Archive 1997-2002
Archive 1997-2002

• NEA: News Release -- NEA State Rankings and Estimates Now Available -- Nov. 21, 2002
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  NEA Communications: 202 822-7200

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
  December 5, 2002

  2002-2003 NEA Urban Grant Winners

  Alabama

  Mobile County Education Association
  The Mobile County Education Association will establish a Professional Educators Resource Center (PERC) where Association members create materials that will enhance student achievement. PERC will be filled with a variety of equipment, materials and resources used to produce classroom activities.

  Alaska

  Anchorage Education Association
  The Anchorage Education Association (AEA) believes that highly qualified teaching professionals promote better teaching, better learning, and better schools. This project seeks to provide sustained professional development and support for teachers seeking National Board Certification in the Anchorage School District. Through a National Board Candidate Support Network, the project will encourage high quality, intensive and classroom-focused professional development for teachers.

  Arizona

  Washington District Education Association
  The Washington District Education Association is going to research, design, and implement a program that focuses on community awareness of school district effectiveness. A number of residents in the Washington Elementary School District community don't have school-aged children, and while parents of children are pleased with the results of the school system, the Association wants to address the needs and concerns of the greater community. The grant will help develop a program that highlights the positives aspects of the schools and the district while developing resources to show how schools and communities should work together.

  California

  Fremont Unified District Teachers Association
  The Fremont Unified District Teachers Association will offer professional development for teachers with less than five years teaching experience. A series of workshops will be presented that focus on working effectively with students and families in an ethnically diverse community. The goals of this initiative are to provide meaningful, practical, professional development, create and maintain relationships with families and community, and to retain highly qualified teachers in the Fremont Unified School District.

  Connecticut

  East Hartford Education Association
  The East Hartford Education Association (EHEA) will start a program focusing on supporting and retaining new teachers. This will be done through workshops, peer mentor support, and retired teacher mentor support. EHEA is a priority school district-- most of the children come from low income or at-risk families. The urban grant will help EHEA give teachers full support and help them feel that East Hartford is a great place to teach.

  Florida

  United Teachers of Dade
  United Teachers of Dade (UTOD) is dedicated to quality instruction in the classroom. The UTOD believes that the National Board Certification initiative helps provide teachers with important skills and support needed to be successful. UTOD has developed a program that targets those eligible for certification through a wide range of recruitment efforts including support sessions, mentors, financial incentives and leadership opportunities.

  Georgia

  Organization of DeKalb Educators
  The Organization of DeKalb Educators (ODE) wants to encourage a love of reading among students in the DeKalb County School System, where there are a large percentage of high priority schools. ODE will use a variety of community resources to encourage reading activities in a wide variety of settings from schools to local libraries to businesses. A highlight will be a program established at a priority high school that will give older students the opportunity to read to elementary school children.
  (The ODE has received 5 previous awards.)

  Illinois

  Schaumburg Education Association/Schaumburg Educational Employees
  The Schaumburg Education Association (SEA), along with the Schaumburg Educational Employees and the Bilingual Division of the Schaumburg School District 54 in conjunction with the Anti-Defamation League will continue a comprehensive three-year training program on how to handle diversity issues in the school system. The program was created last year due to tensions between students, staff members and the community. The Association will expand the program this year and require third year teachers to participate and enlist eight more schools to the list of program participants. (The SEA is a six-time grant winner.)

  Iowa

  Des Moines Education Association
  The Des Moines Education Association would like to create a new curriculum entitled, "Teaching in an Urban Environment". The curriculum will be shared with the teacher education programs from five area universities that provide the majority of new teachers to Des Moines public schools. The materials will highlight the problems and the benefits of working in an urban environment and help develop survival strategies for teachers who are working or going to be working in those types of environments.

  Kansas

  Blue Valley NEA
  Due to the competitive environment of America, there is a growing number of educational options to parents and community leaders. Members of the Blue Valley NEA want to help educators learn how to market themselves, their programs, and public education so that they receive the support they deserve. The Blue Valley NEA will also help teachers establish relationships with parents that will allow students to be more successful in their classrooms.

  United Teachers of Wichita
  The implementation of the school district's new law that all teachers teach to standards has resulted in a high amount of teacher stress. United Teachers of Wichita's project will survey teachers to identify specific workload items that can be targeted for improved efficiency or elimination. The project aims to increase student achievement by incorporating standards-based lessons into current teacher workload.

  Kentucky

  Fayette County Education Association
  The Fayette County Education Association (FCEA) wants to retain and recruit as many members as possible, since they are losing significant numbers due to retirements and resignations. FCEA's new project, "Survive and Thrive", addresses the need to get teachers of Fayette County and surrounding areas to want to be part of their winning team, which is dedicated to providing support and assistance to all educators.

  Jefferson County Teachers Association
  The Jefferson County Teachers Association (JCTA) and the Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) have engaged in a collaborative endeavor to support and assist early career educators. A major focus is teachers who hold emergency certificates. The goal of this new project is to expand the support and assistance provided by JCTA and the New Teacher Mentoring Program via the Internet. Gathering information from websites has been common, and often preferred by early career educators due to demands on their personal time. The goal of this project will be to ad