NEA RA delegates kick off effort to get 'Great Public Schools' for all students

If educators ever hope to ensure that every child has access to a great public school, they must get a pro-public education candidate elected president of the United States in November, agreed delegates to NEA's Representative Assembly this summer.

John Kerry won their recommendation for the job by 86.5 percent.

"We are going to hold this president [George Bush] accountable for making a mockery of the words 'leave no child behind,'" said Senator Kerry, who addressed the delegates via live satellite feed after the vote. "You deserve a president who doesn't make you a scapegoat for his own broken promises."

Kerry has said repeatedly that he will make it one of his first priorities to work with Congress to live up to the funding commitments made in the No Child Left Behind Act.

Educators know that "leadership is more than a memorable slogan and you cannot have reform without resources," said NEA President Reg Weaver. "We believe Senator Kerry is a candidate who understands that and will follow through.

"We are proud to recommend to our members across the country a candidate who fights for public education and the right of America's children to an education meeting their needs — and the needs of our communities and nation," said Weaver. "We believe John Kerry will work with educators to develop common-sense solutions to the challenges in America's classrooms, schools and communities."

Speaking on Kerry's behalf, U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) reminded delegates, "This is the most important election in a lifetime. It will set the course of the nation." She urged NEA members to maximize their involvement in the election by registering new voters and getting involved in supporting friends of education.

Convention delegates united behind the effort to ensure that every child in the country has an opportunity to attend a great public school. "It was exciting to see that teachers from every state in the nation understand the importance of this election to public education," said CTA President Barbara E. Kerr, who led the 1,300 members of the California delegation. "All of us could see that John Kerry is the only person who's going to help our students."

During the annual meeting, NEA kicked off its National Mobilization for Great Public Schools, an attempt to raise the profile of education issues in the upcoming election and beyond. A joint effort with ACORN, the Campaign for America's Future (CAF), MoveOn. org, the NAACP National Voter Fund (NVF) and the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI), it starts with "house parties" and other get-togethers across the nation on Sept. 22.

Coordinators are predicting it will be the largest one-day discussion of education in the nation's history. One of the main topics at the house parties will be modifying NCLB to make it workable. RA delegates agreed that the law must be fixed and fully funded for its promise to become reality.

Before leaving the convention in July, more than 2,000 of the 9,000 delegates signed up to host house parties back home.

"The fact that so many delegates made commitments so quickly shows we haven't lost our spirit," said Kerr. "We're ready to get out there and work to help people understand what's at stake for public schools."

"Team NEA, we are the foot soldiers for democracy's foundation — public education — and we are on the move!" said Weaver. He urged NEA's 2.7 million members to enhance their efforts in the classroom by speaking out about the needs of children in their schools and communities, lobbying their elected representatives, volunteering to get pro-public education candidates elected at every level and voting in November. "Defend democracy, defend public education, and defend the opportunity for all children to have access to a quality public education."

For more information on holding house parties or to find one near you, visit the Great Public Schools website [www.greatpublicschools.org/].

Over the course of the six-day meeting, delegates sent more than 9,000 e-mails to Congress and state legislators, urging support for NCLB revisions. They also raised an estimated $1.3 million in voluntary contributions for the Fund for Children and Public Education, NEA's political action committee. Approximately $430,000 came from California members, who collectively won the award for the highest contribution.

Prior to the start of the RA, forums were held on addressing health care coverage and closing the achievement gap. A Joint Conference on the Concerns of Women and Minorities gave participants opportunities to learn more about how to address student needs and foster respect and safety in America's public schools.

In addition, 25 state affiliates and more than 150 delegates participated in dialogues focused on their experiences with NCLB and innovations that would help close the achievement gap.

During the Representative Assembly, delegates adopted a report calling for additional study on issues affecting the achievement gap. In order to close the gap, among their students, educators and schools need more support for practices that boost student achievement, according to the report produced by NEA's Professional Standards and Practices Committee. The list of what works includes smaller class sizes, teacher training, increased parental involvement, enhanced early childhood and after-school services and updated textbooks and materials.

RA delegates also stated their opposition to tests that, by themselves, are barriers to grade promotion or high school graduation.

NEA's highest honor, the Friend of Education Award, went to Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF). In her remarks, Edelman noted that even though the U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education ended legal segregation in public schools, "the great unfinished business of our nation is to open wide the doors of equal education and economic opportunity to every child in the United States."