NEA Radio Ads to Appear in Eau Claire & Green Bay

NEA President Reg Weaver is bringing his message to the airwaves in Wisconsin this month, telling radio listeners that when it comes to education, "one size does not fit all."

The radio ads will run on WAXX-FM and WQRB-FM in Eau Claire and WIXX-FM and WOGB-FM in Green Bay.

They are part of a national advertising campaign, with selected local target areas.

The spots are focused sharply on issues related to the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, often misleadingly called the No Child Left Behind law. In one of the spots, Weaver points out that this far-reaching law treats all students the same regardless of their unique learning styles and individual levels of ability. The law relies heavily on standardized testing and imposes severe sanctions on schools but fails to provide needed funding to meet required goals. Weaver calls on Congress to change the law so that it truly leaves no child behind.

For the past two years, 30-second radio spots featuring Weaver have been airing monthly on the Tom Joyner Morning Show nationally. As a supplement to those spots, the NEA also has been airing 60-second versions in targeted cities, including Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Washington and Philadelphia.

In conjunction with NEA's Great Public Schools Action Plan, the NEA has added markets in 10 states – Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. The NEA intends to maintain a radio presence in each of these markets through May.

The ads will begin running December 8.

Scripts and audio files are available on the NEA Web site.

Posted December 3, 2003