Et cetera : Local teacher to join \'Raise your Hand: Empowered Educators\' event

Local teacher, Sara Arnold, who teaches Talented and Gifted students in the Cedar Rapids CSD, is one of nine educators from across the country who was nominated to participate in the National Education Association (NEA) Raise Your Hand: Empowered Educators July 2nd at the Colorado Convention Center. Sara and her colleagues are representing New Voice Strategies as VIVA Teachers, past participants of a VIVA Idea Exchange.

“I am honored to represent my fellow educators at this event. Empowering current and future educators is key as we innovatively adapt education to meet the needs of our students and families," says Arnold. "Participating in the VIVA Idea Exchange showed me the power of teacher voice. If we collaborate together, we can create ideal educational experiences for our students.”

During the NEA event, an annual national gathering of educators and education professionals, the VIVA Teachers will demonstrate how amplifying teacher voices is an essential part of strengthening the education system and developing future policies. They will how describe how participating in a VIVA Idea Exchange has helped them to gain valuable expertise that has benefited their local schools and districts, as well as shaped national education policy

“This is first and foremost about something even more important than teacher voice--student welfare. We know that best way to support students is to listen to the wisdom and experience of the people teaching them every day. We are excited to work with NEA in bringing together teachers from across the country to develop a beautiful vision for the youth of America,” said Xian Barrett, vice president of engagement, New Voice Strategies.

As a part of their presentation, the VIVA Teachers will launch a new VIVA Idea Exchange on 360 accountability. NEA is inviting all of its member to join the online dialogue to determine how all aspects of the education system can be assessed and held accountable to ensure that students get the best possible education.

The VIVA (Vision Ideas Voices Action) Idea Exchange is a three-step process developed by New Voice Strategies to dramatically increase participation of diverse stakeholders in important public policy decisions. It begins with an online conversation, brings together the most active and engaged participants to develop recommendations, and puts those individuals in a room with decision makers who can make policy change. The VIVA Idea Exchange on 360 accountability is New Voice Strategies’ third partnership with NEA. They have also collaborated to engage teachers on the issues of school safety and time in school. (Visit http://vivateachers.org/idea-exchanges/to read those reports.)

Learn more about the Raise Your Hand: Empowered Educators Day, or tune into the live stream on July 2, 10:00AM (MDT) visit NEA.org/raiseyourhandand follow along on Twitter #RYH4ED.

For more information about New Voice Strategies, please contact Kim Bolton, national communications director, at kbolton@vivalistens.org, 708-785-9430, or @kdgbolton on Twitter.