Van Roekel and Duncan: Let's Reform Education Together
July 2, 2009
Dennis Van Roekel (right) welcomes U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at the 2009 Annual Meeting in San Diego, California.
Photo by Calvin Knight for RA Today
On the second day of the NEA Annual Meeting, delegates eagerly embraced the big challenges facing schools today – achievement gaps, teacher pay, NCLB reform and engaged in frank and spirited discussions with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and other noted guests of the RA.
NEA President Dennis Van Roekel said Duncan " understands that a union of educators can be a powerful force that can drive the change that our schools need" and praised him for listening and being accessible to NEA's 3.2 million members. "It's a wonderful opportunity and frankly, I enjoy the conversation."
Duncan’s conversation with Van Roekel and NEA members kicked off a Day of Hope and Change.
Duncan spoke at a special town hall meeting where he told 7,000 delegates that out-dated teacher tenure and compensation formulas need to be replaced with systems that reward excellence. “Education reform isn’t a table around which we all talk. It’s a moving train and we all need to get on board,” he said. And he promised to work closely with NEA and its members for fairness.
Duncan took questions from delegates, who understood that his presence at the RA signaled that NEA truly had a place on the Obama administration’s train.
Alan Blankstein, founder and president of the HOPE Foundation, also got a rousing reception from a standing-room-only audience. Blankstein used music, video and humor to hit home the message that educators must inspire and motivate their students if they are to be successful - one of the key principles outlined in his best-selling book “Failure is Not an Option.”
NEA Vice President Lily Eskelsen joined a passionate discussion on race, education and culture with Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Eugene Robinson, author Michael Eric Dyson, Olympic gold medalist Billy Hays, U.S. Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), and film producer Moctezuma Esparza. While noting the powerful symbolism of the first African-American president, panelists urged attendees to push the Obama administration to make changes necessary to improve public schools.
