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NEA Communications 202-822-7200

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 1998

NEW ORLEANS, LA. -- The National Education Association (NEA) will hold its annual Instructional Issues Conference on Tuesday, June 30, in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the Le Meridien Hotel. The all-day Conference, a few days before the July 3-6 NEA Representative Assembly, is expected to draw nearly a thousand teachers and other school employees to address national teacher certification, professional development, peer assistance and review, classroom management, the impact of the new provisions in the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and other current hot topics.

NEA Vice President Reg Weaver and award-winning Long Beach, California, English teacher Erin Gruwell will be the keynote speakers. Weaver will outline ways NEA is meeting the myriad challenges facing public schools today, from the increasing diversity of students to the need for equal access to technology. He will inspire teachers to treat obstacles as challenges and to meet the next century head on.

Gruwell, recently spotlighted on ABC-TV's "Primetime Live," is credited with single-handedly turning around the lives of her inner-city high school students. Inspired by the Freedom Riders of the 1960s and following the examples of Anne Frank and contemporary Yugoslavian author Zlata Filipovic, a group of her students -- the "Freedom Writers" -- chronicled their own lives in a book to be published in 1999: An American Diary... Voices of an Undeclared War. A couple of these students will join NEA member Gruwell in describing their growing social awareness and their transformation into academic achievers.

In keeping with the conference theme, "Pathways to Excellence," author and world-record wheelchair athlete Art Berg will be the luncheon speaker. Left a quadriplegic by an auto accident at age 21, Berg has surmounted incredible odds and been named Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the Small Business Administration and cited as one of the Great Comebacks of the Year by Success Magazine. He will share his personal story to illustrate the possibility of triumphing over obstacles -- a message particularly relevant to teachers and support staff who work every day to motivate students to achieve.

The NEA conference will offer a dozen 90-minute workshops. Conference highlights include:

National Board Certification, examining the certification process and offering practical advice on how NEA state and local affiliates can assist members seeking national board certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997, exploring strategies for complying with the new regulations and overcoming challenges facing teachers of special-needs students in regular classrooms.

At-Risk Students and Beyond, detailing the Ogden City (Utah) school district's multi-dimensional program that has resulted in improved grades and behavior for middle school students with discipline and other problems.

Peer Assistance and Review, examining the conditions in which peer assistance and review operate most effectively -- and the situations where it should never be implemented.

Classroom Management Strategies, offering practical methods for dealing with the frustrating demands that get in the way of good teaching.

Quality Teacher Preparation, a chance for current teachers to recommend changes they believe are necessary for the preparation of future teachers -- and for the professional development of veteran educators. The recommendations will help formulate upcoming revisions in the standards for accrediting teacher education institutions.

School Reconstitution, exploring what members in more than 70 reconstituted schools in nine states think of this latest "reform" -- and how they and their students are faring.

Members of the press interested in attending the conference should call NEA Communications at (202) 822-7296. After June 29, contact the NEA News Room at (504) 670-8005.