Team Leads are local member leaders who have submitted a Campaign Lab application and have been working with a Campaign Lab Coach. They are focused on developing an Organizing Team and leading that team in designing and implementing an issue campaign cycle.
Campaign Coaches are members who have experienced leading an organizing team through at least two issue campaign cycles. Campaign Coaches commit to growing the capacity of at least one Team Lead to successfully implement a campaign cycle.
Mentor Coaches are either affiliate staff or members who have broader experience with leading teams and locals implementing issue campaigns. Mentor Coaches are committed to growing the capacity of coaches to move their Team Leads through campaign cycles.
How to Enroll
To enroll in these courses and the others that will be coming, you must first go to https://neapartnera.learnupon.com/store and click the “Sign In” button. If you already have an account in the NEA Professional Excellence Portal, you will use the same email and password that you have used in the past. If you have never had an account, then you will be creating one. Once you are logged in, you can simply click on the course name above or search for the course using "Campaign Lab" in the search bar. Look for the Campaign Lab Image to know you are in the right place.
Troubleshooting the Online Leaning System
If you are having trouble setting up an account and logging in, try resetting your password. Also, try older emails you may have used in the past.
Team Lead Opportunities
Campaign Lab: Introduction to Leading a Successful Campaign Cycle
This is the entry point for all new team leads, or anyone needing a refresher and overview. This course provides a basic overview of what a Team Lead needs to know to get started in the Campaign Lab. You will learn the suggested components of a campaign cycle, understand how to launch a campaign leadership team, and engage in an overview of what the Campaign Lab is. A certificate of 5 Contact Hours is provided upon completion.
Campaign Lab: Campaign Cycle Planning
This course equips team leads (coaches if they are unfamiliar with a campaign cycle plan) with the skills and knowledge to effectively plan and execute a campaign cycle. Participants will explore critical components, including defining problems, conducting power analyses, and designing escalating tactics. They will learn to apply an equity lens to campaigns, ensuring inclusivity and addressing systemic inequities. The course also focuses on building effective campaign teams, mapping allies, and setting measurable goals to track progress and success. Designed for leaders and affiliate staff in the Campaign Lab, this program provides practical tools and strategies to drive strategic change. A certificate of 5 Contact Hours is provided upon completion.
Coaches and Mentor Coaches Opportunities
Campaign Lab: Coaching as a Leadership Practice
This is the entry point for all coaches who are new to the Campaign Lab. The focus of this course is an introduction to the campaign coaching framework we are using in the Campaign Lab. It is an overview of the 5-Step coaching cycle, the elements of coaching, and the craft of coaching. Participants will explore these and be able to apply new knowledge in four short scenarios. A certificate of 5 Contact Hours is provided upon completion.
Coming Soon!
Coaching the Campaign Planning Cycle
Tools for Everyone in the Campaign Lab
Campaign Lab: The First Four Steps
This course equips Team Leads, Coaches, and Mentor Coaches in the Campaign Lab with the knowledge and skills to successfully navigate getting to the grant application process. Participants will learn how to establish and launch an organizing team, complete a comprehensive assessment of their local, and develop a strategic campaign plan with a concise one-page summary. Additionally, the course will guide learners in identifying a fiscal agent and obtaining a written agreement to meet grant requirements.
Campaign Lab: Centering Equity in Your Campaign
This is the first tool in the Campaign Cycle, and it is revisited throughout the cycle. This course is designed for Campaign Lab Team Leads and Coaches. It helps participants integrate race, class, and gender equity into every stage of their campaign planning. Participants will apply a specific Equity Tool to help them identify systemic barriers, set measurable equity-focused goals, and use practical tools to ensure their campaigns build power with those most impacted by oppression. A certificate of 3 Contact Hours is provided upon completion.
Empowering Campaigns: Applying SWOT Analysis for Strategic Action
In this 2-module course, you’ll discover how to harness the power of the 8 Box SWOT analysis tool to assess your campaign’s situation, clarify your strengths, and chart a path forward. This tool is an expansion of the traditional 4 Box SWOT Matrix in that it includes internal and external considerations. Through practical lessons, you’ll learn to distinguish internal and external factors, conduct a focused SWOT analysis, and transform your findings into actionable scenarios for real-world organizing. By the end, you’ll be equipped to lead your team with clarity, confidence, and strategic vision. This course is built using tools from Beautiful Trouble. A certificate of 3 Contact Hours is provided upon completion.
Strategic Mapping for Campaign Teams: Applying the Spectrum of Allies
The Spectrum of Allies is an analysis tool that helps you grow your campaign’s power by moving just one group at a time. In this 2-Module course, you’ll discover how to use the Spectrum of Allies—a proven strategic mapping tool—to broaden support and mobilize allies for social change. Through collaborative exercises and real-world examples, you’ll learn to map stakeholders, develop tailored engagement strategies, and design tactics that shift groups closer to your campaign goals. By focusing on incremental progress and strategic evaluation, you’ll be empowered to lead more effective, inclusive, and resilient campaigns. A certificate of 3 Contact Hours is provided upon completion.
Teaching: Leaders and Structures for Winning Campaigns
This course is specifically designed to serve as a central location for all materials needed by Campaign Lab Coaches, Leaders, and their Affiliate Staff Partners. There are four modules designed to support them in leading the learning back in their own local. The content of the course is from the November In-Person event of the same name that was held in Charlotte, NC.
Protest Rights & Legal Non-Cooperation Tactics for Educators and Union Members
This course covers essential topics such as First Amendment protections for public school employees, recent anti-protest legislation, and practical safety measures. You’ll also learn about non-cooperation tactics—methods of nonviolent resistance like strikes, boycotts, and civil disobedience—that have historically proven effective in challenging unjust systems. Through real-world examples and strategic planning exercises, participants will gain the skills to map power structures, select impactful tactics, and protect themselves and their communities during collective actions. Participants will be prepared to exercise their protest rights safely, disrupt undemocratic power structures, and build solidarity through informed, strategic action. Whether participants are seasoned organizers or new to advocacy, this training offers practical guidance and legal awareness to strengthen our collective voice.
Advancing LGBTQ+ Justice for Campaign Lab Teams
This course is designed to provide resources supporting staff, coaches, leads, and members in the NEA Campaign Lab who are organizing around LGBTQ+ issues. This course builds an understanding that is critical to organizing for change, providing support, and offering guidance that is not only inclusive but liberating. Participants of this course will be able to establish common understandings about the identities under the LGBTQ+ community umbrella. They will develop a shared understanding of the anti LGBTQ+ policy landscape and how to develop counter narratives of inclusion and equity. Examination of LGBTQ+ issues with an intersectional lens will allow participants to plan for how they may organize to address systems of privilege and oppression as it relates to LGBTQ+ educators and students. Participants in this course will develop the skills needed to begin planning an LGBTQ+ focused issue campaign.
Gun Violence Prevention and Response in Public Schools
This course is built to support the use of the NEA School Gun Violence and Response Guide. This course has five modules: Overview, Prevention, Preparation, Response, Recovery. Each part includes material for Pre-K–12 schools and institutions of higher education and for all categories of employees. This course uses the term “educators” broadly, to refer to NEA’s rich and diverse membership, including aspiring educators; classroom teachers; education support professionals (ESPs), such as paraeducators and clerical service, custodial and maintenance, food service, health and student service, security, skilled trades, technical service, and transportation workers; the faculty, staff, and graduate workers in colleges and universities; and specialized instructional support personnel (SISP) like school counselors, school social workers, school psychologists, school nurses, speech-language pathologists, and school librarians.
This course and associated resources present tools, recommended practices, checklists, and evidence-based practices for developing organizing campaigns. It also is useful for incorporating gun violence-related strategies into the school crisis prevention and response plans of associations, Pre-K–12 schools, and institutions of higher education.
Preventing and Addressing Violence Against Educators: Strategies for Safer Schools
Have you ever wondered how violence against educators impacts not just staff, but entire school communities? In this course, you'll explore the realities and root causes of violence against school personnel, learn practical strategies to prevent and address it, and discover how to foster a positive, inclusive school culture. Through research-based insights, real-world examples, and actionable steps, you'll gain tools to support your own well-being, collaborate with colleagues and families, and advocate for safer, healthier schools. Whether you're a teacher, counselor, administrator, or union representative, this course will empower you to make a difference in your school environment. You will understand the crisis, the nature, and impact of violence against school personnel. The course presents the findings from the research and indicates possible solutions and actions that would fit well within an organizing campaign.
