RA 2016: Educators Stand Up for Unity, Social Justice
Clinton visit and action taken to protect rights of LGBTQ students highlight 2016 RA. The 95th NEA Representative Assembly (RA) kicked off on the morning of July 4 with the typical energetic celebration, as the 7,000 delegates danced to sounds of Prince and Michael Jackson blasting through the Washington, D.C., Convention Center. But, as NEA … Continued
U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray Earn NEA’s Highest Honor
Friend of Education award recognizes bipartisan collaboration to pass Every Student Succeeds Act In the midst of one of the most politically gridlocked eras in Washington, D.C., two U.S. senators from opposite sides of the political aisle set aside their differences to successfully champion the passage of a federal education law that touches millions of … Continued
You Can Be Your Students’ Hero, Teacher of the Year Tells RA Delegates
In a stirring and emotional speech to the NEA Representative Assembly (RA) on Thursday, 2016 National Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes urged her colleagues to never underestimate their potential to transform the lives of their students. If her teachers had given up on her, Hayes told the delegates in the Washington D.C. Convention Center, … Continued
NEA Takes a Stand on the School-to-Prison Pipeline
The delegates to the 2016 Representative Assembly voted today on a new NEA Policy Statement on school discipline and the school-to-prison pipeline. NEA Vice President Rebecca S. Pringle and NEA Executive Committee Member Kevin F. Gilbert gave a compelling presentation to the RA delegation, encouraging the body to vote yes on the policy statement. The … Continued
NEA Executive Director: We Must Give Voice to the New Generation of Educators
Momentous and lasting changes are underway in the nation’s public schools. The student population is more racially and culturally diverse, and digital technology is reshaping teaching and learning. But another significant transformation is in progress, NEA Executive Director John Stocks told the NEA Representative Assembly on Wednesday. “There is a major generational shift happening in … Continued
Michigan and Mississippi educators Reelected to NEA Executive Committee; New Leaders Elected to NEA Board of Directors
Delegates to NEA’s RA reelected yesterday Maury Koffman of Michigan and Kevin F. Gilbert of Mississippi to serve another three-year term each as NEA Executive Committee members. The Committee is a nine-member governing body that is responsible for the general policy and interests of the nearly 3 million-member NEA. More than 7,000 delegates to the … Continued
ESPs: ‘We are Secret Weapons and a Key Ingredient’ to School and Student Success
NEA’s ESP of the Year Doreen McGuire-Grigg, a special education paraeducator in California’s Lakeport Unified School District, took to the stage on July 5 to address nearly 7,000 of her colleagues during NEA’s RA. But before doing so, she did what most people would do: she took a selfie with Lily Eskelsen García. Long known … Continued
‘I’m With You,’ Hillary Clinton Tells NEA RA Delegates
In a rousing and passionate address to the National Education Association Representative Assembly on Tuesday, Hillary Clinton said the nation needs to give our schools more “TLC “- teaching, learning, and community, the three pillars of her vision to strengthen public education. But any national campaign to create great schools for every student, she added, … Continued
2016 NEA Social Justice Award Winners: The Union City Educators – Ivan Viray Santos, Joe Ku’e Angeles, and Tina Bobadilla
The Union City Educators team worked long and hard to bring the Filipino heritage into the schools of the New Haven School District in California—and they succeeded. What’s more, they were instrumental in getting a school named after Filipino labor leaders—the first public school in the U.S. to be named after Filipino American heroes.
Thousands of Educators Mourn with Orlando
It was hard to reconcile the emotions of thousands of educators gathered at this year’s NEA Representative Assembly. The July 4 meeting started with an explosive celebration. Classic hits from Prince and Michael Jackson blasted into the Washington Convention Center, and educators happily danced. But then, something happened. Lily Eskelsen García, president of the NEA, … Continued