Educating the Whole Child – An Indiana Community Shows the Way

By Brenda Álvarez Ask a parent. Ask an elected official. Ask an educator. Most will agree that today’s student is America’s next decision-maker, scientist, artist, and leader. However, for the last 10 years the emphasis of public education has shifted from developing well-rounded individuals, prepared to succeed in life, to testing low-level, basic skills in [...]

Data-Driven Culture Brings Dramatic Gains in Achievement

By Amy Buffenbarger The North High School Academic Decathlon Team from Des Moines, Iowa had its most successful year in a decade during the 2011-2012 school year. Competing against 12 schools in Central Iowa, the North team placed first in a regional competition. The win at regionals led them to the state competition, where the team [...]

Home Visits Yield Hope and Cooperation

By John Rosales It is pushing 8:00 p.m. on a Tuesday and two teachers and a paraeducator from Roberts High School in Salem, Oregon, are wrapping up their second family home visit of the evening. As the sun sets on the carefully coiffed lawn of  the Alvarez family, the Roberts’ team of Ranada Young, Lauren [...]

NEA Spells Out Vision of ‘Education Utopia’

By Amy Buffenbarger Asking the crowd to imagine a world in which every student receives a quality public education, National Education Association (NEA) Secretary-Treasurer Rebecca Pringle shared the NEA vision of “education utopia” on May 18, at a meeting of the Education Writers Association (EWA). “The National Education Association believes every student should have access [...]

Michigan’s Renewal Starts with Reinvesting in Education

By Brenda  Álvarez History has looked favorably upon Michigan, from the booming fur trade of the 18th century to the prosperous copper mining industry of the 19th century. More notably, Henry Ford’s Model T marked Michigan’s legacy as a thriving auto industry, providing millions of jobs for much of the 20th century and for building America’s [...]

Educators Aren’t Just Welcoming Change, They’re Leading It

By Cindy Long Jenna Marvin, a media specialist at Howenstine High Magnet School, doesn’t buy into the perception of some that the National Education Association (NEA) and its members resist change and reform. On the contrary, at her school in Tucson, Arizona, educators aren’t just welcoming change and reform—they’re leading it. “We’re fighting very hard to [...]

How School Arts Programs Encourage Parental Involvement

By Teal Ruland Study after study has shown that arts education is a powerful and important component of adolescent learning. Dance, drama, music, and visual arts provide outlets for creativity, instill discipline, and help us to understand and analyze the world around us. Research also shows that the academic gains students achieve with high arts [...]

NEA’s Read Across America Tour Delivers Donations to Schools in Need

By Staci Maiers With a message of “Read! Read! Read!,” and a beloved Dr. Seuss character, NEA’s “Read Across America Tour- Driven by Mazda” is making stops at priority schools in California and Nevada. The Lorax-adorned vehicles on the tour bring books and cash donations to public school libraries—with each priority school receiving a $1,500 [...]

Education Organizing – The Path to Real Reform?

By Amy Buffenbarger Many current reform efforts focus on a system of rewards, sanctions and narrow test-based accountability, leaving little room for family and community input. A new guide, however, demonstrates how “community organizing offers an alternative vision for school reform.” In local communities across the country, NEA members and leaders are working closely with [...]

“There Are No Shortcuts to Improving Student Achievement”

By John Rosales West Seattle Elementary School in Washington is changing. While the irksome perception persists that this school in a high-poverty neighborhood is too ill-equipped, mismanaged, or even incapable of high student achievement, the school’s students, staff, and parents work quietly and effectively to change its course. “We have a vision of becoming a [...]

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