Educators to Begin Yearlong Global Learning Journey
Global lessons know no borders. This fall, through the NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellowship, 49 public school educators will begin a journey to further their comprehension of issues of global significance and ability to bring the same into the classroom. These educators, from from 42 states and a U.S. Department of Defense school, will join a learning network of more than 300 educators, growing their expertise through workshops, peer collaboration, and field studies.
With teachers of color comprising a third of the fellows and over half teaching at Title 1 schools, the 2022 fellows reflect the diversity of the educator community. They also serve a wide range of students across several subject areas. Get to know all of the 2022 NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellows by visiting neafoundation.org.
Enrich Your Classroom Experience with an NEAF Grant Today!
As educators prepare for the new school year, the NEA Foundation is pleased to announce new rounds of grants available exclusively to educators! These grant opportunities promote equity, foster student success, and provide educators with exciting professional development opportunities. The Foundation presently offers three types of grants: Envision Equity Grants, Student Success Grants, and Learning & Leadership Grants to help meet the unique needs of public school educators and students. The application process is easy and can be completed online!
Recent grantee Madeline Scherting, a fourth-grade teacher in Takoma, Wash., was able to use a grant from the Foundation to provide critical support for students at her school. “Receiving these funds helped jumpstart trauma-informed practices throughout Central Avenue Elementary and will have a lasting impact on students for years to come,” she said.
The deadline to apply for the upcoming round of grants, is October 15. To learn more about all of our grant opportunities, please visit our neafoundation.org. Also reach out to the Foundation’s grant staff if you need any help to prepare your grant application! We’re here for you!
Lessons of 2021: Creating a More Perfect Union Together
Following the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, Amy Gallaway, a social studies teacher from Fairbanks, Alaska, reflected on how a lack of quality civic education around the country contributed to that day’s events. As she writes in a recent blog post, broadening access to and strengthening civics and history education from K-12 is critical for students to understand and engage with the past and current events.
“The cornerstone of deep civic learning is establishing a brave classroom environment,” says Gallaway. “I have a classroom contract built collaboratively with students; because we have a foundation of civil discourse, we can have hard and intense conversations. We disagree with ideas, not people, and we ground our discussions using fact-based evidence from peer-reviewed and credible sources.”
American Rescue Plan Highlights the Promise of Community Schools to Close Educational Opportunity Gaps
Family-, school-, and community-designed resources and support for students’ social and emotional well-being, mental and physical health, academic success, and other needs are especially important as schools reopen. To help close opportunity gaps and address disparities in educational opportunity, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) of 2021 will provide funding to enhance communities school strategies across the country. Specifically, the ARP includes provisions for a more than $125 million Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER), which can be used to support full-service community schools. To better understand how school districts can use these funds to design and implement community schools, check out the ARP ESSER Frequently Asked Questions report.
The NEA Foundation has invested in the development of community schools in the American South and we are encouraged by this wonderful federal acknowledgment of community schools as an evidence-based school improvement strategy.
NEA Foundation Adds Dynamic New Staff to its Strategy Team
This summer, the Foundation’s strategy team welcomed Dani Pierce (pictured left) and Caitlin Wilson (pictured right), both former educators, as Strategy Officers who will work in partnership with others to promote the absolute best in public education. Dani oversees the Foundation’s portfolio of grants to individual educators and manages NEAF’s Awards for Teaching Excellence program, while Caitlin manages the Foundation’s Global Learning Fellowship program. To learn more about these new team members and their previous work in education, read their full bios on our website.
Support and Celebrate Educators Year Round by Becoming a Monthly Donor!
Join us as a partner in the NEA Foundation’s work to reimagine the “new normal” for educators and students by becoming a monthly sustainer today. As a monthly donor, you join with others committed to providing ongoing support for educators nationwide as they work to build a better future for students and public education.
