NEA Joins Obama In Call For Lower Student Loan Rates

By Tim Walker On July 1, more than 7.4 million students with federal student loans will see their interest rates double from 3.4 to 6.8 percent unless Congress steps in to keep them low.  For each year Congress allows the rate to double, the average student with these loans will rack up an additional $1,000 [...]

Friend or Foe? Schools Still Struggling With Social Media

By Tim Walker The Missouri state legislature stirred up a hornet’s nest last year when it passed a law prohibiting teachers from communicating privately with students on social media. Without much debate, the bill passed easily and the governor promptly delivered his signature. But educators complained that the law would needlessly interfere with how they [...]

2012 National Teacher of the Year Honored at White House

By Tim Walker Rebecca Mieliwocki, the 2012 National Teacher of the Year and NEA member, was honored Tuesday by President Obama at a White House ceremony. Mieliwocki, an English teacher at Luther Burbank Middle School in Burbank, Calif., was awarded the prestigious title by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) on Monday. CCSSO [...]

Department of Education Recognizes ‘Green’ Schools

By Robert McNeely To celebrate Earth Day 2012 (April 22), schools across the country are participating in green projects from cleaning up watersheds to helping preserve local parks. For Sean Miller, a former educator and now Education Director of the Earth Day Network, a partner of NEA, these projects are not just good for the [...]

Report: The Opportunity Gap in Education Is Growing

By Tim Walker Students who live in disadvantaged areas should have access to the supports and resources they need to have a decent shot at a quality education. But the reality is much different. According to A Rotting Apple: Education Redlining in New York City by the Schott Foundation for Public Education, students of color who [...]

Increase in Autism Highlights Need For Inclusion

By Teal Ruland Throughout the country, more and more educators face the challenges of educating students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, despite having had little of the necessary experience or training. According to a new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to mark the beginning of Autism Awareness Month, the estimated number [...]

Elementary Schools Move Ahead With Chinese Language Instruction

By Rebeca Logan and Tim Walker At a recent Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education meeting in North Carolina, a group of very vocal parents showed up to express their support for the district’s Chinese language learning program. The district had just released a report recommending elimination of the program due to – what else? – [...]

Has the Tide Turned Against ALEC?

By Amanda Litvinov If a children’s book were written about ALEC, the group that bills itself as an association of conservative lawmakers and supporters, it might be called “The Very Greedy Octopus.” It would read like one of those creepy 19th-century fairly tales that most parents would never, ever read to their young ones—it’s just [...]

“Bully” Documentary a Catalyst for Action in Schools and Communities

By Tim Walker In a scene in the acclaimed new documentary “Bully,” Kim Lockwood, asst.  principal of East Middle school in Sioux City, Iowa, wanders down the hallway after comforting a bullied student and wonders aloud,  “Tell me how to fix this. I don’t have any magic.” Later, the parents of 12-year-old Alex Libby meet [...]

NEA Takes On Corporate Tax Loopholes

By Tim Walker As the deadline approaches for Americans to file their taxes, a significant portion of profitable corporations may not pay a dime. The reason? Corporate tax loopholes. Through a new campaign, the National Education Association is exposing the true cost of corporate tax loopholes…a shrinking middle class and the erosion of critical services, [...]

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