Tomorrow's Teachers -- 2003

Beyond the Classroom

Positive Change Takes Root

Outreach to Teach plants long-term improvements.

When NEA members visit a city, they leave it in better shape than when they found it--with long-term effects.

On June 26, 2002, more than 260 NEA members descended on N.W. Harllee Elementary School in Dallas, Texas, for the Student Program's sixth annual Outreach to Teach event.

For six hours, volunteers painted classrooms, assembled playground equipment, designed bulletin boards, landscaped the grounds, cleaned and arranged furniture, and organized the school's literacy library.

"It's an awesome opportunity to come together and make a difference in these students' lives and the environment that they learn in," says Jennifer Koterba, a sophomore at Michigan State University.

A wide range of NEA members, including active, retired, ESP, and higher ed, volunteer with Student Program members for the cause. Kari Reinert, a senior at Peru State College in Nebraska, says the project provides a great opportunity for teachers to work together.

"I think it gives a lot of pride to both students and teachers," Reinert says. "We've seen a lot of people from this area come in and they are so excited about the project."

Outreach to Teach started in 1996, when a group of 35 Student Program leaders organized a school beautification project during the Student Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Since then, attendees of the annual Student and NEA-Retired conferences, along with other NEA members, have volunteered at a local school during the week preceding the NEA Representative Assembly (RA).

All schools chosen qualify as Priority Schools or have other tremendous needs, says Malcolm Staples, organizational specialist for the NEA Student Program. Through its Priority Schools Initiative, NEA provides resources and support to low-performing schools. At Harllee, which serves 288 students in prekindergarten through sixth grade, about 97 percent of the students qualify for the federal free and reduced price lunch program, and about 10 percent are English-language learners.

By improving the school environment, beautifying the grounds, and enhancing the appearance of the facility, the program builds morale, which ultimately impacts student achievement, Staples says. The program also works with community members and local affiliates of the Urban League, NAACP, the National Council of La Raza, and the Organization of Chinese Americans to gain support for the project and maintain the facility improvements, Staples says.

Outreach to Teach targeted Jordan High School in South Central Los Angeles during the 2001 RA. Members of the United Teachers of Los Angeles continue to work with the school. The Texas State Teachers Association also has committed to sustaining the Association's relationship with Harllee Elementary. This summer, NEA members will volunteer at a school in New Orleans during the 2003 Student Leadership Conference.

"Students can learn a lot from teachers and adults by seeing them participate in the community," says Jenny Weter, a senior at Illinois State University. "If they see you volunteering, they will want to do it too."

--Kristen Loschert

What is the CLASS grant?

Looking for a way to fund your chapter's community outreach project? Apply for a CLASS grant (Community Learning through America's SchoolS). CLASS projects address a specific community need and involve a local NEA Student Program chapter and a preK-12 teacher, education support professional, higher education, or retired affiliate. The NEA Student Program will provide up to $1,000 to chapters who help launch CLASS projects in their communities. Want more info? Contact Malcolm Staples at 202/822-7123 or e-mail him at mstaples@nea.org.

Try some of these ideas for your next community outreach project:

• Support NEA's Read Across America campaign
• Sponsor a book drive
• Conduct a fund-raiser for school supplies
• Have a clothing drive
• Start a food bank
• Volunteer in an adult literacy center
• Help out with Special Olympics and similar programs
• Volunteer with an after-school tutoring program
• Offer skill-building seminars for members of the community
• Start a recycling program