This Ain’t Your Great-Grandma’s NEA

Founded in 1857, the National Education Association (NEA) initially championed improving education, advocating for better teacher training, fair wages, standardized curricula, and education access nationwide. Originally intended to strengthen public education and unify educators around core educational issues, the NEA has evolved significantly.

A landmark early example of the NEA’s original mission was the 1892 Committee of Ten, which issued recommendations for a standardized high school curriculum across the United States. The committee emphasized rigorous and consistent academic standards, proposing that every high school student should receive four years of education in core subjects like mathematics, English, history, and science, regardless of their economic status or future plans. This reflected the NEA’s clear focus at the time—developing academically competent students through structured curricula, without direct involvement in political or ideological advocacy.

2025: A Shift in Priorities

Fast forward to 2025, the NEA Handbook now includes numerous policies extending beyond traditional educational topics like reading, writing, arithmetic, and history. Its recent resolutions suggest an ideological shift towards broader political activism.

The NEA’s 2025 resolutions cover a wide array of social justice and political matters, including reparations, comprehensive gender and healthcare policies, ecological justice, international relations, immigration policy, and even nuclear disarmament.

Race, Reparations, and Racial Justice

White Supremacy Culture (I-55), p. 342
Claims white supremacy culture as the root cause of institutional racism; mandates cultural and racial justice training.
Educational Reparations (I-63), p. 345
Supports reparations for descendants of enslaved people to address past educational injustices.
Right of Redress for Descendants of Slaves (I-62), p. 343-344
Advocates reparations to address systemic injustices from slavery.
Racial Justice (I-56), p. 342
Demands systemic investments to dismantle racial privilege in education and society.
Historic Preservation & Confederate Monuments (H-13), p. 324
Calls explicitly for the removal of Confederate monuments.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day (I-40), p. 337
Promotes replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
César Chávez Day (I-39), p. 337
Urges recognition of César Chávez Day nationally.

Gender Identity, Sexuality, and Pronouns

Comprehensive Health Care (I-25), p. 332
Defines comprehensive care, including reproductive and gender-affirming services, as fundamental rights.
Transgender and Non-binary 504 Plans (New Business #22), p. 356
Provides support plans for students with gender dysphoria.
Respect for Individual Names and Pronouns (I-59), p. 343
Emphasizes correct use of chosen names and pronouns in educational settings.

Environmental and Ecological Justice

Climate and Ecology Justice (New Business #49), p. 359-360
Integrates ecological justice and Indigenous rights into education.
Environmental Responsibility (H-11), p. 323
Advocates for environmental leadership by educators.
Energy Programs (H-12), p. 324
Promotes renewable energy and conservation in schools.
Global Environmental Restoration (I-7), p. 326
Demands polluters’ accountability globally.
Sustainability (I-9), p. 326
Encourages sustainable practices in communities.
Global Climate Change (I-10), p. 327
Advocates immediate global climate action.

International Relations and Policies

Academic Freedom and Free Speech for Palestine (New Business #29), p. 356
Supports advocacy for Palestine as academic freedom.
Peace and International Relations (I-1), p. 324-325
Supports international disarmament and the UN’s role.
International Criminal Court (I-3), p. 325
Advocates joining the ICC for human rights prosecutions.
Nuclear Freeze/Cessation (I-5), p. 325
Demands a halt on nuclear weapons globally.

Immigration and Border Issues

Education of Refugee and Undocumented Children (B-27), p. 221-222
Supports full educational rights and legal aid for undocumented students.
NEA’s Immigration/Border Position (New Business #72), p. 361
Opposes border closure or limitations on asylum rights.

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Criminal Justice and Policing

Safe, Just, and Equitable Schools (Guiding Principle 4), p. 407
Advocates removing police from schools.
Criminalization and Policing of Students, p. 407
Calls for ending criminalization practices targeting minorities and LGBTQ+ individuals.
Educational Equity for Incarcerated Persons (B-30), p. 223
Supports equitable education for incarcerated individuals.

Economic and Labor Issues

Economic Fairness in a Democracy (H-8), p. 324
Supports progressive taxation, minimum wage increases, and expanded social programs.
Labor Movement Education (B-67), p. 239
Advocates teaching labor and union history in schools.

Political and Electoral Issues

Statehood for the District of Columbia (H-10), p. 324
Promotes full statehood for DC.
Voting Rights (H-4), p. 323
Supports automatic and same-day voter registration, opposes voter ID laws.

Privatization and Funding

Privatization and Subcontracting Programs (A-25), p. 202
Opposes privatization in public education.
Voucher Plans and Tuition Tax Credits (A-26), p. 202
Firmly opposes voucher programs and tuition tax credits.

Peace and Anti-war Education

Education on Peace and International Understanding (B-64), p. 238
Advocates peace education, disarmament, and anti-imperialism curriculum.

Alignment with the Center for American Progress

These policy positions don’t exist in a vacuum. In fact, they align closely with the priorities of explicitly progressive political organizations. A comparison between the NEA’s 2025 handbook and the agenda of the progressive Center for American Progress (CAP) reveals significant overlap. Both organizations strongly advocate progressive taxation, comprehensive healthcare including gender-affirming care, climate action, reparations, social justice reforms, and immigration reform. They also commonly oppose privatization and promote public sector solutions and social equity.

However, while CAP explicitly frames itself as a political advocacy group, the NEA, historically an educational organization, now similarly champions political causes unrelated directly to education. This alignment raises questions about the core identity of the NEA and its original mission to unify and advocate solely around educational excellence.

The NEA’s 2025 Priorities—Quantified

A page-by-page breakdown of the 2025 NEA Handbook reveals a significant departure from its original academic mission. Of the 426 content pages analyzed, only 12% are dedicated to what might be called a modern equivalent of the Committee of Ten’s core curriculum—traditional academics like reading, writing, history, civics, science, and instructional tools like standards, libraries, and assessment. Meanwhile, 52% of the handbook focuses on internal union operations, workforce governance, and organizational structure. The remaining 36% is devoted to political and ideological advocacy—touching on everything from reparations and DEI programming to international policy, climate activism, gender theory, and immigration. In other words, less than one-eighth of the NEA’s current focus aligns with the very academic principles it was originally founded to advance.

Conclusion

The NEA’s 2025 platform represents a marked departure from its founding mission. What began as an effort to unify educators around academic rigor and ensure every child in America received a quality education has increasingly shifted toward advancing broad political and ideological goals. This evolution doesn’t reflect on the thousands of teachers and school staff working hard every day in classrooms—it reflects a change in direction at the top. With taxpayer dollars funding public education and union dues drawn from those salaries, it’s fair to ask: Is the NEA still focused on students, or has it become a vehicle for its own political ambitions?

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Dave Soulia | FYIVT

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