New Video by Native American Students Shatters Stereotypes

By Robert McNeely Crime, poverty, and alcoholism have long been associated with “life on the rez,” but a group of Lakota students are showing that Native American culture is much more than the destructive media stereotypes would suggest. Students from Todd County High School on South Dakota’s Rosebud Sioux Reservation recently created a short film, [...]

Could the Dream Act Have Saved Joaquin Luna’s Life?

By Rebeca Logan “Dedication, effort and hard work has always been with my family…We were taught to never give up in life and to always keep moving forward no matter the obstacles we face. I’ve set up goals to become the first in my family to go to college and have fought hard to get [...]

Alabama Law Drives Children Out of Public Schools

By Alain Jehlen What happens when school personnel are ordered to ask about students’ immigration status? Alabama is carrying out that experiment right now, and the first results are in: Children don’t come to school. Wednesday, NEA President Dennis Van Roekel spoke out against the law that requires the school personnel who enroll students to [...]

NEA’s Eskelsen to Serve on White House Commission on Hispanic Education

By Mary Ellen Flannery In August, President Barack Obama appointed Lily Eskelsen, vice president of the National Education Association, to the White House Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, a high-powered panel that will advise him on creating vital learning opportunities for the nation’s growing population of Hispanic students. “I’m not really into titles, but this [...]

‘Poverty Tour’ Spotlights the Poor and Disadvantaged

By Dana Dossett and John Rosales For college students affected by poverty, community colleges often serve as an affordable means to earn a two-year associate’s degree, as a place where professional development opportunities abound, and as a bridge to a four-year university. Four out of 10 college-bound high-school graduates start their university education at a [...]

Protect Pell Grants: Protect the Middle Class

By Mary Ellen Flannery Cutting the Pell Grant program – the ticket to the American Dream for 9.4 million college students this year alone – is exactly what you don’t want to do in an economic recession, said a panel of U.S. Senators, college presidents, and students on Tuesday. “This is America’s future,” said Sen. [...]

DREAM Act Supporters Make Their Case to the US Senate

By Mary Ellen Flannery “I am an American in my heart,” Michigan student Ola Kaso told Senators on Tuesday in the first-ever hearing on the DREAM Act, a bill that would provide a much-needed pathway to citizenship for some undocumented students who attend college or serve in the military. The hearing, available on webcast and [...]

Sylvia Mendez, School Desegregation Pioneer, Honored at White House

At a White House ceremony yesterday, President Barack Obama honored recipients of the 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom. This award, America’s highest civilian honor, is bestowed on individuals who make especially laudable contributions to the country’s national interests. Among this year’s recipients is Sylvia Mendez, a civil rights activist of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, [...]

NEA Honors Black History Month

“In schools across America, NEA members are honoring the rich cultural history and contributions of African Americans by celebrating Black History Month with special lesson plans and activities.

After-School Programs Prove Key to Closing Gaps

By Mary Ellen Flannery When the last bell rings at Van Buren Middle School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the real “work” begins – that is, the after-school apprenticeships in fields as far-ranging as Mexican dance and community action. This is not school, plus two hours. It’s not the same books, desks and assignments but more [...]

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