DENVER—The head of the nation’s largest teachers’ union kicked off a back-to-school tour Monday by visiting a school led by teachers rather than a principal.
The president of National Education Association, Dennis Van Roekel, met with teachers at the Math & Science Leadership Academy before serving lunch to students. He also visited the Lake Intermediate Baccalaureate Middle School in Denver.
Van Roekel said the school is led by two teachers and served as a good starting point for his national tour looking at how teachers, parents and communities can help transform schools.
He also plans to visit St. Louis on Tuesday before making stops in Columbus, Ohio; Tampa, Fla.; and San Antonio and Austin in Texas this week.
Van Roekel, a former math teacher, said the NEA supports the Obama administration’s efforts to improve schools but he said that won’t happen by just looking at single solutions.
“It’s really about collaboration and looking at the entire system,” he said.
Colorado’s branch of the NEA opposed a new state law that requires teacher tenure decisions to be tied to student performance, but Van Roekel said that’s not why he decided to visit Colorado.
