March 2003 NEA Today Table of Contents

Cover Story:
High-Stakes Questions

Do high-stakes tests boost student achievement? Can good schools be labeled 'low-performing'?

Debate

Should all high schools have fewer than 1,000 students?

'Keep the Commitment!'

SThe recession may be battering school finances, but Washington state NEA members stress the need to invest fully in children's future.

IDEA Faces Reauthorization

And NEA members in California are working to ensure it's fully funded and effectively addresses the needs of students.

'Thou Shalt Not...'

'...post the Ten Commandments in school,' say federal courts, but 'In God We Trust' is probably OK.

If Walls Could Talk

If there's really a story behind every building--the abandoned storefront up the street, the old church around the corner, that brand-new house--one NEA member is making sure students unearth them.

Beyond the Paycheck

Indiana educators play major decision-making role--and 85 percent of new teachers stay.

A Lesson In Building Bridges

Karen Brown began a family reading club to teach parents reading strategies and wound up learning a thing or two herself.

ESEA Special Report

Overhauled ESEA Poses New Hurdles for Teachers, Para

Helping Students with Special Needs

Find out where you can find a tool that translates other student work into a "readable" form for the visually impaired student.

No Para Left Behind

Local Associations help members meet new federal requirements.

Letters

Readers react to previous issues of NEA Today.

President's Viewpoint: ESEA: The Stakes Just Got Higher

Purported education reform--the recently reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)--is in many instances, a murky and misleading piece of legislation. But two things are crystal clear about ESEA.

Taking Away the Fun

High-stakes testing is putting some of the most meaningful class experiences in jeopardy.

Rx for Kids: Exercise!

Students are becoming as sedentary as many adults--to their peril. But with a bit of know-how, educators can help get them moving again.

Money

Adding Up Assets Before Retiring

People

In the Wilderness

Resources

For Sale--Your Kids

In the Light Lane

Dumbing Down

Books by NEA Members Online

NEATO's Recommended Reading