualified personnel. With fewer staff available, rural teachers often double up, teaching courses outside of their primary specialty. But that puts them at odds with the highly qualified provisions of NCLB.

And it's not just teachers bearing the brunt. In Minersville, Beaver Education Association President Alan Wood told Road Trippers that an outstanding classroom aide who served the district for 12 years recently left because she was not deemed "highly qualified" under NCLB.

NonStop Testing

At other stops, members related the fallout from NCLB's testing and accountability provisions.

The Road Trip crew visited Midvale Elementary School in Midvale, a Title I school with a large contingent of ESL students. Some of the students who show up in first-grade teacher Cassie Hill's class don't yet know their letters. Hill wishes NCLB were flexible enough to recognize the progress her students make throughout the year. "I asked to work here, because I love the diversity," said Hill. "I have one student, Pablo, who loves learning so much that he thanks me every day. But our school didn't pass Adequate Yearly Progress, so no matter how hard my kids work, they're considered failing. It really hurts morale."

John Helliwig, a science teacher at Copper Hills High School in West Jordan, also pointed out the excesses of testing. "I'm a conservative, but when it comes to NCLB, I have problems with the amount of testing and the time it takes away from learning," he said. For example, a school can be considered failing simply if a few students in one of the subgroups tested don't show up on test day. "I like the idea [of NCLB], but if I have two students who are chronically absent, how can I be accountable for their not being there?"

Hey, Climb Aboard!

Rusk quickly had a thought: could Slagowski identify a few kids responsible enough to take care of an instrument if the money could be raised through UEA's help? Slagowski liked that idea and, as Rusk listened to his concerns and walked him through some of the benefits offered by UEA, he opened up to joining as well. By the time the last pizza boxes had been cleared away, he'd become UEA's most recent member.

Reaching the Newbies

That sentiment is shared by other new teachers, Rusk said. "They're not worried about retirement, or about being sued—but they do want to know how to pass the Praxis test, how to improve, how to bring their students up to AYP. They want professional information."

In addition to the extra sessions for newbies at the UEA conference (where veteran teachers shared their time-tested tips), UEA reaches out to preservice teachers. Hundreds of student teachers have participated in "mock interviews" at UEA headquarters with Rusk and others helping them clarify their teaching approaches and polish their interview skills. "We coach them, and they get to know us as people," Rusk said. "Once they're in the classroom, we go right back and say, we need you as a member."

Of Cowboys And Community

Misleading rhetoric about public schools—circulated by pro-voucher groups and spread through conservative talk radio—has put Utah educators on the defensive the past few years. So UEA built in Road Trip events to help teachers connect with administrators and community members.

At the stop in Kanab, for example, educators, parents, and community officials mingled and munched pizza, enjoying performances by cowboy poet (and retired teacher) Hal Hamblin and student fiddlers. In Hurricane, a hotdog fund-raiser brought in $2,800 to help pay medical costs for local principal Dan Spendlove. The message undergirding such efforts: working together, we can make public schools even better.

The point wasn't lost on Davis County schools Superintendent Bryan Bowles, who began teaching in 1974 and retains his UEA membership. At a celebration of reading at Eagle Bay Elementary in Farmington, Bowles tag-teamed with Rusk, giving a stellar rendition of The Cat in the Hat to several hundred squirming, giggling kids. Bowles, who commands a sprawling district that stretches from Salt Lake City to Ogden, said afterward that the Road Trip "helps us to feel like a family. They're going a very long distance to make us feel closer. That's worth wearing yourself out to do."

Connecting Face-to-Face

When the Road Trip finally rolled to a stop, what did it amount to? Beyond the numbers (see "Tour Ticker," left), the Road Trip accomplished something much more lasting: it presented the human face of UEA and reaffirmed that the Association is attuned to the issues members face, Rusk and others said.

"As tired as you get, it's worth every minute," said Rusk. "Many of the people we talk to like their local, but they may be leery of the UEA and NEA because we're so removed from them—especially in the rural areas. So it's a big deal when UEA shows up. And when we meet them face-to-face, people say, 'Hey, you're just like us.' It's something you only get when you sit across the table; you can't get it from an e-mail or a flier in a box."

And since there's no way folks can share an RV for the better part of two weeks and not accumulate an album's worth of silly snapshots, the UEA trip generated more than its share. Like the scene at the motel in rural Panguitch when weary road-trippers were handed flashlights along with their room keys upon checking in. (The town's power, it turned out, was to be shut off for repairs that night.) Or the reading celebration at one elementary school where students clamored to give a high five to the Cat in the Hat—all except one, that is. She wouldn't go near the Cat, whispering in utter seriousness, "I saw the movie, and I know he coughs up a hairball."

—Additional reporting by UEA Communications Director Mark Mickelsen

Utah ESPs Take a Stand

Fed up with staff cuts and disrespect, members of Utah's largest ESP organization vote for affiliation with NEA.

Times are changing. By a vote of 97 percent, USEA members opted last May to affiliate with NEA—and then got right to work building on the new partnership.

"We're already seeing results," says Nan Kirkpatrick, a school food service employee and outgoing USEA president. "Our representatives are already receiving ESP training from NEA, and dispirited school employees who know the strength of NEA are getting excited and joining USEA."

To join NEA, USEA needed a helping hand from its long-time ally, the NEA-affiliated

Utah Education Association (UEA), which represents teachers. USEA wished to remain independent of UEA and affiliate directly with NEA, but UEA's constitution precluded the establishment of other NEA affiliates in Utah. In short, both USEA and UEA had to take action to make affiliation a reality.

 "We've tried other affiliations, and we've tried to go it alone," says Kirkpatrick. "But we need the kind of voice on the job that only a strong and resourceful national organization can give us. And NEA is that organization."

Pate says the partnership will make a world of difference for him and other ESPs.

"I know what it's like to try to build our membership the old way," adds Pate. "I've had to try to sign up school workers who'd seen RIF [layoff] after RIF that we couldn't stop. I think many of those same workers now believe, as I do, that we'll have a real voice in education throughout this state as part of NEA."

—Matt Simon

January 2005

Stop, Look, and Listen

Cookies and Doritos? Exotic destinations? You can't pass up this road trip. Hitch a ride as the Utah Education Association re-connects with members.

By John O'Neil

Admit it, something in you loves a road trip. Flashing down the interstate to places unknown, scarfing up the junk food, gettin' tight with your traveling buddies.

The Utah Education Association (UEA) latched onto the concept and made it even cooler. What if the vehicle of choice was actually an RV? And instead of going somewhere frivolous, like the Transamerican Museum of Beeswax, you journeyed to the places members worked, got to see a slice of their lives, where they hang out?

The latest UEA Road Trip, a fall staple for three years running, rolled to a stop recently after putting in 1,198 miles visiting schools across the state. Over two weeks, UEA staff and leaders, working with local leaders and UniServ folks, pulled off a Road Trip extraordinaire featuring 14 appearances of the Cat in the Hat, 26 schools visited, and too many donuts and soft cookies to count.

As they wheeled the 28-foot cruiser from the red-rock plateaus of Southern Utah to the mountain-ringed suburbs of Salt Lake City, the intrepid Road Trippers found Utah educators facing challenges head-on and reinvigorating their union.

Bursting at the Seams

As the state with the lowest per-pupil expenditures in the nation, along with the highest class sizes, Utah educators have their hands—and their classrooms—full. State funding has gotten tighter the past three years, so money that once was designated for class size relief is now used to cover shortfalls in basic program needs.

In Stansbury Park, a bedroom community of Salt Lake City where new developments dot the landscape at the base of the Oquirrh Mountains, school construction simply can't keep pace. Carol Robertson, a fifth-grade teacher at Stansbury Elementary, said overcrowding has cramped teachers and students alike. "The faculty room's been converted to a kindergarten classroom, and we meet in a closet," she said, and in the lunchroom, "the kids have to put their trays sideways to eat."

Teachers at Viewmont High School in Bountiful also were feeling the strain of budget shortfalls and higher class rolls. Science teacher Barbara Progess said her classes are getting larger and she is teaching fewer sections of electives like astronomy. Despite rising student enrollments, four teachers had recently been involuntarily transferred, with another five in the offing, added building rep Dan Linford, "We're seeing many cuts, including some, like the AP humanities program, that have made Viewmont a special place," he said.

Federal Mandates Add Strain

Federal mandates—in the form of the so-called No Child Left Behind law (NCLB)—are making things tougher, Utah teachers said.

In the southern leg of the trip, which passed through small towns like Hurricane, St. George, and Kanab, educators gave ample testimony to the mischief caused by NCLB, especially the requirements for highly qualified personnel. With fewer staff available, rural teachers often double up, teaching courses outside of their primary specialty. But that puts them at odds with the highly qualified provisions of NCLB.

And it's not just teachers bearing the brunt. In Minersville, Beaver Education Association President Alan Wood told Road Trippers that an outstanding classroom aide who served the district for 12 years recently left because she was not deemed "highly qualified" under NCLB.

NonStop Testing

At other stops, members related the fallout from NCLB's testing and accountability provisions.

The Road Trip crew visited Midvale Elementary School in Midvale, a Title I school with a large contingent of ESL students. Some of the students who show up in first-grade teacher Cassie Hill's class don't yet know their letters. Hill wishes NCLB were flexible enough to recognize the progress her students make throughout the year. "I asked to work here, because I love the diversity," said Hill. "I have one student, Pablo, who loves learning so much that he thanks me every day. But our school didn't pass Adequate Yearly Progress, so no matter how hard my kids work, they're considered failing. It really hurts morale."

John Helliwig, a science teacher at Copper Hills High School in West Jordan, also pointed out the excesses of testing. "I'm a conservative, but when it comes to NCLB, I have problems with the amount of testing and the time it takes away from learning," he said. For example, a school can be considered failing simply if a few students in one of the subgroups tested don't show up on test day. "I like the idea [of NCLB], but if I have two students who are chronically absent, how can I be accountable for their not being there?"

Hey, Climb Aboard!

When the Road Trip stopped at Hillcrest Junior High School in Murray for pizza in the faculty lounge, music teacher Joshua Slagowski had his doubts about joining the union. What he really wanted to talk about were the kids who weren't even making it into his classes because of the scarcity of resources. "I've had to turn away students this year because they couldn't afford to rent an instrument," he told UEA President Pat Rusk.

Rusk quickly had a thought: could Slagowski identify a few kids responsible enough to take care of an instrument if the money could be raised through UEA's help? Slagowski liked that idea and, as Rusk listened to his concerns and walked him through some of the benefits offered by UEA, he opened up to joining as well. By the time the last pizza boxes had been cleared away, he'd become UEA's most recent member.

Reaching the Newbies

But he wasn't the last member signed up during the Trip. Some of them, newly minted teachers like Heather Miller, had never belonged to a union. Miller, who runs an Even Start program in Clearfield, stopped by the Road Trip at a reception at Davis Education Association headquarters. During her college courses last summer, Miller said, "we worked on how we could make changes in the classroom. One of my goals was to join an organization that had the same beliefs and views that I have, so I decided to join." Miller said she and a friend (also a first-year teacher) were looking forward to a special one-day event at the UEA annual convention in October geared for newcomers. "It's important to improve," she said.

That sentiment is shared by other new teachers, Rusk said. "They're not worried about retirement, or about being sued—but they do want to know how to pass the Praxis test, how to improve, how to bring their students up to AYP. They want professional information."

In addition to the extra sessions for newbies at the UEA conference (where veteran teachers shared their time-tested tips), UEA reaches out to preservice teachers. Hundreds of student teachers have participated in "mock interviews" at UEA headquarters with Rusk and others helping them clarify their teaching approaches and polish their interview skills. "We coach them, and they get to know us as people," Rusk said. "Once they're in the classroom, we go right back and say, we need you as a member."

Of Cowboys And Community

Misleading rhetoric about public schools—circulated by pro-voucher groups and spread through conservative talk radio—has put Utah educators on the defensive the past few years. So UEA built in Road Trip events to help teachers connect with administrators and community members.

At the stop in Kanab, for example, educators, parents, and community officials mingled and munched pizza, enjoying performances by cowboy poet (and retired teacher) Hal Hamblin and student fiddlers. In Hurricane, a hotdog fund-raiser brought in $2,800 to help pay medical costs for local principal Dan Spendlove. The message undergirding such efforts: working together, we can make public schools even better.

The point wasn't lost on Davis County schools Superintendent Bryan Bowles, who began teaching in 1974 and retains his UEA membership. At a celebration of reading at Eagle Bay Elementary in Farmington, Bowles tag-teamed with Rusk, giving a stellar rendition of The Cat in the Hat to several hundred squirming, giggling kids. Bowles, who commands a sprawling district that stretches from Salt Lake City to Ogden, said afterward that the Road Trip "helps us to feel like a family. They're going a very long distance to make us feel closer. That's worth wearing yourself out to do."

Connecting Face-to-Face

When the Road Trip finally rolled to a stop, what did it amount to? Beyond the numbers (see "Tour Ticker," left), the Road Trip accomplished something much more lasting: it presented the human face of UEA and reaffirmed that the Association is attuned to the issues members face, Rusk and others said.

"As tired as you get, it's worth every minute," said Rusk. "Many of the people we talk to like their local, but they may be leery of the UEA and NEA because we're so removed from them—especially in the rural areas. So it's a big deal when UEA shows up. And when we meet them face-to-face, people say, 'Hey, you're just like us.' It's something you only get when you sit across the table; you can't get it from an e-mail or a flier in a box."

And since there's no way folks can share an RV for the better part of two weeks and not accumulate an album's worth of silly snapshots, the UEA trip generated more than its share. Like the scene at the motel in rural Panguitch when weary road-trippers were handed flashlights along with their room keys upon checking in. (The town's power, it turned out, was to be shut off for repairs that night.) Or the reading celebration at one elementary school where students clamored to give a high five to the Cat in the Hat—all except one, that is. She wouldn't go near the Cat, whispering in utter seriousness, "I saw the movie, and I know he coughs up a hairball."

—Additional reporting by UEA Communications Director Mark Mickelsen

Utah ESPs Take a Stand

Fed up with staff cuts and disrespect, members of Utah's largest ESP organization vote for affiliation with NEA.

For years, Utah School Employees Association (USEA) member Roger Pate and his fellow education support professionals (ESPs) were treated as "second-class citizens" by administrators—openly disrespected and the first to be RIF'ed when budgets got tight. As an independent organization, USEA lacked the leverage "to stand up sufficiently for our jobs or the kids in our schools," says Pate.

Times are changing. By a vote of 97 percent, USEA members opted last May to affiliate with NEA—and then got right to work building on the new partnership.

"We're already seeing results," says Nan Kirkpatrick, a school food service employee and outgoing USEA president. "Our representatives are already receiving ESP training from NEA, and dispirited school employees who know the strength of NEA are getting excited and joining USEA."

To join NEA, USEA needed a helping hand from its long-time ally, the NEA-affiliated

Utah Education Association (UEA), which represents teachers. USEA wished to remain independent of UEA and affiliate directly with NEA, but UEA's constitution precluded the establishment of other NEA affiliates in Utah. In short, both USEA and UEA had to take action to make affiliation a reality.

 "We've tried other affiliations, and we've tried to go it alone," says Kirkpatrick. "But we need the kind of voice on the job that only a strong and resourceful national organization can give us. And NEA is that organization."

Pate says the partnership will make a world of difference for him and other ESPs.

"I know what it's like to try to build our membership the old way," adds Pate. "I've had to try to sign up school workers who'd seen RIF [layoff] after RIF that we couldn't stop. I think many of those same workers now believe, as I do, that we'll have a real voice in education throughout this state as part of NEA."

—Matt Simon

Up Front

January 2005 Table of Contents Cover Story Closing the Gap Features What Now? Stop, Look and Listen Departments Spotlight ESP Money People Last Bell Editor's Note President's Viewpoint Up Front Leading the Way State Report Debate Resources Books by NEA Members Reader Services Weigh in on Debate Topics Change your address Write a letter View past issues Check out our bonus edition

Advertise in NEA Today!

Finally, a new IDEA!

Nearly three years in the making, a new version of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the federal special education law, finally emerged from a tangle of last-minute fixes in November. And while it's far from perfect, it's a definite improvement, say NEA's special education policy leaders, who made every effort to shape this wide-reaching law into one that helps, not hurts, the many classrooms it affects.

Photos: Matthias Tunger

Among the highlights:

• Significant relief from the federal Department of Education's unreasonable "highly qualified" rules: Licensed special education teachers who teach several high school subjects must show they know the content but won't have to be certified in every subject.
• A clause that should speed help to young students who need it before they fall far behind.
• Rules that make it easier to remove violent special education students from classrooms if the disruptiveness is not due to their disability.

"We were able to turn a pretty bad bill into a fairly good one. But a lot depends on how it is carried out." —Patti Ralabate, a former Speech and Language Pathologist who heads up NEA's special education efforts

Then there were some bad ideas that NEA managed to keep out of the bill, like vouchers, and extending the "highly qualified" rules of the No Child Left Behind law to all special education paras. Currently, those rules apply only to Title I-funded paras.

One big disappointment: Congress and the President still did not carry out their 1975 promise to fully fund the law.

Find more details at www.nea.org/specialed/reauthorization.html.

No Exit?

State high school exit exams are now required by 20 states and five more will require them by 2009. Currently, 52 percent of all public school students live in states where they must pass a high school exit exam, according to a recent survey by the Center on Education Policy.

Notepad Breakthrough for E-Rate After a furious, full-court press from a broad coalition of education and state government groups, money is flowing again in the $2.25 billion "E-Rate" program. That's the program that funds  school Internet access and wiring, benefitting some 80 percent of U.S. schools. The clause needed to release the funds got tangled in last-minute maneuvering over other proposals, none relevant to E-Rate. But the logjam finally broke; the essential clause was part of the 108th Congress' last bill. E-Rate had stalled last August when federal officials ordered an accounting change that meant applications couldn't be approved until funds were actually in hand, even though the money was certain to arrive. About $400 million in grants got stuck in the pipeline. Many schools had to scale back or even eliminate their Internet connections. NEA asked Congress to let projects be approved based on money coming in, much like signing an apartment lease before you have enough for a full year's rent. And Congress finally agreed. "This win was the result of one of the most broad-based coalitions I've ever seen," says NEA lobbyist Kim Anderson. The fix lasts only one year, but Anderson is optimistic the same coalition will ensure a permanent solution. Have a great idea? Send it by mail: NEA Today 1201 16th St., N.W. Washington, DC 20036 Send it by e-mail: neatoday@nea.org.

Sick Days

It's no fluke that flu season coincides with the school year. The close quarters of a classroom make it easier for yucky flu germs to take flight and, according to www.kidshealth.org, flu epidemics often originate in schools.

Photos: Digital Vision

With this year's shortage of flu shots, you may be looking for other ways to stay healthy. While everybody should keep their distance from sick friends and relatives, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has specific recommendations for educators: Remind your students to cough and sneeze into tissues (and then throw them away!), then scrub those hands early and often. The CDC offers flu-prevention tip sheets and printable posters for use in schools at www.cdc.gov/flu/school/.

Sharalee Savage, president of Oklahoma's School Nurses Association, also suggests using virucide to spray tables, doorknobs, and other areas of the classroom that suffer frequent use. In addition, Savage advises, "Exercise, eat right, and cut stress," to stay healthy.

If you do all this and still catch the flu, then take some old advice—rest, drink plenty of liquids, and call your doctor. Staying home while sick will help prevent the flu from making the rounds in your school and beyond.

—Sarah Rabovsky

Baby Boom

Photos: Digital Vision

Welcoming a new baby into the community is always cause for celebration. But Royalview Elementary School in Willowick, Ohio, celebrated that event—count 'em—four times in a two-day span last spring. First-grade teacher Angel Patrick, second-grade teacher Heather Kiggins, and third-grade teacher Laura Parsons gave birth on April 20. Their colleague, kindergarten teacher Courtney Zapolla, delivered the next day. The final tally? Two boys and two girls.

"It made for some real bonding moments," Parsons says of the timing of their pregnancies.

But wait. The show's not over. Six other teachers expect to welcome new additions to their families before the end of the school year. The staff often jokes there must be something in the school's water that's stirring up the boom.

—Emily Goodman

Strong Medicine Saves Health Care

They were headed for a painful showdown with the state, but instead Kentucky educators are celebrating a big victory in their fight to preserve health insurance benefits.

Photos: Charles Main, KEA

With just eight days before a statewide strike deadline, the legislature voted to add nearly $200 million to the state health insurance program, staving off major cutbacks proposed by Governor Ernie Fletcher.

More than 10,000 school employees and supporters of public education rallied statewide in December to protest the changes. Twenty-two of the state's 176 school districts canceled classes to let educators participate. When Governor Fletcher refused to move, KEA threatened to strike.

This time, the governor got the message and called a special session of the general assembly to address the educators' concerns.

"We have won a great battle, but the war is far from over," said KEA President Frances Steenbergen. The fix only applies to 2005. But many Kentucky political observers are saying the hard-fought triumph has given the union tremendous momentum—and many hundreds of new members across the state.

Fourth-grade teacher and KEA board member Renee Yates told a television reporter that educators have learned political action works. "We're going to need to stay on our local representatives," she said, "not just at a critical issue time, but during the whole session."

And the winner is...!

"Teaching is a wonderful profession, but often overlooked," says Greensboro, North Carolina, kindergarten teacher and NEA member Stephanie Lemon.

Photos: Jerry Wolford

But not this time.

Lemon thought she was going to a normal school assembly one day last fall, but she walked out $25,000 richer.

She was one of dozens of NEA members across the country honored and surprised by a Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award. There's no formal nomination process, so the winners didn't even know they were being considered. Here's a complete list of honorees.

Global Takes 'Park & Stride' in Britain The British government is launching an effort to simultaneously help students get fit and ease traffic congestion by making it safer for kids to get to school on foot and bicycle. One approach: "park & stride" locations where students can be dropped off by their parents and then escorted to school. Another: safe cycle routes plus storage space for bicycles at schools. Education and Skills Secretary Charles Clarke said twice as many students are driven to school these days as 20 years ago. The effort will start with nearly $20 million for pilot programs involving more than 230 schools.  Sesame Street in Japan Japanese television has begun airing a homegrown version of Sesame Street aimed at 5- and 6-year-olds. While the American show focuses on teaching letters and numbers, the Japanese will put more emphasis on morality, reports the Japan Times. According to Education Week, the new program's creative director, Karen Fowler, explained that "in Japan, there's not the same kind of disparity of wealth, so we don't have to teach Japanese children their letters and numbers." But Japan is concerned about rising juvenile crime. Have a good story? Send it by mail: NEA Today 1201 16th St., N.W. Washington, DC 20036 Send it by e-mail: neatoday@nea.org.

Who's 'Effective'?

The so-called No Child Left Behind law says schools that don't make "adequate yearly progress" (AYP) for three years must pay for tutoring for low-income students. But who provides the tutors?

Photos: Nathan Ham

The law says they can come from private companies, religious organizations—just about any group that has a "record of effectiveness" and meets "reasonable" criteria set by the state.

But under the federal Department of Education's interpretation, that often leaves out the most obvious source of tutors: the school district itself. The Department says that if the district hasn't met AYP, that proves the district is not effective. So Boston, Chicago, and other city school districts can't hire teachers to tutor students—not even someone who's a Teacher of the Year.

Not enough insanity? Chew on this: While these districts can't use their teachers as tutors, private companies can hire them to do the same work. And although school districts must employ 100 percent "highly qualified" teachers by the end of the 2005—06 year, states are forbidden to apply that standard to private companies and groups supplying tutors. Go figure.

Orphans of Beslan

Last September, terrorists seized School #1 in Beslan, Russia, on the first day of school. Within a few days, more than 329 people were dead, including 20 teachers and more than 100 children. The teachers left behind 35 orphan children, ages 8 to 15.

Education International (EI), the world federation of educators' unions to which NEA belongs, is raising money to pay these children's school fees and college education. EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen says that will take between $100,000 and $150,000 for all 35. To help, send a check (payable to Education International) to NEA's International Relations Department, 1201 16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036. Write "Beslan Fund" on the envelope.

Qualified in Wisconsin

You're a Title I paraeducator, you're sweating because the so-called No Child Left Behind law (NCLB) requires that you be "highly qualified" by January 2006, and your higher-ups are asleep at the helm. So, wake 'em up, and direct their gaze to the Wausau (Wisconsin) school district.

Photos: Rob Orcutt

With some prodding from the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) and the 289-member Wausau District Secretaries and Aides (WDSA), that 18-school system has gotten every single Title 1 para "qualified" under the law, without the stress of a written test.

It all started in 2003 when WDSA activist Peg Bestul, a Title I kindergarten aide, and fellow Association leaders gave Wausau administrators an NCLB briefing and formally asked how the district would meet the para requirements.

The upshot: Wausau created its own "local academic assessment" for paras, permissible under NCLB, that consisted of a simple portfolio and three classroom observations. And the district funded workday classes—on paid release time—for Title I and other paras.

Into the simple portfolio went a list of completed classes and a written account of how paras like Bestul used their "new" knowledge with kids. "I realized that much of what I learned I was already doing in the classroom—the teacher just called it something else," says Bestul.

Where Are the Kids?

Although the number of students enrolling in kindergarten has increased since the 1970s, fewer students are making it to their sophomore year of high school. In fact, the rate of students disappearing between 9th and 10th grades has tripled during the past 30 years, according to a study from Boston College.

Photos: Nathan Ham

"It's definitely cause for concern," says Walter Haney, co-author of the study. "We know that students who don't move from 9th grade to 10th, either because they drop out or are held back, are less likely to graduate."

Among the 9th graders in the 1998–99 school year, 11.4 percent didn't make it to 10th grade the following year. The data suggest states may be holding those students back or even encouraging them to drop out, Haney says.

Moreover, despite a national push to reach a 90 percent graduation rate, only two states—New Jersey and Wisconsin—met that goal during the 2000–01 year. But 24 states had graduation rates of 75 percent or less, and 15 states saw their rates decline by 5 percent or more between 1988 and 2001.

Haney thinks high-stakes testing is to blame. For more, visit www.bc.edu/nbetpp.

Rethinking Your First Years

Are you a new teacher who got into this business to build a better America, one that takes seriously that "justice for all" idea? (And don't almost all new teachers fit that description?)

You might take a look at The New Teacher Handbook from the editors of Rethinking Schools, a national education journal that's

The book's introduction notes that turnover is high among teachers during their first three years, but quickly adds that the majority do get through. Then the authors proceed to offer numerous survival tips from how to establish discipline rules to "how to teach controversial content and not get fired," along with stories by veteran teachers who tackled first-year crises and lived to tell you about them.

Perhaps the best advice is that no teacher should go it alone. Seek advice, ideas, and support from colleagues, the book says. If the teacher next door isn't helpful, find someone else.

Just as students need to learn to be in a relationship with the classmates they spend so many waking hours with, their teachers also need a community that sustains them. 

—Sandra Gregg

Supersize Me

Photos: Nathan Ham

During the first few weeks of school, I teach my first-grade students the routine of turning in their lunch money to me first thing in the morning. After several days of doing this, one of my first-grade boys said to me, "Mrs. Farris, what do you do with all of that money we give you every day?" I replied, "It's for lunch each day." Looking rather surprised and confused, he stopped for a minute, looked me up and down, and asked, "How much lunch do you need?"

—Shari Farris
First- and second-grade teacher
Spokane, Washington

Have a funny school story you'd like to share?
Send it to neatoday@nea.org.

January 2005

Pension Plan Faces Assault

Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich has proposed balancing the state budget by shifting the cost of teacher pension funding to local governments. Members of the Maryland State Teachers Association (MSTA) know this burden could force counties to cut services or drop out of the state pension system—replacing it with a "defined-contribution" scheme that shifts funding and investment risk to individual educators.

In response, MSTA members have sent nearly 1,000 letters to the governor and legislators. Teachers and MSTA lobbyists are also contacting lawmakers to educate them on the repercussions of this funding shift. Stay tuned.

Georgians Sue for Funding

Georgia The Georgia Association of Educators (GAE) voiced strong support for a school funding "adequacy and equity" suit filed against the state school board and superintendent by the Consortium for Adequate School Funding in Georgia. The plaintiffs are seeking sufficient state funding and an adjustment in funding formulas to ensure adequate programs for diverse student populations.

The bigger issue here is allocation of existing funds, stressed Merchuria Chase Williams, the GAE president. "We need to ask whether we are raising enough [tax] revenue to adequately fund education. The state should provide additional resources for school systems that don't have the revenue."

Don't Mess with Class Sizes!

Texas On the heels of a suit filed by the Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA) and the Texas Federation of Teachers (TFT), the state education commissioner has rescinded a letter creating rules enabling districts to evade the state's class size limit in grades K–4, now a student to teacher ratio of 22–1. But this proposal may surface again through the formal rule-making process. TSTA and TFT are prepared, if necessary, to fight the move through legal action—while TSTA plans to file legislation to tighten up the class size waiver process.  

Lower Regard for Higher Ed

Massachusetts The news was not good last fall. On September 17, Governor Mitt Romney vetoed funding for retroactive pay owed to 13,000 public higher education employees and for 1 percent raises bargained by state community college faculty and professional staff, who have gone without raises for two years. In response, higher education employees staged a statewide "Day of Outrage" on September 29, with picketing, marches, and protest letters to state officials.

Massachusetts Teachers Association President Catherine A. Boudreau says that higher ed contracts were bargained in good faith and that legislators included funding for them in the budget—but then Romney showed "tremendous disrespect" for staff and "disregard for the state of our higher education system" through his vetoes.

Will Patience Pay Off?

Alabama In its new fiscal year, the state projects significant growth in tax revenue. That hasn't escaped the notice of Alabama Education Association Executive Secretary Paul Hubbert.

Teachers and ESPs "have been patient about raises for the last five years while the state has endured a recession," he said. "Things are turning for the better economically, and we expect the legislature and the governor to be as giving with new growth as they have been 'stingy' when times were hard."

Don't Take Without Talking

Minnesota A judge ruled that the  West St. Paul district acted illegally when it unilaterally reduced teachers' health insurance benefits last year without bargaining with the West St. Paul Federation of Teachers. This decision put districts across the state "on notice that they cannot unilaterally deal with health costs by shifting the burden to employees," says Education Minnesota General Counsel Harley Ogata. "They must negotiate with the union."

Everybody in the Pool!

Montana MEA-MFT has developed a health insurance plan for K–12 school employees and retirees and is working with other education groups to make this statewide pool a reality in the 2005 legislature. The proposed law would encourage school employers, through a state-funded credit, to participate. Once a district joined, all certified and ESP employees working 30-plus hours a week (or fewer hours if stated by contract) would be entitled to annually select coverage at one of three levels, from "basic" to "preferred."

Through the efficiencies of a statewide pool, projected premiums of all existing school health plans would be less "volatile" and cost less, stresses MEA-MFT. It always pays to buy in bulk.

A Cleaner Way To Clean Up

New Jersey With support from the New Jersey Education Association and the New Jersey Work Environmental Council, teacher and ESP locals have won safe asbestos removal at Bergen County's Pascack Valley and Pascack Hills high schools. A local health and safety committee worked with management to identify danger spots, ensured removal of staff from abatement areas, and closely monitored the clean-up.

January 2005

Pensions 101

Let's open today's class with a pop quiz. Your pension plan is:

1. A defined-benefit plan
2. A 401 (k)…or is it a 403 (b)?
3. In a file folder…hold on a sec, I'm sure it's around here somewhere.
4. I have a pension plan?

We understand. Between chasing kids all day and then putting out fires on the home front, few of us have the time—or the expertise—to delve into the nuances of our pension plans.

But it's a mistake to ignore this vital piece of your compensation. In fact, with more than a few legislators around the country aiming to chip away at public employees' retirement plans, a little information might prepare us to guard against encroachments.

So today's class features two simple lessons brought to you by NEA members who serve on state pension boards, poring over spreadsheets and quizzing pinstriped financial types on your behalf. (And, can we ever thank them enough?)

Lesson number one: The pension plans held by the vast majority of teachers and education support professionals are rock-solid and will provide a guaranteed stream of income every month during retirement.

In pension-speak, these are defined-benefit (DB) plans, so named because the benefit you'll eventually get can be calculated, or defined, before you retire. State plans differ, but most base your pension on the number of years you work, your earnings, and your age at retirement. You crunch the numbers and calculate that your pension will bring in, say, $2,200 a month—for life. Most also offer joint survivor benefits and annual cost-of-living adjustments to guard against inflation.

"With a defined-benefit plan, you'll know exactly how much you're getting," says retired teacher Richard Lansford, a trustee of the Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association. "If you live to be 95, as my father did, you can't outlive it. It gives you security."

That sense of security is conspicuously lacking from the second type of pension, known as defined-contribution (DC) plans. Heavily used in the private sector, plans such as the 401 (k) define how much the employer and employee pay into the retirement account. But the amount eventually available during retirement depends on how well the employee invests the money—a risky proposition. When the stock bubble burst in 2000, you may recall, many workers with DC plans found their nest eggs decimated, forcing them to delay retirement or rejoin the work force.

Which brings us to…

Lesson number two: You should be ready to push back against any proposals in your state to convert public employees from DB pension plans to DC plans.

Lawmakers looking to trim budgets and ideologues who favor turning the pension business over to the Wall Street types have taken aim at public pension systems. They've been quiet the past few years, says Max Bochmann, a school bus mechanic and a trustee of the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, because advocating that workers be allowed to invest their own retirement funds has been a tough sell in a down market. "As soon as the market picks up, they'll begin to push again."

This year, lawmakers in states such as California and Virginia—with their eyes on reducing the government's obligation and getting you to shoulder more of the risk—could very well introduce bills proposing that public employees be brought into a DC retirement plan. It happened to Colorado state employees last year, notes Lansford, where the governor pushed through a new DC option for state workers beginning in 2006. Could public school employees be next? "That's our big concern," says Lansford. "It's a foot in the door."

Don't let it happen to you, says Clare Barnett, a social studies teacher in Danbury, Connecticut, and vice president of the National Council on Teacher Retirement. "This is a sleeper issue," says Barnett, "and you may not see it coming. Many members rely on NEA leaders and trustees on the front lines to protect them. But everyone needs to be vigilant. It's time to get educated on the issue, and if the time comes, to fight for it." For more, go to www.nea.org/neatodayextra.

Class dismissed.

—John O'Neil

During the month of January, NEA Today readers shared their tried-and-true tips, techniques, or programs for tackling the achievement gap. Here's the transcript of our online discussion.

The Play's the Thing

We have a 35 percent gap between the African American and white students in our school.

I believe that the most powerful thing I can do in my classroom is encourage independent reading. We have a classroom library of over 400 scripts that students check out. They are required to read six plays per semester. Students complete play reports, which require them to summarize the play and then make decisions about favorite characters, design options, and potential audiences for each play. Once every three weeks, we sit in a circle and share something about the plays we've read. 

I don't require any student to read a particular play, but I've made sure that there are plenty of plays by African American playwrights in our class library.  When African American students begin to read plays by August Wilson, Ntozake Shange, Pearl Cleage, Lorraine Hansberry, Charles Smith, etc., amazing things start to happen. 

I recently did an analysis of my students' grades over the past four years, and I found that there is a 15 percent gap between the African American and white students. But that is 20 percent lower than the school average. I'm not content, but I am encouraged.

-- Grade 9-12 theatre arts teacher

Is P.E. the Key?

A teacher friend of mine recently told me that her 7th grade daughter was doing so much better in school this year than in the past. She attributes it to the fact that her daughter has Physical Education class every day!

Are there any studies regarding this?

-- PreK-6th grade physical education teacher

Looping Success

I'm currently "researching" the benefits of looping in the early years. This is my first time doing it.

A couple of years ago, one teacher in each grade level (there are five per grade) chose to teach a "Foundations" class, which consisted of no more than 16-18 (depending on grade level) children that we considered at-risk, based on previous grades' test scores and general performance, teacher recommendations, our knowledge of the family, Title I/Reading Recovery performance, etc. The class did not necessarily include special needs children (unless we thought they "fit" with the group) or major behavior problems.

Each of us focused on language arts and math, integrating social studies and science standards as much as possible. The students' test scores as a whole went up. I taught the K Foundations class and loved it. We've since changed principals, but I'm hoping that our new principal will give me the go-ahead to loop back down to K and take a Foundations class, then loop up to 1st with them.

-- K/1 looping teacher

Write On!

Write On is an innovative staff development project that emphasizes the use of technology to deliver curriculum and improve composition skills in grades 3, 4, and 5.  Participating teachers created electronic teaching resources which are available to anyone either online or by download from the Write On website. A full year of composition instruction resources are available.

-- Grade 3-5 teacher

Needs Help in Kansas

I'm looking for ideas for remedial math programs for students who do not reach the proficiency level on KS state math assessments.

-- 3rd grade math teacher

Make Class Content Relevant

In my classroom I attempt to make learning as relevant to the students' lives as possible. I teach at a school that is 98 percent Latina/o, so whenever possible we read stories and poems by Latino/a writers who relate to young teens (Gary Soto, Francisco Jimenez, Sandra Cisneros). We write about issues which affect the students directly, such as the dress code, types of music, home problems. It is enlightening to see how much "better" students read and write when the subjects are what interest them.

-- 8th grade language arts teacher

Good Things in Small Packages

Small groups, small groups and more small groups! I've always had great success lifting my students' achievement by dividing them up in small homogeneous groups. You need to create as much one-on-one time with your students, and, with growing class size, the best solution I have found is using small groups. The low-achieving kids can't hide, and you get to understand each child's needs very quickly. Every two weeks I reassess all students and make changes to any of the groups. 

--3rd grade teacher

January 2005

Courts Tackle Thorny Church-State Issues

Can teachers lead prayers, distribute religious take-home fliers, or participate in student religious clubs? The answers might surprise you.

Many school officials mistakenly believe that schools have to be "religion-free zones."  That's not so, and six recent federal court rulings provide much-needed guidance on several delicate questions involving religion in the schools.

The hottest issue by far is whether schools have to allow religious and evangelical groups to distribute promotional fliers through student backpacks. The unanimous answer of three federal circuit courts is "yes," but only if the school allows a wide array of other community groups to do so.

Last June, for example, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS) violated the free speech rights of the Child Evangelism Fellowship by refusing to disseminate notices about after-school meetings of student religious clubs sponsored by the group.

The court didn't buy the school's argument that requiring elementary teachers to distribute the fliers to their students, who were then expected to deliver the notices home to their parents, constitutes an endorsement of religion prohibited by the Establishment Clause. Emphasizing that students received some 415 fliers from more than 225 organizations over an 18-month period, the court ruled that MCPS couldn't deny access to the school's backpack distribution system simply because a group wanted to promote religious activities.

Last August, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reached the same conclusion, upholding an Ohio school district's practice of using students to take home fliers from community organizations, including notices from local churches advertising religious activities. 

And in December 2003, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that an Arizona school district violated the First Amendment by refusing to distribute promotional brochures for a religious summer camp. The Court cautioned, however, that schools still can refuse to distribute "literature that itself contains proselytizing language," which the court distinguished from fliers inviting students to join in activities or meetings sponsored by religious groups.

The battle in Montgomery County is far from over. A few weeks after the Fourth Circuit's decision, the school board voted to greatly reduce the use of its take-home flier service by limiting access only to the school district, government agencies, PTAs, day care centers, and sports leagues. Under the new policy, the Child Evangelism Fellowship, the Boy Scouts of America, and other outside groups will be denied access. Several of such groups have threatened another legal challenge.

On the school prayer front, recent decisions reaffirm that neither teachers nor administrators can promote prayer in school, although students continue to enjoy the right to pray individually or in groups while at school.

In Arkansas, for example, teacher Steve Warnock sued his superintendent and the Devalls Bluff School District, challenging the superintendent's practice of conducting prayers at mandatory teacher meetings and in-service training sessions. Last August, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that such prayers violate the Establishment Clause.

And last May, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals held that an Alabama teacher stepped over the line at the beginning of each class by inviting her students to offer "prayer requests" and by announcing "let us pray," pausing for a moment of silence, and then saying "Amen."  The court also ruled that the same teacher violated the free speech rights of one of her students by punishing him for silently raising his fist during the daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Finally, a South Dakota teacher sued the Sioux Falls School District after she was denied permission to participate in after-school meetings of a student religious club at the elementary school where she taught. Emphasizing that she was "off the clock" and attending the club meeting not as a teacher but as a private citizen, the Eighth Circuit ruled in September that the restriction violated her free speech rights.

— Michael D. Simpson
NEA Office of General Counsel

Religion and Public Schools: There's A Consensus

NEA and a broad coalition of religious and education-related organizations, ranging from the Christian Educators Association International to the National School Boards Association, have endorsed three statements on the proper relationship between religion and public schools:  "The Bible & Public Schools," "A Teacher's Guide to Religion in the Public Schools," and  "Religious Liberty, Public Education, and the Future of American Democracy—A Statement of Principles." These statements are available at: www.firstamendmentcenter.org/PDF/bibleguide.PDF; www.firstamendmentcenter.org/PDF/teachersguide.PDF; and www.firstamendmentcenter.org/PDF/statementofprinciples.PDF

Resources

January 2005 Table of Contents Cover Story Closing the Gap Features What Now? Stop, Look and Listen Departments Spotlight ESP Money People Last Bell Editor's Note President's Viewpoint Up Front Leading the Way State Report Debate Resources Books by NEA Members Reader Services Weigh in on Debate Topics Change your address Write a letter View past issues Check out our bonus edition

Advertise in NEA Today!

Plan Ahead with a Grant From The NEA Foundation

There's plenty of time to submit an application to The NEA Foundation by the February 1 grant review date. No matter what your goal, a grant from The NEA Foundation can help give you the tools you need to be successful in the new year. Will 2005 bring opportunities to develop your professional skills? Will it be the year for innovative new projects in your school? Making your plans happen can be as simple as sending in your application.

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. If you apply by February 1, you will know if your grant is approved by June 15. Grants fund activities for 12 months from the award date.

NEA members just like you have applied for and received over 1,500 grants throughout the years. Read about their projects at www.neafoundation.org, 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. We now offer bigger and better grants—up to $5,000 per project—to fund your BIG ideas.

Applying for a grant is easy, so why wait? Visit www.neafoundation.org for more information, including guidelines and an application. Or call 202-822-7840.

ESP Technology Grants

Illustration: Photodisc

To help local education support professional Associations use the NEA ESP Information System (ESPIS) and other online resources, NEA offers ESP Technology Grants. Administered by NEA's ESP Quality program, Technology Grants are awarded in amounts from $250 to $3,500. Grants provide an opportunity for ESP locals to involve members in the application of technology in projects that could help their locals, schools, and communities.

ESPIS provides ESP members and staff immediate and widespread opportunities to share data and information throughout all levels of the organization. ESPIS includes NEA's ESP Web site at www.nea.org/esphome, the ESP Listserv, the ESP Data Book, and a variety of publications. ESPIS and the Technology Grant Program are overseen by a User Advisory Group comprising governance and staff who are available to provide training on the use of ESPIS.

For more information, go to www.nea.org/esphome/members/techgrnt.html or contact the ESP Program Assistant at NEA's ESP Quality program (202-822-7131), 1201 16th Street, N.W., Room 410, Washington, DC 20036. Submit grant applications following the procedures listed on the Web site. Applications must be submitted using the online application form and be postmarked by April 15, 2005.

NEA-Saturn/ UAW Partnership Award

The NEA-Saturn/UAW Partnership Award recognizes NEA locals and their school districts who work together as partners in pursuit of quality education. The 2005 Partnership Awards seek "best practices" mentoring programs that are created and sustained through the joint efforts of both the school district and the union and have resulted in substantially assisting new teachers in their education careers.

Six winners will be recognized at the NEA Annual Meeting and in their home districts. Winners will also be invited to visit the Saturn Plant in Tennessee during American Education Week in November.

The 2005 application deadline is February 25, 2005. For more information, go to http://web.inetba.com/saturnuaw/filecabinet/Satfile/partnership.html or call 800-738-1817.

NEH 2005 Summer Opportunities

Every year, the National Endowment for the Humanities offers K–12 teachers opportunities to participate in a series of Summer Seminars and Institutes on various humanities topics. Seminars are limited to 15 participants and are led by university scholars with a special interest or expertise in the specific subject. Teachers selected to participate will be awarded a fixed stipend between $1,800 and $4,200 to help cover travel costs, books, and other research and living expenses. A list of available seminars, as well as information on how to apply for the stipends, can be found at www.neh.gov/projects/si-school.html. Full-time teachers in American K–12 schools are eligible to apply. General questions concerning the program may be directed to 202-606-8463 or e-mail: sem-inst@neh.gov. The application deadline is March 1, 2005.

K–12 Energy Contest

Have you ever needed to open your classroom windows on a cold winter's day to beat the classroom heat? Then your class might want to take the HOBO Energy Challenge, a contest for K–12 teachers and students, sponsored by iScienceProject.

The mission of the contest is simple: use data loggers (portable electronic recording devices that can monitor light usage, room temperature, and relative humidity) to find examples of energy waste in your school. Participating classrooms receive a free HOBO Loaner Package that includes a HOBO data logger, software, and energy-saving contest activities. Classrooms that investigate and document at least one example of energy waste win a complete HOBO data logger system. An entire classroom set of HOBO data loggers will be awarded to elementary, middle, and high-school classrooms that make the greatest effort to investigate energy waste. For more information or to sign up, go to www.iscienceproject.com/energy_challenge/energy_challenge.html. The deadline for contest entries is April 30, 2005.

Listen to a Life Contest

Illustration: Photodisc

What can you learn when you listen to a life? A Legacy Project contest can help students find out. To enter, a student (age 8–18) interviews an older person (50 years or older) about his or her hopes and goals throughout life, how he or she achieved goals and overcame obstacles, or how dreams may have changed along the way. What life advice can an older person share? The student then writes an essay based on the interview. Entries must be 300 words or less and be a true story about an older person's life. One student will win an IBM computer and a $1,000 gift certificate to Books Are Fun. Ten runners-up will receive $400 gift certificates to Books Are Fun.

The contest runs to February 28, 2005. For complete contest rules, go to www.legacyproject.org/.

Calling All Kind Teachers

Are lessons in wildlife appreciation or responsible pet care part of your curriculum? Do you lead your class in recycling projects or collections for the needy? If so, then the National Association for Humane and Environmental Education (NAHEE) wants to know. NAHEE is seeking nominations for the 2005 National KIND Teacher Award. The award recognizes an outstanding K–6 classroom teacher who consistently incorporates humane education into his or her curriculum.

Teachers may nominate themselves or another teacher at www.nahee.org. The deadline for nominations is February 15, 2005. The winner will receive a plaque, NAHEE's annual teacher resource book, and the Teacher's Care & Carry Kit, which includes Critters with Character lesson plans, posters, and other humane education materials.

Award for Heroic Teachers

The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation, along with the Partnership for America's Future, Inc., are accepting applicants for the Freida J. Riley Teacher Award.

The $10,000 award identifies and rewards an American teacher who teaches with an illness or disability, has overcome tremendous adversity, or has made an enormous sacrifice of heroism to positively impact students.

Interested teachers should contact the Partnership for America's Future, Inc. at 330-376-8300 for more information and an application, or visit www.pafinc.com/riley/index.htm?id=553. The application deadline is March 4, 2005.

Scholarships For Rainforst Workshop

K–12 teachers and environmental educators can win a $1,000 scholarship to travel to the Amazon and work with scientists in one of the most diverse environments in the world. The Amazon Rainforest Workshop for Educators, scheduled July 5–14, 2005, is a professional development opportunity for teachers to experience a quarter-mile canopy walkway and visit the indigenous people who call the rainforest ecosystem their home. Academic credit is available. The final application deadline is March 8, 2004; Drawings will be held on January 8, February 8, and March 8. The scholarship covers half of the land cost of $1,998. For an application form, go to www.travel2learn.com. For information on this and other programs in Belize or Student Amazon Workshops, call Frances Gatz at 800-669-6806 or e-mail fgatz@earthlink.net.

Distinguished Educator Fellowship

The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program is accepting applications for the 2005–06 school year. The program provides a paid fellowship for outstanding K–12 science, math, or technology education teachers. Selected teachers spend a school year in a congressional office, the Department of Energy, or a federal agency, such as NASA, the National Science Foundation, or the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Albert Einstein Fellows bring their knowledge and practical experience of classroom teachers to the government and policy makers. For information and application, visit www.triangle-coalition.org.

A Fairytale Essay Contest

HCA2005 and NEA are sponsoring a Hans Christian Andersen Essay Contest to encourage students to read and help them improve their creative writing skills. The contest is open to students in grades 4–7, who may submit an essay of no more than 250 words on the topic: "Pick any fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen and describe a lesson children can learn by reading this story." Twenty winners and their chaperones will receive an all-expense paid trip to Copenhagen, Denmark, in April 2005 to attend the three-day celebration of the author's 200th birthday. Entries must be postmarked by February 10, 2005.

What's Up at HIN

New Physical Activity and Nutrition Web site for Members!

The SmartBODY Fitness Information Center, NEA HIN's brand new physical activity and nutrition Web site, is here! Packed with links, model programs, and a discussion forum, SmartBODY is a great resource for educators, parents, and anyone who's interested in improving the health of students and school staff. Turn to SmartBODY for physical activity and nutrition models, policies, information, and inspiration. Make fitness and good nutrition a goal in your life and join in the success of others in schools and communities across the country. Start at www.neasmartbody.org.

Help Children with Asthma Fight for Their Rights

The American Lung Association recently launched the "Kids With Asthma Bill of Rights" campaign to help children with asthma talk to their parents and teachers about asthma management. The Bill of Rights includes 10 statements that form the pillars of a complete asthma-management plan, including a child's right to breathe clean air at home and at school, the right to play sports with a doctor's agreement, the right to know his or her asthma triggers, and the right to effective and affordable asthma medications. To sign onto the Bill of Rights petition or to download a copy of the Bill of Rights, visit www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=186670.

Damp Indoor Spaces and Adverse Health Effects Linked

A comprehensive literature review found that there is sufficient evidence associating damp indoor environments with some upper respiratory tract symptoms, coughing, wheezing, and asthma symptoms in sensitized persons. The National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, highlights this in Damp Indoor Spaces and Health, a report that examines the relationship between damp or moldy indoor environments and adverse health outcomes. It also discusses how and where buildings get wet, how dampness influences microbial growth and chemical emissions, and ways to prevent and remediate dampness. A summary of the report is available at www.nap.edu/execsumm_ pdf/11011.pdf. The complete text may be accessed for free at www.nap.edu/books/0309091934/html/.

On The Web

Online Math Library

The Mathematics Association of America, supported by the National Science Foundation, offers a mathematical sciences digital library—MATHDL—for educators and students that includes The Journal of Online Mathematics and its Applications and multiple digital classroom resources such as Java applets, interactive modules, and Flash presentations for studying numerical and graphical solutions of differential equations.

Learn About Finland

Did you know that 34 percent of all Finnish electricity comes from renewable sources? Students will learn this and much more at Project Finland, an award-winning site from the Embassy of Finland. Students ages 9–12 can explore the interactive site, learning about this progressive society, taking quizzes, completing activity guides, and watching video clips of Moomintroll, Finland's most well-known animated character. Environmental, social, and global issues are covered on this virtual tour of Finland. Go to www.projectfinland.org.

Feeling Sleepy?

Caffeine, work, or late night TV keeping you up? The fact is, most people don't get enough sleep. The National Institutes of Health created Sleep, Sleep Disorders, and Biological Rhythms as a learning tool to understand the basic concept of sleep, biological clocks, disorders, and the consequences of deprivation. Geared toward teaching high school students, this site offers lessons and activities to help link the science of sleep and its effect on everyday life.

Space flight in 60 seconds

At the NASA Brain Bites Web site, students can choose from a menu of informative, 60-second videos on eight questions, including: What time is it in space? How do you go to the bathroom in space? How long would a round trip to Mars take? How do you scratch your nose in a spacesuit?

Virtual Spelling Bee

Brandeis University offers students in grades 2–6 a chance to compete with their peers in an online spelling bee. Students use a nickname to register and log in, choose a partner, and test their reading, spelling, and listening skills. No personal information is asked for or given; players only communicate by the choices they make during the game. The site's creators hope the spirit of competition will encourage students to improve skills.

Managing Money

A new "My Money" tool kit from from the Financial Literacy and Education Commission and the Federal Citizen Information Center can help you manage your money better and gain financial security. Learn how to protect your credit record, set up a budget, and manage your credit or solve credit problems with advice from a series of publications. They provide practical suggestions on how to save and invest your money wisely.

Conserving the Rainforests

The Rainforest Alliance offers a free, expanded conservation curriculum with unique units for kindergarten through sixth grade. Each unit features three to four comprehensive multidisciplinary lesson plans, which meet national standards. Topics covered include the Amazon, the Maya forests, migratory birds, and chocolate. Some materials are available in Spanish and Portuguese.

Guide to Everyday Communications

Have you ever been stumped by a youngster asking you how a cell phone worked? Or what the "am" in AM radio stands for? Now you can send them to the FCC Kidszone, a Federal Communications Commission site aiming to educate today's youth on all things regulated by the FCC. Definitions, descriptions, and the history of cell phones, TV, radio, and the Internet can be found here along with teachers and parents' guides to the site.

Books by NEA Members

Tasks Galore

By Laurie Eckenrode, Pat Fennell, and Kathy Hearsey

Penned by teachers with experience working for Division TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication handicapped Children), this collection of activities is a valuable resource for those who work with children that have autism and related developmental challenges. Full of interactive, multi-modal tasks and structured activities, the book aims to help these students have success in school. A second book, Tasks Galore for the Real World, takes this goal further, emphasizing tasks to enhance independence for older children, adolescents, and adults. 60 pp. and 67 pp., respectively. $39.95 each from Tasks Galore. To order, go to www.TasksGalore.com.

Media Construction of Presidential Campaigns:
A Document-Based History Kit

By Sox Sperry and Chris Sperry

With all the recent election excitement, teachers may be looking for ways to educate students to think critically about the history of U.S. elections. This multimedia curriculum kit provides an engaging approach to preparing students to analyze the historical, political, and ethical issues related to media and democracy. Included are more than 140 historic media documents, from bumper stickers to old campaign songs, which help students understand the media surrounding elections. 432 pp. $139.95 from Project Look Sharp-Ithaca College. To order, go to www.medialit.org/catalog or call 800-228-4630.

Feng Shui for the Classroom: 101 Easy-to-Use Ideas

By Renée Heiss

It's no surprise that over the course of the busy school year, a classroom can become a bit cluttered and distract from the learning process. This book, written by a child development teacher, applies the ancient Chinese interior decoration concepts of Feng Shui to the classroom, aiming to create a more calm and focused learning environment. By providing ideas on organizing a classroom with balance between opposing forces, such as light and dark, and sound and quiet, this book will help teachers transform an impossible classroom arrangement into a well-managed learning space. 160 pp.

Diversity Calendar

January

January 1–3—Japanese New Year

In Japan, people celebrate the new year by decorating the front entrances of their houses and visiting shrines and friends. This year is Heisei Sixteenth, the 16th year of Emperor Akihito's reign.

January 16—World Religion Day

This day emphasizes that the religions of the world must strive for unity among humans. For more, go to www.worldreligionday.org.

January 17—Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday Observance

A Nobel Peace Prize winner, this civil rights leader was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. King's birthday is a federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday of the month.

January 21—Id al-Adha

This Muslim Holy Day is known as the Feast of the Sacrifice and commemorates the end of the Pilgrimage to Mecca.

February

February 1—National Freedom Day

By presidential proclamation in 1949, this day was established to commemorate the signing of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in 1865.

February 9–March 26—Lent

Christian churches observe this 40-day (excluding Sundays) period of fasting and penitence beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending the Saturday before Easter.

February 9—Chinese New Year

Celebrated by Chinese all over the world with music, dance, costumes, and firecrackers, this day begins the Year of the Rooster.

February 23—W.E.B. DuBois' Birthday

The first African American to hold a doctoral degree, this scholar and social critic helped organize the Niagara Movement, the forerunner of the NAACP. He lived from 1868 to 1963.

In Print

Grading Schools

In America's "Failing" Schools, educational testing expert W. James Popham helps to make sense of school evaluation under the No Child Left Behind law, paying attention to the implications of standardized testing. In straightforward language, Popham explains what it means for a school to fail, offers concrete suggestions for what can be done in response, and argues why a "failing" school may still be a good school. 157 pp.

Bilingual Ghost Story

Elena's father didn't believe that the old rundown house was haunted even though everybody else was afraid to rent it. In Ghost Fever or Mal de Fantasma—a bilingual English and Spanish book—author Joe Hayes tells the story of how Elena solves the mystery of the ghost girl and r