Up Front

Test and Punish

If you thought things couldn't get worse, consider this: The number of schools subject to punishment under the so-called "No Child Left Behind" law has skyrocketed. Title I schools face stiff consequences if they fail for two years to meet the dozens of test score and attendance targets that together make up what the law calls "adequate yearly progress" (AYP). It's been two years since the law has been in effect, and the tallying has begun.

In the 39 states reporting their AYP results by NEA Today's press deadline, the number of schools that missed AYP for two or more years reached 6,794, or 12 percent of the schools in those states—nearly double the number as last year. As a result, Title I schools in this group must now let parents transfer their children to other schools at the district's expense—even if the receiving schools have no space. And the penalties just get stiffer for schools that miss AYP again.

On the bright side, most states had fewer schools that missed AYP for at least one year. Last year, nearly a third of the nation's schools missed AYP. Unfortunately, this year's results are not comparable to last year's because some of the federal rules have shifted and some states are applying the rules differently.

Next year, things likely will get worse because the AYP standards will be even higher. Several states predict that nearly every school eventually will fail as the standards keep going up—unless educators persuade Congress and the President to fix the law. To help, go to www.nea.org/lac.

Party Nation

Lights burned brightly across America on September 22 as supporters of public education gathered to talk about our schools. Tens of thousands of participants attended 3,600 "house parties" in homes, libraries, schools, and other meeting places—from a chapel in Maui to a brewery on Cape Cod—to put education high on the national agenda. A coalition of more than 50 pro-public school organizations, including NEA, sponsored the events, which included a Los Angeles party attended by NEA President Reg Weaver, actress Helen Hunt, and California Teachers Association President Barbara Kerr.

"Republican or Democrat, people in our community are concerned about our children's education and our future," said William Innes, a Republican teacher in Vallejo, California. "The folks who met at my house believe the White House and Congress haven't done enough for public education."

For more house party coverage, see page 17.

See Dick and Jane Get Hip

OK class, pop quiz. Who knows the meaning of the word 'bomb'? If you're thinking lethal military hardware, give yourself an F. 

Any teen will tell you it means something is great.

If you feel like your students are speaking a foreign language, take heart. Help has arrived in the form of slang flashcards developed by a Venice, California, novelty company. Yes, the same tools you use to teach letters and times tables can now help you learn to speak teen. Each card includes a catchword on one side and a pronunciation guide, definition, synonyms, and helpful illustration on the other. Still lost? The card also offers the term used in a sentence. The box even claims to help the "nerdy, uncool" and those "over 30...start talking street almost immediately." 

So, ready to try another?

How about "crunk," as in "the Tupperware party will be mad crunk."

If you answered "providing entertainment," well, you da bomb.

Feeling Stuffed?

With Americans devouring 667 million pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving—that's 2 1/4 pounds per person—it's no wonder you're feeling full! Take it easy this year and save some bird for later. Turkey is both low in fat and high in protein, making it the perfect lunch to pack into the cafeteria or teachers' lounge. Looking for ways to make over your leftovers? Then try one of these ideas:

Turkey sandwiches! Think about adding slices of apple and cheddar.

Easy turkey soup. Just toss in some celery, carrots, and wild rice.

Turkey salad. Go easy on the carbs after piling on the potatoes!

Turkey stir-fry. Try mixing in apricot preserves at the end.

For the kids? Fried turkey nuggets with yummy dipping sauces are a sure hit.

No Strangers in Our Schools!

When school board members in Garden City, Michigan, announced plans this year to fire their custodial staff and replace them with lower-paid, non-union private employees, hundreds of parents rushed to save the men and women caring for their kids.

"How do you guarantee that private custodians will have the same code of ethics and love for my child? We don't want this. It's not good for the kids and it's not the right thing to do," one mother told board members.

James Smith, a custodian whose job was threatened, agreed. "I'm a father figure in my school. We take care of these kids. We sacrifice for them."

Hours before the scheduled vote, pressure from parents and local union officials finally worked. The jobs of at least 50 custodians, many with 20-plus years of service, were saved when the education support professional negotiating unit settled with the district.

The negotiators accepted a wage freeze for this year, with the promise of a salary re-opener next year, and retained all fringe benefits, including health insurance. Four custodians will be laid off but offered work as substitutes.

They Gotta Have It

Remember when kids went off to college with just a few bags and a fat pillow? These days, a deflated bank account is more like it.

Start with the ever-essential white board so new pals can stay in touch—just $10. Aiming for extra popularity? Grab a $60 mini-fridge that chills a can of, uh, soda in 60 seconds or a plug-in ice maker for $300.

The average college freshman spends a whopping $1,205 to prepare their new dorm rooms, more than half of it on electronic equipment, according to a recent National Retail Federal survey. In all, college kids and their parents throw down $8.8 billion on textbooks; $7.5 billion on electronics; $3.2 billion on clothing and accessories; $2.6 billion on towels, sheets, desk lamps, and other furnishings; and $1.5 billion on shoes.

That's right, just shoes.

A Vote of Confidence

Despite a constant barrage of attacks that claim American schools are failing, most parents aren't buying it.

And those who know schools the best, like them the most.

That's the conclusion from the latest Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll, which annually asks people to grade America's schools. Among all Americans polled, 26 percent gave the nation's schools an A or a B. But when it comes to schools in their own communities, 47 percent gave their schools a top mark. Among parents of public school children, 61 percent handed out an A or B for their community's schools, while 70 percent gave their own child's school a stellar grade.

At the same time, the public disagrees with the strategies in the so-called "No Child Left Behind" law for judging schools. For example, 67 percent said performance on a single test is not enough to determine whether a school needs improvement. And if a school does need improvement, 80 percent would keep students there and work on fixing the school; only 16 percent favor letting students transfer.

Think Calming Thoughts

When most kids "meditate" in class, they usually drift off to dreamland and not to the land of inner peace. But a recent study found secondary school students in Richmond County, Georgia, who participated in twice-daily meditation sessions, woke up to healthier lives.

Research published in the American Journal of Hypertension this year showed that when stressed-out African-American students meditated for 15 minutes every morning and afternoon, they had lower blood-pressure levels. And that, some say, will lead to better academic performance. Anxiety, stress, or other negative emotions are "internal noise," says Rollin McCraty, research director at the Institute of HeartMath, a California nonprofit that developed TestEdge, an anti-anxiety program for students. McCraty's research shows test scores improved 14 to 35 percent when kids practiced anti-anxiety techniques.

But there's no reason the benefits of less stress should be confined to the other side of the teacher's desk. So breathe deeply, close your eyes, and relax.

The Cash Cure-All?

Studies have long shown that children of poverty tend, on average, to act out in class more than those who come from families with more resources. Experts, though, rarely suggest throwing cash at the situation. But researchers at Duke University in North Carolina inadvertently discovered that money could help. They were studying several types of psychological problems among children in rural North Carolina, one-quarter of whom lived on a Cherokee reservation. Some of the children lived in poverty, while others did not.

Halfway through the eight-year study, a casino opened on the reservation that provided a new source of revenue for members of the tribe, including some of the low-income families in the study. Children from those families exhibited less stubbornness, stealing, bullying, vandalism, and fewer temper tantrums after their families received the financial boost. In fact, they started behaving as well as children in the study who had never been poor. The children who remained poor, however, showed no such improvement.

How did the cash improve the children's school behavior? The researchers said it allowed parents to spend more time with their children, according to their report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Surrounded By Stories

In I Am a Pencil: A Teacher, His Kids, and Their World of Stories (Henry Holt, 2004), children's author Sam Swope recounts his struggle to "get through" to a group of struggling students who have a lot to learn and, as it turns out, a lot to teach.

to the financially poor but story-rich lives of his 28 students, and ends up staying for three years. On one assignment, we see Swope coaching Jessica on how to turn a sentence into a poem, until, finally, it clicks: "I am a pencil/Ready to write/My life."

Swope skillfully sketches the subtle dramas besetting a classroom of children in tough situations. On discovering a disturbing personal revelation in a child's piece, Swope worries about pushing her too far. "How do you teach a kid to bravely follow her imagination, even when it's scary?" he reflects. "And should you?"

This is not a how-to book, nor does it flaunt prescriptions. Swope's aim is more modest—to encourage kids to, in his words, "occasionally look closely at the world and notice things that make you wonder."

For many, that will be more than enough.

Major Mentoring

Sink or swim, that's the American way when it comes to learning to teach.

The program tries to pair together teachers who work in the same building and teach similar classes. The district also hires subs for eight days during the year so the mentor-mentee pairs can watch each other at work. Administrators cannot ask mentors how the new teachers are doing either. And new teachers appreciate that.

"They were kind of like a confidant, someone we could talk to and who we knew wouldn't get us in trouble," says Jessica Heronemus, a second-year middle school English teacher who completed the program last year.

What's Up, Doc?

While my kindergartners were practicing for their Thanksgiving play, our school principal came by with our district's assistant superintendent and proudly introduced "Dr. M" to the class. After the visitors left, a student asked me, "Is the principal sick?" I replied, "No, why do you ask?" The student responded, "Well, why did he bring his doctor to school?" I had to explain that there are other kinds of doctors besides the ones we visit when we are sick!

—Molly Koehle
Kindergarten teacher
Altoona, Pennsylvania

Have a funny school story you'd like to share?
Send it to neatoday@nea.org.

Storm Season

Angry Skies

Educators join to help colleagues survive the record-breaking storms of 2004.

"The children were in the tub. My husband and I sat on the edge. We had a mattress ready to pull over the kids to protect them if the roof collapsed," recalls Cathi Hile.

When the storm finally passed, they saw that their roof was destroyed—shingles gone and plywood torn up. By the second night, water-logged plaster ceilings were caving in and they were forced to get out, leaving them homeless for nearly three weeks until they found an apartment 25 miles away.

But much more was on the way. During the next few weeks, three more hurricanes slashed through the state, and Florida officials said every single school closed for at least one day. Of 67 districts, only three were operating the day after Labor Day; several shut down for nearly three weeks. 

In Pensacola, teachers teamed up with the local newspaper to mail lesson plan packages to parents while schools shut down after Hurricane Ivan, and teachers staffed a "Survivin' Ivan" hotline to answer parent questions on how to use them.

In Charlotte County, where 6 of 21 schools were destroyed or heavily damaged, students were forced to attend the remaining safe schools in shifts. Some start as early as 6 a.m. Others end as late as 7:10 p.m.

Teaming up

"That storm," he says, "took a big hunk out of my life."

But Bouton said the union and school administration worked well together to get education started again. "It wasn't a top-down thing," he says. "Nobody has ever organized double sessions as fast as we did. We suffered, but the bigger story is how well we came back."

Throughout the state, in fact, members tell similar stories—of how union leaders and colleagues from across the country and state banded together to lend a hand through the crisis.

NEA President Reg Weaver toured the state by bus in October, stopping at Griffin Elementary School in the small rural town of Frostproof to deliver books, school supplies, and encouragement to educators there. Charley had blown off most of the school's roof, forcing the district to rent temporary space in a nearby church. Educators carried everything they could save to the church in four long days and then started teaching. Across the country, students at Jim Hill Middle School in Minot, North Dakota, laid plans to raise money for Griffin Elementary by raking leaves, baby-sitting, and walking neighborhood dogs, according to NEA Board of Directors member Pauline Wahl, a sixth-grade science teacher at the North Dakota school.

Meanwhile, 30 Broward Teachers Union members volunteered to work up to 21 continual days in another county, St. Lucie, to help clean and repair damaged schools.

ESPs to the Rescue

But Ivan didn't keep school employees idle for long, not even Elberta paraeducator Shirley Campbell, left homeless by the storm. She immediately reported for duty at Elberta Middle School to help other education support professionals (ESPs) clean up debris and water.

"Our ESPs are fantastic," says school secretary/business manager Sandra Clark, president of Baldwin County ESP. "We had extensive damage around here, but ESPs called in to see where help was needed. Some even helped our school's neighbors clear debris from their yards!"

Cafeteria employees moved food from damaged schools and cooked meals in hurricane shelters, while security guards protected damaged schools.

And school bus drivers in Mobile County's 615-vehicle fleet played a critical role as the "evacuation machinery" for their region, notes fleet manager Bob Brunson. He easily got 20 drivers to volunteer for duty during the storm to evacuate elderly and disabled residents. Eight ESPs were called in to ferry people and property, including breathing machines, to seven shelters.

"We did a good job!" says proud driver Stephanie Lindsay, who steered her bus through wind and rain.

Finally, before Mobile County schools returned to business, transportation department utility workers such as Sarah Horton inspected "every inch" of this district's 1,238 miles of roads to ensure removal of debris and power lines from bus routes.

"I even drove my truck down narrow dirt roads to ensure they were passable," Horton reports. "It's part of an ESP's job of ensuring that children are safe!"

—Alain Jehlen and Dave Winans

Fund For Florida Victims

The Florida Education Association (FEA) has created the FEA Hurricane Relief Fund to assist members who suffered heavy losses. In just three Florida counties, more than 100 FEA members became homeless and more than 600 sustained severe home damage—while countless others face repairs that insurance won't fully cover. And many will have to replace all of their possessions.

To help, you can send a check to:

FEA 

State Report

Fighting for Kids' Civil Rights

Alaska NEA-Alaska (NEA-AK) has joined a lawsuit that charges the state with violating its constitution by not investing in adequate K–12 education for all students and by treating "children of differing circumstances differently." The plaintiffs are asking that the court order a cost analysis of a constitutionally "adequate" education, and then require the state to foot the bill.

The money's there. While Alaska has enjoyed unparalleled wealth over the past 20 years, the state has systematically reduced investment in education.

At stake in this case, says NEA-AK President Bill Bjork, are  both "resource development"—economic prosperity linked to a well-educated workforce—and basic civil rights. "Here we are, 50 years after Brown struck down school desegregation," Bjork notes, "and huge numbers of children in Alaska still don't have access to an equal education." 

Jerseyans Win Pension Suit

New Jersey In fiscal years 2004 and 2005, the state failed to make approximately $1.156 billion in contributions to the Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF). Six active and retired TPAF members and the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) filed a lawsuit in response, prompting the state Superior Court to rule that fund members have a contractual right to payment of those contributions and that the state violated this contract. The court also found the state guilty of violating, among other things, the New Jersey Constitution and state balanced budget requirements.

NJEA pledges to "continue the fight" if the state appeals this ruling.

No-Grief Grievance Process

Georgia Life's not easy without a state bargaining law. After a long, exhausting lobbying campaign, the Clayton County Education Association (CCEA) has persuaded its school board to ratify a district policy giving education support professionals a "protected" channel—free of reprisals—for filing grievances. Clayton ESPs will now enjoy the same appeal rights as certified teachers.

For the full story on this ESP rights campaign.

Teachers Know Best!

Louisiana The Louisiana Association of Educators (LAE) has made it official policy: The teaching profession "must be self-governed" by an autonomous state standards board, with both an elected teacher majority and "fully funded staff and resources to accomplish tasks."

Now LAE is working to turn policy into reality. "Teachers know best what is required to be effective in the classroom," stresses LAE President Carol Davis. "They should be given a stronger voice in determining the appropriate standards needed for licensing."

Californians Confront NCLB 

California State-released Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) scores—required by the so-called No Child Left Behind law (NCLB)—"should not be allowed to mask the fact that many schools lack basic resources to provide students with the education they deserve," California Teachers Association (CTA) President Barbara E. Kerr recently told the press.

NEA's largest state affiliate doesn't mince words about NCLB. The law "focuses on the wrong priorities for our schools by wasting billions of dollars on paperwork, bureaucracy, and more standardized testing," said Kerr, "rather than giving kids what they really need to succeed: smaller class sizes, up-to-date materials, and quality teachers." 

ESPs Block Privatization

Illinois For more than a year, the Dundee Association of Transportation Employees (DATE) has bargained and campaigned locally to prevent privatization of bus service in Community School District 300. It's paid off with a new two-year contract that keeps transportation work in-house, prevents a pay cut, and maintains insurance coverage.

These 200 drivers reached a compromise by packing school board meetings and walking bus routes to talk up what they do. Their best argument: an indisputable record as hard-working employees and members of the community.

A Win for Minnesota Voters

Minnesota Education Minnesota, the League of Women Voters, and other groups have blocked proposed rule changes that would have hindered voter turnout. Compromise legislation preserves one of the nation's best voter registration systems. Minnesota law allows registration on Election Day.

Strikes Begone!

Washington What a difference a year makes. Last year, Washington Education Association (WEA) members were forced into bitter strikes in Lake Stevens and Marysville, setting a state record in the latter dispute—50 grueling days on the picket line. But as the 2004–05 school year began, WEA settled the vast majority of its contacts, most amicably.

In most cases, school employees negotiated locally funded increases in their pay and benefits. Many local affiliates negotiated help with increasingly heavy workloads. And improved student achievement was a top issue in some districts—such as in Seattle, where the new contract focuses on eliminating the achievement gap for struggling kids.

Spotlight

Vote 'Em Out!

Educators and parents in a small Wisconsin town decide: enough is enough.

But the breakthrough followed years of frustration and pain—the stonewalling, the attempted firing of a union leader, the eroding pay capped by an imposed contract in which nearly 40 percent of teachers actually had to give money back.

"In 30 years of teaching, that was about as bleak a time as I've ever had," recalls geography teacher and Nekoosa Teachers' Association activist Leo Thomasgard. "What a difference a year makes."

The scene of this transformation is Nekoosa, Wisconsin, population 2,500.

For six years, the town had a superintendent who, as community leader Randy Moody says politely, was "not a people person."

"He came in with a gun-slinger attitude," says science teacher Jon Joslin. Educators were subjected to dictatorial treatment, salaries slid relative to nearby communities, staff members fled.

But the school board supported the superintendent and fended off any criticism. Just to speak before the board, explains Moody, "you had to submit a written request to the superintendent eight days in advance, and then if he felt like it, he would let you speak."

One of the lowest points was the dismissal of custodian Duane Exner, founder of the Nekoosa Educational Support Personnel Association, on false charges that he had taken a two-hour lunch break and lied about it on his timesheet.

Supported by fellow educators and union lawyers, Exner fought for 14 months and won complete vindication. On his first day back, the staff came out to greet him at the door.

Nekoosa educators cracked the wall again when they helped a pro-educator candidate win election to the school board. But then the board majority shut him out of important decisions. 

With new contract negotiations coming up and more staff bailing out of Nekoosa, those who remained wondered whether things would ever change. But desperation can inspire. As a last resort, they decided on a petition drive to recall the majority of the board. "This is a good community," says Thomasgard. "Parents support their kids."

Joslin and Moody became leaders in the recall campaign. Moody was president of a citizens group that had tried to get the board to change course. He has five daughters, all students or former students in the schools, and they had told him about the sad state of morale in school.

As it turned out, many other citizens of Nekoosa knew about the problem and were ready to act.  Fourteen hundred—more than half of the town—signed the recall petition.

It was 10 degrees outside when voters trooped to the polls for the election, but the results warmed the hearts of educators and parents: a new board majority. The superintendent quickly resigned.

Thomasgard says the new board members are independent, and he doesn't expect the union will agree with them on everything. But their attitude is  completely different. A new contract was negotiated with good raises. There's a feeling of respect for frontline educators: "They're coming to us for ideas!" says Joslin.

And Randy Moody is happy with what he hears from his daughters: "The teachers aren't looking over their shoulders, worrying about losing their jobs," he says. "Now they can concentrate on teaching."

Resources

Get Ready for Next Year With a Grant from The NEA Foundation

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

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. We now offer bigger and better grants—up to $5,000 per project—to fund your BIG ideas. 

Applying for a grant is easy. Visit www.neafoundation.org today for more information, including guidelines and an application. Or call 202-822-7840.

Grants for Tolerance

The Teaching Tolerance project of the Southern Poverty Law Center offers grants of up to $2,000 to K–12 classroom teachers for implementing tolerance and youth activism projects in their schools and communities. Projects funded by Teaching Tolerance tend to be:

• small-scale, resourceful, and student-focused, promoting acceptance of diversity, peacemaking, community service, or any other aspect of tolerance education;
• clearly defined, well-integrated, and tailored to the specified needs of particular learners and their communities;
• economically responsible, involving staff participation, community volunteers, and in-kind contributions wherever possible;
• sustainable in some way, rather than one-time-only events or activities.

There is no deadline for proposals, and grants are restricted to one per applicant or school per school year.

For more information, go to www.tolerance.org/teach/expand/gra/index.jsp. To apply, download and complete the application, then mail it with the required attachments to Grants Administrator, Teaching Tolerance Grants, 400 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36104.

NASA aerospace Enrichment Program

Superintendents, with suggestions from principals, are asked to select core teachers for the training. The core educators work for six weeks with the aerospace program in their schools where they lead interdisciplinary teams of teachers in interactions with the principal and faculty.

For more, go to http:// aesp.nasa.okstate.edu/urcep/index.html or write to: NASA Headquarters; Education Division; Attn: URCEP Program Manager; Code N; Washington, DC 20549.

Saving Endangered Species

One aspiring conservationist from each state and the District of Columbia will receive a trip to attend the Wild Kingdom Kids' Summit next May in Los Angeles. Visit www.wildkingdom.com for more information, including a special site for teachers with suggested classroom activities and curriculum.

Take Note

A Week To Celebrate You!

This year's theme is Celebrating the American Dream…the Dream that Begins in Our Nation's Classrooms. For more information on American Education Week, ideas on how to celebrate it, or to download a poster and artwork bearing this year's theme, go to www.nea.org/aew.

Ensuring Safe Schools

This requires courage and more "homework" to learn about bias and how to address it with students. Your state and local affiliate can provide resources and schedule diversity trainings. We realize these topics continue to generate discomfort, cautiousness, and disagreement, namely, homophobia concerning gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered students. NEA and its affiliates provide trainings, resource handbooks, and other forms of support for creating safe environments for all students. For more, contact your state affiliate Human and Civil Rights coordinator or Kevin Kumashiro 202-822-7439, Linda Bacon 202-822-7724, or Al-Tony Gilmore 202-822-7395.

Human and Civil Rights Awards

You're invited to participate in NEA's 39th Annual Human and Civil Rights Awards Dinner, July 3, 2005, in Los Angeles, California. Please join us in:

• keeping alive the spirit of the American Teachers Association,
• honoring individuals and affiliates for their human and civil rights contributions,
• celebrating NEA's multicultural roots,
• recharging ourselves for the struggle ahead.

But don't just attend the dinner. Get involved by nominating an individual, organization, colleague, or affiliate for an award. New this year: Complete forms online at www.nea.org/annualmeeting/hcrawards/. Note these dates:

• December 15, 2004—Deadline for submission of award nomination forms to NEA Human and Civil Rights.
• January/February 2005—Selection of awardees by the NEA Executive Committee, based on recommendations by the Human and Civil Rights Committee.

For more, contact: Sabrina Williams, Human and Civil Rights, National Education Association, 1201 16th Street, N.W., Washington, DC  20036-3290.

Books for Schools

Sponsored by the Heart of America Foundation, the Books From The Heart program finds books that are not being used and gets them to where they're needed most—into the hands of children and onto the empty shelves at school libraries. Download a registration form to become a Books From the Heart recipient at www.heartofamerica.org/pdf/recipientform.pdf. Recipients must take final responsibility for the quality and appropriateness of the books provided and agree that books will be placed on library and classroom shelves and given directly to students for home use.

Heads Up from NEA Member Benefits

Consider this statistic: One in seven people become disabled for at least five years before reaching age 65.*

Unless you've planned ahead, losing your income could have devastating effects. The NEA Income Protection Plan® is a Short-Term Disability plan specially designed to help provide an income when you are disabled and unable to work due to a covered accident or sickness. In most states, you can also add a Long-Term Disability Rider to extend your benefits to age 67 or older.

For more information about this important benefit, call your NEA Income Protection Plan Representative at 1-888-461-1612 (Monday thru Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST) or visit online at www.neamb.com.

* Source: Sue Stevens, Morningstar, November 2000

Travel smart! Collette Vacations, provider of the NEA vacation travel program, offers these tips for members planning future excursions:

1. Make sure you have comprehensive travel protection. Because of the tragic events of September 11, most travel insurance policies do not allow passengers to cancel for any reason, even because of acts of terrorism. However, Collette provides members the option of purchasing a cancellation waiver that does allow passengers to cancel for any reason—up to the day of departure. The waiver ensures that you will recoup all of your money except for the cost of the cancellation waiver itself. 
2. Avoid tour operator default—choose a financially stable travel provider.  Look for an operator with a strong financial rating based on an independent audit and one that belongs to an organization like USTOA, which is composed of the country's top travel companies.
3. Only work with travel providers that accept credit cards as a form of payment. Paying for your trip by credit card within 60 days of departure guarantees you 100 percent trip protection. Credit card companies, by law, must refund 100 percent of funds as long as the service was not provided and the customer notified the credit card company within 60 days of the charge appearing on the customer's monthly statement.  

For more information about the great travel opportunities available to members through Collette Vacations, call 1-800-528-1923 or go online to www.neamb.com/discount/collette.jsp.

On The Web

Sound Science

Learning About Disability

Taking the Web Outside

Virtual Teachers Lounge

National Summit on Asian and Pacific Islander Issues in education

The Summit will include presentations on initiatives at the local and national levels regarding API education. Participants will also collaborate in sessions on API students, policy issues, and implications for classroom practice. Seven of the leading researchers on API education will describe the latest research, and participants will divide into working groups to generate additional information for the publication.

Opportunity to Submit Questions: NEA Human and Civil Rights wants to hear from NEA members about the questions they would like to see addressed in the Summit and in the final API Report. These questions will be answered by the experts at a special panel session and their answers will be posted online and featured in a future issue of NEA Today. NEA members can send their questions to Kevin Kumashiro, Senior Program Specialist 202-822-7439, no later than Friday, December 3.

Books by NEA Members

Safe from Strangers

By Gerri Willever

Growing Your Musician

By Tony Bancroft

KidTips

By Kathy Young

In Print

Thanksgiving with the Pilgrams

The Skinny on Santa

Staying Sane

Desegregation in Pictures

Reading Different Subjects

A Bird's Tale

Fostering Cultural Understanding

One World was developed through the support and vision of the NFL and NFLPA (Players Association)—partners of NEA's Read Across America—and created and written in collaboration with Scholastic Inc. and Facing History and Ourselves, a national civil rights education organization. Find free copies of all materials, as well as online interactive challenges for students, at http://scholastic.com/oneworld. All materials are reproducible and designed to be downloaded and printed from the Internet, and all lessons are based on national standards.

Read Across America

Honoring the Diversity Of Children and Books

This year's Read Across America resource kit celebrates the diversity of children and children's literature with its Read Across America: Where It's Hat theme and reproducible materials. The kit features a new Read Across America logo poster, as well as posters for our Get a Kick Out of Reading bilingual program with Major League Soccer, ZOOM into reading and community service with Youth Service America and ZOOM, and Where It's Hat multicultural theme. To request a kit, go to www.nea.org/readacross.

NEA HIN Loves Education Support Professionals!

The NEA Health Information Network would like to recognize the hard work and dedication of NEA ESP members on November 17, National Education Support Professionals Day! In doing so, we encourage you to take advantage of the variety of resources we have available for custodians, school nurses, paraprofessionals, school bus drivers, and more! Resources such as the Red Book: Exposure to Blood on the Job, Take a Deep Breath and Thank Your Custodian (guide to indoor air quality), Tomorrow's Buses for Today's Children (Clean School Bus USA brochure), and Asthma Inhalers (poster) are all available at no charge. To order single or multiple copies, visit www.neahin.org/resources/pubs.htm.

EPA Alerts Schools to Asbestos Hazards

Did you know that even though schools have the option of removing asbestos-containing materials, it is more likely that they chose to manage the materials instead? When asbestos materials are disturbed, the fibers can be released into the air and inhaled by students and school staff, and can eventually lead to lung cancer, asbestosis, or mesothelioma. EPA's current issue of Enforcement Alert focuses on asbestos in schools and provides a list of asbestos containing building materials and information about the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA).

To access the Alert, go to www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/newsletters/civil/enfalert/aheraalert0721.pdf. For more information on asbestos in schools, go to www.epa.gov/asbestos/asbestos_ in_schools.html.

Celebrate World AIDS Day 2004

World AIDS Day, celebrated around the globe on December 1, will highlight the progress made in the battle against the epidemic—and will bring into focus the remaining challenges. This year's theme is "Women, Girls, HIV, and AIDS." As we see the ever-increasing impact of the HIV epidemic on women and girls, it is imperative that we put a spotlight on the unique issues they face. For more information on World AIDS Day, visit the NEA HIN Web site at www.neahin.org/programs/reproductive/index.htm#hivaids.

Diversity Calendar

November

November 1–30—American Indian Heritage Month

The month set aside by presidential proclamation to honor and remember the unique heritage of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

November 14—Id al-Fitr

This Muslim day of feasting celebrates the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

November 15–21—Youth Appreciation Week

A week to recognize our youth for their talents and their contributions to the community.  Sponsored by Optimist International: www.optimist.org.

November 20—Anniversary of the Mexican Revolution

A national holiday in Mexico to celebrate the start of the social revolution begun in 1910.

December

December 1—Montgomery Bus Boycott beginning

On this day in 1955 in Alabama, Rosa Mae Parks refused to give her seat to a white passenger on a bus and was arrested, sparking the December 5 bus boycott.

December 8–15—Hanukkah

This Jewish holiday lasts for eight days and nights and commemorates the rededication of the Temple by the Maccabees.

December 25—Christmas

The birth of Christ is celebrated on this Christian holiday by attending church, exchanging gifts, and singing carols.

December 26–January 1—Kwanzaa

Related to the spirit and rituals of African harvest festivals, this African-American celebration promotes family building, teaches history, and develops unity.

On TV

Postcards from Buster

This new Arthur spin-off for ages 4–8 follows Buster's travels with his pilot father as they fly a Latin rock group around the United States, Canada, and Mexico for a concert tour. Busters "mails" his friends live-action postcards that explore the cultural diversity of the areas he visits. Blending live-action footage with animation, the 30-minute episodes expose children to different cultures in North America and helps develop the literacy, language, and communication skills of non-native English speakers. A companion Web site at http://pbskidsgo.org/ buster features interactive games and resources for kids, and a comprehensive teacher's guide for elementary classrooms, including a section on using the series with English-language learners.

Nick News: Special Edition

Nickelodeon; November 3, 12, and 22; 6 a.m.; ET.

Visit with Native American children living on three different reservations and take a look at the similarities and differences they share with white American kids in "This Land Was My Land: Kids on the Reservations." This 30-minute episode of the news magazine specials created by Linda Ellerbee for kids in grades 4–6 can be taped and used in the classroom for one year. Teaching materials are available at www.teachers.nick.com.

American Experience : They Made America

PBS, November 8, 9–11 p.m., ET, and November 15 and 22, 9–10 p.m., ET. Check local listings.

This three-part series from American Experience looks at the people who invented new systems, new solutions, and improved technology, such as Samuel Colt, who invented  handguns, and Juan Trippe, who started Pan American Airways. The series rightly focuses on the individual achievement, but looks past each inventor to examine the impact these advances had on our American society, politics, and economics. 

Strong Chemistry

This hourlong documentary explains the discovery of the elements and the origin of the periodic table, explores compounds and composites, discusses the creation and trade of diamonds, and looks at the inside of the Sun. The program can be taped and used in the classroom for one year with teaching materials at www.discoveryschool.com.

Civil War Journal

The History Channel, November 22, 6 a.m., ET.

The Civil War Journal series uses archival materials to explore the Civil War era and can be taped and used in the classroom for two years with teaching materials at www.historychannel .com/classroom. This hourlong episode, "Alexander Gardner: War Photographer," profiles the life of Gardner, a Scottish immigrant who visually chronicled the Civil War.

In the Mix

PBS, November 20–27, check local listings for times.

This week's episode of the PBS series, entitled "The Way We See it: What Makes a School Worth Going To?" follows four youth media teams as they set out to answer this question by creating short personal documentaries about their schools. One documentary follows Thomas, who does poorly in academic subjects until he discovers unrecognized skills in a school arts program and gains the confidence to tackle more academic subjects. The videos depict a road map of hope and success for public school systems. Visit www.inthemix.org for transcripts, discussion guides, and more.

On TV listings are provided by KIDSNET, a national resource for children's media in Washington, D.C., www.kidsnet.org, and by Cable in the Classroom's Access Learning magazine at www.ciconline.org.

Frontline: The Persuaders

PBS, November 9, 9-10:30 p.m. Check local listings.

Teachers would do well to encourage students to spend two nights with PBS this week as FRONTLINE looks at the companion issue to innovation, namely the selling of goods and services to Americans. This 90-minute documentary is called "The Persuaders," but it might as well be called "Media Literacy 101," as it examines marketing, advertising, and public relations, and provides a solid foundation for discussing popular culture.

NEA's Commitment to Diversity in Leadership

In practice and in policy, the National Education Association has a history of supporting diversity in leadership. In 1964 the NEA began eradicating racial segregation throughout its affiliates and staff, and in 1966 the Association merged with the all-Black American Teachers Association. For many years, as part of the effort to integrate the Association, NEA's policies guaranteed governance representation for ethnic minorities.

However, throughout the '80s the Association had to amend several policies in order to comply with the Landrum Griffin Act, which made it illegal to guarantee minority representation. One such policy was amended in 1988. In 1988 the NEA Representative Assembly adopted the following affirmative action policy regarding the Association presidency:

NEA Constitution, Article IV, Section 4. Affirmative Action Procedure.

By December 1 of each membership year immediately preceding the next membership year in which a presidential election is to be held (i.e., approximately 18 months prior to the date of the election), appropriate information about the office of president and the electoral process, including all relevant timelines, shall be sent to each of the ethnic-minority special interest groups identified in Bylaw 12; and

During the membership year in which the aforesaid presidential election is to be held, a copy of this section of the Constitution, with an appropriate explanation as to its background and intent, shall be included in (a) an Association publication sent to all members by December 1 and (b) the material that is sent to the delegates to that year's Representative Assembly.

If after any period of eleven (11) consecutive membership years a member of an ethnic-minority group has not served as President, the Association shall take such steps as may be legally permissible to elect a member of an ethnic-minority group.

During the debate at the 1988 Representative Assembly, John Wilson, a North Carolina delegate speaking in favor of the amendment, aptly summarized the intent of this policy:

" ...Fellow delegates, last year we had to remove a part of our Constitution that guaranteed that at the end of 11 years if an ethnic minority were not elected president, that nominations would be limited to an ethnic minority…even though we had to eliminate that guarantee, we shouldn't eliminate our affirmative action commitment to assuring that our organization will reflect the diversity of our membership.…It is an affirmative action amendment. It guarantees information, it guarantees accessibility, but it does not guarantee that anyone will be elected unless the delegates so choose to do that."

In accordance with the above provision, this message serves as a reminder of the Association's continued commitment to diversity in leadership.

Parent Teacher Conference

Turning the Tables

By Mary Ellen Flannery

In a twist on the traditional parent-teacher conference, teachers are inviting somebody else to run the show: their students.

This is definitely not the parent conference of old, and Maya, perched eagerly on the edge of her seat, is reveling in the opportunity to be in charge.

"Ta-da!" she exclaims, emptying a carefully prepared red

folder. This is her science poster on the blue poison dart frog—discovered by scientists "a very long time ago" in 1971—which won 98 points. This is her final math test, a mess of decimals and division, which earned a depressing 87 percent.

"Nines, fives, and twos are easy, but sixes are not very good," Maya explains.

In Portland's David Douglas School District and many other districts across the country, it's an increasingly popular scene. Instead of inviting parents to that often hurried sit-down meeting at the teacher's desk, teachers are switching to these longer, student-led conferences, in hopes of engaging more parents and making students responsible for their learning. And despite the extra time and pay the sessions require, many educators still give them a thumbs-up.

"There are a few nice advantages," Hackmann says.

First, teachers say, parents come to these conferences. And then, with everybody at the same table, more gets done. Kids set specific goals with their parents, which hopefully lead to increased academic performance, and teachers avoid the usual he-said, she-said conflicts.

'Tonight's the night!'

Lori Ellis, an Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, first-grade teacher, is a pioneer in student-led conferences. Back when most teachers were still meeting parents for 10 minutes in the cafeteria, she took out trays of chocolate-chip cookies and soft drinks and asked her kids to host the get-together.

Her students all begin their conference the same way. "Today I'm going to tell you all about my learning and I want you to ask me questions along the way. Okay, Mom and Dad?"

"I'm going to show you the book I'm reading during my guided reading group and read you my favorite page. … Do you have any questions?"

Simple enough, but Ellis put a lot of work into developing scripts and checklists for her students, plus conference-related lesson plans. Although she was able to combine most of her work for her master's degree classes, few teachers have the spare time to get started, she acknowledges.

Still, her efforts were rewarded when she surveyed Greenland School parents a few years ago. While 9 percent preferred the traditional conference, 49 percent said they liked the new style and 42 percent wanted both—a traditional conference in the fall and a student presentation in the spring.

For her own part, Ellis prefers the spring. While it's nice to meet parents one-on-one, their questions usually can be answered in notes, e-mails, or calls. Plus, the student-led meetings are much more successful at getting parents through the door.

"I have had fall conferences where parents don't show up," Ellis said. "(In the spring), the kids would never let them forget—it's like tonight's the night!"

At their young age, Ellis' first-graders can't do much in the way of self-analysis. The student-led conferences in her classroom are more celebrations than critiques. But by third grade, students can identify their specific weaknesses and parents should be able to help them.

Who's responsible?

"There's going to be a lot of math in fourth grade," Cherry Park third-grader Ariana Hunter tells her mother, as they look over a few funky figures in her folder. (Math, unlike art or lunch, is not her favorite.) "Maybe it's something to work on this summer," offers her mother, Sandra Reed.

By middle school, students should be actively engaged in setting goals, says Laura Hayden, an integrated computer studies teacher in Derby, Kansas.

Every Friday, her kids describe the most important thing they learned that week and set a new weekly goal. They also evaluate themselves on "employability" skills—were they punctual? Did they follow directions? Get along with their "co-workers?"

Then, during the conference with their parents, they're able to explain in detail what they did to get an A or what they didn't do to get a D, and set well-defined goals, she says. "Not just a letter grade—but specific goals like 'I'm going to look at my notes every night,'" Hayden says. "I tell them, 'If you go the cheap way out, you'll get a cheap grade.'"

Hayden doesn't have fond memories of the old conferences, which she likens to moving cattle. "When we were in the cafeteria, people would wait 20 minutes for me to say, 'Here's your child's grade. It's nice to meet you.'" But the new style can really affect a student's performance, she says, when kids realize they're the ones responsible for their grades. "I want them to think about their learning….It's not my grade, it's theirs."

No lies, now

Compared to Ellis and Hayden, math teacher Cris Orff of Noble High School in North Berwick, Maine, is a relative newcomer on the scene. He ceded control of parent conferences four years ago, at about the same time that he and some colleagues decided to try a team approach to teaching.

High school students obsess about a lot of things—cell phones and school dances—but not necessarily their class work. Freshmen, he says, laughing, "tend to be detached from reality….Our goal was to tie them to reality and get them thinking again."

But, like his colleagues from all over the country, Orff discovered other benefits. "All of a sudden, they're sitting here with you and their parents. They can't say, 'Oh, it's the teacher's fault or it's my parents' fault,'" he says. "They're there between a rock and a hard place, and they have to be honest."

But Orff noted that parents do need a little time to adjust. "They keep looking at you, keep asking you for direction. You have to redirect it to the students," he says.

Demand compensation

Districts also need time to catch up. When Wisconsin's Ellis first prepared for student-led conferences, she wasn't compensated for the extra time. A few years later, it became part of the contract, and all her colleagues jumped on board.

Likewise, Orff began voluntarily, knowing each 30-minute conference would eat up more time. But this year, it became an issue at the bargaining table and now all Noble High teachers will qualify for compensatory time off, he said.

Students, on the other hand, adapt quickly. At Portland's Cherry Park, Maya revels in her student-led conference. The sneaky sixes aside, the third-grader's reading and writing skills are very strong, says her teacher, Stephanie Myrhe.

"Very well-presented, ma'am," her mother says.

Maya bows.

Student-Led Conference Tips

• Prepare Students. Explain the process. Model their role. Ask them to practice introducing their parents to you.
• Prepare Parents. Invite them with a letter that emphasizes that their child needs to come. Let them know what to expect.
• Prepare Yourself.  Have a good handle on how your students are doing. Which students might need more support?
• Prepare the Environment.  Consider light music in the background, cookies, and messages on boards.
• Have work for students to share. A Microsoft PowerPoint portfolio or special project is helpful for parents to see students' progress.
• Always point out positives to parents.  It's good for kids to hear these as well. Help set goals so parents see a plan for growth.
• Be on the lookout for negative situations to defuse.
• Be a part of the process—but don't take over.

—Laura Hayden
Derby Middle School

People

It's a Twister!

"The first thing I thought was that I was just so thankful we didn't have any kids in the building at the time," says Phil Severson, reflecting on the tornado that ravaged his school in May. "The second thing I thought was, how the hell am I going to get out of here!"

"My room is an interior classroom, so I have no windows, except on the door," says Severson. "I went to the inner wall of the room and sat and waited. I think it lasted about a minute, although it felt a lot longer." 

The middle school, neighboring elementary and high schools, and outdoor facilities sustained millions of dollars in damages. But the community united, and about 1,400 people came out on the designated clean-up days to fix up the schools.

Although rebuilding will take time, school officials started the new school year in early September, just a few weeks after the scheduled start date. The school is using portable classrooms until construction is complete, sometime in November. Meanwhile, Severson is hoping that this school year will be a little less eventful.

—Emily Goodman

Something To Say

Growing up, Alice Faye Duncan loved to read and write. "I fell in love with the idea of being the next Lorraine Hansberry," she confesses.

The inspiration for the poetic Honey Baby Sugar Child came to Duncan through a conversation with a friend about her friend's love for her grandchildren. "The little girls in my neighborhood used to say 'honey baby sugar child' when they wanted you to take special heed of what they had to say," recalls Duncan. "I couldn't think of a better phrase to describe a mother's emphatic love for her child." Duncan, who is hard at work on her next book, Christmas Soup, makes author visits and conducts literacy workshops for teachers across the country.

—Vanessa St. Leger

A Vintage Campaign

John McIntyre isn't one to sit around. Last year, after retiring from teaching, the wine enthusiast landed a job with great perks when he started working at a friend's wine boutique in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

If McIntyre's track record holds, it will be a tightrope race. He ran twice for the state House of Representatives and, incredibly, tied his opponent each time after recounts and appeals were completed. The races were decided by the House, with McIntyre being awarded one election and his opponent the other.  

Explaining his decision to run again, McIntyre says that campaigning "gets in one's blood." He maintains he's the best candidate for the job because he has the ears of people who need his assistance, and as a former middle school counselor, he has experience in solving problems. "I'm able to listen to people and I can help them come together," he says of the skills he's learned through teaching. In fact, McIntyre hopes his run for office will encourage more educators to be politically active. He's already hired several teachers to help operate his own campaign.

If elected, McIntyre hopes to revisit many issues he considers unsatisfactory in the state's current political system, including minimum wage and health insurance. Planning to take time off from the winery, McIntyre is prepared to make South Dakota his top priority.

—Vanessa St. Le

Leading the Way

Partying Hard for Public Education

National effort to raise awareness and spur action a 'whopping' success.

"Tonight is just the beginning," NEA President Reg Weaver said at a Hollywood, California, party co-hosted by Oscar-winning actress Helen Hunt and film producers Julie Bergman Sender and Stuart Sender. Elected officials must be held accountable for providing schools the resources they need, he said, and he encouraged the crowd to join the groundswell of support to "fix and fund" the so-called No Child Left Behind law (NCLB).