The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest employee organization in the United States. It's main purpose is to advance public education and make others aware of how important it is.
The official seal of the National Education Association
Introduction[]
The NEA represents public school teachers, faculty, staffers at colleges',and young people who are aspring teachers or others going into the field of education. This organization has just over 3 million members and its' headquarters is in Washingtion D.C., however it has affiliate organizations in every state (Michigan Education Association). To simplify, this organization acts as a labor union for educators, as well as a supporter of the democratic party [1].
History[]
The story begins in 1857 when 100 educators united to fight the problem of public education. They were led by Thomas W. Valentine, who was president of the New York State Teachers Association. It may be hard to think about, but back in the mid-1800's, education for children was such a privilage, and some didn't recieve it. Through research, they discovered that almost no Black-American Children were given the oppurtunity to better themselves at a young age. Some children by age eight were working full-time in the fields to help support their families. These hundred men knew that something had to be done, and they wanted to tackle this issue head-on. In 1866, women joined this fight to advance the public school systems in America, as they were finally allowed memebership into the NEA. To link one movement with another, allowing women into the NEA was a huge advancement for women's rights. The NEA actually elected its' first female president in 1910, which was ten years before Congress granted women the right to vote. Since then the NEA has seen some mergers with organizations with similar intrests. First, the NEA got its' name in 1870 when it met up with the American Normal School Association, the National Association of School Superintendents, and the Central College Association. There was the merger with the American Teachers Association (ATA) which was a black teachers association in 1966. The ATA was originally called the National Association of Teachers In Colored Schools (NATCS)[2].
Other Important Dates[]
- In 1906, Congress recgonized the NEA by giving them a Congressional Charter.
- On its 100th birthday in 1957, the NEA had over 700,000 memebrs.
- In 1964; the NEA lobbied to pass the Civil Rights Act.
Membership[]
As said earlier, this organization started with 100 men who sought for a better public education system for the children of America. What started as 100 members has grown to what is now known as the largest labor union in the United States. They currently have 3.2 million members who are from all different areas of public education.There are at least 14,000 communities across all fifty states that are affiliated with the NEA, and they all have the same goals in mind, to reflect on the past, and to use that to better the future. They have an annual budget of around million dollars a year, and growing. In 2005, the budget was a reported 341 million, with 295 million coming from dues paid by its' members[3].
Issues []
A poster made by the NEA to show its' support of anti-bullying
The NEA has alway supported issues that are the main point of discussion, esecially those being discussed by Congress. As mentioned in the history section, they lobbied for the passing of the Civil Rights Movement in 1964. They supported the No child Left Behind Act in 2001, which is an act that tried to give underprivilagized kids in urban areas the chance to get a higher education, particularly when they are younger [4]. The NEA felt a sense of 'coming home' with this issue because they were founded on the principle that no child should be denied the chance to recieve a fair chance at education. The NEA even supports current issues that are arising in the media of today. Recently they have been reaching out to the LGBT community in their fight for gay rights and marriage. The link between the NEA and this issue is that the NEA wants to know that every child can get an education in a safe, harassement-free environment. They want to make sure that every student is given the chance to achieve and thrive in their school systems. The NEA puts this responsibility directly on themselves, saying that "We are responsible for our students' safety and education". The NEA knows that it is easier for kids to do well in school if they fell safe and are enjoying being at school. This also goes along with the NEA's support of anti-bully protests and laws.
Misson[]
The misson of the National Education Association is stated as "to advocate for education professionals and to unite our members and the nation to fulfill the promise of public education to prepare every student to succeed in a diverse and interdependependent world"[5] . Now although this is their mission, they have recieved criticism for sometimes paying too much attention to the education professionals and less on the needs of their students. Now of course the NEA denies all these allegations, saying that while they ace as a labor union for the staffers, they also care deeply about the children because that's where the organization started from was coming together for the kids to give them the chance at an education and a future.
Refrenences[]