The 2008 NEA-Saturn/UAW Partnership Awards, which recognize exemplary partnership efforts between local school districts & education associations, have been awarded to: Paradise Valley Unified School District (Ariz.); Simi Valley Unified School District (Calif.); Springville-Griffith Institute Central School District (N.Y.); Guilford County Schools (N.C.); Hampton City Schools (Va.); & Spokane Public Schools (Wash.)
“Great teachers have the power to steer their students onto the paths of academic success & lifelong learning,” said National Education Association President Reg Weaver. “The 6 recipients of this year’s NEA-Saturn/UAW Partnership Awards show that when school districts team up with the local teachers union, it’s a winning combination for their students.”
A lack of planning time, heavy workload, low salaries, & the lack of mentoring programs are cited as reasons why new teachers leave the profession. Approximately 20% of new public school teachers leave the profession by the end of the first year, & almost 50% leave within 5 years. Pay-related turnover is especially high for minorities, males & teachers under the age of 30.
“Although it’s often regarded as one of the toughest professions out there, teaching is also an incredibly rewarding career,” said Weaver. “When we help educators accelerate through the transition period from student to practitioner, we keep great teachers in the driver’s seat.”
Started in 1997 as a way to highlight innovative partnerships, the annual NEA-Saturn/UAW Partnership Awards will be presented June 30th, at the NEA Board of Directors meeting in Washington, DC. The 2008 winning partnerships are in the following communities, listed in alphabetical order of each recipient’s state:
Paradise Valley, Ariz. - In a state ranked next to last in school funding, Paradise Valley Unified School District faced a declining enrollment, low teacher salaries, & increasing state & federal professional requirements that made attracting & retaining quality teachers a serious challenge. But after teaming up with the Paradise Valley Education Association, the school district’s combination of instructional coaching, one-on-one conferencing, best practices modeling, student data collecting, & collaborating with curricular & technology specialists has resulted in enhanced professional development & increased student achievement. The 3-year Paradise Valley Mentoring Program mentors receive extensive, ongoing training & meet at least 5 times a month with other mentors. Retention rates have risen &, in teacher satisfaction surveys, 85% rated mentoring support “excellent.”
Other winners included: Simi Educators Association, Griffith Institute Faculty Association, Guilford County Association of Educators, Hampton Education Association, & Spokane Education Association.