NEA-New Mexico

NEW NEA FOUNDATION WEB SITE AND MORE NEWS!

If you haven’t visited our new Web site yet, you’re in for a surprise! The new neafoundation.org has taken flight! Easier to navigate, with more stories, photos, and videos, you can now donate to the Foundation, apply for a grant, learn about our Gaps work, and, soon, register for the gala, all in one paper-free place. We encourage you to check out our new public face and to share our link with others!
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The NEA Foundation Partners with Nickelodeon and the Staples Foundation for Learning to Fund “Green” Grants for Educators. Made possible by unprecedented back-to-back financial commitments from Nickelodeon and the Staples Foundation for Learning to fund “green grants” for public school educators, the NEA Foundation will grow its grants program for individual and teams of educators. The new $150,000 in grant funding, matched by another $100,000 from the Foundation, is designated for projects that integrate green-related topics and experiences to increase student engagement and to improve academic achievement.

The program builds on the success of the NEA Foundation’s Student Achievement and Learning & Leadership Grants.

Public school educators are eligible to apply for individual grants worth up to $5,000 for the development and implementation of ideas, techniques, and approaches for teaching “green” concepts. The next grant application deadline is Oct. 15, and grants are slated to be awarded in January 2010. The Foundation will award two more rounds of the green grants in 2010, with deadlines for applications falling on Feb. 1 and June 1.
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Update on the Al Gore Green Prize in Public Education: In the spring of 2010, the NEA Foundation will announce the first ever winner of our inaugural Al Gore Green Prize in Public Education (the Gore Prize) to recognize and showcase an outstanding public school educator or program that best advances social and environmental responsibility.

Endorsed by Al Gore, the purpose of the Gore Prize is to recognize those public school educators or programs that empower and inspire students to be more socially and environmentally responsible and to become better environmental stewards, creating a sustainable environment for our communities, country, and world.

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Awards for Teaching Excellence Nominations Now Online
We are pleased to announce that the application for The NEA Foundation Awards for Teaching Excellence is now online.
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Individual Donations Make NEA Foundation’s Grants to Public School Libraries Possible
Made possible by support from individuals, the NEA Foundation will make $1,000 awards to public schools serving economically disadvantaged students to purchase books for school libraries as part of the NEA's Books Across America Library Books Award program. In collaboration with the National Education Association, the NEA Foundation will make approximately 50 awards to public school libraries.

Interested educators can visit our Web site to view application guidelines and to download the application form. Applications must be submitted
by e-mail and the next deadline for applications is Friday, November 20, 2009.

If you would like make a donation to help bring the gift of reading to students, visit our Web site and make an online contribution. It’s a great way to promote the original free, reusable resource for learning by supporting public school libraries.
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NEA Applauds Steps to Help Students with Disabilities

Lawmakers are taking steps to fulfill broken promises by the federal government to help students who need special education services. Reps Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Todd Russell Platts (R-PA) and Tim Walz (D-MN) introduced a bill to make new funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandatory. The bill also calls for full funding of IDEA in six years.

When IDEA became law in 1975, Congress agreed to provide 40 percent of the cost of educating students with disabilities. Funding for students with disabilities has never reached half of the promised amount over the past three decades. Other than the historic infusion of funds included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the federal government has not come close to meeting its commitment. Federal law requires that IDEA services be provided to children with disabilities.

“Schoolchildren cannot wait another three decades for Congress to fulfill its commitment,” said Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association. “The devastating combination of underfunding and state fiscal crises have forced school districts to either raise taxes or dip into general education budgets to make up for the shortfall. As a result, other critical services are cut.”

The Everyone Deserves UnConditional Access to Education (EDUCATE) Act is a bipartisan effort that would benefit the six million students who receive special education services throughout the United States. Sens. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Pat Roberts (R-KS) introduced a similar bill in the Senate last week. S. 1652 would amend IDEA to make new funding mandatory and fully fund IDEA in six years.

“NEA is pleased that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are supportive of this effort,” added Van Roekel. “I look forward to the day when school districts no longer have to grasp at straws to provide critical services to students with disabilities. By creating a steady revenue stream for IDEA, Congress would free up dollars at the local level, allowing more money to be spent on programs that benefit all students.”

NEA VP HIGHLIGHTS HISPANIC AWARENESS

In a recent speech at a gathering of influential Hispanic political, community and political leaders, NEA Vice President Lily Eskelsen pointed out that Hispanics are changing the composition of cities and states from coast-to-coast and influencing all aspects of American life but that education still remains the key to opportunity.

“The face of America is changing,” NEA Vice President Lily Eskelsen told the audience of Hispanic leaders. “But one thing will not change. It hasn’t changed for over 200 years. Public education will continue to be the key—la llave a la puerta de la oportunidad. Everything hinges on public education because NEA’s mission is to take all children, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, income, language, skills or ability or disability; we take all children and give them the keys to the doors they might want to open.

Eskelsen is one of the highest-ranking labor leaders in the United States and one of its most influential Hispanic educators. She delivered the opening luncheon address at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Public Policy Conference, an annual event that brings together leaders to address issues affecting the Hispanic community.

In her speech, Eskelsen also recognized the critical role the U.S. Congress and the Obama administration are playing in helping to transform public education, with the largest investment of federal funds in the history of education. She noted, “We are lucky to have an administration that puts children first because this country cannot afford to leave any more students behind—not one.”

Recounting her experience, Eskelsen said, “My mother used to tell me to stop whining about homework. She said every class I took was a key to put in my pocket. She’d say learn the time tables—that’s a key. She said: Memorize the Preamble to the Constitution. That’s a key. Put it in your pocket. You never know when that key might open a door for you. You should have as many keys in your pocket as you can hold.”

Hispanics have become the largest minority group in the U.S., and that growth is reflected in America’s public schools. Fifty million students attend public schools. About 20 percent of public school students—10 million children—are Hispanics. Moreover, according to the U.S. Census, one out of every four kindergarten students in the U.S. today is Latino. That means in 12 years (16, counting college), 25 percent of the national workforce will be Latino. These students will grow up to pay taxes, raise families, vote, run for office and run businesses.

“The success or failure of 25 percent of America cannot be ignored,” said Eskelsen. “No country can withstand that rate of failure. If America marginalizes our Latino community, we do so at the entire country’s peril. The rest of the country cannot advance economically, politically, or globally if we leave 25 percent of us underemployed and undereducated.”

Keenly aware of the role great teachers and great schools play in preparing students, NEA is committing $6 million over the next six years to support quality teaching in high-needs schools. The commitment is part of an initiative, launched in partnership with the Center for Teaching Quality, to break ground for new teaching policies and strategic partnerships. The centerpiece of the initiative is a report titled, “Children of Poverty Deserve Great Teachers: One Union’s Commitment to Changing the Status Quo.” The report is a compilation of conversations with more than 2,000 of the nation’s best teachers who shared what will attract and keep the most effective teachers in the nation’s most challenging schools.

Eskelsen’s remarks also kicked off Hispanic Awareness Month. To mark the month-long celebration and to help educators learn more about Hispanic history, culture and education, NEA has put together the following resources:

• Lesson plans to help celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month www.nea.org/home/ns/13900.htm
• A list of resources for learning more about Hispanic history, culture, and education www.nea.org/home/16772.htm
• Hispanic education issues, scholarships, and other online resources www.nea.org/home/15648.htm
• Learn how NEA’s Minority Community Outreach project is working with the Hispanic community
www.nea.org/home/15424.htm