Articles in the Announcements category

NSBAC analyzes presidential candidate’s education platforms

In anticipation of the upcoming presidential candidates’ debates this evening, the National School Boards Action Center (NSBAC), a new 501(c)(4) organization founded by the National School Boards Association (NSBA), has released “An Election Year Message to President Obama and Governor Romney.” The letter highlights the expectations and priorities needed for presidential leadership on education and specific action steps to prepare our students for success in college and careers.

Also, a new NSBAC report compares the presidential candidates’ positions on K-12 education policies. The in-depth analysis finds that President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney agree on holding public schools to high standards, supporting innovation, and expanding charter schools. But the candidates differ in some areas that are critically important to school boards, most notably on the federal role in education, school choice and funding.

“School board members want a president who will make a world-class public education system a top priority,” said Michael A. Resnick, Director of NSBAC. “Over the next four years, we must ensure our communities’ public schools are able to provide a high-quality education that will prepare students to succeed in life and boost our nation’s economy.”

The new publications will help school board members and the public understand the issues and advocate for strategies to boost student achievement in public schools. The reports are available at NSBAC’s website, www.nsbac.org.

The message to Obama and Romney advocates, “Having a world-class education that is second to none requires that all our people and all sectors of government, business, and civic life place a high priority on K-12 education. To provide the leadership that’s necessary, no person in America commands the attention of the nation more than the President of the United States. That’s why school board members believe that over the next four years, our President must make strengthening our nation’s schools a foremost priority and compellingly convey to the American people the urgency of the mission and their part to achieve it.”

A new NSBAC guide, “Ask Your Local School Board: Legislative Priorities for the 113th Congress,” is designed for local school board members to share with their candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate to ensure that the candidates are aware of the challenges facing our local public schools and to encourage them to respond in a supportive manner.

For more information, visit NSBAC’s website at www.nsbac.org.

 

Joetta Sack-Min|October 3rd, 2012|Categories: 2012 Presidential race, Announcements, Board governance, Educational Finance, Educational Legislation, Federal Advocacy, Federal Programs, National School Boards Action Center, Reports, School Board News, School Reform|Tags: , , , , |

NSBA President honors Anne L. Bryant

Editor’s note: C. Ed Massey, president of the National School Boards Association, (NSBA) sent the following letter to NSBA staff, board members, and affiliates earlier today:

Dear Colleagues:

Today, our extraordinary Executive Director for the past 16 years will spend her last hours as the leader of our association.  Dr. Anne Bryant has led NSBA through challenging times and through changing times.  She helped raise the national stature of NSBA and became the impetus behind NSBA’s growth and recognition as the national voice on public education.

Throughout her time at NSBA Anne has had many personal and professional accomplishments. Anne came to NSBA in 1996 after serving the previous 10 years as Executive Director of American Association of University Women.  After joining NSBA, the organization continued to be a leader in the legislative advocacy on Capitol Hill, through the contentious reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), completed in 1997, then the reauthorization of the Elementary Secondary Education Act in 2001-02. She was a founding member of the Learning First Alliance, an important organization that has brought together the nation’s leading public education groups, in the late 1990s.  Under her leadership, NSBA launched the first “Key Work of School Boards” in 1999  and a revised edition in 2009, and the Center for Public Education in 2006.  And NSBA has become the go-to source for legal information on education, filing more amicus briefs than any other education associations (In 2007 NSBA participated in two groundbreaking cases before the United States Supreme Court–Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle Sch. Dist. No. 1 and Morse v. Frederick).  In 2010 the Center for Public Education launched the Data First website.  Between 2011 and 2012, Anne worked in concert with the Board of Directors to establish the strategic plan that drives NSBA’s current work and lays the groundwork for the next Executive Director and board to continue NSBA’s leadership in legal, legislative, and public advocacy.

In addition to these accomplishments, Anne has received numerous honors:
*1997: Appointed to Universal Service Administrative Company Board of Directors
*1998-2002: Serves on the Baldridge Board of Overseers
*2002: Award from American Society of Association Executives Foundation for exceptional work
*2005: Awarded Association Trends Association Executive Director of the Year Award
*2006-2007: Serves as Chair of Learning First Alliance
*2007: Accepts seat on the Board of Directors of the Foundation for the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award
*2012: Presented the National Coalition for Technology in Education and Training Community Builder Award
*2012: Receives the Women Who Advance Excellence in Associations Lifetime Achievement Award from ASAE

Her commitment to public education is shown by her works and her leadership during her tenure at NSBA.  She has been a passionate advocate for local school boards and the communities they serve.  Anne has assisted in making NSBA a recognized association in Washington.  Evidence of her work on behalf of public education will be visible for years to come and the foundation that has been laid will give her successor a solid springboard for future work on behalf of America’s school boards.

As President of NSBA I wish Anne the best in all of her future endeavors.  I am certain that neither her work nor her heart will be far from public education.  I will also miss the scarves that have become her fashion trademark.  Thank you, Anne, for all you have done on behalf of NSBA.

With warm regards,

C. Ed Massey
President – NSBA

Joetta Sack-Min|September 28th, 2012|Categories: Announcements|Tags: , , , |

NSBA creates Action Center to boost lobbying and advocacy in Washington

The National School Boards Association (NSBA) has launched the National School Boards Action Center (NSBAC), a 501(c)(4) organization that will enable NSBA to expand its advocacy efforts and to increase its lobbying to include public advocacy activities not previously available. NSBAC is also designed to serve local school board members as an important resource for grassroots advocacy and for information on the political process and candidates.

Although NSBAC will not endorse specific candidates, it will analyze information and identify differences among the political candidate positions so that local school board members will be able to determine what candidates best serve the interests of our public school students.

As part of its mission to raise awareness of school boards’ top issues to candidates for federal offices, NSBAC has released an analysis of President Obama’s and Gov. Mitt Romney’s K-12 proposals. For more information, go to www.nsbac.org.

 

Joetta Sack-Min|September 28th, 2012|Categories: 2012 Presidential race, Announcements, Educational Legislation, Federal Advocacy, Federal Programs, Legislative advocacy, Policy Formation, Public Advocacy, School Board News, School Boards|Tags: , , |

“Won’t Back Down” misses that turning around a failing school is everyone’s business

NSBA Executive Director Anne L. Bryant is attending NBC’s Education Nation event this week in New York City, and part of the exclusive event included a red-carpet screening of the new film “Won’t Back Down.”

The film, which conveys a fictional story of a mother who seeks to enact a parent-trigger law on her daughter’s underperforming school, seeks to elicit more discussion about that type of law. However, Bryant cautions that research shows different strategies may be more effective in a Sept. 24 blog for Transforming Learning, a blog by members of the Learning First Alliance that is hosted by Education Week.

“While we wouldn’t expect a Hollywood production about public schools to be grounded in research-based facts, there are many reasons to be concerned about the images of educators portrayed in the movie and the fanfare surrounding this type of law — which so far has only been used in one instance but has piqued the interest of legislatures in several states,” Bryant writes. “While ‘parent involvement’ always sounds agreeable, we have research showing that certain parental strategies work much better than others — and parent trigger laws are far from being a proven methodology.”

What works, she notes, are school boards that hold administrators accountable for student performance and engage parents and community members. Bryant also discusses research from the Center for Public Education that shows which parental involvement strategies show the most impact on their children’s learning.

Read more at Education Week’s website.

 

Joetta Sack-Min|September 25th, 2012|Categories: Announcements|Tags: , |

NSBA announces Thomas J. Gentzel as new Executive Director

Thomas J. Gentzel

The National School Boards Association (NSBA) Board of Directors unanimously selected Thomas J. Gentzel to be the next NSBA executive director late last week. Gentzel is the executive director of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA).

“I am honored to lead NSBA at such an important time for the organization and for public education,” said Gentzel. “I am deeply committed to community ownership of public schools, which is the essence of school board governance. We will build on a strong foundation, taking an active role in shaping education policy and ensuring a quality education for all children in America.”

In his current role at PSBA, Gentzel represents and serves more than 5,000 school directors, administrators, and other officials from school entities throughout Pennsylvania. He joined the PSBA staff in 1980 as a lobbyist and, five years later, was promoted to head the organization’s Office of Governmental and Member Relations–a position he held until being promoted to Executive Director in 2001. He is also the Immediate Past Chair of NSBA’s Organization of State Association Executive Directors. Before joining PSBA, he served as the county administrator for Pennsylvania’s Centre County Board of Commissioners and, later, as Assistant Executive Director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.

In addition, Gentzel has served as Vice President at Large for the National School Public Relations Association and as a member of the Outreach Advisory Board for The Pennsylvania State University. He was appointed by Gov. Tom Ridge and reappointed twice by Gov. Edward Rendell to the State Advisory Panel on Special Education. In 2009 he was named by Rendell to the Pennsylvania Early Learning Council. He previously chaired the Pennsylvania Coalition for Public Education and was founder and coordinator of the Alliance for a School Aid Partnership.

NSBA President C. Ed Massey noted that NSBA’s search committee had undertaken a comprehensive selection process to choose Gentzel, who received the committee’s unanimous recommendation before the board’s vote.

NSBA’s Executive Director reports directly to  the organization’s Board of Directors and is responsible for guiding the development and implementation of the strategic plan, programs, policies, and practices of the association. The Executive Director is responsible for the management and development of nearly 100 employees and an annual budget of more than $20 million.

NSBA’s current Executive Director Anne L. Bryant said, “Tom Gentzel brings extraordinary insight into NSBA. He will not only have 100 percent support from our state associations across the nation, he has the vision for the leadership role of school boards and school board governance in public education.”

Gentzel will begin his new role on December 1. Bryant is retiring at the end of this month after more than 16 years as Executive Director.  Joseph S. Villani, NSBA’s Deputy Executive Director & Chief Operations Officer, will serve as Interim Executive Director from Oct. 1 to Nov. 30, 2012.

Joetta Sack-Min|September 24th, 2012|Categories: Announcements, School Board News|Tags: , , , |

NSBA leaders win first-ever BAMMY Awards

Mary Broderick, the 2011-12 President of the National School Boards Association, and David A. Pickler, NSBA’s President Elect, were honored with BAMMY Awards, a new recognition designed to acknowledge excellence in a variety of education fields.

The BAMMY Awards is organized by BAM Radio Network, which produces education programs for  education associations.

Broderick, a former member of the East Lyme, Conn. school board received the BAMMY for the school board category. Pickler, a member of the Shelby County, Tenn. school board, received the Educator’s Voice Award, which included the most online votes.

The awards were given on Sept. 15 in numerous categories across disciplines in the K-12 field – including teachers, administrators, school nurses, support staff, advocates, researchers, early childhood specialists, education journalists and parents.

Lifetime achievement awards were given to author and advocate Diane Ravitch, researcher Linda Darling Hammond and journalist John Merrow.

According to the organizers, “the BAMMY Awards acknowledge that teachers can’t do it alone and don’t do it alone. The Awards aim to foster cross-discipline recognition of excellence in education, encourage collaboration and respect in and across the various domains, elevate education and education successes in the public eye, and raise the profile and voices of the many undervalued and unrecognized people who are making a difference in the field.”

Joetta Sack-Min|September 21st, 2012|Categories: Announcements, Board governance|Tags: , , , |

New details, deadlines for Race to the Top district grants released

The U.S. Department of Education has released the final requirements for Race to the Top-District (RTT-D) grant applications, a program designed to improve classroom instruction and teaching to directly impact student learning.

These grants will distribute nearly $400 million directly to school districts for programs that support teaching and learning and the goals of the Race to the Top state grants. The department is expected to award 15 to 25 grants ranging from $5 million to $40 million.

Qualifying school districts must serve at least 2,000 students with 40 percent or more qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, or join with other districts that meet this qualification. Grants will support learning strategies that personalize education in all or a group of schools, within specific grade levels, or select subjects. Districts also must demonstrate a commitment to Race to the Top’s four core reform areas and the district superintendent or CEO, local school board president, and local teacher union president (or 70 percent of teachers in districts without collective bargaining) must sign off on the plan.

The department will conduct technical assistance webinars for school officials on Aug. 16 and Aug. 21, 2012.  Registration for the webinars is available at the Race to the Top website.

School boards should first evaluate the work needed to apply for the grant and the likelihood of receiving an award, advised Michael A. Resnick, the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) associate executive director for federal advocacy and public policy.

NSBA submitted extensive comments on the draft requirements for the RTT-D program urging federal officials to articulate and preserve local school board authority. NSBA’s lobbying efforts resulted in a big win for local school boards when a requirement that grantees evaluate local school boards was deleted.  Other provisions – such as required 10-day comment period for state education agencies and mayors – may prove too onerous for school districts, according to Resnick.

School districts and consortia interested in applying must notify the agency of their intent by Aug. 30, 2012.  The deadline for applications is Oct. 30, 2012 and grant awards will be made by the end of this year.  More information about the RTT-D Program is on the department’s website.

According to the department, “Grantees will be selected based on their vision and capacity for reform as well as a strong plan that provides educators with resources to accelerate student achievement and prepare students for college and their careers. Plans will focus on transforming the learning environment so that it meets all students’ learning abilities, making equity and access to high-quality education a priority. Teachers will receive real-time feedback that helps them adapt to their students’ needs, allowing them to create opportunities for students to pursue areas of personal academic interest – while ensuring that each student is ready for college and their career.”

 

Joetta Sack-Min|August 14th, 2012|Categories: Announcements, Educational Legislation, Federal Advocacy, Federal Programs, Legislative advocacy, Race to the Top (RTTT), School Reform|Tags: , , , |

NSBA asks for changes to local Race to the Top proposal

The National School Boards Association (NSBA) is concerned that the federal government’s proposed criteria for a new, $400 million Race to the Top (RTTT) district competition could stifle innovation and local control.

“Several of the draft requirements threaten to diminish the program as an [local education agency] grant in name only, including first time requirements that represent alarming precedents for the future,” NSBA wrote in a June 8 letter to the U.S. Department of Education.

In particular, the letter asks the Education Department to eliminate a requirement for school board evaluations, in part because the proposed accountability system would not be a valid measure for school board governance. Further, given that about 95 percent of the nation’s more than 13,000 school boards are elected, community residents already have a accountability mechanism.

NSBA also asks the Education Department to eliminate the “state and mayor, city, or town administrator (MCT) comment period on LEA grant applications,” as these entities may not have a strong knowledge base of education policy and could stifle school district’s innovative proposals. The letter also asks the agency to revise or eliminate other requirements deemed to be bureaucratic or problematic.

The Education Department released draft criteria in May for grants that will go directly to eligible school districts. The concept of the program is to provide RTTT funds that will be aligned with the agency’s reform principles directly to local school districts.

According to NSBA’s legislative advocacy department, this is a “modest program that might be attractive to some school districts, given that the number of grant awards is between 15 and 20 and the maximum grant amount is $15 – 25 million each based on the number of participating students. The program is open to all school districts, not just those located in states that have been awarded RTTT grants.”

Applications will be available in July and grants awarded in December.

Joetta Sack-Min|June 7th, 2012|Categories: Announcements, Board governance, Race to the Top (RTTT)|Tags: , , |

Kentucky’s C. Ed Massey starts term as president of the National School Boards Association

School board leader C. Ed Massey of Kentucky’s Boone County Schools has become the 65th President of the National School Boards Association (NSBA) at the association’s Annual Conference that took place April 21-23, 2012 in Boston.

David A. Pickler of Tennessee’s Shelby County Schools was elected President-elect and Anne M. Byrne of New York’s Nanuet Union Free School District was elected Secretary-Treasurer by NSBA’s 150-member Delegate Assembly.

Massey has served on the Boone County Board of Education for 16 years and is a former President of the Kentucky School Boards Association. Massey was first elected to NSBA’s Board of Directors in 2008, serving as a Central Region Director representing school board members in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin. In 2010, Massey was elected Secretary-Treasurer and in 2011 was elected President-elect.

In the one-year term as President, which began on Monday, April 23,2012, Massey plans to focus on NSBA’s service to its state associations.

“My goal as NSBA’s President is to find new ways to serve our state associations, which will enhance their work with our local boards in promoting student achievement,” Massey said. “I’m honored and humbled to serve as the President of NSBA and I look forward to serving as a national voice to promote public education through local school board leadership.”

NSBA’s Executive Director Anne L. Bryant praised Massey’s dedication to school board governance.

“Ed Massey is passionate about the children we serve, and he brings not only that passion but the understanding of the importance of school boards working with their state associations,” said Bryant. “As a local school board leader, former state association leader, and now national President, he understands the synergy and power of the connection between the local school board, state association, and NSBA.”

NSBA’s Delegate Assembly also elected the following school board members as regional directors:

  • Miranda A. Beard of Mississippi’s Laurel School District was re-elected as a Southern Region Director;
  • Judy R. Lair of Kansas’s Woodson School District 366 was re-elected as a Western Region Director;
  • Kristin A. Malin of Maine’s Georgetown Central School elected as a Northeast Region Director;
  • S. Scott Mueller of Rhode Island’s South Kingstown School District re-elected as a Northeast Region Director;
  • John S. Payne of Indiana’s Blackford County Schools re-elected as a Central Region Director; and
  • Frank C. Pugh of California’s Santa Rosa City Schools elected as a Pacific Region Director.

Serving as NSBA ex-officio directors will be: Sandra J. Jensen of Nebraska’s School District of Omaha as the Chair of the Council of Urban Boards of Education; Paul H. Chatman of California’s Ocean View School District as Chair of the National Black Caucus of School Boards; Mike DeLaO of Arizona’s Safford Unified School District as Chair of the National Hispanic Caucus of School Board Members; Elizabeth Eynon-Kokrda of the Nebraska law firm of Baird Holm, LLP as the Chair of the Council of School Attorneys; Dr. Edwin Dunlap, Jr. of the North Carolina School Boards Association as the Chair of the Organization of State Association Executive Directors’ Liaison Committee; and NSBA’s Executive Director Anne L. Bryant.

Alexis Rice|April 24th, 2012|Categories: Announcements, Governance, Leadership, NSBA Annual Conference 2012, School Boards|Tags: , , |

NSBA to host Twitter chat on education issues during State of the Union

The National School Boards Association (NSBA) will be hosting a Twitter chat during President Obama’s State of the Union address,  starting at 9 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Jan. 24.

Join the Twitter chat by using hashtag #EdSOTU and share your thoughts about the president’s speech and his plans for K-12 education.

By using #EdSOTU in your tweets, you will become a part of this virtual conversation. To see the entire conversation stream just go to Twitter and search #EdSOTU.

 

Alexis Rice|January 23rd, 2012|Categories: Announcements, Educational Technology|Tags: , , , , , |
Page 3 of 28«12345»1020...Last »