For 2012-2013 the Maine Education Association-Retired is again sponsoring an honor grant through the legacy of Anne Sheehan, a former member of MEA-R. The grant has been increased from $750. to $1,200 for the next award in 2012.
The grant may be used to defray any expenses occurred.
The applicant must:
- be a full time educator practicing in Maine
- be enrolled in a graduate program in the area of political science, government, public policy, or a closely related subject
- be a member of the local teachers' association, a member of MEA, and a member of NEA
The application for 2012-2013 will be available after August 1st, 2011.
Please follow this link to Maine Education Association - Retired and click on the "Sheehan Honors" link for more information.
Please remember the application will not be available until after August 1st, 2011.
A hot topic in the Scarborough Schools (and all schools in Maine) right now are the Highly Qualified Teacher regulations imposed by the State of Maine. Just the paperwork to submit to the State can be overwhelming to some teachers.
In addition there is pressure from the national, state and local government levels for teachers' evaluations to be changed to determine not only continuing employment but to determine "merit pay" - success of students determined by test scores = the rate of pay for a teacher. If your students score higher you get paid more, the opposite would also be true.
At the MEA Representative Assembly meeting this Saturday and Sunday (special thanks to Bob White and Amy Taylor for giving up a weekend to attend with me!) we learned more about the policy NEA has been developing for "Teacher Evaluation and Accountability".
The primary purpose of this document is to have NEA take more of a leadership role to create fair and measurable criteria for evaluation of teacher performance. Their goal is to promote the improvement of teacher accountability to ensure a high quality public education for all students.
I will be scanning the document that was shared at the meeting and emailing it out to you, but some of the highlights are:
- Indicators of Teacher Practice
- Indicatiors of teacher contribution and growth to a school's and / or district success
- Indicatiors of teacher contribution to student learning and growth
Other goals: Meaningful evaluations that are fair, conducted by trained and objective evaluators, and evaluations that are reguarly reviewed. High quality teacher accountablity systems - with the teacher being supported to meet expectations and improve their performance if needed.
A significant portion of the policy statement addressed probationary teacher status and the need for support for teachers in the probationary status so they "thrive and not merely survive".
Also noted was the responsibility of career teachers to "reflect and enhance their own practice and to support and enhance the practice of their colleagues, particularly probationary teachers" (NEA: Proposed Policy Statement on Teacher Evaluation and Accountability, May, 2011).
After I scan the document and send it out via email let me know if you would like a paper copy and I can get you one as well.
- Crystal Goodrich, SEA President
