Mark Jewell NEA Executive Committee | Official Website
At the National Education Association's (NEA) annual Representative Assembly in Portland, Oregon, educators have taken a significant step to address current challenges and sustain their momentum by embracing a transformative shift aimed at strengthening public education. This initiative has been gaining traction across districts and states since January.
Delegates at the NEA RA decided to dedicate nearly a full day of their meeting to training and empowering thousands of members with essential knowledge, strategies, and tools for effective campaign building and organization. These efforts are intended to protect and strengthen public education nationwide. Nearly 7,000 educators will return home prepared to advocate for students and colleagues in various settings such as bargaining tables, school board meetings, state legislatures, and election processes.
"We must use our power to take action that leads, action that liberates, action that lasts," stated NEA President Becky Pringle during her address. "We are going to Educate. Communicate. Organize. Mobilize. Litigate. Legislate. Elect."
The delegates demonstrated their commitment to reversing harmful education cuts and advancing equity and inclusion for all students and educators—regardless of ZIP code, race, or identity—by participating in intensive training sessions. These sessions equipped them with skills necessary for leading advocacy efforts in communities across the nation.
Training topics included effective advocacy techniques, fighting against vouchers and privatization, promoting inclusive schools, protecting immigrant students, and building power for the common good. Registration for these sessions filled quickly as delegates were eager to participate.
In response to unprecedented attacks from state legislatures and external interests prioritizing tax breaks over children's welfare, NEA has been actively advocating for education and racial justice since January. Union members have sent hundreds of thousands of messages to Congress demanding protection for public education and diversity support. Notably, 30% of these messages came from individuals new to NEA's activist community.
"We cannot simply fight against," added Pringle. "We must also fight forward: for our vision of a public school system where every student—every one—attends a school that is safe, welcoming, and plentiful in resources; a school where every student is celebrated for who they know themselves to be; a school that is steeped in excellence and care; where education justice is recognized as a birthright; where educators—you—are valued as the professionals you are."
On the final day of the assembly, delegates united with focus on learning strategies designed to build enduring power within their communities. They left equipped with tools needed not only to maintain but also amplify their energy.
"Our educators will leave energized and prepared to carry their learnings back to every corner of the country—ready to engage with school boards, town halls, state legislatures, and even Congress," said Pringle. "United in purpose, they are ready to keep advocating for their students, schools, and communities—facing the challenges to public education head-on with renewed strength and solidarity."
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The National Education Association represents 3 million elementary teachers among other educational professionals nationwide.
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