 |
|
||||
 |
||
 |
||
> Join KNEA |
||
|
||||||
NEA Celebrates 150th Anniversary in Philadelphia - Presidential Candidates to address educators150 Kansas NEA delegates attendingThe National Education Association was created in Philadelphia, PA, in 1857. Nearly 10,000 NEA members, including 150 from Kansas, are visiting the city over the 4th of July holiday to celebrate the Association's 150th anniversary. The delegates will conduct business during the Association's Representative Assembly, including setting the NEA's agenda for the coming year and hearing eight presidential candidates, seven Democrats and one Republican, lay out their vision for the future of America's public schools. Delegates to the NEA Representative Assembly are elected locally by NEA's 3.2 million members to participate in the Association's preeminent decision making body, the world's largest democratic deliberative body. Led by NEA President Reg Weaver, delegates will discuss, debate, and vote on critical issues facing public education, such as teacher recruitment and education funding. A major topic at the NEA Representative Assembly will be No Child Left Behind, the Bush Administration's controversial education reform program up for Congressional reauthorization this year. KNEA President Blake West is leading the Kansas NEA delegation. Confirmed presidential candidates that will address the NEA RA include: Hillary Clinton (D-NY), John Edwards (D-NC), Chris Dodd (D-CT), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Bill Richardson (D-NM), Barack Obama (D-IL), Mike Huckabee (R-AR), and Joe Biden (D-DE).
Levings brings her work for great public schools to the national levelChristy Levings, an educator for more than 30 years from rural Osawatomie, Kan., was elected yesterday to the National Education Association Executive Committee, the nine-member governing body that oversees the 3.2 million-member Association. Levings, who ran unopposed, was declared elected by the presiding officer consistent with the rules of the NEA’s Representative Assembly. Her three-year term begins September 1, 2007. “I’m honored to join NEA’s Executive Committee and look forward to sharing my passion for great public schools and my voice in advocating for the professionals who work for them,” said Levings. “The future of every student and our nation is dependent on the work of the members of the NEA.” With three decades of education experience, Levings has been a champion for public education and school employees at the state and local levels. An elementary school teacher for 32 years, Levings is currently an instructional resource support and head of the formalized collegial mentoring program in the “We welcome Christy’s participation on a national level in working to ensure that our students’ basic right to a great public school becomes a reality,” said Reg Weaver, NEA president. “As a classroom teacher she knows the challenges and difficulties our public schools face. She understands how important it is to have the proper training, tools and resources to get the job done.” Levings graduated from The NEA Executive Committee consists of nine members – three executive officers and six members elected at-large by the Representative Assembly. The committee is responsible for general policy and interests of NEA and acts for the NEA Board of Directors in between its four regularly scheduled meetings each year. Olathe NEA, Olathe Schools honored nationallyCreative and inventive program jump start teacher retention effortsThe Olathe National Education Association and Olathe District Schools were honored for their collaborative efforts to recruit and retain effective teachers. O-NEA and Olathe public schools work together to deliver a multifaceted teacher retention program consisting of a three-day preservice induction period, ongoing mentoring and support, and a professional growth and appraisal system. The four-year program relies on support ranging from building principals to master educators. Mentors receive monthly newsletters packed with tips and materials. Per the negotiated agreement, mentors are compensated through a supplemental salary contract and earn professional development points on the salary schedule. NEA President Reg Weaver applauded Olathe Superintendent Dr. Patricia All and O-NEA President Larry Spotts for their long-time collaboration on teacher quality and other education issues. “Their collaboration guides creative and innovative efforts to assist new teachers in their careers,” Weaver said. “These efforts truly make Olathe public schools great for every child.” The NEA-Saturn/UAW Partnership Awards programs centered on the alarming trend that almost 50 percent of new teachers exit the profession within the first five years. The winning six partnerships were judged on criteria including a strong mentoring program, differentiated staffing for novice teachers, common planning time, ongoing professional development, access to an external network of teachers and standards-based evaluation. In addition to Olathe, the 2007 winning partnerships are Hamburg, N.Y.; Rochester, N.Y.; Hamilton, Ohio; Youngstown, Ohio; and Middleton, Wis. The honors were awarded in Philadelphia this week during the annual meeting of the 3.2 million-member National Education Association, which is celebrating its landmark 150th anniversary. A total of 68 school districts in partnership with NEA local affiliates from 25 states have received this prestigious award over the past decade. Outreach to Teach fixes up schoolMore than 300 college students, teachers, retired educators, higher education faculty and education support professionals helped paint, landscape and clean Gotwals Elementary School on June 26. Part of Outreach to Teach, NEA RA volunteers pick up shovels and dig in to give a needy, local school a much needed facelift in every city hosting the NEA annual meeting. The NEA Student Program’s Outreach to Teach descended on Gotwals Elementary School in Norristown, Pa. Students from as far away as Hawaii will participate. “Ensuring every child’s basic right to a great public school starts with providing children with an environment that is conducive to learning,” NEA President Reg Weaver said. “We are here today because students and school employees deserve to learn and work in clean and cheerful surroundings. Together, we must invest in our students and our public schools to give every child the opportunity to succeed in school and in life.” Gotwals Elementary School was built in 1966 and is named for a former teacher, Joseph K. Gotwals, who taught in the schools from 1860 to 1872 and then was superintendent from 1872 to 1905. Currently there are 345 students. Gotwals has a poverty rate of approximately 90 percent with a diverse school population: 46 percent Hispanic, 51 percent Black and 3 percent Caucasian. “We are so excited to have Gotwals Elementary chosen for the Outreach to Teach project,” said Maryanne Hoskins, principal of Gotwals. “It has brought such a sense of excitement, energy and renewal to our school. We are grateful that the NEA recognizes the importance of providing a safe, healthy and beautiful environment for students and teachers.” Outreach to Teach began in 1996 as a beautification project to give back to schools. Past sites have included Orlando, New Orleans, Atlanta, Chicago, San Antonio, Dallas, Compton and the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Since its inception, participation has increased by more than 1,000 percent “It is an awesome privilege to be a part of the Outreach to Teach program,” said Anthony Daniels, NEA Student Program chair. “It brings me a tremendous amount of joy to know we are turning the page on schools that are unsafe and unhealthy. As a result, we are moving that much closer to fulfilling the pledge to provide every child with a quality education.” Generous donations were given by Volkswagen of America, NEA Member Benefits, Pennsylvania State Education Association, Council for the Advancement of Public Schools Mideast Region, PSEA Blue Ribbon Grant Program, Education Association of Norristown Area, and Toplin & Associates. Kansas NEA 2007 DelegatesCraig Gray Andover (*List may be incomplete)
|
||||||
|
KNEA News Room Archives |
||||||
 Archives
|
 Printer friendly
|
 E-mail
|
 Subscribe
|
|||
Copyright 2006 Kansas National Education Association
715 SW 10th Avenue, Topeka, KS 66612-1686
(785) 232-8271
KNEAnews@knea.org