In 2005, the National Education Association (NEA) began publishing a series of reports on the status of underserved groups in education. This report on the status of women and girls is based on the principle that every student has the human and civil right to a quality public education. America's public schools are expected to serve the needs of…

A continuing need for comprehensive and timely information about the public school teachers of the United States led the National Education Association (NEA) Research Division in 1956 to develop the first of a series of surveys and subsequent reports covering various aspects of teachers' professional, family, and civic lives. The NEA has conducted…

This report summarizes a conversation that took place in April of 2010 in Washington, DC regarding high school reform and Native American, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian students. The meeting was co-sponsored by the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) and the National Education Association (NEA). The meeting was attended by a broad…

This brief outlines nine leading research-based concepts that have served as a foundation for education reform. It compares existing ideas about learning, knowledge, and teaching with conceptual benchmarks for "best practice" that would be consistent with current research. The goal is to foster inquiry and support fundamental, long-term…

Recent research is revealing a great deal about how changes in educational practices and policies can revamp classrooms and schools to close the achievement gaps and promote excellence in learning for all students. This working paper examines best practices that shift classroom management's emphasis from controlling students' behavior to creating…

This paper's charge is to lay out the central ideas about learning and teaching that run throughout contemporary educational discourse. It details nine concepts of learning, knowledge, and teaching that have formed the basis for recent education reform. Specifically, this report explores the nine concepts that emphasize "active construction of…

This brief describes workplace conditions in "learning centered" schools, where practices are consistent with recent research knowledge about learning and its contexts. Its purpose is to support fundamental, long-term change by offering a vision of best practice for educators to consider, discuss, and adapt to their circumstances. It summarizes…

This report offers detailed recommendations to improve the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the current version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). It is a call to action to provide educators with the tools and resources they need to do the important job of preparing our students to live productive and successful lives. The…

This paper partially fulfills the charge set out by New Business Item (NBI) 18, passed at the 2004 NEA Representative Assembly requiring that NEA conduct an analysis of "weighted student formula" (also known as "student-based budgeting") and how it impacts educational programs in large urban districts. The funding system known as "weighted student…

The feature article of this issue of Translations: "Educational Reform and Its Connection to Art Instruction: Art and Writing" (James Blasingname) presents the history and purposes of art education. This purpose falls within the broadly stated "Art for Life's Sake." The editors chose articles that "promote research on how people grapple with life…

The role and expectations of the arts supervisor and administrator have expanded beyond managing personnel and programmatic activities to informing policy decisions. Legislation such as The No Child Left Behind Act, signed by President Bush in 2002, exacerbated this paradigm shift. Thus, the role of arts supervisors and administrators as leaders…

The "National Visual Arts Standards" form the basis for providing depth of knowledge and achievement in art for all students throughout their education and for developing effective art programs in all schools throughout the U.S. These standards offer one road map for competence and educational effectiveness, but without casting a mold into which…