Skip Navigation
We use cookies to offer you a better browsing experience, provide ads, analyze site traffic, and personalize content. If you continue to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies.
Black educator working with black teen in school library

We’re here to make sure that every student & educator succeeds.

The National Education Association (NEA) is more than 3 million people—educators, students, activists, workers, parents, neighbors, friends—who believe in opportunity for all students and in the power of public education to transform lives and create a more just and inclusive society.
becky pringle
“As we enter Pride month, we must stand ever more resolute in our commitment to the wellbeing and success of our LGBTQ+ students while extremists attack and deny the right to celebrate LGBTQ+ lives and attempt to curtail all student’s freedom to learn."
Quote by: Becky Pringle, NEA President

Our best hope for student success is you.

Your passion and commitment are crucial to helping all students—of all colors and backgrounds—learn, grow, and fulfill their potential. Here’s how you can get started.
Elementary student with friends

Be a voice for each and every student.

Students have a right to a safe, welcoming, and affirming learning environment in a school that respects and values them and is free of bias. Learn about issues affecting our students and how you can help students succeed.
NEA member Enrique Ferrara

Advocate for your rights & working conditions.

Those who serve our students and communities need the support, resources, and working conditions to excel in their work. The power and influence of the NEA community are here to help you understand your rights and improve your working conditions.
Teaching engineering to girl students

Achieve professional excellence and become a leader in your profession.

Being an education professional requires passion, dedication, confidence, and resilience. Our community helps educators at all stages in their career become leaders in their profession, in their union, and in their communities. Explore how you can achieve professional excellence and mentor others through leadership development.
NEA Vice President Becky Pringle speaks to the crowd a social justice rally

Advance justice with us.

Institutional racism prevents students from getting the opportunities they deserve. See how you can bring racial and social justice into our schools and transform our communities.

Are you an affiliate?

Jump to updates, opportunities, and resources for NEA state and local affiliates.

Our journey began more than a century ago. Yours starts now.

We’ve spent decades working for students and educators—but, there’s still more to do. Like our progress during the civil rights and women’s rights movements, we need to dig in and speak up for the students and educators who are still facing inequality every day.

Let’s get real

Let’s bring real change

Let’s get real

In 2022, politicians introduced more than 250 anti-LGBTQ+ bills into state legislatures.

Let’s bring real change

Student holds up rainbow flag in school hallway
“My identity is not political, and the fact that these things have been [blown out of proportion], involving our government, and threatening the rights of a community of people … is such a dystopian idea to me. To have something removed from your classroom that represents your belonging there and the community you identify with … is disheartening.”
— Rachel Fretard, high school senior, Connecticut
Read how a community worked together to reinstate pride flags in a Connecticut school

The higher education system has become increasingly dependent on temporary labor: nearly 70% of U.S. faculty members held a contingent position in fall 2021.

Let’s bring real change

A profile view of Walter Harper wearing a suit, sitting on a bench.
“Every faculty member who works [in higher education] should have an adequate wage. They should have health insurance and more resources so they can be the wonderful professor that every student deserves. If I had to have an extended stay in a hospital, I could be wiped out financially.”
— Walter Harper, adjunct professor, Massachusetts
Read: Life as a Contingent Faculty Member

Politicians across the U.S. are banning books, censoring curricula, and passing state laws that limit classroom lessons on race and gender.

Let’s bring real change

kathleen daniels
“Our school libraries cannot be battlegrounds, because ultimately the ones who lose are the kids, and especially our most vulnerable kids. Denying students material about the history of race and racism in America and the lives of LGBTQ people, or books with characters who survive sexual assault, does them a huge disservice.”
— Kathleen Daniels, school librarian, Florida
How librarians serve our school communities

What’s on Your Mind?

We’re here to help. Our community comes to us seeking tools (guides, reports, trainings, and more) to help answer everyday questions. We’re here to support you in whatever you need.
graphic of Juneteenth flag with star

Teaching Juneteenth and the Meaning of Freedom

Although Juneteenth is commemorated when most K-12 schools are on summer break, it remains a valuable part of our nation's history and an essential reminder of slavery's legacy in the United States. To help educators include it in their curricular materials, we've compiled background reading, lessons, and recommended book lists.
National Education Association

Great public schools for every student

The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA's 3 million members work at every level of education—from pre-school to university graduate programs. NEA has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States.