Reaching Out—and Getting Somewhere

Improving public schools means involving the community, one project at a time.

Photos by Dale Folkerts

A crowd of angry townspeople (Snookles) approaches several individuals (Snickels) who are down on their knees. They scream at the Snickels, dump food on their heads, and keep pushing them down when the Snickels try to stand up. But eventually the Snickels rise up together and….

What's going on here? This scene—with Seuss-like Snickel and Snookle characters—comes from a play about race relations co-sponsored by the Seattle Education Association. The First Day—written and produced by NEA member Donte Felder—takes a powerful and emotional look at the landmark Brown v. Board of Education court decision in a most unusual way.

Taking on a tough issue like racism may not sound like the safest way to win friends and build support for public education. But in Seattle, the play has become a potent outreach tool local Association leaders are using to bridge the gap between school and community. Not only is it showcasing the talent of students at Orca School, the alternative elementary where Felder teaches, but it is also drawing school staff and parents and community members into the various schools where the play is being performed—and into discussions about race relations in the community.

It's the kind of community outreach effort NEA President Reg Weaver contends is essential if educators expect to be successful. Creating quality education for all kids is a noble goal, he notes, "but the job is too big for us to do alone." And so across the country, state and local Associations have been on a mission to help educators reach beyond the school doors, developing a host of innovative partnerships, from the modest to the grand. 

The California Teachers Association has been working, for example, with Preschool California, an advocacy campaign developed by Rob Reiner and funded by the Packard Foundation to develop a voluntary, quality preschool system for all 4-year-olds in the state.

The Illinois Education Association, in partnership with the state's Terrorism Task Force, has created an NEA-funded program to train educators and others involved in responding to all types of school emergency situations. The training has brought together school officials, police, fire, public health workers, emergency management teams and other first responders, and plans are in the works to expand the effort. In Utah, the state Association has developed a business partnership board made up of corporate officers, managers, and sales and marketing directors. It supports Utah Education Association programs that aim to improve student literacy and self-esteem, enhance technology, and help at-risk youth.

And nationally, NEA is nurturing a slew of partnerships with businesses and organizations of every stripe—Saturn-UAW to promote effective teacher mentoring programs; Staples on its "Recycle for Education" program; and WGBH Education Foundation on early science literacy. The organization also has ties to Ford's Theater on arts programming, and is working with Black and Hispanic legislators on a project to close gaps in achievement. Recently NEA joined forces with the Tom Joyner Foundation to aid unlicensed minority teachers in completing their certification requirements.

They're all wildly different initiatives, but that's okay, says Weaver. What's notable is all the hard work educators are putting into developing these community relationships. Without such efforts, he notes, schools and kids can't achieve their best. "School staff are like construction workers," he says, "and their bridge-building work is essential to our success—and the success of the children we teach."

In Seattle, NEA leaders are the first to agree. SEA President Wendy Kimball says The First Day play is sparking reflection and conversation on racial issues, not only by students, but also by parents and school staff and the broader community. Connections are being made, she says. Kids are thinking deeply. "It's helping them achieve." And that, she says, is the best reward yet.

—Nancy Kochuk