State

Affiliate

Description

Alaska

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District

Kenai Peninsula Education Association will use their $20,893.00 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to help Kenai Peninsula Borough School District (KPBSD) develop a cadre of teacher instructional observers who will help provide individual teachers critical feedback in the classroom. Interacting with highly skilled observers (both teachers and administrators) improves teacher quality as it allows for much more growth than a standard evaluative observation.

The program will develop 12 teacher instructional observers using the Danielson Framework for Teaching, alongside a cadre of administrative observers to develop a valid and reliable teacher evaluation process.

California

California Teachers Association

California Teachers Association (CTA) was awarded a $250,000 NEA Great Public Schools grant to ensure the successful implementation of the Common Core Standards (CCSS) in the California. With the support of NEA, CTA will partner with the California Department of Education and the West Ed to pool and coordinate material and human resources in a multi-year implementation support program.

The grant will support day-long invitational meetings of teachers and administrators (approximately 1,000 educators) to an orientation to the CCSS. Those teachers will then bring back what they’ve learned to their local districts. The meetings will be conducted jointly by the California Department of Education (CDE), WestEd, and CTA staff.

The grant will also provide funding to develop a program to train and coordinate regional teams of mentor teachers who will be available to deliver practical coaching as their colleagues learn the skills necessary to implement the content in the CCSS. These teams will cultivate knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to support their local colleagues through face-to-face and online collaboration.

Colorado

Colorado Education Association

Colorado Education Association (CEA) will develop a partnership with CEA, Durango Education Association, Durango School District, and the Public Education Business Coalition (PEBC) to design cooperative a process that invests in professional learning embedded in the classroom.

The NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant will allow CEA to emphasize the successful implementation of Common Core, student learning assessments, educator accountability and other issues related to teacher’s practice.

The CEA believes that the value of Association membership is inextricably linked to its success in promoting issues related to teaching and learning and advancing the profession. The CEA believes that educator leadership is essential in facilitating improvements in instruction and promoting practices that will encourage the success of all students.

The CEA will also partner with EnetColorado to provide online resources to help with the implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

Illinois

Illinois Education Association

The Illinois Education Association has been awarded $222,000 to lead a cohesive train-the-trainer program in an effort to train educators state-wide to implement Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Illinois.

The grant will fund the training of up to 20 members in five locations across the state with the expectation that the trainers will support others at the school level. Online supports will also be provided, which will include online module training for use at the school level with technical assistance being provided by the cadre, program coordinator, and the CEI department within IEA/NEA. The continued development of resources will be accessible through the IEA website.

The plan includes providing training and support to educators statewide through a CCS program coordinator (IEA member) who is an expert in common core standards. The grant will also support the Living Library, a valuable online resource that will house Common Core materials that are updated regularly.

Maryland

Maryland State Education Association

Local school districts in Maryland will embark on a full-scale implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English Language Arts (ELA), literacy, and mathematics in school year 2013-2014.

A key to success in implementing the CCSS, and ensure student success, is to provide teachers with support, training, and resources to assist in instruction. MSEA’s goal is to create a diverse cadre of leaders from around the state to deliver CCSS professional development programs and activities directly to educators to improve their professional practice. The professional development will be delivered regionally for a variety of audiences, from MSEA members to parents, community representatives, and other education stakeholders.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts Teachers Association

The Massachusetts Teachers Association will engage educators in helping shape the implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and define the policies around the effective measurement of student learning to ensure student success. This grant will support locals who actively bring educators into the decision-making process of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education concerning the effective implementation of CCSS and adoption of effective measurement of student learning.

The Massachusetts Teachers Association will also partner with TeachPlus and other external organizations, in order to promote readiness for the implementation for these new standards.

Minnesota

Stadium View School

Stadium View School in the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center (Minnesota) was awarded $25,000 to support the project “Restorative practice, social connectedness and resiliency.” Stadium View serves students in the 11-21 age-range (the average age is 16) and the majority of the students are two to three years behind in terms of school; their average length of time in the center and school is 14 days. Science teacher Tarri Levine works with the students to find something they are passionate about and uses it to build up their self-worth, honing in on wanting them to continue with academics and increase the amount of quality time they spend learning. The grant money will also be used for self-publishing examples of poetry and music produced by students. The Hennepin County libraries have agreed to house the poetry books. Levine is working with students to self-publish a poetry book and music CD.

Ohio

Ohio Education Association

OEA will use the NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to strengthen educators’ voices in school improvement while advocating for the effective implementation of Ohio’s New Learning Standards (ONLS). The funding will be also be used to help educators develop resources for the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) as well as advocate for the teaching and learning conditions necessary for student and educator success.

The driving issues for the OEA will be ONLS and the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System. They will support educators in becoming leaders and messengers advocating for quality teaching and learning conditions in their schools. The immediate goal is for educators to succeed at school district integration with the new standards, assessments and evaluation.

OEA’s goal is to lead a student-centered agenda, improve the quality of public education and elevate the teaching profession.

Oregon

Oregon Education Association

With the NEA Great Public Schools Fund grant, OEA will take lead on the effective implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) while engaging with parents and community leaders to positively influence the classroom experience for students and educators.

OEA will engage and empower educators to advocate on professional practice and education policy issues, lead local quality education initiatives; and build a continuum of support for the education profession and strategies for educational transformation.

The grant will support the OEA to:

1. Work with partners to create a comprehensive, sustainable long-term plan for CCSS implementation, including professional development.
2. Develop a tool or utilize an existing tool to assess educator and school district implementation needs and inform professional learning opportunities.
3. Develop and/or adopt professional development modules and materials that can be used by individual educators, local associations and school districts.
4. Engage in regional parent and community townhalls to help the public understand how important it is to implement CCSS successfully.

Utah

Alpine Education Association

As standards in Utah evolve to meet the dynamic needs of students preparing to compete in the global economy, the Alpine Education Association (AEA) is helping students and teachers stay ahead of the curve. AEA, in partnership with the Utah Education Association (UEA), will use the $5,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to support teacher quality in schools by providing each AEA member with a toolkit with guidelines to successfully meet expectations in each new teacher standard recently established by the Utah State Office of Education.

Washington

Federal Way Education Association

The Federal Way Education Association committed resources to create a cadre of exceptional educators to help craft quality improvement plans for educators who are not meeting teaching and learning standards. Specifically recruited and trained, these educators have been viewed as ‘exceptional’ by their peers and evaluators. They successfully assisted principals in crafting fair and reasonable improvement plans that would help struggling colleagues meet the standards of the new evaluation system. The results were dramatically positive and feedback on the work of the cadre to help advance the Association’s goal of a quality educator in every classroom has been highly favorable. Federal Way Education Association received a grant to continue this important body of work and expand it to include teachers in the development of teacher evaluations and lead the effort to promote teacher growth/improvement.

Washington

Puget Sound UniServ Council

The Puget Sound UniServ Council will use the NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to reach out to new educators to identify their professional needs so that they can develop tailored programming. They will then implement a SPARKS program to provide the specific information and training that will build the quality of the new educator’s practice. The grant will allow the Puget Sound UniServ Council to provide professional development to educators directly, both on the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and in building the skills and knowledge that could lead educators to national board certification.

The Puget Sound UniServ Council will also develop a training that will help educators reach out to the community and engage parents in the successful implementation of CCSS.

Washington

Washington Education Association

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) represent the next wave of reform affecting members and students in every K-12 public school. The state of Washington is the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) Lead Procurement State and a “Governing State,” as well as a Next Generation Science Standards “lead state partner.” Washington Education Association (WEA) is developing and implementing a new, integrated statewide professional development network that will engage and professionally develop members, train leaders and staff, build stronger locals and collaborate with local communities. With this grant, WEA’s professional development network will significantly enhance CCSS implementation and thus positively affect members and students.

State

Affiliate

Description

Alaska

NEA-Alaska

NEA-Alaska will use a $245,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to support appropriate implementation of Alaska Common Core State Standards; direct its Leading the Profession Committee to publicize its six-principle position statement advocating for positive change in Alaska public schools; and engage Alaska public education stakeholders and policymakers around Alaska State Standards/Common Core. The goal is to effectively change Alaska’s existing anti-public education, pro-privatization movement.

California

Community College Association and College of the Canyons

The Community College Association and College of the Canyons will use a $450,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant during the next three years to develop a union-led, replicable program around curriculum development and teaching. The program will engage diverse low-income high school, community college, and university students and focus on Social Science, Chicana/o Studies, and English teaching in schools, community after-school programs, community colleges, and university settings. The program will also endeavor to change the communities’ perceptions of the union, especially among parents and community organizations.

Florida

Florida Education Association

The Florida Education Association (FEA) will use a $50,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to empower public school educators and staff to lead the way for quality and equity in public education so that every student attends great public schools. FEA will develop criteria for model training and mentoring programs for Teach for America teachers, providing them with pedagogical knowledge and skills so their students receive high-quality teaching and learning in supportive classroom environments.

Idaho, Maryland, New Hampshire, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Wyoming

Idaho Education Association, Maryland State Education Association, NEA-New Hampshire, South Carolina Education Association, South Dakota Education Association, Utah Education Association, Vermont-NEA, and Wyoming Education Association

An eight-state consortium will use a $3,094,955 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant during the next three years to create a large cadre of teacher leaders who, upon engaging in their own professional learning around Student Learning Objectives (SLOs), will train and encourage teachers, support professionals, and administrators in creating high-quality SLOs and assessments toward improving student learning and ensuring student success. The consortium comprises the Idaho Education Association, Maryland State Education Association, NEA-New Hampshire, South Carolina Education Association, South Dakota Education Association, Utah Education Association, Vermont-NEA, and Wyoming Education Association. Each affiliate will have the autonomy necessary to ensure that all participant educators develop the capacity to effectively implement SLOs in their own states and they also will share the best and most effective practices across all the states.

Maryland

Maryland State Education Association

The Prince George’s County Educators Association will use a $50,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant during the next two years to operate a union/teacher-led Pre-K through Fifth Grade Pre-collegiate Academy centered on whole child education with a focus on students as future global citizens. This school will be governed and staffed by union/teacher leaders built on an alternative school calendar, and offers a choice to parents who desire a different educational opportunity for their child. This model is designed to reclaim families in Prince George’s County that have abandoned the public school system.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts Teachers Association

The Massachusetts Teachers Association will use a $194,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant over the next three years to develop a Safe School Summit to bring together educators, elected officials, law enforcement personnel, judicial staff, social and health services providers, and parents and community members to consider how to ensure that our schools are safe, healthy environments in which students can learn and educators can teach. The Safe School Summit concept is one that has been embraced nationwide.

Mississippi

Mississippi Association of Educators

The Mississippi Association of Educators will use a $750,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant during the next three years to partner with the Jackson Education Association to make the local association an indispensable resource for Jackson teachers. Through the program, teachers will enhance their skills, learn how to navigate educational changes, including Common Core and the state’s new teacher evaluation system, and become leaders for what’s best for teaching and learning in Jackson and, by extension, in Mississippi. This MAE initiative will test, document, and prove that relevance for association membership and engagement is based on establishing the association as the path to educator effectiveness and, ultimately, to student success.

Nevada

Clark County Education Association

The Clark County (Nevada) Education Association will use a $750,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant during the next three years to build a strong local association for students and educators in the nation’s fifth largest school district. CCEA will scale up member organizing through robust professional development offerings, including those targeting ELLs, and take the lead on successful implementation of Common Core State Standards. CCEA recognizes that one crucial use of these funds will be developing strong ties to parents of Latino students and other students of color.

New York

New York State United Teachers

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania State Education Association

The Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) will use a $249,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to enable a unique partnership to support York City schools in their implementation of numerous educational reforms, including professional development and follow-up coaching to build needed infrastructure to implement and sustain site-based management. The partnership comprises the PSEA, the York City Education Association, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network, and Performance Learning Systems/3^rd Learning.

Utah

Utah School Employees Association

The Utah School Employees Association (USEA) will use a $750,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant during the next three years to support a multi-year organizational transformation that can serve as a model for other affiliates that want to build strong, member-led associations focused on supporting student success and serving members’ on-the-job needs. This initiative will embed students’ needs and teachers’ professional development needs in the day-to-day activities of USEA staff and leaders, producing a membership increase sufficient to sustain the initiative.

Washington

Seattle Education Association

The Seattle Education Association will use a $750,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant over the next three years to build a stronger union that improves student achievement. The association will tap esteemed educators to carry out teacher effectiveness programs and conduct outreach to parents; lead efforts to reduce class size and increase access to early childhood education; and direct professional development for teachers and para-professionals during this time of Common Core State Standards-driven changes.

Washington

Washington Education Association

The Washington Education Association will use a $39,975 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to host 12 National Board Certified Teachers from 9 NEA affiliates at a meeting in Washington, DC, in the spring of 2014. The teachers will complete the technical work of redesigning the Jump Start training for the first two available National Board for Professional Teaching Standards assessment components.

Washington

Washington Education Association

The Washington Education Association will use a $650,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant during the next three years to launch a statewide Professional Development Network to engage and empower leaders, members, and staff to advocate, bargain, organize, and promote high-quality public education practices and policies in their communities and statewide. This will increase WEA’s member relevancy, build its local capacity, and empower members to lead the profession and ensure student success.

Wisconsin

Milwaukee Teachers Education Association

The Milwaukee Teachers Education Association will use a $250,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to organize 70 percent of Milwaukee teachers to join the association by focusing on professional issues, including successful implementation of the Common Core curriculum and a new state teacher evaluation system. MTEA will determine whether organizing a critical mass of teachers, parents, and students around the needs of Milwaukee students will build the power base needed to improve schools and ensure high academic achievement and student success.

State

Affiliate

Description

Arizona

Flagstaff Education Association

The Flagstaff Education Association (FEA) will use a $52,500 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to partner with the Flagstaff Unified School District (FUSD) in support of 50 one-on-one mentors who will work intensively with new teachers during their first year. The New Teacher Center will recommend teachers to participate in the program. Each FEA mentor will also be eligible to coach any FUSD teacher who is placed on an Improvement Plan. Mentors will observe teachers and coach them for improved performance on the district’s evaluation rubric.

Arkansas

Pulaski County Association of Support Staff

The Pulaski County (Arizona) Association of Support Staff, in collaboration with Education Support Professional locals in the Little Rock and North Little Rock School Districts, will use a $47,550 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to build on the coalition’s recent anti-bullying successes by creating a formal educator/parent/community coalition, led by ESPs, to further increase awareness of bullying, to reduce the incidents of bullying, and to improve responses to bullying when it occurs. The coalition will build on the community connections that have already been established.

California

Moreno Valley Education Association

The Moreno Valley Education Association (MVEA) will use a $107,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to train members on the two-day “Unconscious Bias,” a California Teachers Association program that teaches recognition of our biases and encourages change in our behaviors toward others in order to be more sensitive to each other and to students. The MVEA will train approximately 210 high school staff members at each of three trainings per year, and it will also hold a parent forum each year to discuss “unconscious bias.”

California

United Educators of San Francisco

The United Educators of San Francisco will use a $534,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant during the next three years to partner with public and private institutions toward implementation of the San Francisco Teacher Residencies Program. The program takes the combined expertise and resources of schools, unions, and universities to address issues of teacher recruitment, preparation, and retention in high-needs schools, effectively transforming how teachers are prepared to serve in urban public schools and serving as a model for new teacher education pathways.

California

Oakland Education Association

The Oakland Education Association will use a $150,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to reach and empower students and their families toward establishing priorities and strategies for improving instruction and institutional cultures in schools. This initiative will be completed in partnership with The Excellence Network (TEN)—a mobile, web-based platform designed to amplify teachers’ voices—and will build on gains made in 2013 when more than 800 families, students, and teachers piloted TEN in Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco schools, creating healthier, more collaborative educational environments for all stakeholders.

Florida

Brevard Federation of Teachers

The Brevard Federation of Teachers will use a $600,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant during the next three years to create a sustainable plan for increasing teacher retention by supporting teacher development and building a foundation for a model teacher support and empowerment plan. Over the span of three years, the retention rate of 0- to 2-year Brevard teachers will increase annually by a minimum of 2 percent; select 5-plus-year teacher leaders will be empowered with mentor responsibilities and direction over the induction program; and student achievement, as measured by the baseline composite weighted aggregate for 0- to 2-year teachers, will increase.

Hawaii

Molokai Chapter of the Hawaii State Teachers Organization

The Molokai Chapter of the Hawaii State Teachers Organization will use a $178,060 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant during the next two years to address local education issues—including maximizing student learning time in schools and the job security of education professionals, especially credentialed teachers—thus demonstrating leadership in enhancing the quality of public education, a quality that can then be replicated throughout the state.

Indiana

Fort Wayne Education Association

The Fort Wayne Education Association (FWEA), in partnership with Fort Wayne Community Schools, will use a $31,510 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to support members in their National Board Certification process as part of the Association’s effort to acquire professional learning through National Board Certified Teachers. This will effectively rebrand FWEA by increasing its relevance at the bargaining table in order to obtain salary increases for its NBCT members, and attract—then engage potential members to become future Association leaders.

Iowa

Iowa State Education Association

The Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) will use a $450,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant during the next three years to embark on a statewide system of teacher leadership, with specific plans being developed by local school districts and funded by the state. The ISEA will develop a Teacher Leadership Institute to provide quality learning opportunities and support to teachers; professional development events four times a year; ongoing online collaboration opportunities; and coaching for teacher leaders.

Michigan

Michigan Education Association

The Michigan Education Association (MEA) will use a $73,500 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to create an instructional leadership program for union teacher leaders. In partnership with Central Michigan University, the MEA will develop a master’s degree program that will benefit members by providing 15 academic credits from Central Michigan University’s College of Education, creating a path to advanced certification with the Michigan Department of Education.

Michigan

Reese Professional Education Association

The Reese Professional Education Association will use a $58,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to provide the environment and hours needed for working with union and district administrations to create a partnership to ensure a great public school for every student. This collaboration will create a new merit-pay evaluation plan in accordance with new state laws; update and improve school improvement plans; and rework curricula to meet the Common Core State Standards in ways that best serve students, staff, and the district.

Minnesota

Education Minnesota Plainview-Elgin-Millville

Education Minnesota Plainview-Elgin-Millville will use a $90,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant during the next three years to create and manage the peer coaching component of its Teacher Evaluation Plan. This plan will be designed to include teachers who support and coach other teachers and who work on self-developed SMART goals with administrative guidance and support. It will serve as a dynamic program of teacher development, improvement, and evaluation, thus significantly and measurably impacting teacher effectiveness on student learning and student success.

Missouri

Missouri National Education Association

The Missouri National Education Association will use a $45,080 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to lead the transition to new Missouri Learning Standards by training a cadre of teachers to increase public understanding of the Missouri Common Core State Standards. Thirty Missouri NEA members will provide training to school staff that will be responsible for implementing these more rigorous Missouri Learning Standards, and help staff in developing presentations for parents that will explain what to expect and how to help their students.

Montana

Bozeman Education Association

The Bozeman (Montana) Education Association will use a $111,500 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to form a New Teacher Advisory Program that will increase student achievement at four schools—selected because of their high proportion of low socio-economic students—through the creation of an induction program that provides ongoing support for probationary teachers in their first three years of employment. This program will enable master teachers to establish school environments in which new teachers can identify what they need to learn in order to thrive in their chosen profession.

New Hampshire

NEA-New Hampshire

NEA-New Hampshire will use a $51,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant in collaboration with the New Hampshire Department of Education, the New Hampshire Technical Institute, the New Hampshire IHE Network, the Digital Opportunity Consortium, the New Hampshire School Library Media Association, the American Association of School Librarians, and Granite State College to inculcate the “Habit of Mind” (HOM) approach among current and future educators to encourage them to use evidence-based practices when addressing particularly important and vexing challenges concerning students’ learning and wellbeing.

New York

United Federation of Teachers

The United Federation of Teachers will use a $499,700 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant during the next two years to enable teams of North Syracuse Central School District (Grades K-9) teachers to participate in lesson study toward improving their Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) instruction. A total of 60 teachers will be involved during three years, with 40 teachers participating the first year and an additional 10 in each of the remaining two years.

New York

Moreno Valley Education Association

The North Syracuse Education Association will use a $168,750 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant during the next three years to enable North Syracuse Central School District teachers to participate in lesson study to improve their Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) instruction. With the advent of Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards, even experienced teachers are faced with planning and implementing content with which they are not familiar. Sixty teachers will be involved during the next three years: 40 in the first year and 10 each year thereafter.

North Carolina

North Carolina Association of Educators

The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) will use a $50,325 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to take the lead on North Carolina’s implementation of the Common Core State Standards across the state. The NCAE Center for Instructional Advocacy and the NCAE Common Core
Leadership Team will implement a five-part plan toward building resources, creating learning opportunities, and fomenting leadership potential among North Carolina teachers around State Standards adoption.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Education Association

The Oklahoma Education Association will use a $27,290 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to aid in new teacher retention by providing a mentorship experience grounded in evidentiary indicators; creating a common language among educators, both new and veteran, around professional practices; and utilizing Professional Learning Communities to develop school-wide pedagogical reflection and purposeful inclusion of new teachers into the education profession.

Tennessee

Tennessee Education Association

The Tennessee Education Association (TEA) will use a $39,767 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant to provide improved instructional opportunities for students and teachers by positioning itself as a leader of Tennessee’s education profession through the establishment of a Teacher Leader Network facilitated by members who serve as Teacher Leader Organizers (TLOs). The Association’s goal is to have a lead TLO in every Tennessee school district that uses the Interdependent Leadership Model and to recruit a TLO for every work site.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin Education Association Council

The Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) will use a $126,000 NEA Great Public Schools Fund Grant during the next three years to implement Wisconsin’s new Department of Public Instruction Educator Effectiveness system, designed to improve student learning by supporting continuous improvement of educator practices through performance-based evaluation. The Council will provide leadership and assistance to local associations and members, increasing its capacity to ensure that Wisconsin students have highly effective teachers and schools.