Foundation Update - March 2022

Foundation Update – March 2022

Educators’ Big Night is On! Salute to Excellence in Education Gala Returns

The NEA Foundation will host its annual celebration of exceptional educators and public education advocates at the Salute to Excellence in Education Gala. The program will take place on Friday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Omni Shoreham Hotel and will be available for a virtual audience as well.

Forty-six educators will be honored during the Gala as California Casualty Awards for Teaching Excellence recipients. Five will be honored as Horace Mann awardees and one educator will be named the NEA Member Benefits awardee.

To learn more about the 2022 awardees, click here. Join us for the celebration and register here today.

2023 Global Learning Fellowship Field Study Destination Announced

A group of talented educators will travel to South Africa for the 2023 Global Learning Fellowship field study! As the culmination of a year-long professional development program for educators, the international field study will allow fellows to immerse themselves in learning about the history, culture, and education systems of South Africa during a 10-day trip in July 2023. The application deadline for the 2023 Global Learning Fellowship is April 1, 2022!

Molly Coffman, an elementary school global studies educator and member of the current 2022 Global Learning Fellowship cohort, shared why global learning is so important to her teaching practice. Learn how global learning has played a role in her classroom and how applying for a fellowship with The NEA Foundation could help enrich your professional journey.

If you have any questions about the Global Learning Fellowship program or application, please feel free to contact Caitlin Wilson at cwilson@nea.org.

Global Learning Fellowship Alumni Earn Prestigious National Award in Mathematics and Science

In February, the White House announced the recipients of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, which included three NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellows! Rolie Webb (GLF 2020/21), Susan Koch (GLF 2019), and Cassidy Urie (GLF 2019), as listed below from L-R, were named alongside over 100 other educators from around the country as teachers who reflect the expertise and dedication of the nation’s teaching corps.

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) are the highest honors bestowed by the United States government specifically for K-12 science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science teaching. Awardees also receive a $10,000 award from National Science Foundation.

Join us in congratulating these outstanding educators as they continue to excel in the teaching profession! To learn more about the PAEMST program, please click here.

Educators Highlight Opportunity to Reimagine Public Education

The NEA Foundation believes in the work, the expertise and the lived experiences of public school educators. Educators have the power to change the narrative of students and families for generations and the Foundation is committed to giving educators and communities every tool necessary to create engaging and transformative classroom experiences.

Hear from a few educators on why investing in educators is the key to advancing the very best in public education!

New Podcast Hosted by Sara Sneed to Explore Educational Equity

With so many urgent issues facing public schools and public school students every day, it is up to each of us to work together to help address them with positive solutions. Coming this spring, NEA Foundation President and CEO Sara A. Sneed will host the Up Close podcast, exploring how we all can contribute alongside educators to build the public schools and educational experiences that all communities deserve.

Up Close explores issues of equity, opportunity, and excellence in public education. Host Sara A. Sneed will talk with educators, policy experts, and other passionate voices about the most urgent issues in public education and our shared responsibility to deliver a quality public education for all students. The Up Close podcast is a journey through the reimagining of public education to create a more fair, equitable, and just education system in America.

Episodes will be released monthly starting in March. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Foundation Reflects On A Year of Educator Investment

The 2021 NEAF Impact Report illustrates how the Foundation has supported public educators and their students in the rapidly changing education landscape. In 2021, The Foundation expanded its resources in real-time to meet educators’ real-time needs—resources such as grants, meaningful fellowship experiences, and critical supports and financial investment for the growing community schools movement in the south and rural areas. Thank you for investing in teachers and education support professionals—and the students they inspire.

Check out the full report here!

Donor Spotlight

The NEA Foundation thanks First National Bank of Omaha for their continued support of the Student Success Grants program. With their support, educators are able to innovate and engage students in project-based and deeper learning to support the development of skills and dispositions contributing to success and fulfillment in a changing world. Thank you FNBO!

Foundation Voices