By Cheril Lee
Omaha, NE – The Nebraska Public Education Partnership was awarded a $50,000 planning grant from the NEA Foundation.
The partnership is made up of the Omaha Education Association, Omaha Public Schools and the Empowerment Network. Chris Proulx, President of the Omaha Education Association, says the grant will fund union and district partnerships in an effort to deepen their level of collaboration. He says the focus is on helping teachers and principals work better with each other to positively impact student achievement. Proulx says the beginning phase of the work was a series of one-day workshops held earlier this month, "The beginning discussion was really big picture in nature. What is collaboration? What does it look like? How do you know when it's working well? With the goal ultimately being, focusing on using those skills and applying it to something very specific."
Proulx says if the partnership succeeds with its one-day workshops, they could be eligible for a $250,000 grant that is renewable annually for five years. He says this would allow the partnership to assist every school in the district.