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NEA Communications 202 822-7200

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 30, 1998

National Education Association Helps Improve
Urban Education with Grants to Local Communities

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Grassroots initiatives that promote a spirit of cooperation among local educators, students, and urban communities are being recognized by the National Education Association (NEA) in the 1998-1999 NEA Urban Grants Program.

This year, grants will be awarded to new teacher mentor programs, parental partnerships with educators, efforts to improve student test scores, and child rearing programs for new parents. School reform programs in 25 urban areas will each receive $4,000 from the NEA.

"The only credible hope for millions of urban children is a reformed and revitalized public education system," says NEA President Bob Chase. "I applaud our local affiliates for tackling the challenges and embracing the task of improving schools in their communities."

The awards are part of a larger NEA effort to improve the quality of education in America's public schools. NEA has invested more than $70 million over the past decade in public school improvement projects that empower teachers to address specific or systemic problems. Over 150 urban grants have been awarded since the program's inception in 1985.

Grant recipients include local NEA affiliates in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

The NEA is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing more than 2.4 million elementary and secondary teachers, college faculty, educational support personnel, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.

1998-1999 National Education Association (NEA) Urban Grant Award Recipients

In Alabama:
The Birmingham Education Association and Birmingham Public Schools will sponsor a monthly dialogue on the public access cable channel, addressing the concerns of the community. The format of the program will include school district officials, several community representatives and a representative from the Association. These dialogues are an effort to build a stronger coalition of parents and educators who will reinforce the importance of education in the community.

In Arizona:
The Paradise Valley Education Association and the Paradise Valley United School District are receiving a grant to implement Phase II of their Teacher Mentor Project. Phase I of the program, the design of a Teacher Mentor Project, received a grant last year. Phase II calls for the development and monitoring of a selection and training process for mentors. This program will provide instructional assistance for first year teachers and will later be expanded to assist more senior staff through peer assistance and review.

In Colorado:
Sound Exposure for Quality Education, a partnership between the Denver Classroom Teachers Association and the High Plains News Service, will continue its radio coverage of innovative education programs. The Association received a grant last year to develop this project, which builds public support for public education. The partners will produce and distribute stories for radio stations in 21 states and for the World Wide Web.

In Connecticut:
The Bridgeport Education Association is receiving a grant to continue its Peer Assistance Committee. This program is comprised of mentor teachers who work with teachers new to the district to help them establish a "New Teachers Cadre." This program, now in its second year, will assist new teachers with lesson planning, classroom management, and student assessment, as well as provide them with a social and emotional network that will end their isolation in the classroom.

In Florida:
The Hernando Classroom Teachers Association, is receiving a grant to sponsor Student Assistance Through Universal Resource Networks (S.A.T.U.R.N). This program provides all Hernando County students with one-on-one assistance with homework through a homework telephone hotline. National Honor Society students will gain work experience by operating the hotline and utilizing the Internet as a resource.

The Escambia Education Association will place emerging leaders in challenging roles that will increase their sensitivity to diversity, multiculturalism, and social and legislative issues through a leadership institute. EEA was previously an urban grant recipient in 1996.

In Idaho:
The Boise Education Association is receiving a grant to continue its efforts to counter negative information in the print and electronic media about public education. In the "Boise's BEST" program, the Association assimilates positive data and researches the negative points about public education to counter the misinformation in the media. The project also aims to recruit and encourage students to consider teaching as a career. The Association will sponsor Future Teachers of Idaho (FTI) chapters in Boise secondary schools in hopes of encouraging students to become teachers.

In Illinois:
The stress experienced by teachers and support personnel will be addressed as the Rockford Education Association continues to deliver services that assist school employees experiencing high stress levels and low morale. The district will partner with an organization, Common Boundary Wellness Center, to identify the types of stress that affect educators and create programs to help reduce it. The findings will be shared districtwide.

The Schaumburg Education Association and the Schaumburg Education Employees Organization are receiving a grant for the second year in a row to help families in the community as they begin the child rearing process. Parents of newborns will be given parent-child education packets at local hospitals. The packets will contain pamphlets about parenting resources in the community, certificates to community bookstores, and a recommended reading list for parents and children.

The Schaumburg Education Association, Classroom Teachers Council-Palatine, Schaumburg Education Employees Organization, and Education Support Personnel Association are receiving a grant to develop a three-year New Leader Training Program. This project will help potential leaders develop and enhance their leadership skills while building an awareness of the Association. The training director of the Illinois Education Association will assist in the training process.

In Maryland:
The Prince George's County Educators Association will help new teachers gain skills in the areas of classroom management, parental involvement, and meeting school district expectations by sponsoring a professional development program in conjunction with community colleges and universities. A team of experienced teachers will be trained to deliver new teacher orientation workshops, recruit community participants, and disseminate information about programs at school sites for new teachers.

In Michigan:
Parents will be provided with easy home learning activity booklets that are designed to improve student achievement through increased parental involvement. The Home-Buddy-Back-Packs will be taken home and used by students and parents. The Ypsilanti Education Association and Ypsilanti Support Staff Association's program supports the district's Partnership 2000 initiative through the collaborative effort of parents, teachers, support staff, and community members.

In Minnesota:
The Anoka-Hennepin Education Association is receiving a grant to establish a Web page highlighting membership services and information resources. The web site would include information about structure and governance of the organization, links to important education sites, and quick connections to key people in the school district. The association hopes to enhance the communication system within the school district, as well as give community members access to important information.

In New Hampshire:
The Manchester Education Association will establish and implement Phase I of a Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) program in the spring of 1999. The initial phase includes the selection of mentors and the training of the PAR review panel. Phase II, the assignment of mentors to all new hires for the 1999-2000 school year, will be implemented by September 1999.

In New Jersey:
The Education Association of Passaic will use its grant to match all first year teachers with an experienced mentor. The program known as "Secrets They Never Told Me" is designed to provide training for new teachers and mentors as well as assist new teachers in developing a handbook to be used by other new educators.

The Franklin Township Public School District will produce a set of videos to encourage parents to help children improve their performance on state standardized exams. This video project, Video In Education ? We Respond (VIEWER), will be aired on a local cable television station. The videos focus on study skills, test-taking skills, and students and parents reading together. Five motivational videos are also included.

Teachers and support staff will learn how to communicate across cultures through South Orange Maplewood Education Association's Learning and Growing in a Multi-Cultural Community program. Participants will attend bimonthly sessions that expose teachers and support staff to the latest research on communicating across cultures.

In North Carolina:
Pitt County Schools and Pitt County Association of Educators will hold monthly work sessions to assist new teachers and candidates for National Board Certification with portfolio development. Their goal is to create a resource center that will hold sample portfolios, provide technical support, and offer mentor support.

In Pennsylvania:
The Erie Education Association will implement a literature and technology-based reading program in an urban fifth grade classroom. In the Accelerated Reader program, students choose novels from a selected list and read at their own level and pace. Upon completion, these children are tested using the Accelerated Reader software. The computer technology assures the teacher that the book has been read and indicates at what level each student is reading.

In addition, the association will receive a second grant to launch a new teacher mentor and support project, Project New House. This program will focus on giving new teachers the skills needed to improve teaching and learning in their own urban classrooms. A bank of training materials will also be created to serve as a resource for both new and experienced teachers in the district.

In South Carolina:
The Horry County Education Association (HCEA) is receiving a grant to raise money for the South Carolina Education Association's Children's Fund. HCEA will place homework tips on grocery bags, distribute flyers promoting the Horry County Children's Fund, and develop public service announcements. A fundraiser reception will also be held. The Children's Fund provides financial assistance to students in need of eyeglasses, medical attention, food, and school supplies.

DramaWorks Learning Project will continue to revitalize an inner-city community school through creative drama. The Spartanburg Association of Educators is receiving a grant for the second year in a row to implement a curriculum in Cleveland Elementary School that addresses language, creative problem solving, and multiple intelligence learning. SAE hopes this program will increase community partnerships and lead to improvements in multi-dimensional learning.

In Tennessee:
The Clarksville-Montgomery County Education Association and the Austin Peay State University Education Association will implement the next phase of their "The Best of the Best" program, which received an NEA urban grant last year. The program allows students entering the teaching profession to be paired with a mentor from K-5 classrooms for four semesters.

In Virginia:
"Makin' It: Surviving Your First Year in Richmond Public Schools," sponsored by the Richmond Education Association, will provide mentors for 40 new teachers. The Association will hold a fall conference that will include workshops on the culture and climate of Richmond's school system, the urban classroom, and interacting with urban parents. These teachers will also have the opportunity to participate in an evening follow-up session in the spring of 2000.

The Virginia Beach Education Association is receiving a grant to sustain their NEA Learning Lab. The Learning Lab is a collaborative program to help teachers, staff, and administrators improve performance and student achievement. The lab uses quality principles and practices through the application of Malcolm Baldrige Criteria. This program received an NEA urban grant last year.