Educators Rising partners with AFT to tackle national teacher shortage

PDK International has announced a new partnership with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) during the 2025 Educators Rising National Conference in Orlando, Florida. This collaboration aims to address the national teacher shortage by promoting a "Grow Your Own" approach to developing a diverse and prepared educator workforce.

The agreement includes several initiatives: AFT will encourage its affiliates to utilize grants for integrating Educators Rising chapters into their districts. It will also endorse Educators Rising as a preferred solution for creating education career pathways in schools. Additionally, AFT will offer annual consultations on developing the Educators Rising Curriculum, while PDK will provide reduced pricing for curriculum materials and professional development content for AFT members.

Albert Chen, chief operating officer of PDK International, emphasized the importance of this partnership: “AFT was an instrumental partner in the creation of the Educators Rising Standards that form the foundation for our Educators Rising Curriculum, which powers many district’s education career pathway programs." He highlighted that this initiative supports high school students interested in teaching careers and aims to reflect community demographics and values.

Randi Weingarten, president of AFT, remarked on the significance of nurturing future educators: “The students of today are the teachers of tomorrow... Our partnership with Educators Rising provides an optimistic, inspiring vision for our current and future teachers.” She noted that this effort would expose more students to teaching careers with support from experienced educators.

PDK International acquired what was formerly known as Future Educators Association in 1994 and rebranded it as Educators Rising in 2015. The organization focuses on establishing chapters within districts to cultivate future educators.

The announcement coincided with Randi Weingarten's presentation at the conference attended by about 3,500 middle- and high-school students and college students pursuing teaching degrees. The event serves as a platform for student competitions aligned with Educators Rising Standards.