Member News --November 22, 2016
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Why We Love Our NNSTOY
Members Credit the Association for Growing Connections and Capacity

Less than one week into our annual campaign to raise $5,000 in unrestricted funds, STOYs and Finalists are testifying! Their messages about the power of the organization, how it supports their lives and careers, is downright inspiring. 

"I believed that I was a teacher leader prior to being a member of NNSTOY," Lee-Ann Stephens (Minnesota 2007) wrote to us, "but NNSTOY helped me to shift from belief to action." 

Since the organization stopped asking member to pay dues, we rely even more on the generosity of our community. Pleases consider donating now so that we can continue to work on behalf of our expert educators (and their students). Read Katherine Bassett's powerful reflection On Gratitude. 
Concrete Strategies to Build Equitable Classrooms
Inward and Onward Webinar #2

Tuesday, November 29 ~ 8:00-9:15 PM ET

Join us for the second in a series of deep-dive discussions about educational equity.   Featuring Monica Washington (Texas 2014), Daniele Massey (DoDEA 2013) and Jemelleh Coes (Georgia 2014).   Register .
New Ways to Engage
Plug into teacher leadership outside of your school

Catch up on KNOW YOUR POWER: Engaging with State Policymakers About Teacher Shortages .  View the video archive of our November 15 webinar presented by NNSTOY Education Policy Advisor Jane West and  Allison Riddle (Utah 2014). Download the  presentation deck .

Participate in ESSA Educator Research.  In partnership with NNSTOY, the Collaborative for Student Success has developed a survey to understand what teachers think about ESSA. If you are a current classroom teacher, we invite you to take part in this online survey. The survey will take 30-45 minutes to complete, and all participants may choose to share their name and email address to enter for a chance to win the gifts listed below. Take the survey. 
  • iPad Pro ($599 value, 1 prize available)
  • $100 Amazon gift card (2 prizes available)
  • $50 Amazon gift card (4 prizes available
Send us your testimony for the Fundraising Campaign. Share with us your one-to-three sentence testimony about why you value being part of NNSTOY. Send to Laurie@nnstoy.org. 

Post your unique NNSTOY story to Facebook or Twitter. Take your picture and post a message in your Twitter feed or on your Facebook page telling friends and colleagues why you support NNSTOY during our Annual Giving Campaign. Don't forget to include the URL for our donation site:  https://secure.donationpay.org/nnstoy./ 

Join an Important Conversation about STEM Teacher Leadership. December 6 ~ 7:00-8:00 PM ET. The conversation is hosted by t he U.S. Department of Education, SRI Education, and Policy Studies Associates. Panelists include members of Math for America, Educate Texas, and the Utah Department of Education. Register. 

Nominate a Teacher for the Fishman Prize for Superlative Teaching. Besides being a State Teacher of the Year, the Fishman Prize is one of the most highly respected awards a teacher can receive. Four winners will participate in a thought-provoking summer residency with their peers, reflecting, writing and sharing their voice. Each winner also receives a $25,000 award. Learn more (TNTP).

Review more strategies to lean into NNSTOY teacher leadership, understand member benefits and engage with the organization.
What We are Reading
New and noteworthy ideas about education from around the country.

The Potential of Personalized Learning From a Student With a Learning Disability, Ryan MacDonald, EdWeek

Trump: My Glass is Half Empty, Nate Bowling (Washington 2016)
 
Michelle Rhee Meets with Donald Trump: Could Our Next Education Secretary Be a Democrat? Joy Resmovitz, L.A. Times

Dissecting the Youth Vote, Emily Richmond, Mikhail Zinshteyn and Natalie Gross, Atlantic

A Lesson for Preschools: When It's Done Right, the Benefits Last, Elissa Nadworny, nprED

Here's What I Told My Black Students to Remember Now That Trump Is President, Sharif El-Mekki, Education Post

The Jon Quam Scholarship
Honoring a Legacy
To honor  Jon Quam 's persistent dedication to the State Teacher of the Year Program, the Board of Directors has agreed to fund a $1,000 annual scholarship in his name. The funds will be used to offset the cost of a STOY or Finalist attending the NNSTOY National Conference.
Learn more about the Jon Quam Scholarship.  
Education Policy in the Trump Era
Jane West's Washington Update

Three areas of likely focus in education policy are emerging as the Trump team considers education appointments and Department changes.  
 
#1 School Choice.  This was a feature during his campaign and a position that all potential appointees for Secretary of Education share.  Candidate Trump recommended a $20B school choice block grant which would expand charter schools and private school options for low income students. He proposed that the block grant program come from redirecting existing federal funds and that states would decide how the dollars would follow children to public, private, charter or magnet schools.  
#2 Cutting back the U.S. Department of Education. The Trump team would like to eliminate the Department (which would prove difficult) or diminish its funds and functions. A target area could be the Office for Civil Rights,  which has been very active under President Obama in enforcing Title IX, processing complaints related to disability and race discrimination in schools, and working with the Department of Justice on matters such as rectifying bias in school discipline. The Civil Rights Data Collection has also provided critical information related to the inequitable distribution of experienced teachers for low income and minority students. 
#3 Deregulation of Higher Education and PK-12 Education.  Regulations such as those for teacher preparation and the gainful employment are at risk. Controversial proposals under ESSA such as the "Supplement not Supplant" regulations will certainly be on the chopping block, in addition to guidance that may be rescinded.  
 
Read the complete Washington Update on the NNSTOY webpage, including information about the continuing budget resolutions and a breakdown of the leadership for both parties in Congress. Learn about West's webinar (item #5) today:
DECONSTRUCTING THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: RESULTS, POLICY IMPLICATIONS, AND DISABILITY ADVOCACY IN THE NEW TRUMP ERA.
You Ought to Be in Pictures
Send NNSTOY your photos. 

Seriously. NNSTOY needs candid photos of members that we may use in publications, social media and other promotional material.

Do you have digital photos of any of your or other members doing any of the following?
  • interacting with students
  • working with other educators
  • providing professional development
  • speaking publicly or networking at a conference
  • serving the community or engaging with the community
  • meeting with a policymaker
  • setting up your room or planning your teaching

If you have digital pictures of yourself working on behalf of teachers and students, please send them to Laurie@nnstoy.org. (High quality is preferred, but we will take whatever size you have.)  If students are included, be sure that you have permission to use their image. Thank you!
New & Noteworthy
Tools and opportunities to support #TeachersLeading

Barriers to Equity in Education and the Resources Needed to Support Students. Download the survey results Teacher & Principal School Report: Equity in Education (Scholastic).

Letter to States from Secretary John King Calling for an End to Corporal Punishment. Dear Governors and Chief State School Officers (U.S. Department of Education)

High Stakes for High Schoolers. Download the second report about state accountability in the age of ESSA (Fordham Institute)

Within Our Grasp. Review report about achieving higher admissions standards in teacher preparation (NCTQ)

What Does ESSA Say About Teacher Evaluation Systems?  Principles for Teacher Support and Evaluation Systems (CCSSO)

Kudos, Shout-Outs & Accolades*
News from the NNSTOY community
Shawn Sheehan, down but definitely not out.

Shawn Sheehan's (Oklahoma 2016) article  Where Do We Go from Here? A State Teacher of the Year reflects on his run for the Oklahoma State Senate ,  was published by NNSTOY. Sheehan tells the story of his general election loss during a bid for the state senate and what the election results in Oklahoma mean for teachers.  "After last Tuesday, I feel like the message we teachers received in Oklahoma was: 1) you have no place at the State Capitol, and 2) we will keep saying we want to fund education, but we won't follow through. Only one actual teacher won his election and he will join the only other already elected."

Maddie Fennell (Nebraska 2007) published " The Teacher Prep Regulations - a Short Primer for Educators" in EdWeek and on the NNSTOY blog. Fennell breaks down the new federal regulations for institutions preparing teachers. She writes, "The focus of the regulations is to provide transparency and feedback that will drive improvement in teacher preparation programs. The new regulations revamp institutional and state reporting that already exists, now drilling down to the program level." Fennell also argues that teachers who care about teacher prep should engage with their state now. 

Lauren Eckman (Georgia 2013) has been profiled in the Atlanta Journal Constitution as a Great Georgia Teacher. 

Dyane Smokorowski (Kansas 2013) participated in an ECET2 conference with Learning Forward recently, characterizing the event as " a long journey that reaped fantastic rewards."

Kathy Nimmer (Indiana 2015) is the winner of the 2016 Hasbrook Award. 
 Nimmer was awarded for her "efforts to change minds about the capabilities of people with disabilities and her tenacity to succeed."  Watch the video. 
 
Angelica Jordan (Department of Defense 2011) posted this message about Shelly Moody (Maine 2011) on the NNSTOY Facebook page recently: 
"Imagine my surprise, while in a Literacy training in Sigonella, Sicily, when a video of Shelly McNeil Moody teaching popped up on the screen. She did a great job explaining why it is important for students to unpack standards." 

Katy Smith (Minnesota 2010) hosted a Teaching Partners Office Hour last week. Check out the conversation about how teachers juggle the jobs of parent and teacher. 

Tim Dove (Ohio 2012) was spotted on an NCTAF/Learning Forward webinar called Powering Up Your PD last week. Dove has been consulting with Learning Forward on a large-scale project to transform professional development. He is also working with CCSSO on teacher preparation and improving educational opportunities for students with disabilities. And, as if that's not enough, Dove is working with the Columbus Council of World Affairs to help high school students earn a Global Scholars diploma as part of their capstone projects.

Mike Flynn  (Massachusetts 2008) and Megan Allen (Florida 2010)  are offering scholarships for up to $10,000 for teachers to further develop their math leadership and teacher leadership skills at Mount Holyoke College. You can find out more about the scholarships by clicking the links for the  Master of Arts in Mathematics Teaching (MAMT)  and   Master of Arts in Teacher Leadership (MATL) . Both ground-breaking programs are available fully online through videoconferencing and lead by award-winning teachers from across the United States. The MATL involves a unique partnership with NNSTOY and currently has six STOYS as Professors of Practice and Teacher Leaders in Residence . They are asking members to please share this great opportunity and reach out if you need more information:  mallen@mtholyoke.edu and mflynn@mtholyoke.edu. 

Tom Rademacher's  (Minnesota 2014) article My Name is Tom. I've Been a Teacher for 10 Years and I Still Get My Ass Kicked Nearly Every Day 
was published on Education Post. Rademacher is critical the easy answers he often hears to complex education challenges. For example, when we say "Set high expectations and the students will meet them," he says we really mean this:
"Set high expectations, communicate them effectively and while simultaneously communicating concern and love and respect, and reinforce all those things while not enforcing your high expectations in a way that will damage your relationships or that tries to be too much of a buddy. Also, check yourself constantly to make sure your expectations are focused on students, are not reflections of your own Whiteness or experiences, and then some of your students will meet them, but not all, and not on all days."


Editor's Note: Member New and Education News from NNSTOY will be taking a break over Thanksgiving We will return to your inboxes November 29.


#TeachersLeading