NEA has unveiled 'Your School Checklist,' a tool that can help you begin to think through what your school needs to inspire students' natural curiosity, imagination, and desire to learn. Take a look.
Here are five ideas for how to use it:
1) Take Inventory
Use the checklist to identify the resources you need in your school. Identify the items—things like libraries, world language, or science labs—that are missing and make the case to find funds for these needed resources. Start taking inventory.
After you fill it out, you'll receive a PDF version of your checklist, along with customized resources.
2) Use it as a Conversation Starter
Start a conversation with your parents. Ask them to fill out the checklist and compare the results with your checklist. End the conversation by brainstorming ways to move forward. The customized resources you receive after filling in the online version should help!
Here's a printable version to share with parents (PDF).
3) Spotlight
Many community members may not realize their school doesn’t have a full-time nurse or advanced courses in Math and Science. Share your results on social media and help shine a light on the resources students deserve.
4) Coalition Build
Take all of the results you have collected and share them with local community groups, like the NAACP, and work together—as well as with your local Association—on how to get the resources your students deserve.
Again, the customized resources you receive after filling in the online version should help!
5) Change Policy
Have a conversation with parents, community members, and local leaders around the School Checklist, and submit a school board resolution on the resources you want implemented. You can copy a generic sample resolution here, or fill out the online checklist to get customized options.
