At last! A practical, readable guide for teachers, school leaders, and parent/teacher associations that shows how to plan fun, hands-on science nights! Get easy-to-implement, content-rich tips and ideas that will cultivate positive attitudes toward science! Learn how to involve and actively engage families in their children's science education.…

The National Education Association (NEA) is America's oldest education association, and it has become one of America's most powerful unions. It boasts 3.2 million members nationwide and is comprised of more than half of the public school teachers in the United States. Its annual reported receipts in 2009 totaled more than $377 million. The NEA's…

National Board Certification is administered by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, to advance the quality of teaching and learning by developing professional standards for accomplished teaching, creating a voluntary system to certify teachers who meet those standards and integrating certified teachers into educational reform…

This article lists steps a teacher, when attacked, should take in reporting the incident. It also briefly considers the role of the local teacher association representative in assault cases. (SJL)

The New Jersey Education Association outlines the provisions of the state's 1979-80 tenured teacher evaluation regulations and advises its members on how to protect themselves during the annual evaluation process, especially in the conference with the evaluator. (SJL)

Presents a conceptual framework for educational change that is based on systems and complexity theories and organizational change, illustrating how it works by discussing the strategies and achievements of some of the most progressive American teacher unions working to change education today. Strategies include developing internal coherence,…

This guide describes a project (Teamwork Approach to Better Schools) developed to promote the establishment of a formal teacher support network in a variety of schools within a local support district. The model is a guide to newcomers to the project, helping eliminate startup problems and providing a sound base of experiences. The program began…

With reference to the New Jersey Education Association, the author explains how a local teachers' association can use public relations techniques, especially personal communications, to maintain a positive public image and to educate the community about children and the schools. Suggestions for celebrating American Education week are appended.…

The New Jersey Education Association analyzes the job description provision in the state's new teacher evaluation regulations and presents a suggested job description for New Jersey's tenured teachers. (SJL)

The author considers ways that an incompetent teacher's colleagues and the school administration can deal with the problems such a teacher poses. The positions taken by professional associations on incompetent teachers are cited. (SJL)

The assessment competencies set forth in this monograph are knowledge and skills critical to a teacher's role as an educator. It is suggested that the seven standards described as essential for educational assessment of students be incorporated into future teacher training and certification programs. The standards require that teachers be skilled…

The executive director of the National Council of Teachers of English introduces a group of articles on the English curriculum and outlines what principals as instructional leaders can do to strengthen their English departments. (Author/JM)

New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) provides information and assistance to groups wishing to form teacher centers or already involved actively with a teacher center. NYSUT activities reported in this publication include the following: (1) publications; (2) workshops on proposal writing; (3) local and regional workshops; (4) locating resources…

Part 2 of a two-part article defines specific actions that the school district negotiating team should take. (Author/MLF)

Recent proposals to implement teacher incentive pay or merit pay plans have failed to recognize that in most states such plans must be negotiated and administered through collective bargaining at the local district level. The traditional collective bargaining process makes major changes difficult to enact; both sides must bluff, threaten, and make…