In the Current Issue

• Duncan urges school leaders to embrace change
  At the opening General Session of the NSBA Annual Conference April 4 in San Diego, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan urged school board leaders to “challenge the status quo” and pursue real reform.
• Andrews offers stories from a life on stage and screen
  Everyone remembers the iconic opening to “The Sound of Music,” when the camera sweeps across the magnificent Austrian countryside and eventually closes in on Julie Andrews as she stretches out her arms to sing, “The hills are alive . . . .
• Mortenson: Education promotes peace
  “The real hope for peace is through education,” says author and humanitarian Greg Mortenson, the keynote speaker at the final General Session.
• Morrison: ‘We’re all in this together’
  Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison brought a message of hope to school board leaders facing tough economic times.
• Delegates hold town hall on national standards
  School board members who participated in Friday’s Delegate Assembly undertook a comprehensive, thoughtful dialogue on national education standards before passing a resolution reaffirming and expanding on NSBA’s policy on the issue.
• Wheatley: It’s all about community
  The only way to find our way through the global economic crisis is through “the power of community.”
• Geisen: Bring creativity to classrooms
  To prepare students for the 21st century, educators talk about teaching students about creativity, collaboration, innovation, and continual learning.
• Attorney offers guidance on free speech issues
  When it comes to free speech issues in public schools, school boards should work with their school attorneys to develop sound policies and practices to avoid conflicts and lawsuits later.
• Small learning communities effective
  If boards want to improve schools, they need to quit focusing so much on the host of intervention programs they’ve designed for struggling students.
• Uncertainty remains on use of stimulus funds
  Stimulus funds are going to be an enormous help to school boards struggling with budget cuts.
• Board members watching, waiting on stimulus funds
  Many questions remain about the money coming in the federal stimulus package, and school board members attending the conference said they are playing a waiting game to find out how much money they will get and how it will be spent.
• Polk County receives award for arts
  The 2009 Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network and NSBA Award was presented to the Polk County, Fla., school board, in recognition of its commitment to arts education, even during times of economic pressure.
• Communications is key to crisis planning
  School leaders must be prepared to communicate quickly to parents and the media in the event of a violent incident or other emergency at a school.
• Districts receive Magna Awards
  Magna Awards were presented to 18 school districts for outstanding programs that advance student learning and encourage community involvement in schools.
• Learning never ends for school board members
  Reno Contipelli is in his 17th year as a firefighter, EMT, and hazardous materials expert.
• NSBA’s Key Work guidebook updated
  For the past 10 years, local school board members have relied on NSBA’s Key Work to help them create high-quality, results-driven school systems that focus on raising student achievement through community engagement.
• Thank you Sponsors
  NSBA appreciates the generous support from the following sponsors who helped make the 2009 Annual Conference possible.