NEA Honors Disability Rights Activist Judith Heumann
At the age of 5, Judith Heumann was denied enrollment at her local elementary school in Brooklyn, N.Y., because she used a wheelchair and was deemed by the principal to be a “fire hazard.” Instead, a teacher would visit her home for most of her 1st-4th grade years—for just 2.5 hours per week. This is just one shocking example of the discrimination and exclusion that Heumann, who … Continued
2021 Teacher of the Year Calls for a Joyous and Just Education for All
In her address to NEA’s 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly, Teacher of the Year Juliana Urtubey asked delegates to think of a school day from a child’s shoes. “From the time they put on those shoes before coming to school, to the time they take off those shoes once they get home, think … Continued
Meet the 2021 Higher Educator of the Year!
Decades after attending a community college and getting his own start in higher education, California’s Rio Hondo College counselor Julius B. Thomas works to give back to the system that gave so much to him, he said. “Every day, I work to show every student the same dedication, perseverance, and ambition that I witnessed from … Continued
ESP of the Year Kimberly Scott-Hayden to RA Delegates: You Are Essential
Kimberly Scott-Hayden, the 2021 National Education Support Professional (ESP) of the Year, told delegates to the virtual 100th Representative Assembly on July 1 that together, they can build a better world for students. “Together, we continue to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice,” said the inventory control clerk and president of the East Orange … Continued
NEA President: We Didn’t Just Survive, We Grew Stronger
Despite the unprecedented upheaval, exhaustion, grief and loss of the past 16 months, the nation’s educators are, as always, ready to harness their power for the collective good of the students and communities they serve, National Education Association President Becky Pringle told the delegates to the virtual 2021 Representative Assembly (RA) on Wednesday. Continued…
‘Stand Up and Be Counted’
Clockwise from upper left: NEA-Retired President Sarah Borgman, NEA President Becky Pringle, NEA Secretary-Treasurer Noel Candelaria, and NEA Vice President Princess Moss addressed delegates at NEA-Retired’s virtual Annual Meeting. At the 2021 virtual Annual Meeting, NEA-Retired members were fired up and ready to take action. “Believe the unbelievable and achieve the unachievable!” Those were the … Continued
NEA’s Highest Honor Goes to Climate Teen Activist, Greta Thunberg
The power of voice has long been one of the bedrocks of unionism, with just one voice often being enough to change the course of events—and proving this claim is Greta Thunberg, a Swedish environmental activist who in 2018 sat alone, outside the Swedish Parliament, to call for stronger action on climate change. This one voice grew to … Continued
After first day of RA, delegates empowered to fight for equity in America
The first-ever NEA Representative Assembly to be held online kicked off today with messages of courage and conviction delivered directly to delegates’ homes with the same energy and emotion as if given onstage in a packed convention center before thousands of delegates. First, there were tears after a moving video and poem dedicated to NEA … Continued
NEA to Host Virtual Representative Assembly July 2-3
For the first time in its more than 160-year history, the National Education Association (NEA) will host a virtual Representative Assembly, a necessary and prudent safeguard for its delegates during a global pandemic. “NEA’s Board of Directors has decided to convert the 2020 NEA RA into a virtual meeting, which is our safest option,” said … Continued
NEA’s Educating Through Crisis COVID Response Site
Find resources for distance learning, policy updates, advocacy opportunities, and stories about how educators are connecting with students and colleagues.