National Education Association American Government

National Education Association

Group Identity

The National Education Association (NEA) was formed in 1857 and is dedicated to championing the rights of both educators and children. It has been a part of integration, the Civil Rights movement, equal opportunity education, and the rights of teachers for over 150 years. After 1966 the National Education Association and American Teachers Association merged to form a more cohesive and powerful body. Each state has a branch of the NEA that regularly does lobby work to legislators for the resources schools need and to push for higher standards in the teaching profession. The NEA's programs and services may be accessed at http://www.nea.org. There are currently five forms of membership, from Students to Retired. Anyone actively involved in the American Education System, as well as several distance and online institutions, may join the NEA, although professional certification is required for certain membership tiers.

Goals

The NEA sees itself as the voice for education professionals with the values and trust provided by members to represent a fundamental necessity for the nation. The vision is simple: a great public school for every student. The NEA does this by advocating educational professionals to unite with one voice to define: equal opportunity, a just society, democracy in education and life, professionalism, partnership with communities, and collective action. The NEA is passionate about the need for every student, regardless of family income, place of residence, ethnicity, or diverse needs, to have a place for quality and robust education.

Demographics

The NEA is made up of a wide-variety of professionals, typically from age of 18 to retirement. There are seven major demographic categories:

Education Support Professionals -- Non-Certified professionals who assist in the classroom.

Higher Education Faculty and Staff -- College and University, representing more than 2000,000 higher education employees in public and private industries.

NEA-Retired -- 275,000 individuals who need representation on health care and Social Security

Students -- student in any aspect of education or pedagogical programs.

Substitute Educators -- most of the benefits of Educational staff

Administrators -- providing effective leadership for schools

National Council of Urban Education Associations -- Caucus of NEA local affiliates dedicated to making government responsive to urban needs

Dues and Qualifications