Education Secretary Arne Duncan address the 2009 NEA Representative Assembly.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan addressed more than 7,000 educators as part of a town hall exchange today at the NEA RA.
“I know we won’t all agree on everything, but I’m confident there will be more we agree with than not,” Duncan said. Schools must be the hub of communities, the federal government must increase the number of national certified teachers, and “a union of educators is a positive force that can drive the kind of change that many of our schools need.”
NEA President Dennis Van Roekel noted that he recently visited schools in Connecticut and New York where he saw what change is possible when there is a strong collaborative relationship among the teachers’ association, the school district and community partners.
“The best way to achieve results is for local unions and other partners to collaborate locally, while thinking globally about what students need to succeed,” Van Roekel said. “I believe that most teachers do an outstanding job, but that shouldn’t stop us from working together to find out what works best.”
NEA members, including Greenwich Education Association member Rae Baczek (2nd row, third from right), greet Secretary Duncan.
