2003-2004 NEA
Urban Grant Winners

View photos from the 2003 Urban Grants Awards Banquet  (PDF, 575 KB).

This year’s grant winners come from 19 states. Alabama scored highest with three winning programs. Arizona, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Illinois followed with two winners each. The other grant winners hail from Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Ohio, Tennessee, and Utah. A summary of each project is listed below by state.

Alabama Alaska Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia

Illinois Indiana Iowa Minnesota New Jersey North Carolina Ohio Oklahoma Tennessee Utah

Alabama

Mobile County Education Association

The Professional Educators Resource Center (PERC) Project has proven to be successful in providing teachers and education support professionals with support and resources for the improvement of student achievement. This NEA Urban Grant will be used to maintain and further develop the established PERC Project of the Mobile County Education Association.

Mobile County ESP Organization

With the support of this NEA Urban Grant, the Mobile County Education Support Professional Organization will establish a Computer Laboratory for members to become qualified education support professionals in classrooms and at work sites. The Lab will house computer stations, software and resources that members will use to complete college coursework undertaken to satisfy the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) also known as the No Child Left Behind Act.

Montgomery County Education Association

With the assistance of this NEA Urban Grant, the Montgomery County Education Association will assist members of the affiliated Education Support Professionals (ESP) in their pursuit to obtain General Education Degrees. By providing this opportunity for ESPs, the school community will benefit from enhanced safety and security for students and other school personnel, reduction in miscommunication and misunderstanding, and the increased ability of ESP members to perform their duties.

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Alaska

Anchorage Education Association

Highly qualified teachers maintain high and rigorous standards for all students. Recognizing that teachers are key to enhanced student achievement, with the support of this NEA Urban Grant, the Anchorage Education Association will establish a National Board Candidate Support Network that will encourage high quality, intensive and classroom-focused professional development for teachers.

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Arizona

Mesa Education Association

To ensure the educational success of its growing English Language Learner population, the Mesa Education Association, in collaboration with Mesa Public Schools and the Arizona Education Association, will sponsor a community-wide conference of school personnel, parents, students, and community members. The conference will provide a forum for issues around English Language Learners and will result in the formation of an action plan that will be used to better serve this student population.

Tucson Education Association

At the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD), the Latino student population is the largest minority group at over 50 percent. The Latino population also suffers from the highest drop out rates and has the lowest standardized test scores by ethnicity. With the support of the NEA Urban Grant, TUSD’s Mexican American/Raza Studies Department in collaboration with the Tucson Education Association will offer professional development opportunities that are geared toward elevating the Latino student’s level of academic proficiency and enhancing the Latino student’s academic identity.

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California

Vista Teachers Association

The Vista Teachers Association (VTA) and the Vista Schools are currently faced with negative propaganda and inflammatory information that is leading to an erroneous view of public education. With the support of the NEA Urban Grant, VTA will participate in a variety of interactive activities and services that will provide information about the effectiveness of Vista public schools and VTA.

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Colorado

Aurora Education Association

Research indicates that effective classroom management and organizational strategies are essential skills that highly qualified teachers possess. With the support of this grant, the Aurora Education Association’s master teachers will use the NEA’s “I Can Do It” program to mentor new teachers on these skills, thereby increasing student achievement and teacher retention rates.

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Connecticut

Bridgeport Education Association

The Bridgeport Education Association seeks to address challenging issues that have developed as a result of unfunded education mandates (including the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; also known as NCLB). With the support of this grant, BEA will convene mayors, superintendents, board members, elected city officials, state legislators, and teacher leaders to develop a legislative agenda based upon the needs of public school students in urban settings.

Stamford Education Association

New teachers in Connecticut face a rigorous portfolio-based assessment through the state’s Beginning Educator Support Training (BEST) program. As the program stipulates, teachers undergoing this process require building-based mentors who can provide effective guidance and support as they prepare for, and complete the portfolio. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, the Stamford School District (SEA) is not able to provide the mentor component of the program. The lack of support leads to a large number of teachers not passing the program and to high teacher turnover—especially in large urban districts. With the assistance of this NEA Urban Grant, the Stamford Education Association will develop a cadre of men-tors who will provide this much needed support and who will, in turn, train others to become mentors.

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Delaware

Colonial Education Association

Recently, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary in the Colonial School District was labeled as under “Academic Watch—Under Improvement.”   Despite their negative rating, the Colonial Education Association (CEA), staff, parents and community leaders are more vigilant than ever in their efforts to keep student achievement a strategic focus. Through the support of this NEA Urban Grant, CEA will provide additional resources and opportunities to expand several before, during and after school programs that place a greater emphasis on instructional and motivational elements.

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Florida

Seminole UniServ

With the support of this NEA Urban Grant, the Seminole Education Association will fund creative membership recruitment and retention activities. The funds will also support innovative programs that build stronger local associations; provide desirable programs and benefits that members find more empowering, rewarding, and challenging; and increase value for their membership dues.

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Georgia

Cobb County Association of Educators

The Cobb County Association of Educators (CCAE) will use the NEA Urban Grant fund to provide instructional and professional development, and to establish a professional resource center in the association office. Benefiting from the proposed trainings and professional library will be veteran and new teachers, the student chapter at the Kennesaw State University, and CCAE’s Education Support Professionals.

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Illinois

Schaumburg Education Association/Schaumburg Educational Employees Organization

The Schaumburg Education Association, in collaboration with the Schaumburg Educational Employees Organization and the Schaumburg School District 54, seeks to develop a home/school literacy connection that will engage adolescent students in educational activities with their families. With the support of this NEA Urban Grant, they will provide materials to students and their families that focus on integrating math, science, social studies and language art activities.

Springfield Education Association

With the support of this NEA Urban Grant, the Springfield Education Association (SEA) will provide professional development for SEA leaders in the areas of student achievement, teacher quality, school system capacity, and association capacity building. Those trained will, in turn, use their skills to assist over 1100 members in these focus areas.

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Indiana

Columbus Educators Association

Due to an increasing population of English Language Learners (ELLs), Bartholomew Consolidated School District educators need new tools and training to adapt the curriculum and their teaching strategies for increased effectiveness and improved student achievement. With the support of this grant, the Columbus Education Association will provide appropriate language support, increase credit hours earned by ELL students, and increase the tools that educators use in teaching ELLs at East High School (a school that has experienced a 250% ELL growth in the past two years).

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Iowa

Sioux City Education Association

Due to severe budget cuts, Sioux City is experiencing an unusual number of voluntary and involuntary transfers (over 60 teachers this year). As research indicates, teachers changing grade level, buildings, and/or content areas need assistance to provide the best possible instruction. To meet this need, the Sioux City Education Association, in cooperation with the Sioux City Community School District will use NEA Urban Grant funds to develop and implement a Teacher in Transition Program to compliment the existing Enhancing Educator Excellence program.

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Minnesota

Minneapolis Federation of Teachers/MEASRP

The Minneapolis Education Support Professionals (ESPs) contribute to high quality instruction, successful assessment, and achievement on standardized testing. Under the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Act, also known as the No Child Left Behind Act, Minneapolis ESPs must pass a formal state or local assessment to retain their employment. With the support of the NEA Urban Grant funds, the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers will provide tutoring for ESP employees to refresh their knowledge and skills in areas addressed in the required assessment so that they feel more confident in taking the test and are successful in passing it.

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New Jersey

Irvington Education Association

Despite the district’s failing rate on New Jersey’s tests in mathematics, there has been no provision for high quality professional development in this subject area for teachers or paraprofessionals. With the support of this grant, the Irvington Education Association will provide tuition-free locally accessible mathematics courses aligned to the New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards. They will work in conjunction with the Irvington Board of Education, the Annenberg Foundation/PBS, and the University of Colorado.

New Brunswick Education Association

The Academy Project at Lincoln Annex seeks to impact student achievement by increasing parental involvement in their school. With the support of this NEA Urban Grant and the New Brunswick Education Association, Academy Project at Lincoln Annex will develop creative programs that engage parents in meaningful ways, reduce the barriers of that limit parent participation, and provide ideas and resources for parents on meaningful family activities.

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North Carolina

Pitt County Association of Educators

In 1997, the Pitt County Association of Educators (PCAE) received an NEA Urban Grant, which supported the Association’s ability to provide training and technology to teachers seeking National Board Certification. Their efforts, with the support of NEA’s Urban Grant funds, have increased the number of National Board Certified teachers to 126. With the support of this 2003-2004 NEA Urban Grant, PCAE will revitalize their support system for teachers seeking National Board Certification by providing training, developing a professional library for candidates, and by purchasing portable keyboards, tape adapters and videotapes that will be checked out by candidates.

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Ohio

Warren Education Association

The Warren Education Association (WEA) is committed to improving communication with all educational stakeholders. With the support of this grant, they will establish a community education web site to assist in the communication process with parents, students, staff, and citizens. Through this comprehensive communication tool, WEA will be able to provide accurate, truthful and complete information about their schools.

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Oklahoma

Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association

Improving the quality of inner city schools that have been affected by migration to the suburbs is a goal of the Tulsa’s Classroom Teachers Association. With the support of this grant, they will create the Tulsa Schools Coalition, which will focus on increasing public, parental, and business support in urging legislators to support public education in Oklahoma through appropriate funding. Forums, workshops, and electronic networking will be used as tools to meet the objectives of this project.

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Tennessee

Metropolitan Nashville Education Association

Effective communication with parents is a critical component of successful schools. In an effort to address the needs of the growing Hispanic community in Nashville and Davidson County, the Metropolitan Nashville Education Association will work in collaboration with the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. They will use the NEA Urban Grant to offer survival Spanish courses to assist teachers and education support professionals (ESPs)in bridging the communication gap that currently exists with Spanish speaking parents.

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Utah

Salt Lake Teachers Association

The Salt Lake Teachers Association has been focusing on encouraging membership of all teachers entering the district. This grant will provide support for the development and retention of educators in Salt Lake City through increased outreach, mentoring, and professional development. The project will target a diverse body of potential educators at the middle school, high school, and college/university level in addition to new teachers and teachers seeking to National Board Certification.

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The Kaplan University is offering scholarships for foreign and local students who have passed gre examination with good score; particularly in arithmetical and analytical sections. Like University of Maryland; the university is also offering online degree to teachers and other professionals in various standards to increase their proficiency and knowledge base.

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