Member News -- May 17, 2016
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Photo by Adrian Kirby.

Early Bird Conference Rate Soon to Fly!
Discount expires June 1

It's no secret teachers that are not made of money. S ave the dollars you worked so hard to earn by booking your registration now for the NNSTOY Chicago conference July 11-14.  The Early Bird rate expires June 1.

This year there's an especially important reason to get in on the Early Bird registration. The NEA will award 10 NNSTOY members (who are also NEA members) $1,200 scholarships for the conference. But YOU HAVE TO REGISTER AS AN EARLY BIRD to qualify to win. 

Register now before you are mired in end-of-school-year confusion, so that you can qualify for the NEA scholarship and save money on registration.
"The rigor of Common Core is preparing kids to not be satisfied with just a superficial answer."  (Mohsen Ghaffari)

NNSTOY to Release Common Core Videos
Thursday, May 19

This week NNSTOY will release a series of  seven short videos that highlight the value of rigorous standards. Each video highlights a benefit of the Common Core shown through the lens of an outstanding teacher's experience. 

Tomorrow, NNSTOY members will receive the announcement about the series via email. You will also receive a second email showing what members can do to celebrate this important work and how to publicize it within the education community  beginning Thursday . For now, please take a look at the great work of your colleagues.
A Global Community
Mohsen Ghaffari, Utah State Teacher of the Year 2015
The Common Core State Standards draw on students' abilities to think critically, communicate globally, express creativity and connect across the curriculum. Because he immigrated to the United States from Iran, Ghaffari clearly understands the need for global skills. In fact, he says the Common Core's emphasis on communication and collaboration builds community in his multicultural classroom.
Julia King, Washington, D.C., Teacher of the Year 2013
Julia King says the Common Core State Standards give her the autonomy she needs to challenge her students. Her students are encouraged to think deeply about mathematics and collaborate about their thinking.  Julie says she needs to be disciplined with her time since the Common Core have raised the bar on student expectations.
Josh Parker, Maryland State Teacher of the Year 2012 and NEA Global Fellow 2013
Josh Parker uses the Common Core State Standards to teach his students how to back up their claims with cited evidence. The standards provide him with a clear continuum of learning, and he feels the core empower him to prepare his students to be college and career ready.
The Right Tools to Succeed
Bill Day, Washington, D.C. State Teacher of the Year 2014
Bill Day shares how he opens his math classes and explains how the Common Core State Standards give his students the tools they need to succeed. They include making sense of problems and persevering to solve them.
Mary Pinkston, Delaware State Teacher of the Year 2010
The Common Core drives mathematics teacher Mary Pinkston and Mary drives her students to succeed.  The 2010 Delaware Teacher of the Year works in a school situated between rural and urban areas. The student body of Brandywine High School is diverse. Success, however, is not dictated by a student's upbringing. Regardless of her students' backgrounds, Pinkston's Common Core approach ensures all her students come out of her class prepared to succeed.
Parents Learn Too
Allison Riddle, Utah State Teacher of the Year 2014
Like many teachers, Allison Riddle has challenges when dealing with the large number of students in her classroom, and she needs the support of parents to make it work. Common Core are the rigorous but flexible standards she needs to challenge each and every child. Some parents have reservations - or even hostility - toward the standards. Some parents are anxious because this was not the way they learned. Allison says she must communicate why higher, rigorous standards, which focus on problem solving skills, are important.
Sean McComb, National Teacher of the Year 2014
McComb uses the Common Core State Standards to teach his students the basics of writing through real world investigations. McCombs taps into his students' passions as they work to solve real world problem. The big picture goal, as one students puts it, is simple, "We could change the world, essentially."
Education Policy Update
Jane West

Cementing an Education Legacy. 
Hoping to write history on its legacy in education, the Obama Administration issued the report,  Giving Every Child a Fair Shot: Progress Under the Obama Administration's Education Agenda . This report covers the Administration's early childhood through higher education accomplishments as well as plans for the future.

Obama Administration Issues Civil Rights Guidance for Transgender Students. 
In response to the controversy generated in North Carolina related to the use of bathrooms by transgender students, the Department of Education (ED) and the Department of Justice released  joint guidance to assist schools in protecting the civil rights of transgender students.

Supplement, Not Supplant. 
Big controversy last week erupted between Republicans in Congress and the Obama Administration when the bipartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) issued a report on the "Supplement not Supplant" proposal from ED. Read the transcript of Senator Lamar Alexander's May 11 speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate criticizing ED's regulation of ESSA. Learn more about this issue and other education policy issues in Jane West's complete 
New Ways to Engage
Strategies to lean into teacher leadership.

Join the Facebook Teachers Leading Coffee House.
The Coffee House is a virtual roundtable managed by NNSTOY members. Because it is a closed community, the Coffee House provides is a place where educators have deeper conversations about our work, ask for advice, and share our challenges and successes. All teachers are welcome to join the dialogue. 

Review the webinar archive.
Watch the webinar Teacher's Guide to Better Blogging, with Education Post, and download the Power Point deck.

STOYs: Vote on the By-Laws.
State Teachers of the Year, please remember to review the  by-laws and take a simple yes/no vote on Survey Monkey  before June 1.

Stay current.
Get the latest education tools, events, articles and reports by turning to  Weekly News and Resources  on the NNSTOY webpage.

Review and Comment on Standards for Educational Leaders.
The National Policy Board for Education Administration is asking for educator feedback on new leadership preparation standards, called the National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) standards. These align to the  Professional Standards for Educational Leaders  adopted in 2015. The NELP standards will be used to guide program design, accreditation review, and state program approval. Get  more information . Comments are due by May 22. 


Mark your calendars!
Upcoming NNSTOY events

Tuesday, May 17
8:00-9:00 pm ET
WEBINAR
Building State Partnerships: Growing Teacher Leadership in Illinois (featuring Lynn Gaddis)

Wednesday, May 18
8 pm ET
TWITTER CHAT 
Filling your forever file:  "The little things that students do for us to keep the fire burning."
#TeachersLeading

Tuesday, May 23
8:00-9:00 pm ET
WEBINAR
What I learned as as 2015 National Teacher of the Year  (with Shanna Peeples)

Tuesday, May 31
BY-LAWS
STOYS, please  vote  on the  by-laws  before June 1. 

Tuesday, May 31
8:00-9:00 pm ET
WEBINAR
Flexing Your Policy Muscles: Making a Difference with ESSA  (with Jane West)

Wednesday, June 1
DEADLINE
Last day to get an Early Bird rate for the July 11-14 NNSTOY conference in Chicago

Dana Boyd

Shout-outs, Kudos & Accolades*
News from the NNSTOY community
  • Michael Dunlea (New Jersey finalist, 2012)had an op-ed published in the Ocean City (NJ) SentinelPay Teachers more now or bill will come due later. Dunlea is also featured in a video where he describes how he helps parents understand what their children are doing throughout the day.
  • Dana Boyd (Texas, 2007) has been selected as the Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year.
  • Pat Jordan (New York, 1993) published a blog about her experience on the Saving Tomorrow Today Panel with Roland Martin, called "Reflections on Saving Tomorrow Today" on the NNSTOY blogspot. 
  • Michael Linblad (Oregon, 2015) will deliver the commencement address to the Linfield College class of 2016. Lindblad is a 1994 graduate of the college.
  • Lewis Chappelear (California, 2015) was a guest on KTLA TV 5 on Teacher  Appreciation Day, May 3.
  • David Bosso (Connecticut, 2012) lent his voice to the latest video in NNSTOYs series about what motivates teachers. 
  • Justin Minkel's (Arkansas, 2007) blog, "How to End the School Year Right," was published in EdWeek.
  • Check out Angie Miller (New Hampshire, 2011) reading a heart-wrenching, true story about her mother who is homeless, called "Unspeakable Sacrifice." Though the video was released several years ago, it garnered renewed interest this past Mother's Day.
  • Two STOYs who were not featured in the CCSS videos being launched this week had a huge hand in their success. These include Terry Kaldhusdal (Wisconsin 2004), who served as editor, and Joe Fatheree (Illinois 2007), an NNSTOY staff member who produced them.
Send us scoop! If you have news about yourself or other members, please forward it to laurie@nnstoy.org.