News Release

Political Activism Takes Center Stage
at 2004 NEA Annual Meeting in D.C.

NEA Delegates Insert the Voice of Educators in Critical Decisions 

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Every education decision is a political decision determined by elected or appointed officials.  So delegates to the 2004 National Education Association (NEA) Annual Meeting will focus their attention on two dominant political efforts:  recommending a candidate for U.S. president and pushing to make the so-called No Child Left Behind Act work better for children and educators.

For the first time since 1996, more than 9,000 NEA delegates will meet in the nation’s capital, just a stone’s throw away from Capitol Hill.   

“Making our voices heard is critical – now more than ever,” says NEA President Reg Weaver.  “And there’s no better place than the RA to help us get charged up.”

The first two days of the Annual Meeting – July 2-3 – are devoted to a wide range of meetings, conferences and exhibits.  Over the next four days – July 4-7 – the NEA Representative Assembly (RA) will debate vital issues impacting public education and set Association policy and activities for the year ahead.  The RA is the highest decision-making body within the 2.7 million-member Association. 

Delegates elected by their state and local colleagues will gather in Washington, D.C., representing teachers, college faculty, student members, retired members, education support professionals and other Association members.
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Highlights of the 2004 NEA Annual Meeting and Pre-Convention Activities:

June 28

Outreach To Teach.  More than 250 NEA volunteers will converge on a D.C.-area elementary school to landscape, paint, clean and make repairs.  The project, which is held each year in the city hosting the RA, is sponsored by the NEA Student Program in partnership with retired educators, education support professionals and other Association members.  This event is part of NEA’s ongoing commitment to boosting student achievement in urban communities. 
Location: Longfields Elementary School, 3300 Newkirk Ave., Forestville, MD
8 a.m.

June 29-30

The Joint Conference on Concerns of Minorities and Women annually attracts more than 1,000 education employees from across the country.  At the two-day meeting, experts make presentations and discuss critical issues that impact female and ethnic minority students and educators.  This year’s workshop topics include: NCLB’s Impact on Minority, ESL, and Special Education Students; Increasing Minority Student Involvement in College Preparatory Programs; and Impediments to Recruiting Minority Teachers.

Tuesday, June 29:  8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 30:  8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Location: Hilton Washington Hotel, 1919 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.

July 2

The NEA News Room opens, 9 a.m., Washington Convention Center.  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.
Location: Washington Convention Center, Room 207A, Level 2, Mt. Vernon Place entrance.
 
NEA’s Read Across America "Read-In."  This year’s Read-In will celebrate the diversity of America’s children through books and stories that build bridges and honor our nation’s diverse heritage.  The multicultural reading event will share the joy of reading with children from Washington-area schools.
Location: Washington Convention Center, Level 3, 9:30 a.m. - 11 a.m.;
1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m.

July 3

Symposium on Critical Issues for Educators.  Two of the hottest topics on the minds of educators today are protecting health care benefits and working to close the achievement gap.  A two-session forum will address these issues, featuring nationally known experts who will tackle the big questions.  The morning session, “Curing the Health Care System,” will address key elements of the health care crisis. 

In the afternoon, NEA President Reg Weaver will deliver remarks at a forum on closing the student achievement gap.  The session will also feature Ronald Ferguson of the Minority Student Achievement Network, who will discuss the politics and practices that can best address inequitable academic outcomes for students.

Morning Session on Health Care:   10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Afternoon Session on Achievement Gap:  2 p.m. – 4 p.m.  
Location: Washington Convention Center, Room 146 B/C.
 
July 3

NEA holds its Annual Human and Civil Rights Awards Dinner.
This annual event honors educators, public servants, activists and leaders of the human rights struggle.  This year’s dinner will also pay homage to the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education.  Thirteen winners will be recognized for their accomplishments in the spirit of the Brown decision.
Location: Washington Convention Center, Grand Ballroom, 6:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

The NEA Representative Assembly will take place July 4-7.  All of the following events will be held at the Washington Convention Center, Hall E.

July 4

Representative Assembly opens, 11 a.m.

President Weaver delivers his keynote address during the morning session.

July 5

NEA Elections.  NEA delegates will go to the polls to elect new leaders for three positions on the NEA Executive Committee.  Election results will be announced during the morning business meeting.

The 2004 National Teacher of the Year will address the delegates.  Kathy Mellor, an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at Davisville Middle School in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, has made strengthening the partnership between schools, families and the community her national platform.  She is the first National Teacher of the Year to represent Rhode Island.

July 6

The NEA Education Support Professional of the Year will address the delegates.  Allyson "Sunny" Story, a teacher’s aide at Grant Elementary School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, provides one-on-one tutoring and other assistance to special-needs students.  She earned NEA's highest honor for professionals in the field of educational support for the creative ways she engages children in learning and for her efforts to build bridges between educators and the community.
 
July 7

The 2004 Friend of Education Award will be presented to Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF).  Edelman established the Children's Defense Fund in 1973 as a voice for poor and minority children.  More than 30 years later the agency she founded is the country’s premier advocate for children in need.  As part of the efforts of Marian Wright Edelman and the Children's Defense Fund, issues related to child development, child care, health care and children in poverty have gained national attention.

For more information on this year's Annual Meeting and details about the Representative Assembly 2004, visit the NEA's Annual Meeting website.  

June 3, 2004

For more information:
NEA Public Relations, 202 822-7200

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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.