The
Voice
The Nebraska State Education Association  March 2013
March 2013 n The NSEA Voice n Page 1
#March 2013.indd 1
2/25/2013 12:18:32 PM
Opening Bell
Upcoming
Assignments
Through March 13
NSEA District Elections
n What: NSEA’s annual round
of elections to select from candidates seeking open seats on one
of six NSEA District boards or on
the NSEA Board of Directors.
n Details: The online voting takes place through midnight
March 13. For details, turn to Page
21.
April 18
NSEA-Retired
Spring Conference
n What: This annual gathering of the NSEA-Retired affiliate
will feature Nebraska native and
Olympic gold medal bobsledder
Curt Tomasevicz, among other
attractions.
n Details: Held in Kearney on
April 18, the event is detailed on
Page 22.
April 19-20
NSEA Delegate Assembly
n What: NSEA members have
met annually since 1867 to set the
Association path for the coming
year. This year, the meeting is in
Kearney.
n Details: It is not too late to
be elected as a delegate. See Page
17 for details!
On the
Cover:
the
Educator Preparation
Standards Revised
Public Comment Period
Open Through March
ers – the next generation of accreditation
standards based on evidence, continuous improvement, innovation, and clinical practice. The Commission was also
Educators now have an opportunity
charged with recommending transparto comment on standards for teacher
ent CAEP public accountability reporttraining proposed by the newly formed
ing with multiple measures, including
Council for the Accreditation of Educathose directly linked to achievement.
tor Preparation (CAEP).
Cibulka told Education Week that the
The CAEP’s Commission on Stanstandards favor educational outcomes,
dards and Performance Reporting has
and emphasize evidence to support
released a draft of the proposed staneffective
practices.
dards.
Comments
“That
means
being
on will be accepted
able
to
link
measures
through March 29.
To review and comment on the on outcomes and
“These new standards are about im- proposed new standards for educa- impact back to the
characteristics of the
proving results, partic- tor preparation, go to:
caepnet.org/commission/
programs themselves
ularly for P-12 learnstandards/
and the nature of the
ers. The nation has
candidates who were
raised the bar for our
admitted
to
the
programs,”
he said.
students and for our teachers. Today’s
Representatives
of
diverse
and diteachers must challenge and engage all
vergent views were invited to serve
learners. Now we must raise the bar for
on the Commission to help shape the
preparation programs to help the nation
standards. The Commission reflects a
meet these ambitious goals.” said CAEP
partnership between educator preparaPresident James G. Cibulka.
tion providers, policy makers and P-12
NSEA Director of Instructional Adeducators, signaling new demands for
vocacy Jay Sears said the new standards
collaboration that CAEP expects.
will help better prepare teachers.
CAEP was formed when the Nation“The new standards are rigorous and
al Council for Accreditation of Teacher
should help prepare future educators for
Education (NCATE) and the TeachP-12 instruction to meet the 21st century
er Education Accreditation Council
world of work and college,” said Sears.
(TEAC) merged. It will be the sole U.S.
The Commission was charged with
accreditor for educator preparation.
developing – for all preparation provid-
To Comment
What is the worth, the value of a quality education? How do you put a
price on 12 or 16 years or more of learning. It’s hard to quantify, but you’ll
find a collection of numbers that try to do just that, when you turn to
VOICE
Nebraska State Education Association
605 S. 14th Street
Lincoln, NE 68508-2742 · www.nsea.org
(402) 475-7611 · (800) 742-0047
Volume 66, No. 7
ISSN Number: 1085-0783
USPS Number: 000-369
Great Public Schools For Every Child
Executive Director Assoc. Executive Director Director of Public Affairs
Assistant Comm. Director Craig R. Christiansen
Neal Clayburn
Karen Kilgarin
Al Koontz
NSEA Board of Directors
President Nancy Fulton, Wilber-Clatonia
Leann Widhalm, Norfolk
Vice President NEA Director John Heineman, Lincoln
NEA Director Jenni Absalon, Lincoln
Official publication of the Nebraska State Education Association, Suite 200, 605 South 14th Street, Lincoln, NE 685082742. Periodical postage paid at Lincoln, NE, and additional
mailing offices. Postmaster: send address changes to The
Voice, NSEA, 605 S. 14th Street, Lincoln, NE 68508-2742.
Page 6
Published and mailed 6 times yearly according to this
schedule: September, October, November, February, April
and August. Published online only in December, January,
March and May.
Payment of annual NSEA membership dues entitles Nebraska educators to receive The Voice. Total cost of producing 10 monthly issues of The Voice each year is about
$4.84 per member.
Advertising rates of The Voice are available from the
assistant communications director. All advertisements
and advertisers are screened prior to publication. Appearance of an advertisement in The Voice does not necessarily imply NSEA endorsement of either the product
being advertised or the views being expressed.
Page 2 n The NSEA Voice n March 2013
#March 2013.indd 2
2/25/2013 12:18:32 PM
From the President
What Forest Witcraft Knew
“A hundred years from now it will not matter
what my bank account was, the sort of house I
lived in, or the kind of car I drove...but the world
may be different because I was important in the
life of a child.”
NSEA President
Nancy Fulton
“
For economic
reasons alone,
Nebraska
policymakers
must make
funding a
priority, must
ensure that
a quality
classroom
awaits every
child.
”
This quotation by teacher and scholar Forest
Witcraft (1894-1967) hangs in many of the classrooms I visit each year. Educators have followed
Witcraft’s wise guidepost ever since he first put
pen to paper on this topic more than 60 years ago.
Witcraft’s now-famous quotation was the
closing sentence on a very short but powerful essay that first appeared in the October 1950 edition of Scouting magazine. Also a Scoutmaster,
Witcraft certainly knew the power that one adult,
one teacher, might have in the life of a child. He
knew that an adult might “someday mould destiny.”
From his Scoutmaster viewpoint – and this
applies to educators as well – Witcraft knew that
“every boy is a potential atom bomb in human history.” He understood that any child might rise to
be a maker of history, a builder of tomorrow.
Consider this Witcraft observation: “A humble
citizen like myself might have been the Scoutmaster of a Troop in which an undersized unhappy Austrian lad by the name of Adolph might
have found a joyous boyhood, full of the ideals
of brotherhood, goodwill, and kindness. And the
world would have been different.”
He said “A humble citizen like myself might
have been the organizer of a Scout Troop in which
a Russian boy called Joe might have learned the
lessons of democratic cooperation.
“These men would never have known that they
had averted world tragedy, yet actually they would
have been among the most important men who
ever lived.”
Growing Student Population
Educators share Witcraft’s vision of possibility
and potential in every child. They care about their
students, and invest considerable time and energy
in creating a positive, challenging learning environment for children with the hopes of making
a difference in the life of each child. They know
that a quality, well-rounded education is the key
to every child’s future and to our state’s economic
strength.
Now look at some facts. Nebraska’s population
is growing. In the last two years alone, the state’s
population has grown 1.6 percent.
Nebraska’s schools are growing even faster.
There are now more than 303,000 students en-
rolled in Nebraska’s K-12 schools – an increase
of 1.7 percent over the past two years. At the same
time, K-3 classrooms have seen a boom, with 9
percent growth statewide. That means many classrooms are bursting at the seams, and class size is
rising.
As school districts work to meet the needs
generated by increased enrollment, there are challenges to existing financing relationships at both
the state and local levels. Infrastructure needs
increase as more students mean additional classrooms or remodeling of outdated structures.
Unfortunately, state aid to schools for this fiscal year ($852 million) is essentially at 2008-09
levels ($839 million), and well below the 201011 level ($950 million). As a result, programs
have been axed, class sizes have grown and local property taxes have increased as local school
districts deal with more students and fewer state
dollars.
Schools the Backbone
No one can deny that quality education is a
costly proposition. Public education done correctly is highly labor intensive and essentially
constitutes a local industry. By shorting our funding, how many future captains of industry, worldchangers, peacemakers, inventors or artists are we
short-changing? We will never know.
On the other hand, we know the effect of the
school on local communities. Quite often, the
school district is the largest employer in – and the
backbone of – many smaller Nebraska communities. Investing in public education is a stimulus
to the local economy; money funneled through
public education is spent locally, supporting local
businesses and adding to the economic strength of
the local economy.
Quality public schools have a direct impact
on housing values in and around the community.
Quality public schools attract people to a community. Strong schools are good for local business;
that combination results in strong communities
which in turn contributes to a strong statewide
economy. Policymakers can, and should, make
certain that schools have the adequate and stable
funding through a revenue system that is fair, stable, predictable and equitable.
For economic reasons alone, Nebraska policymakers must make funding a priority, must ensure
that a quality classroom awaits every child.
But there is a more important reason. As Forest Witcraft understood, our world will be much
different when a teacher is important in the life of
every child.
March 2013 n The NSEA Voice n Page 3
#March 2013.indd 3
2/25/2013 12:18:32 PM
Page 4 n The NSEA Voice n March 2013
#March 2013.indd 4
2/25/2013 12:18:34 PM
Education is Good Business
NSEA Campaign Touts
Strengths Fostered
by Public Education
The NSEA has launched an effort to
raise awareness about the importance
of local businesses and public schools
working together. The “Good Schools
are Good for Business” campaign began
in late February and includes a website
that provides Nebraskans an opportunity
to share stories of how schools and
businesses working together create
strong schools, strong communities and
a strong economy. The entry providing
the best example will earn a $1,000
prize to be awarded to the public school
of the winner’s choice.
Nebraskans are encouraged to visit
NSEA.org to share stories about how
public schools have worked or could
work with local business to prepare
students for the workplace. The
campaign provides an opportunity to
join with NSEA members to strengthen
public education in across Nebraska.
“We all know that public schools
are a critical part of our state and local
economies,” said Nancy Fulton, NSEA
president. “We want to shine a light on
those businesses and business leaders
that are partnering with our schools and
teachers to help our students succeed.
To do that, we encourage Nebraskans to
share their stories.”
Stronger Workforce
The NSEA has made a strong effort in
the last two years researching the results
A Word from the Wise: Lincoln businessman Dick Campbell talks with Lincoln-area students during filming of a commercial for NSEA’s ‘Good Schools
are Good for Business’ campaign. Campbell’s family owns Campbell Nurseries.
of strong public education and the needs
of the community. A 2010 national poll
conducted by the National Education
Association showed 90 percent of
Americans strongly believed that public
schools play a critical role in the nation’s
economy. Also, 94 percent believed that
when youth are better educated, they get
better jobs and go on to contribute more
to the community as adults.
Fulton said NSEA hopes to create a
movement “that will help kids learn the
value of community and gain perspective
from beyond the classroom.”
“This helps build a stronger
workforce and helps the local economy
grow. Connecting with the community
is an important part of this effort. NSEA
hopes to grow a stronger bond with
businesses and community members
through constant interaction,” she said.
The campaign includes television
and radio spots, the website outreach
and news outreach efforts.
Submit entries at:
nsea.org/goodbusiness
Please
Re-Elect
Susan
Stake
as your
Capitol
District
President
Experienced
& Dedicated.
March 2013 n The NSEA Voice n Page 5
#March 2013.indd 5
2/25/2013 12:18:34 PM
“The whole people must take upon themselves the education of the whole people
and be willing to bear the expense of it.”
–
Every parent desires a great education for their children – for all children.
They understand that a quality educational experience will offer their child
the chance to succeed.
A good education is the path to financial independence, good health, longevity, creativity, less dependence on
societal safety nets, higher rates of civic
participation, lessened rates of poverty
and a multitude of other personal and
social benefits.
But how do we quantify such benefits? How do we pin a number to the
supposed dividends that result from our
collective educational investment – especially as nitpicking gadflies continually demonize public education as inefficient and costly?
In their 2007 study, Education Pays:
The Benefits of Higher Education for
Individuals and Society, Sandy Baum
and Jennifer Ma said “uneven rates of
participation in higher education across
different segments of U.S. society
should be a matter of urgent interest not
only to the individuals directly affected,
but also to public policymakers at the
federal, state and local levels.”
As Nebraska legislators consider
the state’s future investment in public
education, they might be wise to recall the words of researchers Frederick
Harbison and Charles Andrew Meyers,
authors of the 1965 book Education,
Manpower and Economic Growth.
They offered this simple summation:
“Education is both the seed and the
flower of economic development.”
When pondering our educational investment, legislators and others might
consider these numbers as support for
the value of a solid education:
According to researcher
William
Schweke, author of
Smart Money: Education and
Economic Development, raising the
skills of 19- to 23-year-olds by the
equivalent of one grade would increase
lifetime earnings by 3.6 percent; reduce
the likelihood of births out of wedlock
by 6.5 percent; welfare dependency by
5.3 percent; and arrests by 6.2 percent.
In 2011, the Virginia
Beach, Va., school district
hired an economist to calculate the district’s value
to the city and region. District officials hoped to make an argument for
school funding based on business principles.
Dr. Michael L. Walden, a professor
of agricultural and resource economics at North Carolina State University,
divided the district’s worth into four
categories: spending impact; the economic value of high school and college
degrees; future saving in public social
costs; and the economic impact on local
wealth.
Among the findings: the school system’s performance cushioned the adverse effects on local property values
during the recession; the district had a
positive impact on public safety, social
services and public health costs; and the
district operating and capital budgets
generate jobs and other spending.
Walden’s conclusion: the school is
worth about $1.53 for every $1 spent
from the district’s operating fund.
The December 2011
American Sociological
Review reports death rates
for less educated middle-aged
adults are about two times higher than
those who attain higher levels of education. The study found that almost all
causes of death that are increasing are
fueled by high rates of mortality among
people with lower education. Further,
the American Cancer Society and CDC
President John Adams
tracked more than 3.5 million deaths
from 1993-2001 and found that death
rates from any cause, and from cancer,
heart disease and stroke, fell for adults
with at least 16 years of education. But
those rates held steady or moved upward for those with less than 12 years
of formal education.
Peter Muennig of the
Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia
University found that those who graduate from high school live an average of
9.2 years longer than high school dropouts.
A report by Dr. Dana
Mitra of Penn State
University, The Social
and Economic Benefits
of Public Education, found that investing in public education is far more costeffective for that state than paying for
the social and economic consequences
of under-funded, low quality schools.
For instance, for every $1 invested in
pre-kindergarten education, there is a
return of at least $7, said Mitra.
Nobel Prize winner and
University of Chicago
economist James Heckman claims that investments in early childhood education
pay a return of 7 to 10 percent. In his
study, The Economics of Inequality:
The Value of Early Childhood Education, Heckman argues that “wise and
timely” early childhood education investment, particularly in disadvantaged
children, will pay great dividends.
“We can invest early to close disparities and prevent achievement gaps,
or we can pay to remediate disparities
when they are harder and more expensive to close. Either way, we are going
to pay. And, we’ll have to do both for
Page 6 n The NSEA Voice n March 2013
#March 2013.indd 6
2/25/2013 12:18:36 PM
a while. But, there is an important difference between the two approaches.
Investing early allows us to shape the
future; investing later chains us to fixing
the missed opportunities of the past.”
In 2005, according
to the National Health
Interview
Survey,
about 9 percent of college grads reported having given blood
in the past year, compared to 4 percent
of high school graduates and 2 percent
of those adults who did not complete
high school.
Princeton Professor of
Economics Alan Krueger
is the school’s Bendheim
Professor of Economics
and Public Affairs, and is the founding director of Princeton’s Survey Research Center. His study found income
and education “provides robust evidence of a substantial payoff to investment in education, especially for those
who traditionally complete low levels
of schooling.” Krueger also found that
evidence suggests benefits “in the form
of reduced crime and reduced welfare participation are more likely to be
reaped from investments in disadvantaged than advantaged groups.”
His study found that an additional
year of schooling is likely to raise an
individual’s earnings about 10 percent.
That’s the 2012 unemployment rate for
Americans without a
high school diploma,
a c cording to the Bureau of
Labor Statistics. High school graduates had an unemployment rate of 8.3
percent, while those with some college
experience or an associate degree were
unemployed at a rate of 7.1 percent.
Those with a bachelor’s degree or more
enjoyed an unemployment rate of 4 percent.
In their 2007 study,
Education Pays: The
Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society, Sandy
Baum and Jennifer Ma reported that 30
percent of high school dropouts were
smokers. Only 11 percent of those with
a bachelor’s degree were smokers.
According to the College Board
(2010), mothers with only a high school
education are 31 percent more
likely than others with a bachelor’s degree or higher
to give birth to babies
weighing less than 5.5
pounds. Further, low-birthweight babies tend to incur high medical costs throughout their lives. Estimates suggest an average cost of about
$34,500 (in 2010 dollars) for the first
year of life, and considerable additional
costs throughout life (EPA, Ch.III.2).
In a February
2012 report, the
Bureau of Labor
Statistics found that
42.4 percent of college graduates volunteered through an
organization. That compares to only
18.2 percent of high school graduates
and just 9.8 percent of those with less
than a high school diploma.
In the 2008 presidential election, according to the U.S.
Census Bureau, 77 percent of
college graduates cast a ballot. Only 55
percent of high school grads voted, and
just 39 percent of those with less than a
high school diploma cast a ballot.
Of the nation’s prison
and death row inmates,
82 percent are high school
dropouts, according to the
National Dropout Prevention Center/
Network.
According to the
Bureau of Labor
Statistics, that’s the
median weekly income for a
full-time worker in the fourth quarter
of 2012, age 25 or older, without a high
school diploma. The median weekly income for a high school grad during the
same period: $647. And for a worker
holding a bachelor’s degree: $1,168 per
week.
The
lifetime
cost-savings from
reduced
criminal
activity per high school graduate, compared to the average high school dropout, according to Henry Levin, professor of Economics and Education at
Columbia University. Levin’s findings
were presented at the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Develop-
ment (OECD) in Paris in 2010.
The lifetime total public health care savings
per high school graduate, compared to a high
school dropout, according to Columbia
University’s Levin. These findings were
also presented at the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris in 2010.
That is the difference
in cost between one
year of public school
education in Nebraska
and one year of incarceration for a child
at the Nebraska Correctional Youth Facility in Omaha.
The 37th annual report and statistical
summary from the Nebraska Department of Corrections indicated that it
cost $68,621 to house a teen in 2011.
Meanwhile, the National Education
Association’s annual Rankings & Estimates report indicated the average cost
of educating a child in Nebraska public
schools in 2011 was $10,433.
That is the average extra lifetime
total tax payments
a high school graduate will contribute, compared to a high
school dropout, according to Columbia’s Levin.
Penn
State’s
Mitra also found
that the national,
annual, savings in health
care costs would exceed $40 billion if
every high school dropout in just a single year would graduate. Average annual public health costs are $2,700 per
dropout; $1,000 per high school graduate; and $170 per college graduate.
In his 2004
research, Columbia University’s Muennig’s
found
that,
aggregated
over
a lifetime, the conservative value of
health costs associated with a cohort of
600,000 18-year-old high school dropouts would be $88.3 billion. Advancing
those 600,000 dropouts by one grade,
said Muennig, would produce additional lifetime earnings of $72 billion.
March 2013 n The NSEA Voice n Page 7
#March 2013.indd 7
2/25/2013 12:18:38 PM
Page 8 n The NSEA Voice n March 2013
#March 2013.indd 8
2/25/2013 12:18:38 PM
The Meaning of Teaching
Book by Omaha Couple Uses Essays to Explore Teaching
The anger exhibited toward public
sector unions in Wisconsin, Indiana,
Ohio and other states two years ago
troubled Daniel Boster.
Some of that anti-union sentiment
surfaced in Nebraska, as NSEA successfully fended off anti-union proposals in the Legislature that would have
put an end to collective bargaining and
the Commission of Industrial Relations.
The constant stream of negatives
aimed at teaching was upsetting. Antiunion forces called teachers “lazy” and
“greedy” and said educators were “taking advantage of the system,” Boster recalled in his blog. Oddly, he also found
the confrontations and disparaging remarks inspirational.
“All my experience told me these
things weren’t true,” he wrote. “It suddenly seemed urgent that more people
hear teachers’ stories.”
That’s been happening for almost a
year now, thanks to Boster, chair of the
English Department at Ralston
High School, and his wife, Marni Valerio. In what Boster called
“very much a grassroots effort,”
the couple collected a series of 39
essays from teachers across the
country and published those essays
last year in What Teaching Means:
Stories from America’s Classrooms.
Their book has made waves
everywhere. It held ground for the
classroom teacher’s point of view
in an education leadership conference at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. It has given the teacher’s
perspective life in classes at Virginia
Tech University. Boster and Valerio
have given readings in Omaha; Madison, WI; Minneapolis; and elsewhere.
“The book humanizes teachers and
students with stories about a normal day
in American schools,” said Boster.
Talking About the Job
Boster has frequently heard over the
years that teachers never seem to talk
about their classrooms or their jobs – at
least not to people outside the profession. Educators are more than willing
to talk with other teachers about their
profession, their students and the good
things that go on in classrooms. They
In Conference: What Teaching Means authors and editors after their reading at the
National Writing Project Annual Meeting in November. From left, Mary Powell, Arizona; Susan Martens, Daniel Boster and Marni Valerio, Nebraska; Alicia McCauley,
California; and Danielle Helzer, Nebraska.
thought educators might need a helping
hand to reach a broader audience.
“We thought there ought to be a book
with teachers telling their stories, telling
their day-to-day lives,”
he said.
Both have literature
backgrounds.
Boster teaches literature and composition
at Ralston High, and
is co-director of the
Nebraska
Writing
Project. Valerio is
an English instructor at Metropolitan
Community College
in Omaha. Both are
NSEA members.
They issued a request and received 115 essays from 27 states. They
winnowed those down to 39 essays and
divided them into six categories.
Finding a publisher was even easier.
Boster’s Ralston High colleagues, English teacher Jeff Lacey and art teacher
Calvin Banks, founded Rogue Faculty
Press in 2011. Lacey and Banks, said
Boster, believe that the intellectual work
of teachers deserve a publisher.
With the aid of Lacey and Banks,
What Teaching Means was soon a reality.
‘Compelling Essays’
The book includes stories about
“everything from the recounting of an
unlikely kindergarten classroom friendship to the rugged epiphanies experienced in a high school ESL class.” The
essays “detail the sometimes joyful,
sometimes tragic teaching experiences
of professional educators who’ve rendered them in prose.”
Reviews have been positive. Dr.
George P. White is professor of Educational Leadership at Lehigh University
and is director of the Center for Developing Urban Educational Leaders.
He said, “A copy of this book should
be given to anyone involved in setting
educational policy at the local, state and
national levels as it will help drive home
the point that teaching is about more
than just getting good test scores.”
Linda Christensen directs the Oregon Writing Project. She called What
Teaching Means “a series of compelling
essays that remind the reader that what
shapes our nation’s schools isn’t laws or
standards, but the lives of students and
the teachers who nurture them.”
Boster said the public needs these
stories now. Teachers do, as well.
“We’re getting messages from teachers all over the country who tell us that
they have received the book as a gift
and, they say, for instance, ‘this book
makes me feel not so all alone.’”
What Teaching Means is $18, plus
tax and shipping. To buy a copy, click
on the “Online Store” link at:
roguefacultypress.com
March 2013 n The NSEA Voice n Page 9
#March 2013.indd 9
2/25/2013 12:18:40 PM
Page 10 n The NSEA Voice n March 2013
#March 2013.indd 10
2/25/2013 12:18:41 PM
Two Education Crises:
Which is Fake? Which is Real?
By Anthony Cody
As first appeared in Education Week on Jan. 17, 2013.
Reprinted with permission from the author.
Recently, there were two important studies released. One
tells us that the international test data used to declare our schools
broken and uncompetitive is bogus. The other tells us we have a
very different crisis we should be concerned about: the percent
of students who are engaged and excited about school drops
dramatically between elementary and high school. The policies
pursued to fight the first, phony crisis, are likely to be making
our real problem of declining student engagement worse.
When “no excuses” reformers like Michelle Rhee or Bill
Gates want to justify their demands for policy shifts in our
schools, the first card they play is the one that says
our schools are failing in comparison to those of
our international rivals. Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst ran TV ads last summer that depicted our students as an out of shape athlete bumbling around on a gym mat. Bill
Gates on Oprah a few years ago asserted
that if we could get rid of all the nation’s
“bad teachers,” our scores would rise to
the top of the world rankings.
Valid Skepticism
But researchers have long been skeptical about these rankings, and careful investigation by Martin Carnoy and Richard
Rothstein have confirmed that our standings
are quite respectable. Our international standings are depressed not by “bad teachers,” but by the
relatively high number of students we have living in poverty. They explain:
Disaggregation of PISA test scores by social class group
reveals some patterns that many education policymakers will
find surprising. Average U.S. test scores are lower than average scores in countries to which the United States is frequently
compared, in part because the share of disadvantaged students
in the overall national population is greater in the United
States than in comparison countries. If the social class distribution of the United States were similar to that of top-scoring
countries, the average test score gap between the United States
and these top-scoring countries would be cut in half in reading
and by one-third in mathematics. Disadvantaged U.S. students
perform comparatively better than do disadvantaged students
in important comparison countries. The test score gap between
advantaged and disadvantaged students in the United States is
smaller than the gap in similar post-industrial countries...
The authors include this in their conclusion:
We have shown that U.S. student performance, in real terms
and relative to other countries, improves considerably when
we estimate average U.S. scores after adjusting for U.S. social
class composition and for a lack of care in sampling disadvantaged students in particular. With these adjustments, U.S.
scores would rank higher among OECD countries than commonly reported in reading – fourth best instead of 14th – and in
mathematics – 10th best instead of 25th.
So perhaps we are not international laggards after all.
But we are aware that test scores are not the thing that really
matters in the long run. In the long run, what we ought to care
about most is how well prepared our students are to be happy,
productive adults. And higher test scores could actually mean
we are doing worse in that regard. The recent Gallup poll results on student engagement draw our attention to another set
of indicators, and by these, we are in real trouble.
From a report by Brandon Busteed at Gallup:
The Gallup Student Poll surveyed nearly 500,000 students
in grades five through 12 from more than 1,700 public schools
in 37 states in 2012. We found that nearly eight in 10 elementary students who participated in the poll are engaged with school. By middle school that falls to
about six in 10 students. And by high school,
only four in 10 students qualify as engaged.
Busteed provides a strong dose of reality to our test-obsessed system:
The drop in student engagement for
each year students are in school is our
monumental, collective national failure.
There are several things that might help
to explain why this is happening – ranging from our overzealous focus on standardized testing and curricula to our lack
of experiential and project-based learning
pathways for students – not to mention the
lack of pathways for students who will not
and do not want to go on to college.
Confronting the Crisis
I recently visited a high school in Albuquerque that has figured out how to reverse this dynamic. In targeting students who
had already dropped out or were disengaged, ACE Leadership
High had to confront this crisis head-on. They did so in ways
that echo Busteed’s insights, through projects with strong connections to the real world these students see around them.
Let’s be clear about why so many students disconnect from
high school. As the pressure to perform well on tests is exerted
ever more, we have shifted the very reason for our work. When
students ask “why are we learning this?” our best answers revolve around the students themselves. We ought to be teaching
things that are really useful in their lives, and which satisfy their
curiosity about the world. It is our job as teachers to provoke
that curiosity, and build on it. It is our job to make connections
to the real world visible and compelling. When our answer to
the question “why are we learning this?” is “because it is on the
test,” or “because it is Common Core standard 3.6a,” we have
lost our way, and our students know it.
It is time to abandon the phony imperatives of test-driven
reform, and listen to what our students are telling us.
Anthony Cody spent 24 years working in Oakland, CA, schools, 18 of them
as a science teacher at a high needs middle school. He is National Board certified, and leads workshops with teachers focused on Project Based Learning.
For additional information on Cody’s work, visit his website, Teachers Lead.
March 2013 n The NSEA Voice n Page 11
#March 2013.indd 11
2/25/2013 12:18:42 PM
Page 12 n The NSEA Voice n March 2013
#March 2013.indd 12
2/25/2013 12:18:43 PM
March 2013 n The NSEA Voice n Page 13
#March 2013.indd 13
2/25/2013 12:18:44 PM
Is Your Privacy
@ Risk?
NSEA Action Protects Members at Metro Local;
Proposed Legislation Would Protect Your Credit Privacy,
Ban Employers From Access to Your Social Media Sites
I
has little to do with his or her ability to teach second grade readt is mid-November and NSEA members at a large metroing. Every check of credit nicks the credit standing of the emarea district receive a letter from an administrator indiployee in question, said Norby. But the second level of credit
cating, “we believe you need to be provided an updated
checks, the investigative report, would allow the kind of backcopy of your rights regarding perpetual background checks.”
ground check a private investigator might conduct.
Enclosed are a number of papers, including a page from The
“People don’t know how invasive, how potentially dangerBackground Check Company and an ‘Authorization for Ongoous these disclosures are,” said Norby.
ing Screening.’ The letter asks educators to complete and return
“the Perpetual Background Application form that is enclosed.”
What the cover letter failed to disclose was that by complyortunately, there are two bills before the Legislature
ing, employees gave the district the authority to conduct credit
this year that address privacy issues. LB95 creates the
checks and personal interviews with friends and family; to colEmployee Credit Privacy Act.
lect details about the employee’s “character and general reputaSen. Annette Dubas proposed LB95. It would prohibit emtion”; and even check into a teacher’s living arrangements.
ployers from “inquiring about or using an employee’s credit
Further, once signed, the “perpetual” nature of the form alhistory or credit report as a basis for employment, recruitment,
lowed a background investigation at any time during the emdischarge, or compensation, except when a satisfactory credit
ployee’s tenure.
history is an established bona fide occupational requirement.”
NSEA Attorney Nick Welding said the Fair Credit ReportIt would provide protection for current and future employees.
ing Act offers two levels of reports. A credit report offers details
LB58 creates the Workplace Privacy Act and prohibits an
about credit worthiness and capacity. “Far more
employer from requiring an employee or apinvasive,” he said, is the investigative report.
plicant to disclose a user name or password in
“In this instance, we
“It can involve interviews with neighbors collectively stood beside
order to gain access to the employee’s or apand friends about general reputation, character,
plicant’s social networking site or profile. Sen.
our colleagues at the
and can even involve surveillance,” he said.
Tyson Larson’s bill would also prohibit an emAttorney Scott Norby said the investigative local level on a privacy
ployer from requiring an employee to waive
report “is the most onerous and nefarious type issue. Now, through legtheir rights under the act, and restricts the emof investigative authorization you could ask islation, we can protect
ployer from requesting or requiring an employanyone to sign.
members across the state ee to log on to a social networking account in
“And this district asked employees to allow
the presence of the employer.
on this very same issue.”
this on a perpetual basis,” he said.
NSEA supports both bills, held now by the
— Nancy Fulton Legislature’s Business and Labor Committee.
“This illustrates exactly why NSEA is inven though district officials said inPresident, NSEA
volved in the political process,” said NSEA
vestigations would not be used, Norby
President Nancy Fulton. “In this instance, we
said “there were a lot of red flags.”
collectively stood beside our colleagues at the local level on a
Members were concerned about privacy issues, but there
privacy issue. Now, through legislation, we can protect memwas another angle as well. Norby and Welding saw the adminbers across the state on this very same issue.”
istration’s request as a unilateral change in conditions of emFulton urged members to contact their state senators on
ployment, a prohibited practice.
these and other issues pertinent to public schools.
Norby and Welding assisted the local Association in filing
a grievance, which led to talks with the school superintendent.
The district agreed to drop the request and shred already-colhe Legislature’s Appropriations Committee is worklected forms. The local Association then dropped the grievance.
ing on a budget recommendation for the 2013-15 biEven the simple credit report has consequences beyond priennium. While the needs-based state aid formula for
vacy – never mind that a school employee’s credit worthiness
K-12 schools calls for an increase of about 10 percent, the gov-
F
E
T
Page 14 n The NSEA Voice n March 2013
#March 2013.indd 14
2/25/2013 12:18:45 PM
Political Action:With the State Capitol building looming through the windows in the background, Omaha State Sen. Jeremy Nordquist talks to retired members during NSEA-Retired’s annual Lobby Day. About 50 retired members attended
and had one-on-one visits with state senators during the day.
ernor has suggested an increase of only
5 percent. NSEA will advocate for a 7
percent increase. NSEA also supports
funding increases for state and community colleges and the university.
The status on bills of interest:
Your Classroom
NSEA Supports LB506, Class
Size: Lincoln Sen. Kate Bolz addresses
the elementary class size allowance now
in the state aid formula, which provides
for one certified teacher for classrooms
between 10 and 20 students for K-3
grades. LB506 includes an additional
provision to provide a class size allowance for grades with one certified teacher and one instructional paraprofessional in the classroom with a minimum of
21 and maximum of 28 students.
NSEA Supports LB555, Preparing
Students: Omaha Sen. Jeremy Nordquist’s Preparing Students for Educational Success Act would distribute
grants from the Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families program to fund after-school programs aligned with what
students learn during the school day.
NSEA’s Jay Sears told the Health and
Human Services Committee that the
plan would increase the opportunity for
more students to extend learning time
and raise achievement.
Administration
NSEA Opposes LB121, Administrative Waivers: Omaha Sen. Scott
Lautenbaugh proposes to allow school
districts to hire superintendents who do
not hold an administrator’s certificate issued by the State Board of Education.
Sears told the Education Committee
that a long-standing NSEA Resolution
says “all educators shall be certificated
by the State Board of Education.” A superintendent, he said, must be a teacher.
NSEA also opposes Sen. Ernie
Chambers’ LB539. It would bar the
State Board from requiring teaching experience as a pre-requisite for issuance
of an administrator’s certificate.
“How will an uncertificated principal recognize good or poor teaching if
they have never taught? How will an
uncertificated principal understand the
nuances of good pedagogy if he or she
has never studied the process or spent
time in a classroom,” Sears said.
Taxes, Budget Lid
NSEA Supports LB201, Emergency Expenditures: Malcolm Sen.
Ken Haar offered LB201, which would
allow emergency expenditures by
schools and Educational Service Units
to address disasters and emergencies, ir-
respective of budget or levy caps. The
disaster must be recognized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
NSEA Supports LB357 and LB469,
Budget Lids and Voluntary Separation Agreements: Malcolm Sen. Ken
Haar offered LB357; Norfolk Sen. Jim
Scheer LB469. Both clarify and extend
the school district budget lid exemption
for voluntary separation agreements
– early retirement plans – used by districts to manage budgets. NSEA’s Larry
Scherer noted that both bills include a
major departure from current statute:
school districts must demonstrate that,
over a five-year period, savings realized
through lower salary for replacement
staff offset the cost of the plans.
NSEA Supports LB613, the Tax
Modernization Commission: Columbus Sen. Paul Schumacher’s plan to
conduct an in-depth study of the state’s
tax system and provide recommendations to the Legislature for next year.
NSEA Opposes LB593, Charter
Schools: NSEA testified against Sen.
Scott Lautenbaugh’s LB593, which
would allow up to five charter schools
within metropolitan school districts.
NSEA’s Sears told the Education
Committee that public schools, with
March 2013 n The NSEA Voice n Page 15
#March 2013.indd 15
2/25/2013 12:18:45 PM
proper tools and funding, can already
meet Lautenbaugh’s concerns about ensuring quality education for children in
Omaha. Those tools include high standards and expectations; rigorous, relevant curriculum; adequate and equitable
funding; small class size, especially in
grades K-3; effective educator evaluation; a quality administrator in every
building; and other items.
Instead of charter schools, Sears said
“Nebraska needs the legislature, the
state board of education, and the Nebraska community to focus on supporting our public schools in their mission
of continually improving instruction for
the betterment of student learning.”
State Aid
NSEA Supports LB323, State Aid
Committee: Sen. Haar’s LB323 would
re-establish the School Finance Review
Committee to monitor and evaluate the
state aid act, LB1059. An amendment
would place a teacher on the committee.
NSEA Director of Research Larry
Scherer was legal counsel for the Education Committee when LB1059 passed
in 1990. He said the goal was to provide quality education for students in all
school districts, regardless of property
tax wealth or the wealth of citizens in
the school district. The review committee was later a victim of budget cuts.
He said, however, the “current ad
hoc arrangement does not provide a
long-range view of school financing
and misses the critical perspectives of
school board members, experts and
teachers. Most important, there has never been an adequate, objective evaluation of how well the system, with all its
moving parts, is working to serve the
needs of Nebraska children.”
NSEA Supports LB640, State Aid:
NSEA Director of Public Policy Jason
Hayes told the Education Committee
that state aid has fallen from $950 million in 2010-11 to $852 million this year.
“As a result, school districts have had
to increase class size, cut programs and
supplies, reduce staff and raise property
taxes in order to try and maintain their
ability to provide every child with a
quality education,” he said.
Hayes said NSEA supports LB640’s
strategy and an interim study of the state
aid funding mechanism.
Your Retirement
NSEA Supports LB553, Teacher
Retirement: Omaha Sen. Nordquist’s
plan would ensure solvency of the Nebraska Public Employees Retirement
System school plan.
Hayes told the Retirement Committee that market declines experienced
several years ago have created an additional funding need from the state of
$48 million in 2013 and $60 million in
2014. By 2018, the state would need to
kick in $138 million.
To address these and other lesser
funding shortfalls, LB553 would eliminate contribution sunsets set for 2017.
Educators will continue to contribute
9.78 percent of salary to retirement
beyond 2017, rather than drop back to
7.28 percent, the rate prior to 2008. The
proposal would also increase the state
contribution from 1 percent to 2 percent (about $17 million annually), and
would make minor adjustments to the
plan for first-time enrollees. Future firsttime enrollees would see cost-of-living
increases for pensions capped at 1 percent, rather than 2.5 percent for current
educators. New enrollee retirement benefits would also be based on an average
of five, rather than three, years’ salary,
causing a slight reduction in benefits.
The plan would save the state $30
million this year and $43 million in
2014. NSEA also backs LB554, which
strengthens the OPS retirement plan.
NSEA Opposes LB638, Cash Balance Retirement Plan: Omaha Sen.
John Nelson’s bill would change the retirement plan for new school employees
from defined benefit to cash balance.
The current defined benefit plan recognizes longevity and calculates salary and
service years worked by an employee to
set the monthly benefit upon retirement.
Longevity is one incentive, however,
not encapsulated in a cash balance plan.
Under a cash balance benefit, an employee has no incentive from a pension
perspective to continue long employment with a school plan employer.
NSEA Supports LB416, LB645,
Teacher Education Allowance: Omaha Sen. Rick Kolowski’s LB416, and
Sen. Haar’s LB615, with minor differences, would retain the state aid formula’s teacher education allowance, which
rewards districts that hire teachers with
advanced hours or degrees.
In a letter to the Education Committee, retired Kearney and Lincoln teacher
and 1992 Nebraska Teacher of the Year
De Tonack called the teacher education
allowance “a key component in promoting quality teachers in the classroom
and, as research validates, quality teachers are the most important element in
helping students learn.”
Page 16 n The NSEA Voice n March 2013
#March 2013.indd 16
2/25/2013 12:18:45 PM
Changes to It is Not Too Late and it is ... A Big Deal!
Bylaws Due
Delegate Assembly Dates
Arrive in Next Six Weeks
For any local association considering
submission of business items for debate
at the April 19-20 Delegate Assembly,
now is the time to begin that process.
New Business Items, Bylaws
Amendments, proposed Resolution, or
proposed changes in the Standing and
Procedural Rules have strict deadlines:
n
A New Business Item calls for
specific action. For example, “The
NSEA shall ask the Legislature for an
increase in teacher salaries.” Due date:
Friday, April 5.
n
A Bylaws Amendment alters the
Association governing documents. For
example, a section of the Bylaws could
be changed to add a particular duty to
the job description for the president.
Due date: midnight Tuesday, March 19.
n
A Resolution is a statement of beliefs. For example, “The NSEA believes
that all students should have a safe envi-
Wavering? Wondering whether you should serve as a delegate at Delegate Assembly, and whether your time will be well-spent?
The time you invest in your Association always pays dividends, particularly so at
Delegate Assembly. Any member in good standing is eligible to be elected. Here are
details about the event in Kearney:
How to get to Delegate Assembly: Your local Association has received details
regarding eligibility. Talk to your local president or building rep about attending, or call
your NSEA UniServ director at 1-800-742-0047.
Who: Any NSEA member in good standing may apply for election as a delegate.
What: Members discuss and set the Association course for the coming year.
Where/When: Kearney, April 19-20.
Why: Association goals and dues are set, and Bylaws and Resolutions (NSEA’s
guiding principles) are updated.
Cost: NSEA covers one-half of a Friday night hotel room for each delegate, a box
lunch on Saturday and mileage for delegates.
ronment in which to learn.” Due date:
Friday, April 5.
n
A Standing or Procedural Rule
governs how the Delegate Assembly
functions. Current rules call for proposed changes to be submitted 30 days
in advance to be considered and approved by majority vote at the opening
session. Due date: midnight Tuesday,
March 19. Changes submitted at the Assembly require two-thirds majority.
Associations and/or individual del-
egates may also submit New Business
Items or Resolutions during the first
and/or second business sessions of Delegate Assembly. Standing and Procedural Rule changes may be submitted
during the first business session. Those
who submit items for debate during
the first and/or second business session
must bring 500 copies for distribution.
Forms for submitting these business
items can be found on the homepage at:
www.nsea.org
March 2013 n The NSEA Voice n Page 17
#March 2013.indd 17
2/25/2013 12:18:46 PM
Retiring?
Attend An NPERS
Seminar Soon
Are you among the scores of Nebraska teachers considering retirement
this year? If so, you’ll want to be in attendance at one of the more than two dozen
pre-retirement seminars scheduled this
spring by the Nebraska Public Employees
Retirement System (NPERS) office.
For those anticipating retirement,
NPERS mails out enrollment brochures
to all eligible members four weeks prior
to the seminar.
Under state law, each eligible school
plan employee may receive leave, with pay,
to attend up to two retirement planning
programs. That leave, according to state
statute, “…shall mean a day off paid by
the employer and shall not mean vacation,
sick, personal, or compensatory time.”
Retirement plan members may attend a seminar more than twice, but any
leave beyond the two days will be at the
member’s expense and at the employer’s
discretion.
Below is a list of dates and sites for
the 2013 seminars. For more details on
seminars in your area, call the NPERS
Education Services Department at 4712053, in Lincoln, or toll-free at 1-800245-5712 from elsewhere in the state.
You may also find more information on
the website at:
npers.ne.gov
March 1.....................................LaVista
March 6.....................................LaVista
March 7.................................... Lincoln
March 8.................................... Lincoln
March 13.........................S. Sioux City
March 14................................. Norfolk
March 20........................ Grand Island
March 21.................................Kearney
March 27.............................Columbus
April 3...................................Valentine
April 4............................ North Platte
April 11...................................Kearney
April 17.............................. Scottsbluff
April 18.............................. Scottsbluff
April 24.................................... Lincoln
April 25.....................................LaVista
May 8.........................................LaVista
May 9........................................ Lincoln
May 16............................ Grand Island
May 30............................ North Platte
June 5........................................ Lincoln
June 6.........................................LaVista
June 12..................................... Lincoln
June 13.................................... Norfolk
June 19..................................... Lincoln
June 20......................................LaVista
June 26........................... Grand Island
Save With Dave!
to: neamb.com. Look for 1800Flowers.
NEA’s Click & Save program, the
com at the Shopping and Discounts tab.
online discount buying service for members, highlights select retailers
‘Twice as Nice’
and merchants each month.
The NEA Magazine Service
Check out these featured “Buyis the perfect source for ecolights” for March:
nomical, educational and enn
GNC: Get 15 percent off.
tertaining gifts for yourself, and
n
Adidas: Get 7 percent off.
loved ones. Find more than 900
n
Yoox.com (apparel): Get
popular titles and save up to 85
3 percent off.
percent off cover prices!
Join 284,000 NEA members
For a limited time, get two
already registered for Click &
years for the price of one on
Save. Go to the NEA Member
popular titles such as InstrucBenefits website, search for
Glenn
tor, Golf Digest, Latina and Self.
Click & Save, and start finding
Check out these “twice as nice” deals at:
discounts today! The website is at:
neamag.com/twiceasnice
neamb.com
Special H&R Discounts
Download a coupon for NEA member discounts at H&R Block! Get up to
$15 off tax preparation of your Federal
Form 1040 or 1040A, either in H&R
Block offices or online. Also, H&R
Block has special offers on At Home for
do-it-yourselfers. Get details on special
pricing and download the coupon at:
neamb.com/hrblock
David Glenn is Nebraska’s
NEA Member Benefits representative.
Surprise, Delight With Flowers
Whether it’s to celebrate a graduation, a birthday, a new arrival, or another occasion, NEA members can delight
loved ones with a lush plant, gorgeous
floral arrangement, or gift basket — and
get 20 percent off — from 1800Flowers.com and 1800Baskets.com!
For details, and to place an order, go
Page 18 n The NSEA Voice n March 2013
#March 2013.indd 18
2/25/2013 12:18:47 PM
Member Benefits
A Credit Card Surcharge?
Businesses Can Charge
an Extra Fee on
Some Cards. Will They?
Brick-and-mortar retailers and online
merchants in 40 states can now add up
to a 4 percent surcharge to charges made
with Visa or MasterCard.
The surcharge, called a checkout or
swipe fee, is allowed by a recent court
settlement between retailers, card companies and nine major banks, according to Consumer Action, a consumer
advocacy group. The settlement allows
retailers to pass on costs of processing
credit card transactions to customers –
a practice previously banned. But most
retailers likely won’t add the surcharge,
says Craig Shearman, a spokesman for
the National Retail Federation.
The NRF has spoken with many of
its members and none plans to charge a
checkout fee, Shearman said. In fact, the
point of the lawsuit, which was brought
by merchants, was to bring down swipe
fees, and, in turn, lower consumer prices.
Retailers typically pay card issuers
a fee equal to 1.5 percent to 3 percent
of a total purchase when they accept a
credit card. The settlement allows retailers to charge only the amount they pay
to process a card, up to 4 percent, said
Consumer Action. Shearman said retailers also would have to meet several
complex requirements to charge the fee.
For starters, the fees are illegal in 10
states (California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma and Texas).
Shearman noted that existing Visa and
MasterCard rules require companies to
handle credit cards the same in all of
their stores. So chains with stores in the
10 states that allow surcharges wouldn’t
be allowed to charge an extra fee for
card transactions in any of their stores.
LowCredit.com reports another nine
states are considering a ban on surcharges: Illinois, Hawaii, New Jersey, Utah,
Missouri, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
Vermont and West Virginia.
The settlement also requires merchants that add a surcharge to Visa and
MasterCard purchases add a surcharge
to other cards with an equal or higher
swipe fee, such as American Express.
However, American Express prohibits
retailers from charging customers an
extra fee to use their cards. Businesses
that accept all three cards would not be
able to add a surcharge, Shearman said.
Retailers also must follow other
guidelines if they charge this fee:
n
They must disclose at the store entrance, point of sale or on receipts that
they are charging an extra fee for credit
card purchases.
n
The disclosure on a receipt must
show the amount of the fee and stipulate
that the amount is equal to what the retailer pays to process a credit card transaction. The fees can vary for different
types of cards, such as rewards cards,
according to Consumer Action.
n
Retailers cannot charge an extra
fee for debit cards.
By the Editors of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, compliments
of NEA Member Benefits.
March 2013 n The NSEA Voice n Page 19
#March 2013.indd 19
2/25/2013 12:18:47 PM
3
Page 20 n The NSEA Voice n March 2013
#March 2013.indd 20
2/25/2013 12:18:48 PM
News You Can Use
GEON Offers Nebraska
Geography Programs
The Geographic Educators of Nebraska are back in the field this summer,
with two free professional development
institutes. Any K-12 Nebraska educator
who desires to learn how to put more
and better standards-based geography
content into their classrooms can apply.
Three hours of graduate credit for either institute is available through Wayne
State College. Participants completing
all requirements will receive a $200 stipend. The two institutes are:
n
Geography of the City – Omaha: Based at the University of Nebraska-Omaha June 10-14, speakers and
presentations will focus on the human
and physical geography of the Omaha
area. Field study will highlight and explain important locations in Omaha’s
urban and economic geography. Participants will create and share standardsbased lesson plans relating to Nebraska
geography. Registrants from outside a
50-mile radius of Omaha will receive
housing. Participants will receive free
teaching materials. Applications are due
by May 31. For more, e-mail Steve Callaghan at [email protected].
n
Geography of the Frontier:
Northwest Nebraska and More:
Based at Chadron State July 14-20, this
institute includes field studies, lectures
and lessons presented by elementary/
secondary consultants. Field study will
take place in the Black Hills, the Sandhills, at Fort Robinson and the Pine
Ridge Reservation. Participants will
create and share standards-based lessons. Housing is provided. Applications
are due June 3. For details, e-mail Lonnie Moore at [email protected].
NSEA Elections Now Under Way!
Balloting to fill two score open seats on NSEA district and state governance
boards is now under way.
Every member is encouraged to vote in order to elect capable members to lead
the Association for the next several years.
All members need in order to vote is computer access and their 10-digit NSEA
identification number. The two-week voting period opened on Wednesday, Feb. 27.
Prior to that date, members with valid e-mail addresses on file with NSEA received
an e-mail alert detailing the voting process and including each member’s 10-digit
identification number.
NSEA members without a valid e-mail address on file received a postcard detailing the voting process. To vote, go to the web site at:
www.nsea.org
Also on the NSEA website: view a list of candidates and a brief biography for
those candidates that have supplied biographical information.
family’s home in Red Cloud, the local train depot, the Red Cloud Opera
House, the prairie. Each area includes
video links, snippets of text from Cather’s writings, photos and maps.
The website is at:
roundprojects.com/WillaCather/
index.php
Duck Stamp Program
Pairs Science with Art
As the season for spring waterfowl
migration nears, this is the perfect time
for Nebraska students to participate in
the Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest. The
contest is an opportunity for K-12 students to connect with nature through artistic creation. The program encourages
students to portray native waterfowl in
natural habitats.
Exhibition of winning entries will
take place at various sites around Nebraska. The Best of Show will enter the
national competition.
Deadline for entry is March 15. Details are available on line at:
www.fws.gov/juniorduck
Cather ‘Virtual Tour’
Provided by NETV
Nebraska Educational Television has
created a virtual tour of Nebraska author
Willa Cather’s hometown, Red Cloud,
that literature teachers will come to love.
The website uses materials from the
2005 American Masters PBS program
Willa Cather – The Road is All program.
The program featured actor David
Strathairn as narrator and Marcia Gay
Harden as the voice of Cather. NET’s
Joel Geyer produced the program.
The website includes a look at four
areas vital to Cather’s early years: her
March 2013 n The NSEA Voice n Page 21
#March 2013.indd 21
2/25/2013 12:18:49 PM
NSEA-Retired Corner
Retirees Work with Senators
NSEA-Retired Joins
Coalition on Retirement
Nebraska ranks as one of the 10 least
tax-friendly states for retirees.
The goal of coalition joined by
NSEA-Retired is to develop alternatives to the current tax structure that will
move Nebraska out of that Bottom 10
ranking over the next several years. At
the annual NSEA-Retired Lobby Day in
early February, about 45 NSEA-Retired
members heard an update of coalition
activities.
Following the update, NSEA-retired
members left the NSEA Headquarters
building and went to the Legislature to
talk with senators about various bills that
are important to both NSEA and NSEARetired, and to help lay the groundwork
for legislation to make Nebraska more
retiree-friendly.
Legislative Update
The Unicameral Update is a daily
news source produced by the Clerk of
the Legislature’s Unicameral Information Office. A print version of the
Unicameral Update, a free newsletter
offered weekly during the legislative
session, is available to be sent to your
home. To request the mailing, just call
402-471-2788 or e-mail:
[email protected]
The website also provides a searchable archive of news stories for the current biennium. You can access update
information at this website:
http://update.legislature.ne.gov
Or, join the Twitter world at:
http://twitter.com/UnicamUpdate
Currently there are nine bills aimed at
making Nebraska more retiree friendly.
The NSEA-Retired Board of Directors
requests that all members, and active
citizens, contact their representatives
and encourage them to work together
Intensity: Attendees at the annual NSEA-Retired Lobby Day on Feb. 5 listen
closely as Jason Hayes, NSEA director of Public Policy and Legislative Research
offers an update on legislative bills. From left are Gretchen Terpsma, Bennett;
Gene Martin, Beatrice; and Joanne Allen, Lincoln.
to push a single bill to the floor of the
Legislature, working to build stronger
schools, stronger communities, and a
stronger economy. Such a bill should
meet the following two requirements:
n
Impact the greatest number of
people.
n
Have the largest amount of money
the state can afford to get back into the
hands of taxpayers.
When asking senators to consider
tax relief for retirees, please focus on
what is fair and equitable to retirees
and would have the greatest economic
impact. Please contact your senator(s)
and let them know your personal story,
and why it is important for the state of
Nebraska to structure the tax reform
to benefit all retirees, not just a select
group.
Finally, these two hints:
n
If you want to testify before a
committee, you must fill out the sign-in
sheet at the witness table, orally identify
yourself and spell your last name for the
record, and state who, if anyone, you
represent as you begin your testimony.
It is important to remember that committee proceedings are transcribed verbatim, so it is helpful to have your testimony written out, in order to be concise.
As you plan out your presentation, visit
this link to find tips for testifying:
uniweb.legislature.ne.gov/about/
testifying.php
n
During a bill’s public hearing,
letters or written communication containing support, opposition, or neutral
testimony, are accepted by committees.
Persons wishing to send written information should address their correspondence to the office of the senator who
chairs the committee and ensure that the
information arrives before the hearing.
— Renae Kelly, Editor
[email protected]
Olympian Curt Tomasevicz at Spring Conference!
The NSEA Retired annual meeting and Spring Conference will be held Thursday, April 18, at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney. Curt Tomasevicz, the U.S. Olympic gold medal-winnning bobsledder from Nebraska will
deliver the keynote at 9 a.m. Two breakout sessions will
be available before lunch, followed by the NSEA-Retired
business meeting and legislative update at 1:30 p.m. Cherie Beam Clark will entertain with a spotlight on Nebraska following the business meeting. A dessert reception,
wrap up, evaluation, and door prizes will end the day.
Registration and agenda will be online at:
http://www.nsea.org/retired
Page 22 n The NSEA Voice n March 2013
#March 2013.indd 22
2/25/2013 12:18:50 PM
Is Your School Green?
NPPD Offers Investigative Package for Students
GreenSchools has nothing to do with painting the school house. Instead, it is a national
program designed to make a school “greener through critical thinking and problem solving.
The program encourages students from kindergarten through the 12th grade to take personal responsibility for improving the quality of their school, home and community environment.
Nebraska Public Power District supports the program by providing educational resources,
teacher professional development, and classroom programs.
“NPPD offers teachers in energy and sustainability education hands-on, project-based instruction and tools needed to conduct GreenSchools’ investigations,” said NPPD Energy Educator Jennifer Swerczek.
Students complete the investigations and develop action plans for improvement.
One of the key components is an investigative toolkit. The toolkits, which NPPD will loan
to schools, contain light and watt meters, an infrared temperature gauge, a CO2 meter, a conservation flow meter bag, and other equipment used to conduct investigations.
The GreenSchools program consists of five, student-led investigations designed for the
school setting, but also include elements where students can apply learned skills in their home
environment. At the completion of each investigation, students develop and implement an action plan. Swerczek said the school building becomes a learning lab for students.
“This program helps improve students’ academic performance in science, technology, engineering, and math, and develops critical thinking skills, and grows student leaders,” she said.
Based on the results, schools can develop an action plan focused on reducing the energy
usage, increasing the school’s energy efficiency and improving environmental quality.
Funding may be available for implementing school action plans, and implementing a
GreenSchools program could aid schools in applying for the U.S. Department of Education’s
new Green Ribbon School Award.
For details, contact Swerczek at 402-336-2701, or visit:
www.nppd.com/energy-education/greenschools
Consolidation: Gains, Losses
Center for Great Plains Studies Offers Symposium
to Review Effects of School Consolidation
The Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will host
its 39th annual symposium on April 5-6, at Kearney. The 2013 theme is “Gains and
Losses from School Consolidation.”
“This theme serves as a launching point to give participants the opportunity to
connect school consolidation issues to the preservation of a well-educated citizenry,
regardless of particular locations,” Symposium Chairman Peter Longo said. Longo is
a professor of political science at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
The symposium, which is open to the public, will address such questions as: What
are the causes and consequences of school consolidation? What are its effects on
students? How do we sustain the vitality of rural schools and rural communities?
More than two dozen speakers will present over two days on UNK’s campus and
at the Younes Conference Center. The symposium will also feature a concert by the
Hutchins Consort, a photography exhibition and sandhill crane watching.
Paul Theobold, author of several books on rural education and a dean at Buena
Vista University, will give the keynote address. He has published widely on the topic
of community- and place-based education – the idea that learning through the outdoor
environment and a student’s community is a key component of a strong education.
For details about the conference, e-mail [email protected], or visit:
www.unl.edu/plains
The Center for Great Plains Studies is a four-campus interdisciplinary, research
and teaching program. Its mission is to promote a greater understanding of the people,
culture, history, and environment of the Great Plains through a variety of research,
teaching and outreach programs.
Extra Credit
Charles
A. Brown
Longtime NSEA member
Charles A. “Charlie” Brown,
Lincoln, died Jan. 28. An NEA
life member, he was 93.
He was born on Aug. 28,
1919 in York. He was a Navy
pilot and navigator during
World War II. He taught economics and political science
at York High School until his
retirement. He was the 1973
Nebraska State Teacher of the
Year. Brown attended the Eastridge Presbyterian Church.
Survivors include four sons,
their spouses, and seven grandchildren.
Laura Mae
Nelson
Longtime NSEA member
Laura Mae (Sutherland) Nelson, 93, died on Dec. 27, 2012,
at Kimball. She was a life member of both NEA and NSEA.
Born on Jan. 10, 1919, in Petersburg, Nelson developed an
early ambition to teach. As her
high school class valedictorian,
she received a full scholarship
to Chadron State Teachers
College, and, after receiving
her two-year degree, taught at
a one-room school near Kimball, and then at Chappell.After
marrying Leonard Nelson in
1942, she returned to teaching
in 1962 when the youngest of
her five children began school.
She taught third grade for 23
years, while earning a master’s
degree from Chadron State.
She was active in NSEA, NEA,
AAUW, Delta Kappa Gamma
and a host of other organizations.
She is survived by five children, 11 grandchildren, eight
great-grandchildren and one
great-great grandchild. Memorials are to the NSEA Children’s Fund.
March 2013 n The NSEA Voice n Page 23
#March 2013.indd 23
2/25/2013 12:18:50 PM
Follow Abe’s
Footsteps
Apply Now for Civil War
Fellows Program
Walk in the footsteps of Abraham
Lincoln and experience the home of
a southern sympathizer in historic
Georgetown during a weeklong Civil
War Washington Teacher Fellows program this summer.
As part of the six-day program, educators will also immerse themselves in
Lincoln’s ideas at President Lincoln’s
Cottage and walk the halls of Cedar
Hill, the home of the famed abolitionist
Frederick Douglass.
Participants will leave familiar with:
an array of virtual tours, the oratory
skills to get students on their feet performing speeches by Lincoln and Douglass; ability to take students on contentdriven experiential learning adventures;
and excited about using a wide range of
primary sources in your classroom!
Fees include hotels, airfare, workshops, materials and breakfast and lunch
each day. All Fellows are eligible to obtain three graduate credit hours through
Trinity University for $375.
Funded in part by the Catherine B.
Reynolds Foundation, the program
is offered by the Civil War Washington Consortium. Applications are due
March 29. For details, contact:
[email protected]
Speaking of Teaching
“A lazy schoolboy lets his father do
his homework, but a bright one helps
his father with it.”
—Evan Esar
American humorist, 1899-1995
Mailed By: The Nebraska State Education Association
Suite 200, 605 S. 14th St., Lincoln, NE 68508-2742
Family of Teachers
The Nebel family of teachers: Three retirees in the Nebel family of teachers
have 105 years of teaching experience among them – the others just add to
the total! Seated, from left, are: Dorothy Nebel Klein, who taught at Boone
County Districts 71 and 59; Mary Anne Steinbruck, Omaha; Kim Steinbruck,
Omaha; and Joan Novacek, Cedar Rapids. Standing, from left, are Jim Nebel,
Steven Steinbruck and Joe Nebel, all of Omaha. Jim Nebel, Joe Nebel and Mary
Anne Steinbruck taught for a total of 105 years.
If you have a family of teachers, snap a photo and send it to: Family of
Teachers, c/o NSEA, 605 S. 14th St., Lincoln, NE 68508.
Football Behavior Plan
From Diane Postman, a teacher at Yorktown,VA:
“Years ago, Poquoson Primary School used sports to create a school-wide behavior incentive program for January. We
used a die-cut machine to cut footballs. Each teacher was given
a stack. We were asked to carry a few with us at all times. When
we saw another class (not our own) that was well-behaved in
the hallway, cafeteria, at the bathrooms, or the like, we handed
a football to a student in the class. They could also earn a football for an individual act of good citizenship.
Upon returning to the classroom, the teacher
talked about what the class did to earn the
football and would post it on a paper football
field that was displayed outside of her door in
the hall. Each time the class earned a football,
their ‘team’ would advance 10 yards on the field. (This was
great for teaching counting by 10’s.) When the team reached
the goal post, they would earn a touchdown and start over. Tally
marks were used to display and track points earned.
“When it was time for the Super Bowl, the totals were given to the principal. We then had a culminating assembly and
everyone wore sports-related clothing to school. The principal
and assistant principal dressed like football players, complete
with helmets and pads! The top scoring classes got to do cheers,
and all classes were praised for their behaviors. Examples of
especially good deeds and behaviors were announced for all to hear. This activity was extremely popular and allowed us to “catch ‘em
being good” rather than give out reprimands.”
Sign up for Works4Me at this link:
www.nea.org/tools/Works4Me.html
Page 24 n The NSEA Voice n March 2013
#March 2013.indd 24
2/25/2013 12:18:51 PM