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Magazine

NEA Today April 2023

In this issue, we say goodbye to one-size-fits-all standardized tests and embrace a better way to assess students. We have some fun with educators delivering real talk and inspiration on social media and visit the classroom of an NEA member working to preserve the Cherokee language. We highlight the education support staff who are making schools greener along with the NEA members who are running for office and winning.
NEA Today Cover, April 2023
Published: April 19, 2023

Taking the Guesswork Out of Assessment
Say goodbye to one-size-fits-all standardized tests. Performance-
based assessment can remove bias, introduce real-world learning, and help you evaluate students’ knowledge more accurately.

See Educators Run for Office—and Win!
Elected leaders make a lot of decisions about education. That's why it's so important that educators are among them.

NEA Members Dish Advice and Authenticity on TikTok and Instagram
These educators deliver real talk and inspiration—and thousands of colleagues are following.

The Teachers Who Went to Jail
Fifty years ago, a judge in Evergreen, Washington, gave teachers a choice: break your strike or go to jail.

‘Ka didalena!’
(‘Come, Let Us Begin!’)
A handful of educators are teaching Native languages—and showing Native American students that their culture matters. 

Education Support Professionals

ESPs Making Schools Greener
Paraprofessional, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, and other staff are key to reducing, reusing, and recycling in schools.

ESP and ESP Sub Shortages at Historic Proportions 
Substitutes are hard to come by for the same reasons behind the staff shortages. Local organizing helps.

Becky's Journal of Joy, Justice, and Excellence
NEA's president spreads some Read Across America joy, shares some inspirational verse for poetry month, and speaks out for academic freedom.

1 in 7

Source: NextGen Personal Finace
students were guaranteed access to personal finance education in schools with fewer than 25% students of color.

1 in 20

Source: NextGen Personal Finances
students were guaranteed access to personal finance education in schools with more than 75% students of color.

8

Source: NextGen Personal Finance
No. of states that have fully implemented a required personal finance course for high school students. 9 more are in the process of doing so.

Fewer states

Source: NextGen Personal Finance
In 2022, fewer states required students to understand economics than in 2011.

88%

Source: NextGen Personal Finance
of adults surveyed in April 2022 said they wanted schools to require a personal finance course that was either a semester or a year long.

76%

Source: 2019 Experian Consumer Finance Survey
of recent high school grads said they wished their schools had placed more emphasis on personal finance

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Librarian leans over seated students at the library who are reading a book

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National Education Association

Great public schools for every student

The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA's 3 million members work at every level of education—from pre-school to university graduate programs. NEA has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States.