CEA_Summer 2023 Advisor

REPRESENTING

SUMMER 2023 CEA ADVISOR 7

Advocacy in Action

CEA delegates make a great showing at the 2023 NEA Representative Assembly over the Independence Day holiday.

NEA RA new business items strengthen public education Nearly 100 new business items were brought before the delegation, more than a third of which passed, with several others referred to their appropriate committees for further consideration. Among the key new business items adopted during the 2023 NEA RA were initiatives to • Recognize anti-LGBTQ discrimination and violence directed at people identifying or perceived as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, or intersex and develop political strategies to defend public education and the rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ people and combat anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and rhetoric, especially at the local school board level; improve school climate and culture, particularly addressing LGBTQ+ youth homelessness, suicide, and the need for access to gender-affirming care; expand partnerships and grant opportunities for educator led professional development, particularly in areas of using pronouns, supporting transitioning students, and LGBTQ-inclusive practices and policies; update bargaining guidance around LGBTQ+ issues, including access to gender affirming care • Elevate culturally responsive pedagogy by engaging members, developing a resource bank of curricular resources across multiple disciplines and digital platforms, and examining culturally responsive pedagogy in educator prep programs

and preserve public education. And we will win, because we must. We will win because we know our students are depending on us to be worthy of them.” In the past year alone, she pointed out, many politicians who have failed to address the educator shortage and gun violence in schools have instead banned books about Martin Luther King Jr. and Anne Frank, attempted to erase and dehumanize the LGBTQ+ community, blocked students from learning AP African American Studies, and restricted educators’ freedom to teach and students’ freedom to learn. For teachers in the crowd working in states where such freedoms have been restricted, the rally was a powerful, validating experience. “I feel this is a space where I’m supported and where I can get the knowledge and tools to move forward,” said Jorje Botello, a civics teacher in Okeechobee, Florida, who also taught U.S. history for more than 20 years. “It’s hard to teach history and civics in Florida today,” he said, adding that teachers are fearful for their jobs. “One hundred percent, we feel limitations on what we can do and teach.” National Teacher of the Year in the spotlight “Every day, as we unlock the doors of our classrooms, we swing wide the doors of opportunity. Each time we open a book, we open a space to grow.” That was the message Oklahoma high school math teacher and 2023 National Teacher of the Year Rebecka Peterson delivered to her

colleagues and fellow NEA RA delegates, celebrating their role in ensuring educators’ freedoms and inspiring students, and emphasizing that the fight to protect democracy must continue. “As an Iranian-American woman, I stand acutely aware that liberty for all is no guarantee. Rather, it’s a product of a nation’s people insisting that we belong to each other. Teachers, you are the ones carrying that banner.” Community schools movement A panel discussion on day three of the NEA RA looked at progress and success within the community schools movement, part of an initiative spearheaded nationally by NEA and taken up by CEA at the statewide level to help establish and grow public schools that provide services and support that fit their particular neighborhood’s needs. These often include wraparound services, integrated into the fabric of the school, that provide meals, healthcare, mental health counseling, and other services before, during, and after school. NEA launched the Community Schools Institute with a $10 million investment to help communities start and grow community schools, and thanks to the union’s advocacy, the federal government now provides $70 million in federal funding to support these initiatives. CEA successfully lobbied its own state legislature in recent years to adopt statutory language acknowledging community schools as a viable component of education reform. That work—including advocating for community school investments and pilot programs—continues.

SPOTLIGHT ON CEA-RETIRED

• Enact gun safety legislation through statewide task forces addressing safe storage of firearms, red flag laws, universal background checks, gun purchase waiting periods, and limits or bans on the purchase of assault rifles • Strengthen public education as the cornerstone of democracy through shareable, NEA-developed advocacy tools related to recent critical Supreme Court rulings • Disseminate best practices for educators of newcomer students, those whose first language is not English, and those who have not attended schools in the U.S. for more than three cumulative years • Develop a strategic program to help Republican members advance a pro-public education agenda within the Republican Party. CEA-Retired was recognized with three top communications awards—the NEA Spotlight Award for coverage of retired teachers’ issues and events in the CEA Advisor , the Hall of Fame Award, and best website award. “Our CEA-Retired members are powerful advocates for active and retired teachers alike, and we’re proud to shine a light on their efforts and accomplishments,” said CEA Communications Director Nancy Andrews. “The work of CEA-Retired members has been integral to our union’s success at the legislature, at the polling booths, in the classroom, on CEA’s committees and commissions, and everywhere in between. It’s gratifying not only to publicize their work but to have those communications recognized as standard-bearers on a national level.”

ASPIRING EDUCATORS TAKE HOME NATIONAL AWARDS

At the NEA Aspiring Educators annual awards celebration in Orlando, just ahead of the NEA RA, CEA’s Aspiring Educators program was recognized with awards for State Excellence and Distinguished State Organizer. “What an amazing night for our Aspiring Educators,” said CEA Education Issues Specialist Elizabeth Sked. “CEA’s Aspiring Educators will always be winners to me, but it sure does feel good to be recognized nationally. I am incredibly proud of them and all we have accomplished this year.”

The State Excellence Recognition Award highlights the work of CEA Aspiring Educators and how they engage members in practicing the NEA Aspiring Educator Core Values—educator quality, community engagement, political action, and social justice. The Distinguished State Organizer Award recognizes Sked for her dedication and service to the NEA Aspiring Educators by serving as the organizer at the state level. Outgoing CEA Aspiring Educators Chair Kate Cummings said, “Attending the NEA Aspiring Educators Conference in Orlando reinforced my love for teaching and being a part of this powerful community. It was an honor to be nominated for Distinguished State Leader and to receive the State Excellence Recognition award from NEA! My work with CEA is not done, as I will continue to be an advocate for educators while pursuing my master’s in teacher leadership and entering the field in the fall.”