Funding Available for Indoor Air Quality Training

Through a 2006 Representative Assembly New Business Item and a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the NEA Health Information Network (NEA HIN) will provide funding to send up to 20 teams of NEA members and UniServ staff to the 7th annual EPA Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Schools National Symposium and 4th annual NEA HIN Pre-Symposium training, held December 6–9 in Washington, D.C.

Each year teachers, education support professionals, Uni-Serv staff, school board officials, administrators, and others attend the conference to discuss improving the IAQ in our nation’s schools. The conference focuses on EPA’s IAQ Tools for Schools program—a nationwide initiative that helps school employees assess, resolve, and prevent IAQ problems and reduce exposure to asthma triggers in schools. Innovative workshops are offered on conducting school walkthroughs, mold remediation, pest control, radon, material selection, and more. Building on last year’s success, NEA HIN, a co-sponsor of the Symposium, will once again conduct a Pre-Symposium IAQ training to address IAQ issues from the union perspective.

To find out how you can apply, visit www.neahin.org .

Recruiting Teachers: Download a Free Documentary Online

Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim’s documentary TEACH is now available free online. This half-hour film follows the challenging and rewarding experiences of four first-year public school teachers. Produced for use as a powerful recruitment tool for schools of education, public libraries, community colleges, and organizations that support teaching, the film can reach many teachers in the making—with your help. Active Voice, a non-profit organization, has worked with the producers to launch a Web site that features:

• The capacity to stream and download TEACH online
• Links to organizations that offer guidance and information to potential teachers
• Links to schools and organizations featuring TEACH on their Web sites and otherwise promoting the program
• Background information about the production of the film.

For more information, visit www.teachnow.org .

400 Years of American Tradition

In 2007, Virginia’s Jamestown will commemorate its 400th anniversary as the first permanent English settlement in North America. The traditions established at Jamestown, including representative government, the rule of law, free enterprise, and cultural diversity, form the basis of American life.

NEA and the Virginia Education Association are pleased to help sponsor this event, which honors the impact and contributions of all parties—European, African-American, and Native American—to the founding of the Jamestown settlement.

There are many opportunities to participate in the 18 months of events, and resources are planned that educators will find especially valuable.

On November 9, 2006, students from all 50 states and across the globe will gather at Jamestown to participate in the National Teach-In webcast, JAMESTOWN LIVE! Experience the Journey that Changed the World. This webcast will bring to life the history and legacy of Jamestown to a nationwide online audience of students in grades 4–11.

You can register your school to participate in this event at www.jamestownjourney.org, where you’ll also find lesson plans and other K–12 resources in subject areas ranging from archae-ology to social studies, all free of charge. For information about the anniversary, including ideas for participating and a list of activities, visit www.Americas400thanniversary.com .

Free Algebra Diagnostics Online

It’s September, and math teachers across the country are testing students to find out what knowledge has been retained and lost. AOL can help with free Web-based diagnostic tools.

Originally created to help California students prepare for the statewide STAR exam, the AOL Algebra 1 Review is available to all teachers, parents, and students to assess skills and provide supplemental instruction to fill learning gaps.

The tools are available in both Spanish and English, eliminating the language barrier for native Spanish speakers, and can be used anytime from any computer, whether at home, school, the library, or other community facility. 

In addition to diagnostics and testing, it also features multimedia explanations that show students how to solve concepts and instruct them in how to approach similar problems in the future. Unique “white board” technology includes audio, graphics, and animation to address multiple learning styles. Students can work at their own pace until they have mastered each topic.

Go to www.aolalgebrareview.com to register for free.

Say ‘Know’ to Child Labor

In America, we believe that children have the right to live free from economic exploitation and to receive a free and meaningful education. Not all children are so fortunate.

The International Center on Child Labor and Education (ICCLE) works to mobilize efforts to protect and promote the rights of all children worldwide.

Visit ICCLE’s Web site at www.knowchildlabor.org to find out more about child labor facts and myths, and explore links between child labor, education, and poverty. You’ll also find teacher resources including curriculum, lesson plans, and information about workshops, plus true stories of child workers turned advocates. Your students will enjoy the poetry and art, and be inspired by the student action plans to build community knowledge of child labor issues. There’s also a Youth Action Toolkit designed just for them.

So stop by the site to find practical answers to the frustrating question, “What can I do?”

GET READY FOR NATIONAL MULTICULTURAL DIVERSITY DAY

For more than a decade, educators have celebrated National Multicultural Diversity Day (NMDD) on the third Monday in October (this year’s event is October 16). Created by Cleorah Scruggs, a fourth-grade teacher in Flint, Michigan, the day was adopted as a national event by the 1993 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 by inviting a local expert to talk on diversity. You can also sing songs that celebrate diversity and ask students to bring in items or food representative of their ethnic heritage to share with classmates.

To help educators share ways to celebrate diversity year round, NEA sponsors an electronic  discussion board . Or visit www.nea.org/readacross/multi/index.html for an exploration of multiculturalism and children’s literature, including interviews with children’s authors and tips on building a multicultural library.