In the days before the Salute to Excellence in Education, I thought that I'd highlight some of the reasons that people gather to celebrate education in such an event along with the organizations that put the event together.

The NEA Foundation Salute to Excellence Gala is held in Washington, D.C. in a building called the Building Museum. It's magnificent and imposing.

When you enter the room, you are at once struck with the awesome and uplifting reach of the columns and the ceiling. Your eye travels up, searching, perhaps, for limits. You feel happy that your eyes are free to soar in an an enclosed space.

You can find out more information about the Salute to Excellence in Education Gala on the NEA Foundation website, along with an archive of fabulous pictures from other years, which I have just about memorized :)

Last year, Dora the Explorer was in attendance!!! Well, Dora was there, along with a few other dignitaries. I won't tell you more, but will try to entice you to take a look yourself!

http://www.neafoundation.org/

The "take away" from the Gala should be the core values of the NEA Foundation itself. What I would most like to highlight below is the statement that the NEA foundation is "driven by the simple yet seemingly audacious idea that every student, no matter how rich or poor, no matter how advantaged or disadvantaged, deserves a chance to thrive."

It's important to remember that this is what teachers and their representatives want most of all - that students thrive. They want students to reach their gaze up, in the enclosed spaces of educational settings, to see just where their limits might be. Once they do, they will find that these limits are much more expansive than they ever dreamed before.

So what is the NEA Foundation? Here you go, in the organization's own words...

I AM THE NEA FOUNDATION.

I am not for profit, but I am most definitely for the advancement of both educators and their students.

I am the source of grant funding, illuminating programs, and perhaps most important, empowerment.

I am a trusted partner to and unwavering supporter of public school educators throughout the country.

I am always looking for opportunities to support innovation, inspiration and improvement in teaching.

I am driven by the simple yet seemingly audacious idea that every student, no matter how rich or poor, no matter how advantaged or disadvantaged, deserves a chance to thrive.

I am the NEA Foundation.

And I am dedicated to lifting student achievement.