NEA Today for Aspiring Educators 2019

Resources

NEA

NEA’s Bully Free: It Starts With Me
An isolated, bullied student, with no one to rely on is more likely to fall behind in school. But one caring adult can keep a bullied student from dropping out—maybe even save a bullied student’s life. NEA’s Bully Free: It
Starts With Me campaign asks you to be that caring adult. nea.org/neabullyfree

Cool Apps

Popplet
Post, curate, and collaborate—all in one visual place. This app is excellent for group projects, and a great way to make homework fun. popplet.com/

Skitch
Upload a photo and write all over Skitch, which also functions like a whiteboard app. Connect it to the LCD projector via adapter and work out problems or correct sentences with students. evernote.com/skitch

Molecules
Great for science geeks, this app provides three-dimensional renderings of molecules which can be manipulated with fingertips. sunsetlakesoftware.com/molecules

Toontastic 3D
Bring students’ writing to life through cartoons. Toontastic allows students to create five- minute cartoons with music, pre- made or creatable backgrounds, and characters. toontastic.withgoogle.com

Epic!
A digital library for students with unlimited access to over 25,000 ebooks, audiobooks, videos, and quizzes for children 12 and under. getepic.com

Khan Academy
A personalized learning resource for all ages offering practice exercises, and instructional videos. Users can study math, science, computer programming, history, and more, at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. khanacademy.org

New Teacher Tips

Works4Me
Whether you’re looking for strategies to keep your students on task or to just get yourself organized, NEA’s Works4Me program has the answer. The online library includes hundreds of tips submitted by educators offering practical solutions to a variety of classroom issues. nea.org/works4me

Teachers Network
A nationwide, nonprofit education organization that identifies and connects innovative teachers exemplifying professionalism and creativity within the public schools. The site includes lesson plans, online professional development courses, information about grants, and videos. Don’t miss the “Daily Classroom Specials” featuring project ideas, tips for working with parents, and special advice for new and substitute teachers. teachersnetwork.org

Survival Guide for New Teachers
The U.S. Department of Education gathers the reflections of award- winning first-year teachers in this handy online guide for beginning educators. The guide focuses on teachers’ relationships with colleagues, university professors, and students’ parents—each of them critical to a new teacher’s success on the job. ed.gov/ teachers/become/about/ survivalguide

Teachers.net
Teachers.net is all about peer support, with plenty of offerings for new teachers. Need an answer to a burning question? Go to the Beginning Teachers chat board. Need inspiration on how to engage students with a particular topic or with project ideas? Browse the database of more than 4,300 free lesson plans, or visit the Classroom Project Center. You can also connect with other new teachers in your subject area or grade level and join live chats. teachers.net

Community Engagement

NEA’s Read Across America
Celebrate a nation of diverse readers all year long with NEA’s Read Across America web site, where you’ll find high-quality titles that will help your students see themselves and their experiences in the books they read. You’ll also find tips and project ideas for

the annual event, free posters and bookmarks to download and print, lists of popular books, and information and resources from NEA’s partners. Sign up for the monthly email newsletter, and receive the latest updates on literacy issues and special discounts on members-only merchandise. nea.org/readacross

Literacy Information and Communication System
Help expand the social and economic opportunities for individuals with few or no literacy skills by teaching them how to read and write. This federal organization supports the development of high-quality literacy services and compiles data about literacy rates among various population groups in the U.S. lincs.ed.gov

The LEGACY Project
Launched in 2015, this community engagement project brings together members of NEA Aspiring Educators and NEA- Retired members. For one day, they volunteer at selected schools and communities in the RA host city. During the 2014,

RA, delegates voted to establish The LEGACY Project, a follow-up to Outreach to Teach, the NEA-sponsored community service and beautification project that started in 1996. ra.nea.org/the-legacy-project/

Political Action

NEA’s Legislative Action Center
Keep up with news from Capitol Hill at NEA’s Legislative Action Center. Find updates on bills designed to improve the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, college affordability, and other legislation before Congress. Track legislators’ voting records, send an email to your state and federal legislators, and sign up for email action alerts! nea.org/lac

EducationVotes.org
Everything that happens in the statehouse, U.S. Congress, and the White House a!ects you. Find out the best way to act on on issues that impact your work and public education. EducationVotes.org

Center on Education Policy
As a national, independent advocate for public education and more e!ective public schools, the center helps Americans better understand the role of public education in a democracy, and the need to improve the academic quality of public schools. The center conducts research and informs the public about testing, vouchers, school improvement, and more. cep-dc.org

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
The ACLU defends the civil rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Some of the ACLU’s focus areas include civil rights in schools, the separation of church and state, and the rights of minorities. aclu.org

Close Up Foundation
Through trips to Washington, D.C., and activities with local and state governments, Close Up Foundation encourages teachers, students, and young adults to learn how government works and participate in the nation’s electoral process. closeup.org

Labornet
Labornet compiles online information about labor unions in the U.S. and abroad. The site highlights workers’ grievances and labor campaigns and provides news about union activities. Find links to labor news publications, labor employment, government statistics, and relevant legislation. labornet.org

Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
The HRC defends the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender citizens. The HRC e!ectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support to candidates for federal office, and works to educate the public on a wide array of topics, including workplace, family, and discrimination issues a!ecting the LGBTQ community. hrc.org

Social Justice

National Dropout Prevention Center/ Network (NDPC)
The NDPC provides information for researchers, educators, and policymakers about at-risk students. The NDPC also serves as a clearing house on issues related to dropout prevention and o!ers strategies designed to increase the graduation rate in America’s schools. dropoutprevention.org

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
An organization of early childhood educators and others dedicated to improving the quality of programs for children from birth through third grade. NAEYC works to improve professional practice and working conditions in early childhood education and to build public support for high-quality early childhood programs. naeyc.org

American Association of University Women (AAUW)
Since 1881, AAUW has worked to expand women’s rights in academia and other areas. Many projects focus on increasing girls’ interest and achievement in math, science, and technology. AAUW staunchly defends civil rights, gender equity, and women’s health and reproductive choices. aauw.org

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
For more than 100 years the NAACP has worked for equity and democracy by opposing discriminatory and unjust policies. The primary focus of the NAACP remains the protection and enhancement of the civil rights of African Americans and other populations of color at the national, regional, and local level. The NAACP advocates for supportive civil rights legislation. naacp.org

Teaching Tolerance
Founded in 1991 by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Teaching Tolerance program provides educators with free educational materials promoting respect for differences and an appreciation for diversity. The web site offers information on classroom activities, tools, grants, and a link to Teaching Tolerance magazine. Visitors to the site also can register for a monthly e-newsletter. tolerance.org

Grants

The NEA Foundation
The NEA Foundation awards grants to educators who propose innovative and promising ways to help all students experience academic success and reach their full potential—especially those who have been historically underserved by society’s institutions. Members of NEA Aspiring Educators can partner with educators who submit grant applications. Examples of grant-funded work include study groups, action research, lesson study, and innovative project-based learning that helps close the achievement gaps. Grant amounts range from $1,000 to $3,000. neafoundation.org

The National Science Foundation (NSF)
Represents the primary funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America’s colleges and universities. In many fields, such as mathematics, computer science, and the social sciences, NSF is the major source of federal backing. The organization also offers special funding programs specifically for undergraduate and graduate students. nsf.gov/funding

The Foundation Center
The Foundation Center collects and organizes the names of hundreds of people and organizations that provide funding for socially significant projects. Visitors to the web site can search an online database for corporate and foundation funding or request a free CD-ROM full of sources. The center also provides information and research about grant seeking and philanthropic efforts. foundationcenter.org

TEACH Grant
For future educators interested in committing to work as an educator in a low-income school and high-need field of study like bilingual education and English language acquisition, science, mathematics and need money to pay for college, there is the federal Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant. TEACH Grants provide up to $4,000 a year to students completing, or who plan to complete, course work needed to begin a career in teaching.

TEACH was created in 2007 through the College Cost Reduction and Access Act. Learn more at bit.ly/TEACHGrants

Education News

NEA Today and More
Keep up with education issues and association news. With a single download of the NEA Today app you’ll get NEA Today, our flagship K-12 publication, plus other award- winning NEA magazines—all in one convenient place. Available in the App Store and on Google Play. neatoday.org

Education Week
Education Week covers local, state, and national education news from preschool through twelfth grade. Periodic special reports cover topics ranging from technology to textbooks. edweek.org

The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC)
A national information system designed to provide access to an extensive body of education-related literature. The searchable database contains more than 1 million documents about education issues. eric.ed.gov

Job Market

Teachers-Teachers.com
This free service allows applicants to post their résumés and cover letters online, search for jobs by location, receive news about available teaching positions, view school web sites, and send application materials electronically. teachers-teachers.com

GreatTeacher.net
A free service that allows applicants to search for teaching openings by by geographical location, and post resumes online. Each ad includes a job description and contact information. greatteacher.net

American Association for Employment in Education (AAEE)
AAEE provides information to college career centers, school districts, and teacher candidates about the education job market. Pre-service teachers will find helpful job hunt publications, links to online job databases, and information on teacher certification. Check out the annual supply and demand report for information about the need for teachers by field. aaee.org

Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Bureau of Labor Statistics—a branch of the U.S. Department of Labor—collects and distributes data about the current job market. The Bureau’s “Occupational Outlook Handbook” provides detailed job descriptions, information on working conditions, training and education requirements, wage estimates, and future job prospects for a variety of occupations. Search the handbook online for statistical information about education employment. bls.gov

More Online

For books, activities, posters, lessons, videos, and more, visit nea.org/tools/10FreeThings.html.

For more advice on classroom decoration and organization, follow NEA Today on Pinterest at pinterest.com/NEAToday.

Benefits of Membership

What is the National Education Association?

We are the nation’s leading organization committed to advancing the cause of public education. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., NEA proudly claims 3 million members who work at every level of education—from preschool to university graduate programs. NEA affiliates are in every state and in more than 14,000 local communities nationwide.

How does the NEA function?

NEA members from across the U.S. set association policy, most notably through an annual Representative Assembly—called the “RA”—held every last week of June and/or first week of July. NEA members at the state and local levels elect 9,000 RA delegates, who then elect NEA’s top officers, debate issues, and set NEA policy.

Between RAs, NEA’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee serve as the top decision-making bodies. Staff at the local, state, and national levels carry out policies implemented by the governing bodies.

How does the NEA help aspiring educators?

Members of NEA Aspiring Educators belong to a network of nearly 50,000 students who believe in improved teacher education and support for prospective teachers. As the nation’s largest pre-professional association for future educators, NEA connects practicing teachers and fellow NEA Aspiring Educators through state and national leadership conferences, workshops, and public forums. Members can also enrich their teaching and advocacy skills by holding local, state or national o!ce, or serving as a delegate to NEA’s annual RA. Members of NEA Aspiring Educators also serve on the NEA Board of Directors and NEA Resolutions Committee, and they serve on committees that address a variety of issues, including human rights, legislation, and membership.

Through Communities Redefining Education Advocacy Through Empowerment grants, members receive funding to support chapter and/or statewide community service projects that positively promote NEA Aspiring Educators. Projects may include strategies to enhance public education, increase advocacy and outreach to communities; support for young educator involvement in the association; and support for the development of innovative approaches and engagement. Grant awards are made for projects that align with one or more core values of NEA Aspiring Educators: teacher quality (up to $3,000), community outreach (up to $3,000), and political action (up to $2,000).

Help with tuition costs is available through the Jack Kinnaman Scholarship. NEA Aspiring Educators also provides information and assistance with student-teacher certification and professional development.

NEA Aspiring Educators Receive Services and Benefits

• Subscription to NEA Today for Aspiring Educators, the magazine of NEA Aspiring Educators program members.
• Resources, job information, and links to other NEA student chapters at nea.org/aspiringeducator.
• $1 million of in-classroom liability coverage through the NEA Educators Employment Liability Program.
• National-, state-, and chapter-level opportunities to participate in outreach projects like school renovation, literacy, and food bank support.
• Discounts for members and their parents on car purchases, magazine subscriptions, shopping, and more through the NEA Member Benefits programs. Details at neamb.com.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

2019 NEA Aspiring Educators Leadership Conference—June 29 – July 2, 2019, Houston, Texas. For information about attending, please email [email protected].

National Leadership Summit—March 15 – 17, 2019— Denver, Colo. For more information, visit nea.org/leadershipdevelopment.

Improve your practice as an educator and create better outcomes for your students with NEA’s micro- credentials. Go to cgps.nea.org/micro-credentials and get started on your personalized professional learning journey.

Rebate

$20 dues rebate for every year of membership to NEA Aspiring Educators (up to four years) during the first teaching year.

Join the Community

NEA Aspiring Educators now have a new place to connect.

The NEA Aspiring Educators Facebook group is the best way to get in touch with fellow Aspiring educators, stay up to date on our Aspiring programming, and access new resources NEA is developing just for you.

Join us at: facebook.com/groups/neaaspiring