Start the School Year Right with a Grant from The NEA Foundation

What creative ideas would you like to try in the classroom? How can you and your colleagues grow
professionally?

Whatever your needs might be, The NEA Foundation’s Innovation and Learning & Leadership Grants can help.

All members who are practicing K–12 public school teachers, education support professionals, or higher education faculty and staff at public colleges and universities are encouraged to apply for a grant from The NEA Foundation. We now offer bigger and better grants—up to $5,000 per project—to fund your BIG ideas. 

And, there’s still time to submit a grant application by the September 15 review date to The NEA Foundation. Applications are accepted on an ongoing, year-round basis for both Innovation Grants and Learning & Leadership Grants, so it’s never too late to apply. But if you apply by September 15, you will know if your grant is approved by February 15.  If the September date is too early for you, start working on a proposal now for our next review date of February 1. Grants fund activities for 12 months from the award date. 

NEA members just like you have applied for and received over 1,500 grants throughout the years. Read about their projects and then submit your own idea.  Innovation Grants and Learning & Leadership Grants are available for all subjects, including the arts, literacy, science, and technology.

Applying for a grant is easy, so why wait? Visit for more information including guidelines and an application. Or call 202-822-7840.

NEA Urban Grants

Since 1985, NEA’s Urban Grants Program has supported local affiliates in the development of education reform leadership programs for PreK– 12/Graduate School faculty and education support professionals. Each year NEA awards 25 Urban Grants in the amount of $5,000 each to NEA local affiliates to support them with these programs.

The NEA Urban Initiatives Unit administers the program and looks for proposals that contribute to restoring public confidence in public education by reflecting some aspect of NEA’s Strategic Priorities which include:

• Student Achievement
• Teacher Quality
• Education Support Professional Quality
• School System Capacity
• Public, Parental, and Business Support
• Association Capacity Building
• Administrative Services and Program Support.         

NEA local affiliates of 500 members or more who are listed with the NEA membership office or the largest local NEA affiliate of any state regardless of membership number are eligible to apply. Applicants must submit a proposal postmarked by September 30 to the NEA Urban Initiatives Office, 1201 16th Street N.W., Washington, DC 20036. Click here for information on applying and on the review process. Selections are made based on the following criteria. Proposals must:

• Have an application that is complete and adheres to all instructions
• Comply with NEA policy
• Benefit the local Association
• Involve local members in the project
• Have objectives that are attainable and measurable
• Promote partnership and collaboration with school districts and other stakeholders
• Demonstrate innovation, originality, and creativity
• Meet identified needs
• Show potential for successful completion and replication
• Have a timeline for activities that is adequate for successful completion of project
• Use funds appropriately; estimate costs realistically
• Confirm that project can continue after monies end.

Decisions by the Evaluation Committee are final. Questions should be directed to NEA Membership and Organizing/Urban Initiatives.

Science & Math Competition

The Siemens Westinghouse Competition, a leading research-based science and math competition, is open to all senior high school students who would like to submit an individual or team research project in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology, or in combinations of these disciplines.

The competition, sponsored by the Siemens Foundation, awards college scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $100,000. The scholarship may be used for any part of a student’s post high school education, including books, tuition, room and board, etc.

In addition, each high school with a regional finalist will receive a $2,000 award to be used to support science, mathematics, and technology programs within the school.

The deadline for entries is October 1, 2004, 5 p.m., ET. Instructions for entering the competition can be found at the Siemens Foundation site.

Searching for  Citizen-Scholar-Athletes

Wendy’s is looking for the nation’s top high school citizen-scholar-athletes. High school administrators are encouraged to nominate two high school seniors, one male and one female, who maintain good grades, play sports, and volunteer in their community.

Twelve National Finalists will be selected and invited to the Wendy’s High School Heisman National Awards Banquet in New York City, and their high schools will receive a $1,000 award in their name.

Among the finalists, two National Award Winners will also be honored during ESPN’s national telecast of the college Heisman Memorial Trophy presentation. Winners will receive a trophy and a $2,500 award for their high school.

All nominations must be submitted by October 1, 2004.

For Science Educators

The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) is accepting nominations for two awards recognizing science educators.

The Shell Science Teaching Award recognizes one outstanding K–12 classroom science teacher who has had a positive impact on his or her students, school, and community through exemplary science teaching. One finalist will receive $10,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to NSTA’s National Convention; two finalists will also receive all-expense-paid trips to the convention. The application deadline for the 2005 award is November 15, 2004. Click here for more information.

NSTA is also accepting applications for the 2005 Delta Education/CPO Science Inquiry-based Science Teaching Excellence Awards. Full-time, K–12 science teachers who successfully use inquiry-based science to enhance teaching and learning in the classroom are eligible to apply for an award in three grade categories: elementary (preK–5); middle level (6–8); and high school (9–12). A judging committee chosen by NSTA will select winners. The application deadline is October 15, 2004.

On The Web

Great Sites for Hispanic Scholars

It’s not too early to start working on those college applications. Students considering college should visit the Hispanic Scholarship Directory, a project of NEA and the National Hispanic Press Foundation. The site includes links to more than 1,000 sources of financial aid, application guidelines, an alumni section, and a database of scholarships searchable by categories, including state, college, and field of interest. Many scholarships listed are available not only to U.S. citizens but to any student of Hispanic descent, regardless of nationality. Another good site to visit is the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Education Center, which includes a college preparatory kit to assist college-bound students in the admissions process. The site also features a list of scholarships and programs for Hispanic students, information on financial aid for parents, and tips on how to complete college applications.

Speak Up

Students can make their voices heard by visiting the redesigned and improved Voices of Youth (VOY) Web site, a youth community site created by UNICEF. Here, young people from around the world can explore, discuss, and partner on issues related to human rights and social change through e-discussion boards, guidelines, and news.

FirstGov in Español

Looking for government information in Spanish? FirstGov en Español, the U.S. government’s official Spanish-language portal, contains more than 110,000 pages of federal and state government resources in Spanish. The site makes it easy to register to vote, file a consumer complaint, or apply for student financial aid. The site also contains a directory of more than 80 federal agencies that can answer questions in Spanish and a list of more than 200 free government publications in Spanish on federal benefits, taking care of kids, and traveling safely, to name a few.

Materials for Spanish Teachers

Looking for fun ways to teach your elementary school students Spanish? The Cervantes Center has posted free interactive materials online for Spanish teachers to use with children ages 7 to 9, providing a type of game center for children with a variety of activities that reinforce the Spanish they learn in class. The “My world in words” section provides vocabulary lessons that focus on the playground and the park, along with reading and listening comprehension sections.

A Tribute to Pablo Neruda

DFW International presents an online educational guide for teachers that contains exercises and projects suitable for teaching Chilean poet Pablo Neruda’s poetry in elementary, secondary, and college level classes. The organization also links to a PowerPoint presentation about Neruda’s life, works, and vision, complete with pictures, text, and music.

Eye on Earth

Search, view, and download the superset of NASA’s images, animations, and data visualizations of Earth at its Visible Earth site. The images are organized into topics that include agriculture, human dimensions, land surfaces, and oceans. You can also search for images by individual country or by various satellites.

NPR’s Justice Learning

A new Web site from National Public Radio’s Justice Talking program and The New York Times Learning Network provides free materials that engage middle school and high school students in informed political discourse and gives them the skills they need to understand today’s complex issues by providing innovative curricular materials and creative lesson plans. The materials, which cover topics from gun control to voting rights, are coupled with audio from the Justice Talking radio show and articles from The New York Times.

Diversity Calendar

September

September 4—Birthday of Richard Wright

Prominent African-American author Richard Wright was born on this day in 1908. Native Son, his first major novel, was published in 1940.

September 8—International Literacy Day

Sponsored by both the International Reading Association and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, this day highlights the importance of reading, especially from a multicultural and international perspective. Click here for more information.

September 15– October 15—Hispanic Heritage Month

This month is dedicated to recognizing the history of Hispanic Americans and how their contributions and achievements have enriched American culture. Click here for more information.

September 15–16—Rosh Hashanah

These dates mark the Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashanah is the first in a series of high holy days where renewed responsibility is practiced through religious observance.

October

October 1–31—Polish American Heritage Month

The official month to celebrate the achievements of Polish Americans and their contributions to American history and society.

October 9—Anniversary of Benjamin Banneker’s Death

An American astronomer, mathematician, surveyor, and almanac author, Banneker (1731–1806) was known as the “first Black man of science.” He participated in the original survey for the nation’s capital in Washington, D.C.

October 16—World Food Day

Proclaimed in 1979 by the U.N., this day is celebrated worldwide annually to increase awareness, understanding, and year-round action to alleviate hunger. In the United States the endeavor is sponsored by 450 national organizations.

October 18—National Multicultural Diversity Day

Adopted as a national event by the 1993 NEA Representative Assembly, educators can use this day to help students creatively celebrate all forms of diversity in their classrooms and communities.

On TV

Forecast Earth

The Weather Channel, September 2, 4 a.m., ET.
This series focuses on the causes and effects of the powerful climatic and environmental forces changing our planet. The 30-minute episode, “Water’s Fury,” looks at the dangers of flooding and the technology that forecasters use to provide timely flash-flood warnings. Can be taped and used in the classroom forever.

Biography: Charles Dickens

A&E, September 6, 7 a.m., ET. Check local listings.
“Charles Dickens: A Tale of Ambition and Genius” profiles the life of one of the world’s first literary stars, from his troubled childhood to the spectacular successes of his novels Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities. The program can be taped and used in the classroom for two years. Teaching materials are available.

Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends

Nickelodeon, Mondays–Fridays at 10 a.m., ET, beginning September 7. Check local listings.
A loving mom to a mixed brood of insects, Miss Spider helps four spiders and four adoptees from other species solve the problems they encounter while growing up, including relationships with parents, siblings, and friends. The episodes can be taped and used in the classroom for one year.

Chernobyl Heart

HBO, September 9, 8:45 p.m., ET. Check local listings.
The “heart” in the title seems to refer to Adi Roche, the founder of Ireland’s Chernobyl Children’s Project, who leads the camera into places only high school students will want to see. Roche has made it her mission to help a generation of deformed children born after the 1986 nuclear accident. This year’s Oscar winner for documentary short subject, “Chernobyl Heart” takes the audience close to the disaster site, where radiation readings are still high. Director Maryann DeLeo shows us the plight of schoolchildren hundreds of miles away, who test positive for radiation just from eating homemade jam and shows us wards of disfigured children abandoned to Russian orphanages. The despair of these scenes is relieved during the last part of the film, which deals with a successful repair of a “Chernobyl heart” condition. This condition refers to defects found in children, which can be life threatening without surgery.

Biomes: Coastlines and Seas

Discovery Channel, September 13, 9 a.m., ET.
This hourlong documentary explores the natural evolution of the shorelines of Asia, scours the ocean depths to examine how squid and octopuses adapt, and looks at how jellyfish have thrived in the oceans for millions of years. Can be taped and used in the classroom for one year.

Save Our History: S.O.S.—Save Our Ships

The History Channel, September 24, 6 a.m., ET.
This hourlong program showcases five vintage ships in need of restoration and follows efforts to preserve America’s maritime heritage. The program can be taped and used in the classroom for two years with teaching materials.

NOVA: Origins

PBS, September 28–29, 8–10 p.m. ET/PT. Check local listings.
This four-part series, condensed into two evenings, will give high school students a chance to understand the latest research into how our world began. Using high-tech graphics, this series takes a tour through time, from the Big Bang to humans’ imprint on Earth. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson invites us to imagine the Earth’s billion plus years of formation as a mere 24 hours on an analog clock, which helps viewers understand time as an astrophysicist sees it—in discrete packages with definitive events. The first hour deals with Earth’s first few hundred million years, when our planet was a hostile place that could not support life. The second hour discusses how the chemistry of the young Earth supported life, and suggests that this happened much earlier than previously thought. In the third hour, scientists explain how they search for life beyond the Earth and predict what an alien life form might look like. The final hour deals with research on the Big Bang, showing how scientists are trying to measure the “cosmic echo” recorded 40 years ago. “Origins,” a major effort for NOVA, presents complex research as accessible and intriguing. Here's a comprehensive list of resources.

Road to the White House

C-SPAN, Sundays at 6:30 p.m., ET, and Mondays at 12:30 a.m., ET.
A 90-minute look at news, events, issues, speeches, and appearances related to the 2004 presidential race. This can be taped and used in the classroom forever with teaching materials.

On TV listings are provided by KIDSNET, a national resource for children’s media in Washington, D.C. and by Cable in the Classroom’s Access Learning magazine.

In Print

Unconventional Books for Today’s Issues

Can—or should—less conventional, controversial books be taught in the classroom? Great Books for High School Kids: A Teacher’s Guide to Books that Can Change Teens’ Lives, compiled by high school English teachers Rick Ayers and Amy Crawford, considers this question with essays by teachers about the ways their students reacted to, learned from, and came to love the books they encountered in school. The book also includes lists of some classic and not-so-classic books that teach important lessons. 240 pp.

Getting in the Garden Business         

Growing Ventures: Starting a School Garden Business, walks teachers through the process of starting and running a “green” gardening business with their students. The book includes guidelines, activities, diagrams, and resources to engage young people ages 6 to 22 in planning a community-based enterprise. 64 pp. $19.95 from The National Gardening Association, call 800-538-7476, ext. 143.

Personality Perks      

The Excellent 11 by Ron Clark names and explains the importance of 11 different personality traits that Clark feels make a good teacher and a good parent. The traits are intertwined and illustrated with Clark’s personal stories and reflections about his experiences as both a student and a teacher. The book expands on Clark’s previous work, The Essential 55, but focuses on fewer topics more in-depth.

A Different Colored Dress

Daffodil and her sisters all look alike and have to don their designated colors each time they dress up, until one day the girls get upset and throw fits. With humor and charm, author Emily Jenkins tells the tale of triplets looking for their own identities based on something more than appearance in the colorfully illustrated Daffodil. 32 pp.

Keeping Science Safe

Written by teaching veterans, Investigating Safely: A Guide for High School Teachers quickly brings rookie and veteran science educators up to speed on what they need to make their labs and classrooms safe. Peppered with useful sidebars and examples, the easy-to-read book is organized with the complex needs of today’s high school labs in mind and addresses topics from storing and disposing of hazardous chemicals, to accommodating students with special needs, to the unique safety requirements of specific disciplines. 214 pp.

Extra Credit Emergencies

To earn extra credit, 12 students in Mr. Magro’s class have written stories about their emergency situations during the year. Now it’s time to gather and read them aloud. Each chapter of  The SOS File by Betsy Byars, Betsy Duffey, and Laurie Myers tells another of these tales in this book suitable for ages 8–12. Find out why someone doesn’t deserve extra credit. 80 pp.

Stories About Change       

To honor the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, Juan Williams tells the stories of more than 30 people who experienced the fight for equality first-hand. The tales in My Soul Looks Back In Wonder: Voices of the Civil Rights Experience, create a fresh, intimate view of history in the making and reveal just how much the battle for civil rights affected the lives of every American. 216 pp.

Math is for the Bears

If your elementary school students aren’t getting into fractions, tempt them with Polar Bear Math, by Ann Whitehead Nagda and Cindy Bickel. The right side of the book chronicles the true tale of polar bear cubs Klondike and Snow, who are raised by zoo staff after their mother abandons them. The left side includes lessons on fractions that reflect the math used to raise the cubs: How much should the cubs eat? What fraction of the day do the cubs stay at the zoo? 30 pp.

Wealth and Greed in America

Between 1983 and 1998, more than half of the increase in America’s wealth went into the pockets of the top 1 percent of Americans. That’s one way to measure the sweeping change that is transforming the nation, the subject of Greed and Good by Sam Pizzigati, former NEA publications director and a veteran writer on the economy. Pizzigati explores how the growing chasm between the richest and the rest of us is damaging American society and democracy. $34.95 from The Apex Press.

Communicating Without Sounds       

Moses, a deaf child who goes to a special school with other deaf children, makes a new friend when his class is joined by hearing students from another school for a production by the Theatre of the Deaf. In Moses Sees a Play, by Isaac Millman, different signs and deaf terms are used to teach children about diversity in others and how to connect with them. For elementary school ages. 32 pp.

Restructuring Language Arts

In Organizing and Managing the Language Arts Block: A Professional Development Guide, reading specialist and educator Lesley Mandel Morrow gives teachers new and creative ideas on how to revive their language arts lesson plans and teaching methods in the elementary school classroom. Morrow uses case studies of different grade levels to illustrate teaching methods, following them up with planning ideas and activities for language arts instruction. 348 pp.

Learning from the Community

From picking up dog poop to voter registration and awareness, there are many things kids can do in the community to enhance their education experience. In Kids Taking Action: Community Service Learning Projects, K–8, Pamela Roberts describes community service learning and offers 18 project ideas, some more detailed than others. A helpful resource list is included. 126 pp.

Celebrate National Multicultural Diversity Day

For more than a decade, educators around the country have been celebrating National Multicultural Diversity Day (NMDD) in their schools and communities on the third Monday in October. Originally created by Cleorah Scruggs, a fourth-grade teacher in Flint, Michigan, the day was adopted as a national event by the 1993 NEA Representative Assembly to “increase awareness of the tremendous need to celebrate our diversity collectively.”

This year, you can get involved, too. Just be creative. Start by sharing cultural information with your class about yourself, then introduce students to multicultural issues and possible solutions by inviting a local expert to talk on diversity. You can also have students sing songs that celebrate diversity and ask them to bring in items or food representative of their ethnic heritage to share with classmates.

In Flint, Scruggs and her colleagues celebrate the day with a host of activities, beginning with a breakfast for faith and community leaders who discuss diversity issues and ways of promoting harmony and equity. The day concludes by showcasing student presentations on diversity along with panel discussions, stories, songs, dance, food vendors, charitable gift giving, and other events celebrating the area’s many cultures.

Scruggs also started the Pen CyberPals Hookup Connection, a program in which students choose other students who differ from themselves in some way to be their pen pals for at least a year.

To help educators share ways to celebrate diversity both on National Multicultural Diversity Day (October 18) and throughout the year, NEA will sponsor an electronic bulletin board this fall. Stay tuned for details.

“We’ve all had a part in making America great,” says Scruggs, “and it’s important to acknowledge it and develop respect among cultures, which can lead to greater peace and less violence in our schools and communities.”

Take Note

Free Special Ed Resources

Two new resources are now available from NEA’s Student Achievement Department to help educators who work with children with disabilities:

• Advocating for Special Education Working Conditions—This 46-page guide offers practical advocacy, organizing, and bargaining strategies to improve special education working conditions, such as class size, caseload, formula for inclusion, compensation for IEP-related duties, and professional development. The first national document of its kind, it includes a 50-state survey of state regulations and bargaining provisions, a synthesis of current special education personnel recruitment and retention research, and sample contract language for specific special education issues.
• Accessible Classroom Primer CD-ROM—A compendium of presentations, articles, and links to help educators find resources on assistive, instructional, and accessible technologies and universal design for learning strategies. The CD-ROM was created as a joint project in partnership with Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Technology in Education Consortium (MAR*TEC) with a generous donation from Plato Learning.

Both resources are available while supplies last. To order, e-mail Patti Ralabate with complete contact information.

Celebrating the Role Of Teachers

Promote education unity and celebrate your colleagues by participating in World Teachers’ Day on October 5, 2004, created by Education International (EI), the largest confederation of teacher trade unions of which NEA is a member. World Teachers’ Day provides the opportunity to draw public attention to the role of teachers worldwide as well as to the vital role they play in society. The theme chosen for 2004 and following years is “Quality Teachers for Quality Education,” with a specific 2004 subtheme of “Wanted: Quality Teachers to be Recruited and Retained.” For more information, including downloads in multiple languages of pamphlets, posters, cards, and ideas for World Teachers’ Day activities, go to www.ei-ie.org/wtd/.

Proud To Be ESP

New versions of the NEA brochure series, We’re NEA ESPs and Proud of It!, which describes ESP jobs and the people who perform them, are now available on the ESP section of our site. Eleven brochures—one general one, plus one for each of the nine K–12 ESP job groups and one for Higher Ed ESP—cover support professional job groups and subgroups to help people understand the individual ESP roles. You can view a regular Web page (html) version of each brochure, or download a Microsoft Word or PDF version. Laid out as standard-sized 8 1/2 by 11-in. trifold pamphlets, the brochures are easy to print from your desktop.

Adopt a Pilot

Educators living in cities served by Southwest Airlines can help students learn about new places—without leaving the classroom. Southwest Airlines’ free education program, Adopt-A-Pilot, provides more than 450 pilots who volunteer for “adoption” by classrooms. Developed for fifth-grade classes, the program unites students with pilots to explore math, science, and more. For four weeks, students track their adopted pilot’s journey and complete a curriculum developed in cooperation with the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, the National Association of Teachers of Math and Science, and other education specialists. Students apply these subjects to aviation activities, made meaningful by their interaction with a real pilot. Southwest Airlines offers the program in Spanish as well, providing translated curriculum and bilingual pilots. To learn more or to register, visit www.southwest.com/adoptapilot.

Banned Books Week

Thousands of libraries and bookstores will speak out against attempts to censor books and celebrate the freedom to read during Banned Books Week, September 25 to October 2, 2004. For 23 years, Banned Books Week has been drawing attention to the danger that exists when restraints are imposed on the availability of information in a free society and reminding Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted.

Visit the American Library Association’s Web site for more information on Banned Books Week, including a list of suggested activities to do in and out of the classroom to help support the effort.

Books by NEA Members

Teaching Self-Control: A Curriculum for Responsible Behavior

By Martin Henley

Written by a professor of education who has taught sixth grade and special education, this guide helps educators minimize classroom disruptions through its ready-to-use lesson plans to teach children self-control and responsibility. The activities can be integrated into existing content areas and used to involve students in learning self-control skills that include coping with mistakes and failures and getting along with others. 200 pp. $27.95 from the National Education Service. Click here to order, or call 800-733-6786.

A,E,I,O…You Win!

By Mary Schaer

This handy notebook by a 24-year teaching veteran gives students a lesson in phonics, spelling, and vocabulary all at once through a hands-on game format that allows them to play and learn together in a fun and enjoyable way. Providing 60 easy-to-photocopy game boards at three increasingly difficult levels, this book makes for a versatile educational tool that is suitable for grades 1–3 and adjustable to each student’s level. 70 pp. $24.95 from 1st Place Publishing, 503-313-5395.

Passage: A Dog’s Journey West with Lewis and Clark

By Robert Young

Focusing on the classic expedition of Lewis and Clark, this book recounts their journey in a way sure to catch the attention of young students—through the eyes of Seaman, a 150-pound dog that traveled every step of the way with the explorers. Written by a reading specialist, this activity book encourages children to engage in the text as they answer questions about the story and complete unfinished illustrations. 38 pp. $6.95 from Mad Dog Press. To order, send a check to Mad Dog Press, 2901 Norkenzie Road, Eugene, OR 97408.

What Happened to Marion’s Book?

By Brook Berg

This illustrated children’s book creatively teaches youngsters the lesson of taking care of their library books. As they read of Marion the Hedgehog’s attempts to fix her jelly-stained library book, children learn the importance of responsibility, honesty, and forgiveness. Written in a simple narrative by a district media specialist, this book works well for reading aloud to students as a group or one-on-one. 48 pp. $16.95 from Upstart Books. Click here to order, or for more, visit “Books by NEA Members online”.

NEA’s Read Across America Is Where it’s ‘Hat!’

NEA knows reading is “where it’s hat” when it comes to helping America’s children celebrate the diversity of their world. That’s why NEA’s Read Across America is combining the familiar red and white stovepipe hat of the Cat in the Hat with a variety of reading hats and resources in an exciting Read Across America resource packet offering RAA posters with reproducible back panels for your school and classroom. NEA RAA partners such as WGBH, Major League Soccer, and Youth Leaders for Literacy have contributed to this treasure trove of resources, including an NEA Members-only CD-ROM. There’s even a Spanish-language poster introducing NEA’s Lea con NEA theme. For more information and to request a resource kit, go to www.nea.org/readacross.

Heads Up From NEA Member Benefits

Get the best credit card around—the NEA WorldPointsSM Platinum Plus® Credit Card—with no annual fee, low Annual Percentage Rates, and a choice between travel, cash, and merchandise rewards! For more information about the costs and benefits associated with the use of the card or to apply, click here or call 1-888-758-7946 (mention priority code HV75.) TTY users call 1-800-833-6262.

NEA-Sponsored CDs and Money Market Accounts offer yields that have consistently been among the highest nationwide and FDIC insurance up to $100,000 per depositor. Minimum opening balances are $1,000 for certificates of deposit and $500 for money market accounts. To open an account, click here or call 1-800-457-2258 (mention priority code JA0GK.) These accounts are offered and administered by MBNA America Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.

Get Your Just Due—NEA DUES-TAB Insurance, that is! Eligible NEA members qualify for no-cost life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance through the NEA DUES-TAB®‚ Insurance Program, sponsored by the NEA Members Insurance Trust. Take a moment to register your beneficiary for this free benefit online.

Also review your options for term life insurance. Many of the plans have been improved to allow maximum flexibility for coverage amounts, age ranges, and health conditions. Spouses can now apply for coverage up to 100 percent of the member’s benefit amount, and some plans—like the NEA Term Life Plan and the NEA Guaranteed Issue Life Plan—don’t even require a medical exam!

For more information, visit the Web address above or call toll-free, 1-800-637-4636, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (or Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) ET.

What’s Up at HIN

NEA RA Delegates Show an interest in Healthy Living!

HIN’s Hall of Health and booth were bustling with lots of free giveaways that encouraged healthy living at this year’s Representative Assembly! Highlights included the distribution of 10,000 McDonald’s Stepometers and 6,000 bottled waters, accompanied by Washington, D.C., walking maps created especially for RA delegates. Atkins Nutritionals also exhibited by giving away nutritional supplements and breakfast bars. Click here to learn more about HIN’s physical activity/nutrition initiative and other programs.

Collaborating for Better Crisis Outcomes

Effective collaboration between schools and first-responders (e.g., police, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel) greatly contributes to crisis preparedness. HIN interviewed personnel from 52 fire and emergency medical services agencies and 40 police departments serving rural, suburban, and urban communities across the country. HIN compiled their responses to create “Top Ten Recommendations to Schools from First Responders.” Download a copy.

Arthur Audio Books Available Now!

HIN is one of three charities that will benefit from the sales of a recently released Arthur CD. Celebrity readers, including Clay Aiken, Kevin Bacon, and Daisy Fuentes, deliver lively and amusing performances as they read Arthur stories. The CD also includes games, activities and educational materials. In addition, a Web site was created to include lesson plans related to the stories.

Can We Talk in Spanish?

Research shows that when parents have open conversations with their children about sexuality, young people are more likely to make healthy decisions.  In response, HIN is working with NEA affiliates to implement ¿Conversamos?, a parent-child communication program. Workshops are offered to Spanish-speaking parents of later elementary and middle school students and include a curriculum that helps participants initiate family conversations on tough topics. HIN also provides technical assistance to communities that are interested in implementing the program. Learn more.