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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2003

News Release

Crescent City: Here We Come!

NEA Delegates Head to New Orleans for 2003 Convention 

Washington - More than 9,000 delegates are starting to gather in New Orleans this week for the 2003 NEA Annual Meeting.  The six-day event will focus on the No Child Left Behind Act and other timely education issues.

Highlights of the 2003 NEA Annual Meeting and Pre-Convention Activities:

June 27

"Outreach To Teach" Project. More than 250 NEA Student Program members, retired educators, education support professionals, and current teachers will converge on a local school to do landscaping, painting, cleaning and repairs.  The event represents NEA's ongoing commitment to boosting student achievement in urban/rural communities, and is sponsored each year in the city hosting the RA.
Location: St. John Child Development Ctr., 117 Stebbins St., Garyville, La., 8 a.m.

June 28-29

The Joint Conference on Concerns of Minorities and Women will feature signature speakers including Kerry Kennedy Cuomo of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial, a nonprofit organization that addresses the problems of social justice in the spirit of her late father, and Delores Huerta, a former teacher and co-founder of the United Farm Workers.  In addition, the annual conference will offer dozens of workshops focused on cultural diversity and teaching minority students.
Location: New Orleans Marriott Hotel  

July 1

• The NEA News Room opens in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Hall F - Level 2, La Nouvelle Orleans Ballroom II.  A filing center for credentialed news media will include telephones, fax machines, modems, and a television monitor from which the media can view the action on the floor of the Representative Assembly. Seating will also be provided near the stage for media who want to cover the Assembly up close.
• NEA's Read Across America "Read-In."  Hundreds of local elementary school children will get ready to read, Mardi Gras style, at this annual event.  NEA members will help them "jazz" up their reading while the children enjoy local entertainment and a mini Mardi Gras parade.
  Location: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Hall E, 9:30 a.m. - 11 a.m.; 1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m.
• The International Forum. Education leaders from across the globe will share an overview of educational trends and issues in their respective countries, providing a basis for dialogue among guests.
  Location: Hilton New Orleans Riverside, Cambridge Room, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• The Declaration of Independence will be in New Orleans.  Delegates will get to see a copy of the Declaration of Independence that's even older than the famous one housed at the National Archives.  The document will be on display July 1 and July 2, along with teaching tips that members can take back to their classrooms.
  Location: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Hall G

July 2

• No Child Left Behind Symposium.  The federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) will be the focus of a two-session forum where RA delegates will address the effect of the law to date on students, educators and schools.  The morning session will feature Gary Orfield, co-director of Harvard University's Civil Rights Project, and Jill Morningstar, co-director of Education and Youth Development at the Children's Defense Fund.  In the afternoon, NEA General Counsel Bob Chanin will address the role of the Association in implementing NCLB, followed by comments from state affiliate experts.
  Location: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Auditorium A
• NEA holds its 37th Annual Human and Civil Rights Awards Dinner.
  Twelve pioneers and leaders in the pursuit of equality and social justice will be honored this year.  Included among this notable group of educators, public servants and activists are U.S. Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis of California, for her tireless fight to maintain the legacy of César Chávez and the farm worker movement; Joseph Bruchac, an American Indian storyteller and noted children's author; and Dick Molpus, co-founder of Parents for Public Schools, which started in Jackson, Miss., and now boasts chapters in 53 cities and 22 states.   
  Location: New Orleans Marriott Hotel

The NEA Representative Assembly will take place July 3-6.  All of the following events will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

July 3

• Representative Assembly opens, 11 a.m., Hall F.
• President Reg Weaver will hold a media availability to preview the hot topics at this year's Annual Meeting.
• President Weaver will deliver his inaugural keynote address during the morning session.

July 4

• NEA delegates will go to the polls to elect new leaders - two positions on the NEA Executive Committee will be decided.  Election results will be announced during the morning business meeting.
• The Independence Day celebration will feature a patriotic mix of songs and speeches, including a live reading of The Bill of Rights by chosen delegates.
• Delegates will consider a recent report from the NEA Special Committee on Early Childhood Education.  The discussion will focus on current NEA policies with regard to kindergarten and pre-kindergarten and the committee's recommendations.

July 5

• The 2003 Friend of Education Award will be presented posthumously to Minnesota U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone.  Until his death in 2002, Wellstone was a strong defender of public education, a tireless advocate for poor and special needs students, and a powerful ally in the fight for increased federal investment in education.
• The 2003 National Teacher of the Year will address the delegates.  Dr. Betsy Rogers, a first and second grade educator at Leeds Elementary School in Leeds, Alabama, has made raising awareness about the needs of and perceptions of schools in less-affluent neighborhoods her national platform.

July 6

The NEA Education Support Professional of the Year will address the delegates.  Martin (Marty) Meyer, head custodian at Fernan Elementary School in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, earned NEA's highest honor for professionals in the field of educational support for his work on behalf of children, his school, his community and his fellow educators.

For more information on this year's Annual Meeting and details about the Representative Assembly 2003, visit the NEA 2003 Annual Meeting website.

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.