News Release

Hundreds of NEA Members Volunteer to Revitalize  Middle School in 9th Annual 'Outreach to Teach'

COMPTON, Calif. -- More than 300 teachers, retired educators, higher education faculty, students preparing to become teachers and education support professionals picked up shovels and dug in to give a needy local school a much-needed face lift.

The National Education Association (NEA), the nation’s largest professional employee organization which represents 2.7 million educators, is in Los Angeles this week for its 143rd Annual Meeting and 84th Representative Assembly.  Outreach to Teach, initially started in 1996 by the NEA Student Program as a beautification project to give back to schools, provided Franklin D. Roosevelt Middle School the school's first-ever renovation in its 75-year history.

Each year, an energetic group from all over the nation converges on a school in the host city of NEA's convention and demonstrates their dedication to improving children's learning environment by helping a school building sparkle and shine.  Sponsored by the NEA Student Program, Outreach to Teach is celebrating its ninth year of giving back to the community by providing a day of painting, cleaning, repairing and landscaping at a local school.  Past sites have been in New Orleans, Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago, San Antonio, Philadelphia, Dallas and the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

"Our members give back to the community every day with the wonderful and important work they do," said NEA President Reg Weaver.  "Today was just one more way they are making sure that every child has a great public school—and that includes giving students a safe, clean and beautiful environment that is conducive to good teaching and learning."

Franklin D. Roosevelt Middle School in Compton, which first opened its doors in 1930, serves more than 1,500 students in grades six through eight.  The school recently was granted the prestigious MESA (Math, English, Science Award) by the California State University at Fullerton.

"Students count on us to work together to provide a quality public education and a safe learning environment," said Barbara E. Kerr, president of the California Teachers Association. "The Outreach to Teach program is a great example of teachers working with the community to make their school better for their kids."

Generous donations were given by Volkswagen of America and NEA Member Benefits, which included thousands of dollars in financial contributions to the school through Outreach to Teach.

June 27, 2005

Contact:
Staci Maiers,  (202) 822-7150
Malcolm Staples, (703)901-1881

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The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.