The NEA Foundation Welcomes Two New Vice Presidents
The NEA Foundation announced this week the addition of two distinguished leaders to its executive team. Ebony English has been appointed Vice President for Programs, and Reginald Ballard will serve as Vice President for Policy and Communications. These strategic hires reflect the Foundation’s unwavering commitment to promoting educational justice, equity, excellence, and opportunity across its programs and initiatives.
- Read Announcement: Here
Save the Date for the 2025 Salute to Excellence in Education!
What better time than Valentine’s Day to come together and show our love for public education? Join us on February 14, 2025, for the 2025 NEA Foundation Salute to Excellence in Education as we celebrate passionate and inspiring public school educators from around the country who are helping to shape the future!
More details coming soon about how to make reservations, our 2025 awardees, special artistic performances, and gala host—in the meantime, get inspired by reliving some of our favorite moments from the 2024 Salute to Excellence in Education on our YouTube channel!
¡Pura Vida! The Global Learning Fellows of 2024 Complete Their Field Study in Costa Rica
The NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellowship’s 2024 cohort, comprised of 48 public school educators from across the country, completed their 10-day international field study in June. The field study is the final component of the Global Learning Fellowship, a year-long professional development experience rooted in deepening educators’ global competency skills and expanding global perspectives.
The field study included multiple school visits where fellows observed classes and met with Costa Rican educators to share teaching experiences, and a university visit where fellows learned about bringing peace and connection into the classroom. The fellows also visited a local nonprofit organization that supports youth and young adults in efforts to improve social, economic, and environmental well-being.
A highlight of the visit was an address by Leonardo Garnier, Costa Rica’s former Minister of Education. Garnier spoke to the fellows about the high importance Costa Rica places on education, a country that boasts a literacy rate of nearly 98 percent. He also discussed the country’s goal of increasing national investment in public education to eight percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
The field study concluded at the Guanacaste Coast, where fellows were encouraged to reflect on the prior week of learning, growth, and fellowship. Staff organized both formal and informal moments of reflection for the fellows, focused on exploring the many ways they can bring what they learned in Costa Rica to their classrooms, schools, and communities.
We can’t wait to see how the fellows grow from their experience with the Global Learning Fellowship and bring new, broader perspectives into their classrooms!
Community Schools Initiative Featured in Report from In the Public Interest
The NEA Foundation’s Community Schools Initiative was featured in a report released in May by In the Public Interest, a national nonprofit research and policy organization that studies public goods and services. The report highlighted ways that community schools throughout the country are transforming how public schools foster healthy learning conditions for students.
The report describes the approach taken by the Batesville School District in Little Rock, Arkansas, which adopted the community schools strategy in 2020 with support from The NEA Foundation. The district actively sought feedback from families to develop a personalized approach to meeting community needs, including medical care, clothing, home or car repairs, and ESL classes.
One parent and former student of the district shared the changes she has witnessed as a native Spanish speaker in terms of accessibility, affording students more chances to be heard and communicate.
The superintendent of the school district, Michael Hester, also noted how engagement with parents and the community with the community schools strategy has made for authentic partnerships.
The Community Schools Initiative was also featured in the 2023 Bridgespan report “Four Mindsets for Funding Economic Mobility in the Black Rural South,” and the 2022 Brookings Institution report “3 States in the Deep South are Collaborating to Advance Community Schools.”
Educator Feature: Consent, Ethics, and Henrietta Lacks
Joseph Rodríguez, a language arts, reading, and college preparatory course instructor in Austin, Texas, wanted to engage his students in learning critical thinking skills in a way they might find relatable—through questions about consent, ethics, and healthcare. Using support from an NEA Foundation Envision Equity Grant, Rodríguez guided his students through close readings and analysis of two nonfiction texts about Henrietta Lacks, whose cancer cells were famously used without her consent or knowledge to become one of the most important cell lines in medical research. The students then co-led a seminar-style discussion and luncheon with two local scholars on ethical healthcare practices, and completed a research project of conversations and interviews on issues of consent.
- Read about the project in Rodríguez’s words
- We are currently accepting grant applications for fall 2024!
Sponsor Spotlight: Danaher’s Commitment to Promoting Excellence in STEM Education
The NEA Foundation is honored to partner with Danaher to advance engaging and innovative STEM learning in public schools around the country. Since its founding in 1984, Danaher has been at the forefront of global life sciences and diagnostics innovation, addressing many of the world’s most critical health challenges. Through the Danaher Foundation, the company invests in critical work to encourage the development of a diverse, STEM-ready workforce, including efforts to develop deeper supports and improve access for underrepresented students to STEM education and STEM careers. Its dedication to this cause is exemplified by its generous support of the STEM-specific grants that The NEA Foundation provides through the Grants to Educators (GTE) program.
Thanks in part to Danaher’s generosity, the Foundation has been able to increase the funding offered through the GTE program to support educator-led, hands-on classroom projects that enhance students’ understanding of STEM subjects; the development of instructional strategies and culturally responsive teaching practices to more effectively engage at-risk students in STEM; and educators’ access to high-quality, STEM-focused professional development opportunities. Recognizing that educators’ and students’ access to high-quality STEM learning continues to be a significant equity issue nationally, and one that profoundly impacts students underrepresented in STEM fields, The NEA Foundation is committed to continuing to increase the support it provides for STEM-related grant requests within the GTE program. We thank our partners at the Danaher Foundation for playing such a significant part in helping us to realize this goal and for joining with us to ensure that educators around the country can access the tools and resources needed to advance STEM learning for all students.
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