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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 5, 2002

News Release

NEA Awards More Than $125,000 in Urban Grants

Winning projects focus on improving teacher quality and boosting student achievement

Washington, D.C. – The National Education Association (NEA) showed its support and commitment towards improving public education today by announcing 25 winners of its popular urban grants program. The winners, from school districts across the country, received $5,000 awards for exemplary programs designed to improve the quality of education in urban schools.

The grants fund grassroots initiatives that school staff develop along with local Association leaders. This year's projects focus on improving teacher quality and retention, orientation programs for new teachers, creating diversity awareness, and forming literacy programs for at-risk students, among others.

NEA President Reg Weaver said: "Outstanding programs like those of this year's grant winners directly address one of the major problems faced by urban districts -- attracting and keeping highly qualified teachers and school staff in those schools where they are needed most. These 25 projects -- whether aimed at professional development, increased parental involvement, student achievement, or the creation of safe schools with environments that are conducive to learning – are geared to this problem and should serve as examples for other districts."

This year's grant winners come from 21 states. Oregon boasts the most winners with three recognized programs. Kentucky, Kansas, and Utah are home to two winners each. Other winning projects hail from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

The urban grant awards are a part of a larger NEA effort to make public schools great for every child. Over the past decade, NEA has invested more than $100 million in public school improvement projects that empower teachers and school employees to address specific issues. More than 200 grants have been awarded since the program's 1985 inception.

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