Matt Damon & Mother Decline Award From NEA Teachers Union

Matt Damon and his mother, Dr. Nancy Carlsson-Paige, a professor of education, have both turned down the NEA's Friend Of Education Award. The decision came about after they discovered that the president of the NEA co-authored an opinion article for USA Today.

The article focused on evaluating and improving teacher training programs. But, according to Professor Nancy Paige, the program isn't keeping with what the TFA does.

"I am very familiar with TFA and believe that its short-term, minimal training of teachers undermines teacher quality and harms children who too often get an inadequate education with its teachers," she writes in an email to Dennis Van Roekel, president of the NEA. "I have decided that because of your collaboration with TFA, it would not be wise for me or for Matt to be nominated for the Friend of Education Award. I regret this turn of events."

Matt Damon is a vocal opponent of standardized testing and of requiring teachers to teach in this direction.