When Full-Time School Staff Qualify for Public Assistance, it’s Time to Fight for Professional Pay

By Debbie Minnick and John Rosales Had Marianne Murray taken an entry-level job at a fast food restaurant instead of with West Aurora School District 129 in Illinois, she might be earning a living wage by now. “At McDonald’s, I might have gone into management,” says Murray, an office assistant to the principal at West [...]

Why Are Colleges Handing Out Financial Aid to Wealthy Students?

By Mary Ellen Flannery It’s simple cause and effect: As state funding for public higher education has dropped over the past decades, student tuition has risen an almost equal amount. But where the equation gets more complicated is inside some college admissions offices, where “merit-based,” not need-based tuition aid, is increasingly directed to the wealthiest [...]

NEA Mourns for Oklahoma in Wake of Tornado Tragedy

By Edward Graham A massive tornado ripped through Oklahoma yesterday afternoon, killing dozens of people and injuring hundreds more as it carved a 22-mile long path of destruction across parts of southern Oklahoma City and its surrounding suburbs. In the city of Moore, the almost two-mile wide twister heavily damaged Briarwood Elementary School and leveled [...]

Say Thanks to a School Nurse on May 8

By Helen Yoshida In honor of National School Nurse’s Day, NEA Today spoke to 2012 Missouri ESP of the Year Carmen K. Hill. Hill is a tireless and dedicated school nurse working in the St. Louis, Missouri public school system. What’s a typical day like for you? I get in here at 6:45am and by [...]

‘Lunch Lady’ Author: Let’s Celebrate School Lunch Superheroes on May 3

By John Rosales After publishing his first book, Good Night, Monkey Boy, author and illustrator Jarrett Krosoczka returned to his old elementary school in Worcester, Massachusetts to talk to students about writing, illustrating, and publishing books. While walking the halls at Gates Lane School, he says he ran into the “beloved lunch lady of my [...]

STEM Teacher and WEA Member is the 2013 National Teacher of the Year

The Council of Chief State School Officers announced that Jeff Charbonneau, a 9-12th grade Chemistry, Physics and Engineering teacher in Washington state, is the 63rd National Teacher of the Year. Charbonneau, along with all 2013 State Teachers of the Year, was recognized by President Barack Obama in a ceremony at the White House. Charbonneau teaches [...]

A Small College Strikes a Big Blow For Good-Faith Bargaining

By Mary Ellen Flannery Let’s say you’re bargaining a contract this spring, and it’s not going well. Maybe the other side is coming to the table with regressive proposals. Or maybe they’re not coming to the table at all. You’re feeling frustrated, exhausted, and angry. Believe it or not, the process can work. Take a [...]

Maryland Paraeducator Named NEA 2013 ESP of Year

By John Rosales For Donna Schulze, the gala at the 2013 NEA Education Support Professionals (ESP) Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, turned out to be the night of a lifetime. One for the books. The Friday night dinner and dance always kicks off the two-day series of seminars, speeches, and pre-conference workshops. While this is Schulze’s [...]

Uma Thurman and Jake T. Austin Join NEA to Celebrate 2013 Read Across America Day

By Cindy Long and Staci Maiers Hundreds of New York City school children filed into the New York Public Library on Friday morning to celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday and to kick off Read Across America Day, the nation’s largest reading celebration with more than 45 million participating around the country to highlight the importance of [...]

How to Improve Obama’s ‘College Scorecard’

By Mary Ellen Flannery The White House’s new “College Scorecards,” touted by President Obama in his State of the Union Address and available online, provide a new layer of transparency for students, parents, and teachers who are seeking more information about the “value” of different colleges. Each scorecard, one for each college or university in [...]

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