NJEA Convention Returns To Atlantic City. A Focus On Student Equality And Teacher Quality

Equal educational opportunity and high quality teacher evaluation will be front and center at the 158th annual NJEA Convention November 8-9 in Atlantic City. Thousands of educators will attend sessions featuring educator and social justice advocate Jonathan Kozol, teacher evaluation expert Charlotte Danielson, and state Commissioner of Education Christopher Cerf.

This year’s convention, regarded as the largest educational gathering of its kind in the world, will feature over 300 professional development seminars, workshops, and programs to help teachers and educational support professionals hone their skills and stay current in their careers.

A major attraction, now in its fourth year, is High Tech Hall, an expansive “open classroom” where convention-goers can choose from among 38 sessions over two days, with educators showing their colleagues the latest in educational technology in hands-on settings.

“This year’s convention includes an expansion of programs offered in High Tech Hall,” said NJEA President Barbara Keshishian. “When it comes to embracing innovative and cutting-edge strategies to help students and schools succeed, the NJEA and its members are role models leading the way.”

This year’s two plenary sessions will feature Kozol and Danielson. Kozol has written extensively on the challenges of urban education, and has been a consistent voice for over 40 years in the fight for equality of educational opportunity. Danielson is internationally recognized as an expert in the area of teacher effectiveness, specializing in the design of teacher evaluation systems that, while ensuring teacher quality, also promote professional learning. (See the NJEA Reporter Official Convention Issue for a complete listing of all events, including speakers, times, and topics.)

In addition to the seminars and programs designed to meet members’ ongoing professional learning needs, convention-goers take advantage of the Convention Center’s huge exhibit area, featuring more than 700 vendors and exhibitors.

Main Street NJEA will showcase all the programs that NJEA has to offer. Evaluation Central is designed to educate members about the new evaluation instruments being developed this year across the state. The ESP Pavilion will offer materials and information designed specifically to meet the needs of educational support professionals.

Other highlight events include A Celebration of Excellence to honor NJEA Hipp Foundation grant recipients, the 2012 New Jersey Teacher of the Year, and this year’s Award for Excellence recipients Dr. Rose Marie Battaglia and Dr. Anthony Laneve. Please see the Convention Highlights page for details.

NJEA is the state’s largest association of education professionals, representing nearly 200,000 elementary and secondary teachers, administrators, higher education faculty, educational support professionals, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.