The NEA Foundation, NEA Launch Initiative
to Attract and Retain Accomplished Teachers

Five Grants Awarded to Help Hard-to-Staff Public Schools

Washington -- The NEA Foundation and the National Education Association (NEA) announce a new $300,000 grant initiative to attract and retain accomplished teachers in hard-to-staff public schools. The funds will be split equally among five state/local partnerships to ensure that the neediest students have accomplished teachers. Each partnership consists of state and local NEA affiliates and public school districts. The five grant recipients are:

• Arizona Education Association Teaching and Learning Foundation. The partners will conduct research and take action at the state and local levels to establish "professional learning communities" in targeted hard-to-staff schools.
• Florida A&M University. The partners will focus their efforts on attracting accomplished teachers and helping them to improve student achievement in ten Title I elementary schools in Tallahassee.
• Iowa State Education Association. The partners will conduct research and utilize findings to create productive teaching and learning environments in schools with high concentrations of low-income and minority students.
• Maryland State Teachers Association. The partners will build on two initiatives that have already launched in Montgomery County into other districts in Maryland.
• University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center. The partners will introduce the idea of "induction looping," a system of mentoring new teachers during their first several years on the job.

Detailed descriptions of the projects can be found at The NEA Foundation Web site. The partners at each site will work collaboratively at the state and local levels to establish the policies, conditions, and incentives needed to ensure that hard-to-staff schools have fully credentialed, accomplished teachers capable of accelerating the achievement of all students.

"Providing children with quality teachers is a critical first step toward helping schools raise student achievement. These grants will help schools reap the benefits of accomplished teachers' skills and vast experience in the classroom," says NEA President Reg Weaver. "We know from experience that one of the major challenges in hard-to-staff schools is recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers."

Research shows that closing the achievement gaps for economically disadvantaged and minority students requires the recruitment, development, and retention of highly skilled teachers. It also confirms that accomplished teachers, such as National Board Certified Teachers, who teach in their area of academic specialty are essential for improving student achievement in hard-to-staff schools. These schools, however, are least likely to attract and retain accomplished teachers. More than 40,000 teachers have been certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, yet relatively few work in the nation's neediest schools.

"With this new program, the NEA and The NEA Foundation hope to provide solid examples of how student achievement can be positively impacted and improved in public schools when highly skilled and experienced teachers are paired with the neediest students," notes Segun Eubanks, Director of NEA's Teacher Quality Department.

What makes these grants noteworthy is the hand-in-hand collaboration of the teachers' unions and local school districts to address critical staffing issues. Additionally, many of the efforts are led by National Board Certified teachers, who are supported by state and local NEA affiliates at every site. Finally, each partnership will work with other organizations in their communities to reach their goals and obtain matching funds to increase the grant's reach. The partnerships' expertise represents an untapped resource for transforming schools characterized by achievement gaps, poverty, and low expectations. To accomplish their goals, the partnerships will

• Review and modify policies,
• Improve and expand professional development opportunities,
• Conduct research,
• Explore incentives and supports, and
• Spearhead communications efforts.

This new initiative adds to work already underway by The NEA Foundation and the NEA, which joined forces last June on a five-year effort to help close the achievement gaps in Hamilton County, Tennessee. Carol Edwards, Interim CEO of The NEA Foundation, explains, "Partnering with NEA's Teacher Quality Department to provide grants to attract and retain highly qualified teachers is an important step towards closing the achievement gaps in the five high-need regions around the country."

The NEA Teacher Quality Department advances the teaching profession and helps NEA members achieve high standards of practice by developing policies, products, services, and information that support their professional growth and sustain a diverse workforce of quality teaching professionals.

The NEA Foundation inspires public education employees to ensure that all students succeed. Created by the members of the NEA in 1969, the foundation is sustained by their continuing support. The big ideas of teachers, education support professionals, and higher education faculty and staff become reality with resources, technical assistance, and funding from the foundation. For more information, please visit The NEA Foundation Web site.

May 24, 2005

Contact: 
Christine Chirichella     202-822-7803

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