Today, AAE staff had the pleasure of attending the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing in Washington, D.C. The full committee hearing explored the challenges and opportunities facing America's workforce and K-12 students.   Continue Reading...

AAE is pleased to announce the launch of our charter-focused website: www.AAECharters.org just in time for National Charter Schools Week. The new site is geared toward charter school administrators, leaders, teachers, and associations searching for timely updates and research on issues affecting the public charter school community.   Continue Reading...

Yesterday, the nonpartisan, Chicago-based Heartland Institute released a comprehensive report about non-union associations and teachers and their quest for equal treatment in a union-dominated landscape. The exposé, authored by Education Policy Research Fellow Joy Pullman, highlights the Association of American Educators and AAE state chapter teachers and staff who have experienced harassment, discrimination, and bullying from union representatives keen on maintaining their monopoly in local schools.   Continue Reading...

Since AAE's founding in 1994, our association and state partners have been met with harsh opposition from both the NEA and its state affiliates. False claims about AAE's motives and benefits, coupled with districts shutting out non-union groups in favor of the union have been commonplace. AAE members have even been harassed and blackballed for supporting the non-union option. In states such as Colorado, Idaho, Kansas and Utah, non-union groups have been on the front lines of seeking equal treatment as their union counterparts.   Continue Reading...

Teachers in the classroom today all remember being issued their textbooks in grade school year after year. Decades old charts and graphs accompanied by the occasional pencil drawing have been standard issue for generations. Currently the textbook business is a $4 billion-a-year industry; however, with dawn of new technologies and new insight into their true effectiveness, paper textbooks are on the fast track to possible extinction.   Continue Reading...

Since the labor battles of 2011 and the growing push for education reform nationwide, pundits and education experts from across the political spectrum have predicted massive membership and financial losses for teacher labor unions in the coming years. While there have been media reports about union lay-offs and budget shortfalls, new data for the Bureau of Labor Statistics sheds light on total membership losses by percentage in some very unlikely states.   Continue Reading...

This week is National School Choice Week – a national movement of grassroots organizations calling for more educational options. Here at AAE, we support National School Choice Week because we support educators in all settings and encourage teachers to pursue the school and setting best suited to their needs and interest.   Continue Reading...

This week is National School Choice Week – a national movement of grassroots organizations calling for more educational options. AAE supports National School Choice Week because we support educators in all settings and applauds their individual choices about where they practice their profession.   Continue Reading...

AAE Executive Director Gary Beckner op-ed on school choice options as featured on the Washington Times website:   Continue Reading...

In the wake of the crippling recession and its decimating impact on state and local budgets, school districts across the country are searching for innovative ways of raising funds. In a bizarre turn, districts in states like Colorado, Utah, and New Jersey are selling advertisement space on everything from school buses to report cards. While the ideas will certainly be revenue generating, members of the public are beginning to call the moves inappropriate for the public school setting.   Continue Reading...

Today, AAE and the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools (UAPCS) announce a new partnership to support Utah's charter school teachers. Teachers and other employees of member schools of UAPCS are eligible to join AAE for a great low price – only $160 per year. This is a great opportunity for charter school teachers who are looking for membership in a pro-charter teacher organization.   Continue Reading...

Ms. Delaina Tonks, a teacher at the Open High School of Utah, was awarded a classroom grant to provide her entire school with subscriptions to a cutting-edge presentation website. The online service known as, "Sliderocket," allows students and teachers alike to share information and presentations in real time and is particularly useful among online school communities.   Continue Reading...

With back-to-school season in full swing, this school year's increase in virtual education programs is noticeable almost nationwide. Currently, 40 states offer or sanction some type of online education for their students, with other states considering proposals ever legislation session. As we look forward to closing achievement gaps in the years ahead, virtual education advocates are calling online learning a solution for students and teachers alike.   Continue Reading...

Ms. Stephanie Proud, a teacher at Providence Hall Charter School in Herriman, Utah, was awarded an AAEF scholarship to outfit her classroom with new writing supplies. The funding will allow Ms. Proud to create a permanent writing center in the classroom, complete with a post office, a variety of writing utensils and materials, including individual whiteboards, student journals, and bookmaking supplies. AAE Director of Professional Development Jill Newell was on hand to deliver her certificate personally alongside her principal.   Continue Reading...

Utah's Ogden School District is a small district just north of Salt Lake City. A charming community with less than 1,000 teachers, Ogden is making news for its school board's decision to bypass local union negotiations in favor of sending individual contracts to teachers for the upcoming school year. While the move has obviously infuriated the local union, the move has been described as not only a trend in teacher negotiations, but the future of how policymakers and school districts will communicate with teachers, especially in areas with hostile and uncompromising unions.   Continue Reading...

Teacher unions are in a bit of a financial pinch these days. With declining membership, unilaterally negative press, and countless brewing legislative and legal battles, union leaders are struggling to live within their means. According to tax documents, despite taking in more than $1.5 billion in nationwide revenue in 2008-09, some states are literally upside-down. Faced with difficult decisions about keeping bloated staffs and fueling political agendas, state union chapters across the country are imposing dues hikes and various one-time legislative "assessments" to keep afloat.   Continue Reading...

The following educators have been selected from a pool of applicants nationwide. AAEF applauds the innovation and commitment which these teachers demonstrate to their students and their profession.   Continue Reading...

"Weʼre headed for radical choice–not just school choice but choice to the lesson level. Weʼll soon have adaptive content libraries and smart recommendation engines that string together a unique ʻplaylistʼ for every student every day. These smart platforms will consider learning level, interests, and best learning modality (i.e.,motivational profile and learning style to optimize understanding and persistence).   Continue Reading...

The fight in Wisconsin is far from over. Last week, Dane County Judge Maryann Sumi issued a temporary restraining order barring the new law until she can rule whether Republicans violated Wisconsin's open meetings law. While this is a setback for the Wisconsin legislation, other states are following Governor Walker's lead and are in various stages of pushing labor reform legislation.   Continue Reading...

This week, Utah House Bill 183 cleared several legislative hurdles after years of union push back. The House advanced a bill Wednesday that would prohibit school districts from paying teachers on leave from the classroom for union duties as well as prohibit school district money contributing to union leader salaries.   Continue Reading...