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  NEA Secretary-Treasurer Sees Common Themes In Successful Schools

  September 14, 2011 by Alain Jehlen

  On her 2011 back-to-school tour, NEA Secretary-Treasurer Rebecca Pringle went looking for common elements in great schools serving students from low-income families. Two days and four schools into the tour, she says she’s found them: A committed, empowered staff, working…

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  Parent and Community Outreach in the Spotlight

  September 13, 2011 by Alain Jehlen

  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…

• Tour Day One Evansville: Empowering Educators for Student-Centered Innovation

  September 12, 2011 by Alain Jehlen

  Today through Thursday, NEA President Dennis Van Roekel and Secretary Treasurer Becky Pringle are on the road for first-hand views of the work of members. Van Roekel and Pringle  will visit schools to view union-led innovation, transformation and partnership in Dayton,…

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  Educators To the Rescue

  April 5, 2011 by Alain Jehlen

  Teacher Ginny Smith is sitting in a rocking chair, her second graders arrayed around her on the rug, trying to decide which animal to research and write about—quite a grown-up project for these small children. “Leopards!” says Chloe. “No, bush…

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  Community Support Changes Attitudes in Charlotte

  December 10, 2010 by Alain Jehlen

  Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board members were in for a surprise last November when a PTA president got up to speak at the public comment period of their board meeting. The parent leader proceeded to tell them all about the problems at…

• SUN Shines On Portland Students

  December 2, 2010 by Alain Jehlen

  Portland, Oregon is a good place to see how contributions from the community can help low-income students. For the past 10 years, Portland and the neighboring districts in Multnomah County have developed an extensive after-school program, which now reaches about…

• KEYS to Better Schools in Des Moines

  November 30, 2010 by Alain Jehlen

  “Data-driven” is one of the favorite catch phrases of so-called school “reformers” these days, but the data they want to use to drive schools are a very narrow set: mostly math and reading test scores. Des Moines educators know there’s…

• Can Teacher Power Save Schools?

  June 16, 2010 by Alain Jehlen

  In a sunny courtyard at Los Angeles’ sprawling Jefferson High School, three freshmen girls are writing a radio script about a tornado. Teacher Nicolle Fefferman has asked her class to write scripts about being caught in a natural disaster. The…

• Union and Managers Work Together for Kids in Evansville

  February 24, 2010 by Alain Jehlen

  What happens when the school district administration and the educators’ union get together to try to improve schools with low student test scores? We’ll get an important answer to that question in Evansville, Indiana, this year because of the innovative…