Huffington Post Blog: Seattle & Springfield Home Visits Program Featured

Reclaiming the Profession

Posted Apr 23 2013 in Unions & Districts

By Harriet Sanford

President & CEO

The NEA Foundation

Not surprisingly, over the last several months there has been a surge of educators who are pushing back more forcefully on recently mandated and implemented systems of teacher evaluation. I believe they are justified.

Most of these systems fly in the face of accepted notions of professionalism and of overwhelming research evidence. In a recent article on the NEA and the Florida Education Association (FEA) federal lawsuit challenging the evaluation of teachers based on the standardized test

Huffington Post Blog: Our Schools Need More Strange Bedfellows

Posted Mar 4 2013 in Resources, Unions & Districts

"Our Schools Need More Strange Bedfellows"

By Harriet Sanford

President & CEO, The NEA Foundation

“Getting communities more involved with their public schools can lead to strange bedfellows, like the group of motorcyclists that descended

Issue Brief: Unions, Districts, and Communities to the Table

Posted Feb 1 2013 in Resources, Unions & Districts

The NEA Foundation embraces deep and enduring collaboration among the local teachers union and the teachers they represent, the district and community as a core philanthropic strategy. In our funded sites, local collaborative teams plan and

Huffington Post Blog: A Real Recipe for Improving Schools

Posted Nov 28 2012 in Resources, Unions & Districts

"A Real Recipe for Improving Schools"

By Harriet Sanford

President & CEO, The NEA Foundation

"To get one idea of how to improve teaching in our nation's schools, drop by the local hospital. Chances are you'll see a group of doctors and medical

Issue Brief: High Performing School Systems

Posted Nov 20 2012 in Resources, Unions & Districts

Today, several prescriptions exist for enabling schools and districts to effectively fulfill their missions to systemically improve outcomes for students. Systems thinking helps organizations identify the inter-relationship of the factors that

Huffington Post Blog: Addressing the Other Side of Teacher Evaluation

Posted May 24 2012 in Resources, Unions & Districts

"Addressing the Other Side of Teacher Evaluation"

Powerful improvements in instruction occur when teachers are observed, supported, and assessed by their peers. Want to know more? Read my blog on the Huffington Post.

Questions? Thoughts? Please let

Issue Brief: Peer Assistance & Review

Posted May 18 2012 in Resources, Unions & Districts

Most professions have mechanisms in place to ensure that their practitioners know and carry out the highest standards of practice. Teacher peer assistance and review programs (PAR) are just such a mechanism in public education: teachers observe,

Closing Collaboration Gaps to Provide Meaningful Opportunities to Learn

Posted May 1 2012 in Unions & Districts

I am heartened by the urgent call to action articulated by John H. Jackson to all of us in his recent Huffington Post blog, "A New Take on 'No Excuses' -- Tackling Poverty to Provide Meaningful Opportunity."

Whether we seek to increase

Report: Expaned Learning Opportunities

Posted Apr 26 2012 in Resources, Unions & Districts

Through expanded learning opportunities (ELOs), time is being reconsidered in districts across the nation to improve student learning and increase teaching effectiveness in support of 21st century learning goals.

Given the relative newness of many of