Member News -- June 14, 2016
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Jemelleh Coes, speaking at the Saving Tomorrow, Today event in Atlanta Monday. 
Rebuilding Community Schools
Saving Tomorrow, Today

NNSTOY has joined a coalition that includes the National Education Network (NAN) and the University of Phoenix. The purpose of the coalition is to work together on a program, called Saving Tomorrow, Today: Redeveloping Our Community Schools . The Saving Tomorrow, Today  program seeks to rediscover connections among parents, teachers, students and the community to support community schools. 

The first phase of the program, announced at the 2016 NAN Conference in New York City in April,  begins this week with community events in four cities. At each event, a State Teacher of the Year will represent NNSTOY and speak on a panel.  Jemelleh Coes represented NNSTOY at the event in Atlanta, Ga. Monday. She will be followed by  James E. Ford in Richmond, Va., on Tuesday;  Katherine Bassett in Baltimore, Md., on Wednesday; and Pat Jordan in Columbia, S.C. this Friday.
 
Each event will begin with a community rally followed by a working session with educators, community leaders and parents to identify critical issues facing local P-12 schools, and the actions required to improve community engagement and student outcomes. Rev. Al Sharpton will be the keynote speaker for all of the city events, which are free. 
Conference Update
July 11-14, Chicago,  Illinois
  
Focus Groups and Filming Opportunities. 
NNSTOY offers sponsors the opportunity to get the opinions of teachers though focus groups and interviews/filming with our members.  Focus groups take place during the Day of Service, July 11, at 2 and 3:30 PM. Filming is scheduled periodically throughout the conference. Using the links above, PLEASE SIGN UP for these opportunities to make your voices heard and provide a service for our sponsors who make the conference possible.

Hotel. 
Rooms at the Loews Chicago O'Hare have sold out for July 13 and 14. NNSTOY has reserved  a block at Aloft Chicago O'Hare  for $184/night. In fact, there are several good options
within a short walking distance away.    


Scholarship Fund Raffle.   Each year NNSTOY raises money at our conference for scholarships that benefit future educators and current teachers who have gone through adversity on their path to teaching. To participate, please bring an item to donate that represents your state and that can fit easily into a suitcase. 


Agenda. Check out the updated conference agenda. 



Conference hashtag. Please use #nnstoy2016 to communicate about the conference in social media.
Civil Rights Data Collection
Resources

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights recently released new data from the 2013-2014 school year showing that wide gaps still remain in areas affecting educational opportunity for students. The data deal with incidents of discipline, access to courses, and programs that lead to college readiness. Secretary John King said that the new data remind us of the importance of improving equity in the new ESSA law.

STEM Teachers Needed

If you are a STEM teacher, please take a
brief survey  to help NNSTOY learn more about the challenges you face. This survey will help inform our work as we move forward. Please take the survey by June 15.
New Ways to Engage
Strategies to lean into NNSTOY teacher leadership.

Take the Flash Poll! (It's Important)
A big thanks to the many of you who responded to last week's  Flash Poll.  If you haven't yet weighed in, please take a few minutes to answer five brief questions about if/how your state is engaging with educators around ESSA. 

Check out the new and improved Member Page . 
The NNSTOY Membership Committee has created a member services brochure to help our members have a greater understanding of the association's work and  how members can engage. At NNSTOY, we work together to accomplish three purposes: professional learning, community building, and influencing. To find our more about each, check out the NNSTOY Membership Page. IN addition to taking the time for yourself, please share with other STOYs and Finalists in your network and get them involved too.

Like Teachers Leading on Facebook.
Please LIKE  Teachers Leading  on Facebook  (or LIKE a recent post on the Teachers Leading page). As you LIKE us and LIKE our posts, you increase the likelihood that  messages from NNSTOY in your Facebook feed. 

Review a recent NNSTOY webinar. 
We've had a bevy of great webinars recently that you could view at a time that is convenient to you. Check out the  complete list  or view one of these.
Education Policy Highlights
Jane West

Education Funding Bill Clears Committee in Bipartisan fest.  This week the Senate cleared its FY 2017 funding bill out of committee with a biparisan vote of 29-1. For the U.S. Deparment of education, the bill provides $67.8 billion, a $220 decrease from the FY 2016 budget. Learn more about what this means for education funding in the June 10 Washington Update.

CCSSO Issues Engagement Guide on ESSA for States.  

Jane West's Washington Update may be found weekly(when Congress is in session!) on the NNSTOY site.


Mark your calendar!        
Upcoming events for NNSTOY Members        



Wednesday, June 15
STEM TEACHERS
Please take the survey about STEM needs. It only takes a couple of minutes!
Thursday, June 16
11:59 PM ET

DEADLINE TO APPLY
ASCD Teacher Impact Grants
These grants offer funding and support directly to teachers for promising teacher-led, administrator-supported initiatives to improve education.
Friday, July 1
DEADLINE TO APPLY
Discovery Unsung Heroes Award

July 11-14
Chicago, Illinois
2016 NNSTOY CONFERENCE
Bridging Theory & Practice
Loews Chicago O'Hare Conference   

Monday, July 25
11:59 PM ET
DEADLINE TO APPLY
Teach to Lead Summit in Long Beach, Calif. 
September 24-25


W hat We're Reading
New and noteworthy ideas about education from around the country.
Photo by Markus Spiske


Ron Brownstein , The Atlantic

The Case for Integrated Math , Trey Ferguson,  EdNC


EDU-TUNITIES 
New Opportunities for #TeachersLeading

Apply for the Discovery Award of Unsung Heroes (Deadline Extended to July 1).  The Discovery Award honors students who devote themselves to sharing the stories of Unsung Heroes in order to hold up positive examples of leadership to their peers and inspire their communities. Students may submit projects in the form of a documentary, performance or website. They must also include an annotated bibliography and a 500-word process paper. Educators now have extra time to get their project in for a chance to win this year's $7,500 grand prize.  Review the  guidelines.

Educators Earn Grant Money. The Collaborative for Student Success , a  nonprofit organization working to improve public education through a commitment to high standards for all students, is seeking applications for its  Teacher Champion Fellowship  from educators (including principals and district-level employees) in Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, West Virginia and Wisconsin.  
  
Teacher Champions receive professional development around communications, legislative engagement, media interaction, and more. They also receive a
$5,000 grant to work with teachers and local organizations in their states to educate and inform all shareholders about the need for and benefit of high, consistent state standards and high-quality assessments. To learn more, email Katrina Boone at [email protected]. There is no formal application process.

Take a New Teach Plus Policy Course Online. Learn how to get your voice heard in education policy decisions that affect you and your students! Teach Plus' new online course, "What Teachers Need to Know to Influence Policy Decisions," equips teachers with the knowledge and skills they need to advocate for impact.  The five module-course includes a comprehensive overview of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) which is driving major state-level policy decisions. Teachers need to be at the table! The FREE course launches July 7. Watch a preview and sign up.

Submit an idea for Teach to Lead Long Beach (Calif.).  If you have a great idea that you need help developing, consider applying to the Teach to Lead Summit in Long Beach, Calif., September 24-25.  To attend,  submit an idea  by July 25. If your idea is chosen, you may bring a team of up to five people for a weekend designed to help your team develop the idea into an action plan. You will work with a  critical friend  from a supporting organization who has the experience to help you ask and answer some of your toughest questions and push your thinking. Teach to Lead provides lodging (if more than 50 miles from hotel), some meals and full registration. 

Participants must:
  • Have an actionable teacher leadership idea.
  • Pay for or obtain sponsorship for travel.
  • Have at least one practicing classroom teacher on the team.
  • Commit to taking implementation steps following Summit participation.
  • Be available to attend the entire summit (8:00 AM Saturday through 12:30 PM Sunday).
Ouida Newton
Shout-outs, Kudos & Accolades*
News from the NNSTOY community
  • Brett Bigham (Oregon 2014) will be speaking at the July 8 Save Our Schools Rally in Washington, D.C. Brett, who will be speaking about protecting civil rights for LGBT students and teachers, told us, "It's not every day a farm boy from Oregon gets to speak at the Lincoln Memorial, so I'm pretty excited!"

Last week NNSTOYs represented at the National Teachers Hall of Fame. Above: Cindy Couchman (Kansas 2009), Les Nicholas (Pennsylvania 2004), Carol Strickland (1999 Kansas), Alex Kajitani (California 2009),  June Teisan (Michigan 2008), Susan Rippe (Kansas 2000), Rich Ognibene (New York 2008).


If you have items of interest about yourself or other members, please forward it to [email protected].

#TeachersLeading