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Union Updates

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Frederick SPARKS Connects Educators with Their Union

“Before I was a SPARKS myself, I didn’t know that I was a union member,” Casey Keenan says. “Once I knew that I could make a difference and that my voice could be heard, I was all in.” Keenan is the fire under the red hot Frederick County Teachers Associa­tion’s SPARKS program — one of sever­al in […]
Testing

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What’s Next?

“This year, educators were extremely well informed and engaged on preventing privatization and reducing testing,” said Sean Johnson, MSEA’s chief lobbyist. “Our mobilization of partners like the PTA and civil rights groups, plus con­cerned community members, led to in-person and online activism that propelled the Protect Our Schools Act (POSA) and More Learning, Less Testing […]
Professional Practice

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MSEA and First Book

As a volunteer in a community soup kitchen, Kyle Zimmer asked the children to bring in their favorite book. One little boy brought in a phone book — it was the only book in his house. The others came empty-handed, because there were no books at all in their homes. Zimmer started bringing as many books as […]
Educator Voice

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Betty Weller: Your Voice Must Be Heard

Too often in education, we pinball from one thing to the next. New technology initiative? Here today, gone tomorrow. Mandatory training on a new best practice? Never heard about it again. We know that there are no silver bullets or quick fixes. The most stubborn obstacles usually require months if not years of work to […]
Teacher Toolkit

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Toolkit: Connecting Math with Students

Lawrence Williams is a fifth grade math teacher at Springhill Elementary School in Prince George’s County. What are some of the things in his toolkit? HOBERMAN SPHERE (See photo above) The bright colors of the Hoberman sphere grab students’ attention and expose multiple geometric shapes when the sphere is extended. CUISENAIRE RODS Cuisenaire rods are […]
Charter Schools

Latest Updates

Big Win #3: Taking on the Hogan-DeVos Privatization Agenda

Educators, students, and public schools scored several big wins this legislative session. We’ve look at two of the biggest wins and what they mean for Maryland schools: the Protect Our Schools Act and the More Learning, Less Testing Act. Today we’re looking at the defeat of Gov. Hogan’s charter schools bill. Governor Hogan and U.S. Education Secretary Betsy […]
Pedagogy

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Assessment Literacy Is a Necessary Skill for Today’s Educator

Dawn Pipkin is an instructional resource teacher and National Board Certified Teacher at Leonardtown Middle School in St. Mary’s County. She represents MSEA on MSDE’s Professional Standards in Teacher Education Board and serves as its vice-chair. Educators are harnessing the power of technology each day in order to facilitate quality instruction and assess student learning. […]
Testing

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Betty Weller: We Should All Be Proud

Betty Weller, MSEA President What a great General Assembly session! First, we passed the Protect Our Schools Act that gives Maryland a school accountability system that truly invests in and improves our schools by placing less emphasis on standardized testing and broadening the focus of what’s needed to create a great school — closing opportunity gaps, increasing […]
Legal Questions

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Educators and Immigration Advocacy

All students have the right to a free public education in this country regardless of their immigration status. With new emphasis on immigration policy enforcement, students are understandably and justifiably anxious. It is essential that all schools provide a welcoming and supportive environment. If you choose to be an educator-advocate for immigrant student rights, you […]
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