http://www.arizonaea.org/blog/index.php Arizona Education Association Blog en We know that National Board Certification offers great professional development for teachers, but now a new study has come out saying that students benefit from it as well. Read the _AP News_ story - URL: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TEACHER_QUALIFICATIONS?SITE=AZTUC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT -. Leave a comment and let us know what you think about the National Board Certification program. If you're a National Board Certified teacher, let us know what impact you see on your students. Learn more about this advanced certification - URL: http://www.arizonaea.org/certification.php?page=259 -. Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:28:39 -0700 http://www.arizonaea.org/blog/index.php/post/418/ A coalition of parent, education, and civic organizations is lauding a decision today by the Arizona Court of Appeals, which ruled that tax-payer funded vouchers that subsidize private school tuition are unconstitutional. John Wright, President of the Arizona Education Association, said, “Just like voters in other states who have declined vouchers, Arizonans understand that public schools are our pathway to great public schools that serve every child equally and that vouchers only divert funding and attention away from public schools.” Read entire story - URL: http://www.arizonaea.org/news.php?page=377 -. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:02:26 -0700 http://www.arizonaea.org/blog/index.php/post/337/ In his April 24 commentary, Austin Hill hits on a point, maybe by accident, that government control over K-12 curriculum is neither effective nor desirable. This glimmer of insight appears in Hill’s recent opinion piece on legislation designed to stop the “Raza Studies” program in the Tucson Unified School District. Read the rest of AEA President John Wright's op-ed article - URL: http://www.arizonaea.org/pdfs/politics/EVT_Leg_Report_051208.pdf - in the _East Valley Tribune_. Thu, 15 May 2008 16:59:36 -0700 http://www.arizonaea.org/blog/index.php/post/336/ When the Arizona Legislature mixes shortsighted thinking with an all-too-common dose of reality denial, it puts Arizona's students at risk. The Legislature proved once again that it is willing to do just that - put the interests of students behind rhetoric and fantasy - when it passed legislation to repeal the State Equalization Rate, a tax designated for public schools. Read the rest of AEA President John Wright's op-ed - URL: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0414monlets144.html - in the _Arizona Republic_. Take Action - Ask the Governor to Veto HB 2220 - URL: http://capwiz.com/nea/az/issues/alert/?alertid=11248151&type=SW&show_alert=1 -. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:02:45 -0700 http://www.arizonaea.org/blog/index.php/post/332/ Last week, Senator Paula Aboud held an ELL forum with representatives from the Arizona Department of Education, district superintendents, and AEA President John Wright. The forum focused on ELL funding. Watch the video online - URL: http://azleg.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=7&clip_id=3015 - and leave a comment - URL: http://arizonaea.org/blog/index.php/post/303/#comments - about what you thought about the forum. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:59:00 -0700 http://www.arizonaea.org/blog/index.php/post/303/ On March 5th the Arizona Education Association and its members made a lasting impression on the Arizona Legislature while visiting the Capitol for Education Day. Record breaking turn-out and persistent interaction with legislators ensured that lawmakers heard the AEA message on public education through voices of experience and knowledge. AEA efforts to support pro-public education were enhanced and those attempting to damage public education received a clear message – do no harm to public schools. Click the image below to view a slide show of the day's events. - Image: http://www.arizonaea.org/images/politics/edday.gif - - URL: http://www.arizonaea.org/images/politics/Education Day 2008/default.htm - While we were successful in building connections among teachers, ESP, and state legislators we must now use those connections to support positive legislation, stop harmful legislation, and pass a budget that does not damage public education. In the coming weeks the AEA will be very active at the legislature. How will you support our efforts? How will you represent the interests of our united membership? How will you express the most sacred union value, collective action? Respond to these questions and share your experiences at Education Day by commenting below. Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:41:26 -0700 http://www.arizonaea.org/blog/index.php/post/297/ Hundreds of schoolchildren scored some reading touchdowns when they huddled with stars of the gridiron on January 30, 2008, to kick off NEA’s Read Across America, the nation’s largest reading celebration. While millions of Americans await the outcome of Super Bowl XLII—whether it be the New England Patriots scoring a perfect season and a Super Bowl win or the New York Giants nabbing a historic upset — students showed they got game across the Valley of the Sun when National Football League players provided some reading inspiration at two Phoenix elementary schools. Read the entire story - URL: http://www.arizonaea.org/news.php?page=371 -. What are some ways you motivate students to read in your classroom? How do you plan on celebrating Read Across America on March 3? Fri, 01 Feb 2008 12:17:19 -0700 http://www.arizonaea.org/blog/index.php/post/289/ Last night, KAET's Horizon - URL: http://www.azpbs.org/horizon - took a look at this question and hosted a panel of education leaders as they discuss options and opportunities to make the state more responsive to the needs of its students. Scheduled guests included former Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Graham Keegan, Arizona Business and Education Coalition Executive Director Susan Carlson, and Arizona Board of Regents Vice President Ernest Calderon. AEA President John Wright is shown in the beginning of the program offering his ideas on how to improve education in Arizona. Watch the video - URL: http://www.azpbs.org/flashplayers/16x9horizon.swf?thevid=horizon/HZN01_24_08Thu_1&url=808&topic=Education&showtitle= - of the program and leave a comment on some of your solutions. Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:21:21 -0700 http://www.arizonaea.org/blog/index.php/post/282/ Conservatives at the state legislature and the state’s largest business organization, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, believe that in the face of a nearly $1 billion deficit this year, Arizona should permanently eliminate a $250 million revenue stream specifically designated to support our public schools. Other stakeholders, including Governor Napolitano and the Arizona Education Association, understand that K-12 education must be held harmless during these times of economic constraint. While the economic downturn and revenue shortfall may be short-term, the state of Arizona has a history of chronically under-funding public education. The irresponsible ideology of some of Arizona’s legislators and the Arizona Chamber of Commerce is partly to blame. Their false assumption that less taxes is the best way to encourage economic growth is the cause for our current situation. During the 2006 legislative session a deal was struck between Governor Napolitano and the Republican Legislative Leadership. That deal was to effectively withhold the collection of the state equalization property tax for three years and only three years. This estimated $250 million annual revenue stream automatically comes back on-line in the 2009 tax year. Now, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce wants to pull the rug out from underneath our public schools and students to sustain a tax break for themselves. Rather than take money from public education, Arizona’s legislators should reallocate this revenue stream to specific education programs that will create quality public schools, such as the Career Ladder program. This will ensure that each teaching professional has access to a performance pay plan that will invest in teachers and their individual professional development. Career Ladder is a proven tool for student achievement and, if implemented statewide, is a program that will benefit every Arizona public school student equally. In addition, this funding can also address the rising utility costs school districts face and create the opportunity for energy cost-saving measures to be implemented in our schools. Arizona cannot afford to permanently eliminate this tax when we have so far to go just to provide an adequately funded school system. Without this investment, it will be harder to reduce class sizes and retain the best teachers. The divide between our students and those of our global economic competitors will widen. We must make the right choice by investing in the only sure bet—Arizona’s children and those who teach them. Tue, 15 Jan 2008 10:11:03 -0700 http://www.arizonaea.org/blog/index.php/post/273/ Public education stakeholders including principals and teachers from more than 20 Arizona school districts came together to discuss results from Arizona’s first Teacher Working Conditions Survey. Results from the survey were released in July of this year with data collected from 32,000 certified classroom teachers, school counselors, and site administrators. “This is just the first meeting of many that are necessary to address working conditions in Arizona’s schools. The next step is to understand how working conditions affect student learning conditions,” said Andrew Morrill, Vice President of the Arizona Education Association. Morrill continued, “Working conditions matter in every business and organization and that is no different for Arizona’s students and educators. In reality we know that teachers’ working conditions are students’ learning conditions.” The majority of Arizona educators (72%) say their school is a good place to work and learn and agree that leadership is critical to retaining quality teachers. Morrill said, “Effective leadership is more than managing a school, it involves a fully engaged teaching faculty and community. Students, parents, and the community can only become fully engaged when there are clear expectations.” Survey results indicate that a large majority of respondents (69%) receive insufficient time to plan and collaborate with colleagues. Additionally, more than half (56%) say they cannot focus on teaching their kids without interruptions. When asked which working condition matters most in promoting student learning, more educators identified empowerment and time than any other factors. The data suggests that teachers want to play a role in classroom and school decisions to ensure they can be effective with their students. According to the data, however, 64% of educators say they are not playing a significant role in the decisions that ultimately impact student learning. “Decisions about our schools and education must be made by those closest to our students. Teachers are natural problem-solvers and can be trusted to make sound professional decisions,” Rhonda Ball, teacher and president of the Amphitheater Education Association, said. Morrill said, “The State of Arizona must consider its current investment in public education and deliver on the promise of a quality public education for every Arizona child. This investment must ensure that our most important educational resource, teachers, have the time and resources they need to deliver on our promise.” With more than 34,000 members, AEA is the largest professional organization in Arizona. Founded in 1892, AEA’s mission is Keeping the Promise of Quality Public Education. Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:17:46 -0700 http://www.arizonaea.org/blog/index.php/post/111/