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Celebrate AEW Nov. 15-21

Click on the links at the bottom of this page to hear the two radio spots recorded by NDEA President Dakota Draper pertaining to American Education Week.  NDEA will be playing these spots across the state from now until Nov. 21. 

NEA's American Education Week (AEW) spotlights the importance of providing every child in America with a quality public education from kindergarten through college, and the need for everyone to do his or her part in making public schools great.

Our annual tagline, Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility, reflects the Association's calling upon America to provide students with quality public schools so that they can grow, prosper, and achieve in the 21st century.

In 2009, the 88th annual American Education Week will take place November 15-21. Each day during the week spotlights a different aspect of school life:

Monday, November 16 is Open House Day, a day on which millions of Americans will celebrate public education with national commemorations and local community events.

On Tuesday, November 17 schools across the nation will invite parents into the classroom for a hands-on experience of what the day is like for their child. The initiative is designed to spotlight the importance of parental involvement.

Ongoing research shows that parental involvement in schools improves student achievement, reduces absenteeism, and restores confidence among parents in their children's education. For resources on parental involvement, visit www.nea.org/parents.

Wednesday, November 18 will be set aside as a special day to honor Education Support Professionals---the secretaries, paraprofessionals (classroom aides), maintenance people, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, and other whose services to schools are invaluable.

Thursday, November 19, schools nationwide will host Educator for a Day as part of the NEA's American Education Week celebration, Nov. 11-17, 2009.  Educator for a Day events allow individuals from the community to serve as an educator to get a glimpse of a day in the life of a school employee.  The visiting educator performs the duties of the regular educator in a normal day---teaching class, performing lunch and corridor duty, recess supervision, among other responsibilities. 

The program, originally developed by the Massachusetts Teachers Association, enhances understanding among educators and community leaders.  In addition, it demonstrates to public officials and other decision-makers, the successes and challenges our teachers face and underscores the need for adequate staffing, materials, and facilities for students.

Friday, November 20 is being set aside as Substitute Educators Day, a day to appreciate the educators who are called upon to replace regularly employed teachers and other school employees who are on sick or other leave.  They are a critical link in the education of public school children.

NEA was one of the creators of and original sponsors of American Education Week (AEW).  Realizing that 25 percent of the country's World War I draftees were illiterate and 9 percent were physically unfit, representatives of the NEA and the American Legion met in 1919 to seek ways to generate public support for education.

The conventions of both organizations subsequently adopted resolutions of support for a national effort to raise public awareness of the importance of education. In 1921, the NEA Representative Assembly in Des Moines, Iowa, called for designation of one week each year to spotlight education. In its resolution, the NEA called for: "An educational week ... observed in all communities annually for the purpose of informing the public of the accomplishments and needs of the public schools and to secure the cooperation and support of the public in meeting those needs."

The first observance of American Education Week occurred December 4-10, 1921, with the NEA and American Legion as the cosponsors. A year later, the then U.S. Office of Education joined the effort as a cosponsor, and the PTA followed in 1938.

Other co-sponsors are the U.S. Department of Education and national organizations including the National PTA, the American Legion, the American Association of School Administrators, the National School Boards Association, the American Federation of Teachers, the American School Counselor Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers, the National School Public Relations Association, the National Association of State Boards of Education, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

For tips on celebrating AEW and additional materials visit www.nea.org/aew/index.html.