Shaping the National Education Association's Agenda

This fall I was appointed by the NEA President, Dennis Van Roekel, to the Professional Standards and Practice Committee. We are charged with examining and making recommendations on educator evaluation systems, online education and student accountability systems. I'm sitting here with local educators (about 12 of us) from across the country working on a report and making recommendations on NEA policies. It's a great opportunity for local leaders to tell our national association what is really happening in the field. It's really important for our national policies to be shaped by the realities of our schools. Our recommendations will be voted on by the about 10,000 NEA Delegates this summer.

DCTA has been focused on developing an induction and mentoring system that provides real support for our new teachers. We spent a lot of time talking about the effectiveness/meaningfulness of the evaluations conducted by principals in Denver, and across the country. Looking at formative and summative evaluations of teachers is critical to improving practice in our schools. Fortunately, DCTA and DPS have been working jointly on all aspects of teacher development through our Professional Practices Work Group. This committee is a great way for me to share the success of Denver's work group and using our work to shape what happens around the country.