Education leaders from across Kansas just returned from an intensive week in Washington, D.C. consisting of workshops, policy discussions, and action items to help ensure that every child has access to a great public school education. Among the 130 Kansas NEA delegates to the Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly (RA) of the National Education Association was LNEA's own co-President Robin Crim.
The 2012 NEA RA featured a host of workshops providing the latest research on successful programs to end bullying, implement more rigorous teacher evaluation systems, and the most promising innovations for school-wide improvement of student learning... through teacher-led professional development. KNEA members have long benefited from their training, "BullyProof," and are now adding "Bully-Free - It Starts With Me" to their repertoire of safe-school strategies.
NEA President Dennis Van Roekel continued to press for genuine school improvement, calling on delegates to "lead a movement for new academic standards... define the multiple measures of professional practice and evidence of student learning." Delegates answered the call with several new business items adopted to uphold outstanding professional practice and to ensure that fair tax structure provides the resources needed to sustain both quality schools and stronger communities.
Delegates celebrated both the Fourth of July and excellence in policy and professional practice throughout their lengthy days of business:
* National Teacher of the Year Rebecca Mieliwocki drew rousing applause noting that "great teachers design exciting, relevant lessons that set kids up for success." Referring to a counterproductive focus on standardized testing, Ms. Mieliwocky lamented that these tests "limit us to a very narrow set of parameters, and I want more for my students because the world they'll be forced to find work in will demand more from them."
* Delegates saw promise for better public policy as Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton was recognized as the Outstanding Governor of the Year. A former teacher, Governor Dayton stood with educators and community leaders in Minnesota to increase education funding in 2011-2012, creating one of the most positive business environments in the nation.
* Other visitors to the NEA RA offered encouragement and hope to delegates. National Education Support Professional of the Year, Judy Near, energized the crowd highlighting her role as a Health Tech in ensuring that our students are ready to learn; and finally, Vice President Joe Biden was joined by Dr. Jill Biden, a community college professor AND his spouse, as they praised the dedication and important work of all educators from pre-K through graduate school.