LeadershipA Newsletter Especially for MEA Local Leaders August Insider 21, 2014 | Issue 7

What can you do as a leader to get your Having problems with members ready for back to school? Common Core? You’re not only making plans for a new school year as a public school While MEA members support the concept of employee, but as a leader, you’re also making plans for a new association Common Core State Standards (CCSS), many are finding it difficult to effectively implement it year for your members. in their classrooms because of a lack of training Put these items on your leader back-to-school 6. Have a welcome back- or adequate resources. If you’re an MEA/NEA leader list: to-school message ready member, there is help. 1. Welcome new hires in your district and talk to for your first general them about the advantages of joining MEA. membership meeting. MEA has established a cadre of teachers who 2. Collect the home email addresses of your 7. Update members on any are trained to provide the support you need. members. new district policies or They are available for group or one-on-one 3. Check with your membership chair or programs. trainings. To learn more or to arrange training, treasurer to be sure MEA has updated salary 8. Introduce the local association officers contact UniServ Consultant Melanie Waltz at information for your members. and building reps and explain how to get [email protected]. 4. Encourage members to sign up for MEA in touch with them. Voice Online and Capitol Comments by going 9. Hold a PAC drive to help elect friends of Through your NEA membership, you to www.mea.org. education. have access to high-quality lesson 5. Share what you and other members learned 10. Tell members what the association’s goals plans that align with CCSS. More at MEA’s Summer Leadership Conference. are for the new school year. than 5,000 lesson plans developed by fellow NEA members have already been created and New book on teacher preparation features the posted. You can access the lesson plans at http://betterlesson.com. Michigan approach

A new book by Elizabeth Green, editor-in-chief evaluations. Those standards became the basis NEA has also created a Common of the education news organization Chalkbeat, for HB 5223 and HB 5224. Ball has also been Core Toolkit that provides information challenges the idea that teachers are born, not a presenter at MEA conferences on teacher and resources on CCSS curriculum made. “Building a Better Teacher: How Teaching evaluations and teacher effectiveness. and instruction, professional development, Works (and How to Teach to Everyone)” puts assessment, English Language Learners the blame on education schools for not doing Ball says, “Teachers must develop basic skills, and students with disabilities. You can enough to prepare teachers for the students few of which come intuitively. Those skills download materials and find links and videos and classrooms of today. include the ability to understand why students to help you. You can access the Toolkit at make the mistakes they do; the ability to assess http:www.nea.org/commoncore. What she calls the “Michigan Approach” plays the merits of a textbook or a curriculum for a a major role in the book. Green gives high particular class; the ability to communicate with praise to Deborah Lowenstein Ball, dean of the parents; and more expertise in their subject than University of Michigan’s School of Education, people outside education would guess.” for overhauling the teacher education program— especially when it comes to the teaching of In her book, Green recommends a more practice- math—at U of M. oriented approach to teacher education because she believes education schools are too far Ball is best known to MEA members as the removed from what goes on in real classrooms. chair of the Governor’s Council on Educator Effectiveness which created standards for The book is available at www.amazon.com effective statewide teacher and administrator for $23.13.