NEA Today Extra - February 2005

Are All of Your Kids Reading?

The February NEA Today cover story looks at trends in reading education, from kindergarten to high school. Explore reading further and add your own opinion with these online extras.

Do you think the use of comic books is an effective teaching tool? Voice your opinion on our discussion board (NEA members only; registration required) and read more about using comic books in the classroom.

How do you hook reluctant readers? Visit our discussion board to share your strategies and to pick up ideas from your colleagues. (NEA members only; registration required.)

Read Across America is March 2. Here's everything you'll need to get ready for this year's celebration, including a resource kit, book lists, and event ideas.

Help your students discover the allure of reading, and the thrill of talking about what they've read, with these fun classroom activity ideas, excerpted from NEA's  Books Your Kids Will Talk About!

NEA has a wealth of resources on reading, including research, NEA policies, and links to useful Web sites.

Want to help parents support reading at home? NEA has tips for parents of preschoolers to grade 6 students. NEA and National PTA have prepared these handy guides for parents:

• A Parent's Guide to Raising Ready Readers (also en español)
• A Parent's Guide to Helping Your Child Learn to Read (also en español)

Ask a librarian: The Association for Library Service to Children and the Young Adult Library Services Association have tips and resources for librarians, teachers, and parents.

NEA's Professional Library has published several titles on reading, including the best-selling Books Your Kids Will Talk About!

Table of Contents

IDEA Reauthorization

How will changes in the recently reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act affect you? Check out these resources:

• A thorough summary from NEA of key changes in the law, including new language around professional development, paperwork reduction, early intervention strategies, and discipline procedures.
• The law's new definition of "highly qualified" teacher.
• The challenges that remain: Urge Congress to fully fund IDEA and refine the rules that will certify special education teachers as "highly qualified."

Help Debunk 'No Child Left Behind' Myths

In Hartford, Connecticut, a newspaper reporter discovered that many students and parents think "No Child Left Behind" means nobody flunks. One parent thought it meant you can't leave your kid alone on the street.

What have you heard about NCLB that's just plain wrong? What have you heard that you're not sure about? Let us know by e-mailing ajehlen@nea.org. NEA Today will run an article on NCLB myths in the April issue, and we're working on it right now.

Ben Gray Keeps Black History Month Going All Year Long

See video highlights of Omaha TV producer and photojournalist Ben Gray's many school and community outreach projects. Gray received the 2004 Carter G. Woodson Memorial Award, given by NEA and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.

Organizations Urge Changes to 'No Child Left Behind'

More than 40 national education, civil rights, disability, children's and citizens' groups, including NEA, have joined together to demand substantial changes in the "No Child Left Behind" law. Learn what the coalition is recommending to help the law meet its laudable goals of strong academic progress for all children.

• January's NEA Today Extra
• November's NEA Today Extra
• October's NEA Today Extra
• September's NEA Today Extra