IDEA: Final Rounds

Photo by Duncan Smith

Congressional debate over the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is heating up again, but with an end finally in view. The Senate will consider a bill in September, then a House-Senate conference committee will craft legislation the full Congress will vote on this fall.

The verdict so far? NEA has scored major victories, helping to:

• defeat feverish attempts to include vouchers

• get improved working conditions, including paperwork reduction and use of a model national IEP

• include early intervention measures that allow 15 percent of funding for prereferral and classroom strategies

• get more funding for professional development.

BUT there's major work left:

Full funding-- The House has adamantly rejected attempts to make this mandatory, and the bill the Senate will consider follows suit. While the House did raise authorized funding levels by $4.7 billion over the next two years, NEA will continue its push for full funding and lobby for the Hagel-Harkin full funding amendment (S. 939) during the Senate floor debate.

Highly qualified definition-- After intense NEA advocacy, a Senate committee agreed that the definition set forth in the new Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) should not apply to special education teachers. Its bill declares these teachers highly qualified if they are certified or licensed by the state in special ed. The House bill offers no such provision, putting in jeopardy thousands of special ed teachers who teach core academic subjects.

To do! Check out the latest congressional activity and write your rep at NEA's Legislative Action Center. Get on the NEA-IDEA activist e-mail list. Send an e-mail to Patti Ralabate at pralabate@nea.org.

Rocking the Boat

State budget woes may be worsening by the day, but NEA members in some 20 states, from Nevada to New Jersey, have found their voices at public rallies protesting cuts in education.

In New York, NEA members joined 25,000 other advocates, including colleagues from the American Federation of Teachers, parents, school board members, and administrators, in a march to the state capitol in May. This marked the first time in the state's history that the education community rallied as one.

"It was incredible to see this kind of solidarity," says Teresa Bennett, a school board member who traveled to the Albany rally from Plattsburgh, New York.

At an April rally organized by the Nebraska State Education Association, Omaha Superintendent John Mackiel drove home the reasoning for the unity, saying school funding had taken a back seat to prisons, corporate subsidies, and "trust funds for roads."

Can the disdain for adequate funding continue? Not if the public makes lawmakers accountable.

"We need to disrupt their quiet!" cried Virginia Education Association President Jean Bankos at an April state rally. "We need to make noise [and] let them know in no uncertain terms that their lifeboats are not safe. As long as our schools are underfunded, we need to rock their boats!"

5 Zany Ways...
To Make the First Week of School Great

Fearing chaos? Dreading first-day blahs? No need. Fun is everywhere you are.

• Take advantage of the end-of-summer sales and buy a new pair of comfortable shoes. Your feet will thank you at the end of that first day back.

• Make time for one last dip in the pool and sip a frozen drink. It may be the last time you get to really kick back until winter break.

• Practice grinning--a lot. It'll help when, well, there's nothing to grin about.

• Once back in class, spend the first day of school encouraging teamwork and friendship in ways that will be fun for your students--and a hoot for you. Challenge your gang to a scavenger hunt or a quiz on trivia. Or have each group compose a rap about themselves and sing it or act out a scene in a popular movie that speaks to who they "are."

• Tell your colleagues how much you value them; the goodwill will flow.

Cellblocks or Classrooms?

You already knew, but the evidence is in: States are spending way more money on prisons than on higher education. A study by the Justice Policy Institute (JPI) reports that between 1985 and 2000, states increased spending to higher education by 24 percent, compared with an increase of 166 percent for corrections. Thirteen states reported having a higher number of African Americans in jail than in higher education between 1980 and 2000. While some states voted to close prisons to slash budget costs in 2003, a follow-up study by JPI reports that one out of every 14 dollars spent in state budgets still went to corrections.

Notepad

Can Ya Hear Me Now?
Teachers have been shouting to reach students in the back row probably since Socrates, all too often doing serious damage to themselves in the process. But listen up about a practical, technological solution: wireless sound systems. At Pioneer Elementary in West Valley City, Utah, teachers wear wireless microphones and speakers distribute the sound evenly around the room, reports the Deseret News of Salt Lake City.

Before, said fourth-grade teacher Shauna Starr, "I was ready to quit. When I started losing my voice, it frightened me." Now, though she speaks more softly, her students hear better and are more engaged. The equipment and installation cost: $1,600 per classroom.

ESEA Testing: It Ain't Cheap
Ever wonder how much all the new testing mandated under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act will really cost? The General Accounting Office has done some official calculating and recently reported the price tag: between $1.9 and $5.3 billion over the next seven years. Exactly what the damage will be for your state depends on the kind of tests it decides to use; typically, the better the test, the higher the costs. But states are strapped, and Congress is resistant to ponying up more funds. So far it's allocated $771 million over the next three years. Go figure.

Have some news to share?

By mail: NEA Today, 1201 16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036

By e-mail: neatoday@nea.org

ESEA: Getting It Right

Since the new Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was passed 1 1/2 years ago, NEA has been assessing its impact and lobbying for legislative improvements that better nurture its goals. In July, NEA announced plans to legally challenge the burdensome, unfunded mandates imposed on the states by the law. Many in Congress, meanwhile, say they support NEA's quest for changes in the law, and some have proposed corrective amendments. Contact your congressional reps (visit www.nea.org/lac) and urge them to support these fixes.

H.R. 947, The School Capacity Relief Act by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) would allow local school districts to prohibit the transfer of students from schools identified for school improvement to another school if that school is at or above capacity, or if such transfer would increase the school's average class size above what the state prescribes.

S. 956, The Student Testing Flexibility Act of 2003 by Sen. Russell Feingold (D-WI) would require the Secretary of Education to grant a state's request to waive the required annual testing in each of grades 3-8, if the state demonstrates it has significantly closed the achievement gap or, for two consecutive years, exceeded the state's Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) standards.

H.R. 2107, The Keep Our Promise to America's Children and Teachers Act by Rep. Christopher Van Hollen (D-MD) would guarantee full funding for ESEA and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

S. 1189, The Federal Education Fair Accountability Act of 2003 by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL), or similar legislation offered by Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS), which would allow states to defer or suspend the school improvement, corrective action, and restructuring "sanctions" imposed for failure to meet AYP for any year in which the federal government provides less than 95 percent of the yearly authorized amounts for Title I.

Why GPO/WEP Isn't OK

"My husband put 47 years of his life into the Social Security retirement system. I taught for 32 years. Three days after I retired, my husband died," NEA-Retired member Fran Valenzuela said during a visit to Capitol Hill in May, "and I don't get a penny from Social Security."

Valenzuela, a Texan, was among a contingent of NEA members who showed up in force at a May 1 hearing of the Social Security Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee. The topic: two laws--the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)--that unfairly penalize retired public employees by denying them earned benefits.

The GPO reduces a public employee's Social Security spousal or survivor benefits by an amount equal to two-thirds of his or her public pension. So an educator whose spouse works in the private sector and pays into Social Security (like Valenzuela) will not be eligible for full survivor benefits if her spouse predeceases her.

The WEP reduces benefits public employees earned in an earlier career or in a second job. For example, a teacher who entered the profession after working in the private sector, or a support professional who supplements his income by working part-time in a private sector job, might lose a significant amount of the Social Security benefits earned in those private sector jobs.

To find out more about GPO and WEP, go to www.nea.org/lac/socsec.

Mixing It Up Over Grub

You know the drill: Your students break for lunch and before you can bat an eye, they're huddling in the cafeteria with their "homies." Same crowd. Same table. Same chatter.

Can the pattern be broken? The folk at the Southern Poverty Law Center's anti-bias project, Teaching Tolerance, believe it can. On November 18, they're sponsoring their second annual Mix It Up At Lunch Day.

The idea: to have students eat lunch for one day at a new table in hopes they'll strike up some cool new friendships. Teachers then get armed with all kinds of activity guides for helping promote student dialogue and cooperation throughout the school year.

Last year more than 200,000 students at 3,000 schools across the country participated, and organizers expect even more this year. "Mix It Up ultimately is about creating a school community where everyone is welcomed, respected, and valued," says Jennifer Holladay, director of Tolerance.org, the Web site for Teaching Tolerance. "It's about creating a safe environment where students can grow and learn academically and socially."

To sign up your school and get a Mix It Up starter kit, go to www.mixitup.org

--Josef Sawyer

Need a Lift?

Treat yourself to a book full of tributes to people just like you. Teachers with Class: True Stories of Great Teachers by Marsha Serling Goldberg and Sonia Feldman celebrates the profound impact caring teachers had in the lives of famous and not-so-famous people, including Walter Cronkite, Marian Wright Edelman, Thomas Friedman, and James Earl Jones. Jones, for example, tells the dramatic story of how an English teacher helped him overcome his stutter. Want more information? Go to www.teacherswithclass.com. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to The NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education.

Global Takes

Africa: The Good, Bad, and Ugly
Ethiopian Teachers' Association President Taye Woldesmiate was fresh out of jail when he got up to address the NEA's Representative Assembly in New Orleans this summer. He had spent six years incarcerated on trumped up charges of working to overthrow the government, but was finally released after pressure from NEA and many other groups.

That's the good news. The bad news is that, according to Woldesmiate, education in Ethiopia is going downhill. Two-thirds of Ethiopian children are not in school.

Things look a bit better in Kenya, where a new government is trying to carry out its election pledge to eliminate fees for primary school (grades one through eight). According to Education Week, a million extra students are trying to squeeze into Kenyan schools, pushing class size over 100 in some areas. Some teachers are meeting their students under trees for lack of indoor space.

Education International, the world federation of educators' unions that includes NEA, has called on the United States and other wealthy countries to help Kenya and other poor nations pay for schools.

England: Just Saying No
You may still be woozy over having to administer all those tests last year, but members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) in England have thrown down the gauntlet. The 250,000-member union is talking about boycotting "disgusting" national tests for 7-, 11- and 14-year-olds. The NUT says students are too stressed out; one activist called it a form of "child abuse." Stay tuned.

Pursuing a Livable Wage

Education support professionals (ESPs) from Vermont don't play around when it comes to advocating a livable wage. When they gathered last spring with Association staffers and livable wage advocates, these NEA members shared some no-holds-barred advice on how to beat school board administrators at their own game.

For example, when confronted by negotiators looking to skimp on salaries, Vergennes paraprofessional Rose Wenzel advised not falling for the line, "We pay your health insurance." Just tell 'em: "You can't eat health insurance or pay bills with it!" she said.

That kind of firm stand is a must, agreed Debbie Minnick, president of the Ithaca (New York) Paraprofessional Association. It's what won her members a contract in 2002 that boosts the starting wage by 50 percent over three years--without givebacks. "I'm here to tell you it takes a lot of organizing, a lot of meetings, and lot of communications," said Minnick, one of several living wage activists who took time to deliberate with the Vermonters on how to build community coalitions, inter-union solidarity, and workplace "power" for decent pay.

Don't buy administrators' plea that "there's no money anymore," Minnick advised. "They always have money. You have to ask and you have to go for it."

Convinced it's time for a livable wage campaign? Grants are available to local affiliates through NEA regional offices. For more information contact Jorge Rivera at Jrivera@nea.org.

Money, Money, Money, Mon-ey

As education cuts take their toll from one end of the country to the other, communities have been scurrying to compensate. Parents in Eugene, Oregon, donated their blood plasma to keep teachers working, while children in Sonoma County, California, reached into their piggy banks and forked over $100 in dimes, nickels, and pennies. But alas, the rich are clearly coping better than the poor. According to the Oakland Tribune, parents in Woodside, California, raised $1.3 million--that's $3,000 a child--through donation request letters and an auction. Can your community match that?

New Teachers: Just Go 'Click!'

Know a student teacher who wants to join NEA? Well, spread the news: Starting August 25 these prospective "newbies" can enroll in the Student Program online and get immediate access to NEA programs and resources.

Until now students who signed up often would not get their bonanza of Association perks for several months after joining. That's because forms for active members typically get processed first. Now, through online enrollment, student information will be fed into the general database and members will get immediate access to Tomorrow's Teachers, NEA Today, OWL.org, NEA Member Benefits, and $1 million's worth of liability insurance. They'll also receive e-mail welcome messages from NEA President Reg Weaver and Student Program Chairperson Dawn Shephard, as well as a new member CD-ROM.

Will the new Web program boost membership? Student leaders say if similar state programs are a guide--absolutely. The Pennsylvania State Education Association, for example, launched an online student enrollment site last fall, and student membership soared by more than 3,500 members during the first six months alone. Prospective members can sign up with a credit or debit card at www.nea.org or www.owl.org.

How Soon Can I Start?

My first year of teaching started so fast! I graduated from college in May, called school districts for applications in June, and had my first interview in early July. I landed my first job in late August, which left only two weeks to prepare for the first day of school. I'll never forget how excited I was as I drove to my new school the Monday after the Board of Education approved me. With the start of school only two days away, I was eager to decorate my room. I was certain the building would be bustling with other staff members preparing for the new year. As I parked in the first spot, I wondered why there were no other cars in the lot. Little did I know that most veterans do not consider Labor Day the best time to head back to school! Luckily the head custodian was on duty that morning and, feeling sorry for the rookie, let me into the building. I quickly assessed my new room, noting the furniture, floor plan, and number of bulletin boards, then headed home to plan. Needless to say, I now spend Labor Day just barbecuing.

Janine P. Riggins
Third-grade teacher
Atlantic City, New Jersey

Got a good story about your early classroom years? E-mail kloschert@nea.org. Please include your name, job title, and city and state where you work.

Two-Minute Tips

Constructing a New School Year
On the first day of school, I wear a construction hard hat as I greet my students. I tell them that starting a new school year is like building a house. Our personal relationships make up the foundation and frame, while the interior comes from our school decorations. We discuss the importance of each element and I stress that the new house won't stand if something falls apart. Then, we talk about building codes and the students design a set of rules as their "building code" for the room. If we have problems during the year, I tell students that the house might collapse and we discuss the "building code" to reinforce the class rules.

Dana Labarry
Las Vegas, Nevada

Quiet Classroom
Each morning, I write the word QUIET on the board to help students control their noise level. If students become too noisy, I erase a letter. When the students notice, they remind each other to quiet down. Students can earn back erased letters by working quietly. If the class has at least two letters remaining at the end of the day, the class earns one point. I reward the students with special treats for every 25 points they earn.

Cindy Andrews
Mesa, Arizona

Have a good tip?

Send it by mail: NEA Today, 1201 16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036

Send it by e-mail: neatoday@nea.org

Great Tests, Great Teacher? Hmm.

Most teachers believe in rewarding the best members of their profession, but they say that "best" shouldn't be defined by student test scores.

In a poll of 1,345 public school teachers conducted by Public Agenda, a nonpartisan public opinion research organization, 70 percent favored financial incentives for "teachers who work in tough neighborhoods with low-performing schools," but only 38 percent supported higher pay for those whose students "routinely score higher than similar students on standardized tests."

When $40 Million = Zero

Ohio has spent over $40 million since 1996 on vouchers for Cleveland children. So, what have the taxpayers gotten for their money?

Zero, according to a study funded by the state itself. Students who got the vouchers did no better on tests than similar students who did not get vouchers. This study, by Kim Metcalf of Indiana University, is just the latest in an unbroken string of research from around the nation that has found vouchers do not lead to higher student achievement.

Metcalf did find some interesting differences between children who got vouchers and children who did not, however. The voucher students are less likely to be African American and also less likely to come from low-income homes. That's right--although vouchers are billed as the poor child's ticket to private school, the data show that the tuition is disproportionately used for children who are not poor.

Another notable finding: Voucher recipients who leave their private schools and return to the public schools tend to be among the lowest-performing students. Public schools take all comers. Private schools don't.

The lack of evidence for vouchers has not stopped voucher backers from pushing for more, however. See "State Report" for news from Colorado, where a voucher plan passed, and Louisiana, where they've been defeated, at least for now, by opposition from educators and parents.

Test the Polls:

A View From Florida

Think educators are getting blamed for society's shortcomings? You're not alone. Many parents, community leaders, and journalists think it's ironic that politicans demand miracles from schools, yet refuse to do their own part. Here's what Florida columnist Mark Lane had to say in the Daytona Beach News-Journal:

The Florida Legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush have been full of stern lectures about the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). No more getting a diploma just because you passed the courses. That's accountability.

Why don't we have high-stakes testing for other groups that seem to be underperforming? It's time for the LCAT or Legislative Comprehensive Assessment Test.

Sample questions:

You pass a law mandating standardized tests on which graduation and grade promotion depend. What do you do about remedial classes for those who don't pass?

a) Find money to hire teachers and fund extra courses.

b) Announce plans to run summer schools around the state. Tell schools to cut other programs to pay for them.

c) File legislation requiring summer schools but appropriate no money to run them.

d) It's not my job, the governor will figure it out.

e) We all have to live within our means.

You hear from alarmed educators and parents complaining about the FCAT. You should:

a) Put failure slips on hold for a year so deficiencies in the law can be addressed and remedial classes organized.

b) Lecture parents about allowing children to watch too much television and blame local schools.

c) Search your computer hard drive for that speech denouncing teacher unions for opposing accountability.

d) Assure those affected that you're doing something and at the last minute pass waivers affecting a small percentage of those complaining.

e) It's a great day in the state of Florida!

If you answered any question with "a," you have no business in Florida politics. Thank goodness, we have a test to weed you out.

[Excerpt reprinted with the permission of the Daytona Beach News-Journal]

Smile

One of my first graders was at the blackboard, writing some words he knew. "You're just terrific," I told him, "You really know a lot of words, and look how fast you can write them, too!" He gave me his typically big and beaming smile and answered, "You know what? I even know how to spell Kentucky Fried Chicken!" "You do?" I replied. "Wow, well go ahead and show me!" And with the confidence of a brilliant first grader, he once again put his chalk to the board and wrote the letters KFC.

Fraida Zusman
Springfield, Virginia

As an English teacher I am always strugging to convince my students that their "boring" grammar lessons have real-world importance, but it can be a losing battle. Recently during a discussion about "who" and "whom" I asked, "What if someone calls you on the telephone? Are you supposed to say 'who may I say is calling?' or 'whom may I say is calling?'"

Not one student offered a guess. "Now do you see why you need to know this?" I asked. "Not really," said one boy. "I have Caller ID."

Eddie Robberts
Lancaster High School
Lancaster, Ohio

Have a funny school story, anecdote or vignette you'd like to share?

By mail: NEA Today/Smile 1201 16th St., N.W. Washington, DC 20036

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