Innovative Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners

By Rebeca Logan When Maricela Rincón first started school she was sent to the back of the room because she didn’t speak English. Even though she was born in Chicago, Maricela felt isolated and rejected because she spoke only Spanish. “At that time language wasn’t valued… And so I was usually placed in the back [...]

How Effective Family Engagement Makes a Difference

By Cindy Long If it hadn’t been for parental involvement at Glendale Middle School, a large group of girls would be failing gym class for one simple reason – they couldn’t wear the uniform. Nearly a quarter of the student population at Glendale is Muslim, and for religious reasons, Muslim girls are unable to wear short-sleeved [...]

Reforming Teacher Evaluation Through Collaboration

By Brenda Alvarez Some critics of America’s public schools say teachers don’t want to be held accountable for the challenges of struggling schools. Not true. In fact, teachers demand to be held accountable and they’re the first to say, “The status quo must go,” in education. But they want it done, fairly, realistically, and with [...]

In Transforming School, Educators Draw Inspiration From Students

By Cindy Long Greg Mohammed, also known as “Mr. Moe,” is the kind of teacher who always has students surrounding him or sitting outside his classroom just to say hello. He’s the kind of teacher serious enough to motivate kids in his science class, but playful enough to craft a giant, wooden hall pass the [...]

Disproving the “Failing” Label

By Amy Buffenbarger Educators and staff at many priority schools have seen their school ranked, labeled and listed on a recurring basis that’s rarely positive. Kit Carson Elementary School is no stranger to that trend. The school is located in West Las Vegas, Nevada, the state with the highest home foreclosure rate in the country. With an unemployment [...]

NEA Priority Schools Conference Highlights Promising Practices

By Amy Buffenbarger NEA’s Priority School’s Campaign has brought together more than 300 teachers, education support professionals, union leaders, district administrators, community members and parents, representing 36 Priority Schools from 17 states, in New Orleans for a three day forum to share lessons learned, challenges and strategies for success in school transformation efforts. Declaring “the [...]

Raising Student Aspirations in Rural Maine

By Cindy Long Doug Woodsum was a substitute at Carrabec High School in North Anson, Maine, before he was hired as a full-time English teacher three years ago. He knew it wouldn’t be an easy assignment, and a few of the students even warned him not to take the job. “You don’t want to work [...]

Parent and Community Outreach in the Spotlight

By Alain Jehlen and Sara Robertson NEA President Dennis Van Roekel and Michigan Education Association President Steve Cook joined forces to bring the National Education Association’s Standing Strong for Students Back-to-School Tour to the Detroit area on Tuesday. The day began with local radio interviews, outreach to education bloggers, and breakfast with some two-dozen local Association [...]

NEA President Begins 2011 National Back-to-School Tour

By Stacey Grissom and Tim Walker “One of the things I love about teaching is that you get to start brand new with the beginning of each new school year,” NEA President Dennis Van Roekel said today. Van Roekel was in Dayton, Ohio on Monday visiting Westwood Elementary School and Belmont High School to kick-off [...]

Boosting Parent Involvement in Schools

By Cindy Long Few teachers would deny that successful partnerships with parents are critical to student achievement and are key in transforming public schools into true communities. But engaging parents can be a formidable challenge, especially for newer educators. Anne T. Henderson is a Senior Consultant with the Annenberg Institute for School Reform and based [...]

« Previous Page — Next Page »