Unions

Read more about labor groups that organize teachers and other educators around workplace issues and negotiate contracts with districts
National Education Association representatives attend the annual assembly in Orlando, Fla., on July 4, 2023. Delegates are gathering in Philadelphia July 4 to 7, 2024, to vote on key education concerns.
National Education Association representatives attend the annual assembly in Orlando, Fla., on July 4, 2023. Delegates are gathering in Philadelphia July 4 to 7, 2024, to vote on key education concerns.
Courtesy of NEA
Teaching Profession The Election, AI, and More: What to Expect From the NEA's Massive Assembly
Thousands of delegates for the nation’s largest teachers' union are headed to Philadelphia to vote on pressing education issues.
Brooke Schultz, June 27, 2024
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4 min read
Staff of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers union, strike outside the organization's building in Washington on June 20, 2024. The staff union alleges that the NEA violated labor law.
Staff from the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers union, protest outside the organization's building in Washington, D.C., on June 20, 2024.
Stephen Sawchuk/Education Week
Teaching Profession The NEA Faces an Unexpected Labor Adversary—Its Own Staff Union
Staff for the nation’s largest teachers’ union picketed at its Washington headquarters Thursday, striking for the first time in decades.
Brooke Schultz & Stephen Sawchuk, June 20, 2024
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3 min read
Image of a pregnant person at work.
E+
Teaching Profession Teachers Are Pushing for Paid Parental Leave. How It's Going
Efforts to implement paid parental leave policies are slowly gaining traction, with teachers often advocating on their own behalf.
Elizabeth Heubeck, June 12, 2024
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7 min read
Image of a folder and a signed agreement.
iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession Teachers’ Unions Are Gaining Ground in a State That Once Forbade Them
With unions now representing educators in its largest district, Virginia is seeing a labor resurgence.
Olina Banerji, June 10, 2024
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7 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
School Choice & Charters Opinion 'Control Freaks' Are 'Losing Their Grip' on Education
"School choice evangelist" says new laws are a response to unions, bureaucracies, and K-12 ideologues.
Rick Hess, May 16, 2024
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12 min read
Patrice Madrid, left, leads a Functional Core Program for 3rd through 5th graders as part of a teacher residency program under the guidance of staff teacher Shannon Winthrow, right, at Star Lake Elementary in Kent, Wash., on May 7, 2024.
Patrice Madrid, left, leads a special education classroom for 3rd through 5th graders as part of the Washington Education Association's teacher residency program under the guidance of staff teacher Shannon Withrow, right, at Star Lake Elementary in Kent, Wash., on May 7, 2024.
Meron Menghistab for Education Week
Teacher Preparation Teachers' Unions Are Starting Teacher-Prep Programs. Here's What to Know
The Washington Education Association is pioneering a teacher residency for special education. Other unions are noticing.
Madeline Will, May 15, 2024
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10 min read
Tight cropped photo of someone typing on their cellphone with a notepad and pencil on the desk in front of them.
iStock/Getty
Ed-Tech Policy How Teachers' Unions Are Involved in the Fight Against Cellphones in Class
Could cellphone bans be the next big issue at the bargaining table?
Madeline Will, April 24, 2024
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7 min read
Female teacher reads to multi-cultural elementary school students sitting on floor in class at school
iStock/Getty
Reading & Literacy For Now, California Won't Mandate 'Science of Reading.' Here's What Happened
The California Teachers Association was one of the bill's most prominent opponents.
Lauraine Langreo, April 17, 2024
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6 min read
Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) vice president Betsy Kippers leads a chant during a rally to protest Governor Scott Walker's budget repair bill, at the Brown County Courthouse in downtown Green Bay on February 16, 2011.
Betsy Kippers, vice president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, leads a chant during a rally to protest Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill, at the Brown County Courthouse in downtown Green Bay on February 16, 2011.
H. Marc Larson/The Green Bay Press-Gazette via AP
Law & Courts Wisconsin Teachers Sue to Restore Collective Bargaining Rights
The lawsuit takes fresh aim at a 2011 law that severely restricted bargaining, and has survived several legal challenges since.
Madeline Will, December 1, 2023
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6 min read
Adult female teacher spends one-on-one time helping a Black female teenage student with her classwork.
E+
Student Achievement How These Districts Are Using $10,000 to Boost Student Learning
The pilot projects, begun with grants from the National Education Association, aim to curb absenteeism, supply food, and offer tutoring.
Madeline Will, September 25, 2023
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7 min read
People in privacy booths vote in the midterm election at an early voting polling site at Frank McCourt High School on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City on Nov. 1, 2022.
People in privacy booths vote in the midterm election at an early voting polling site at Frank McCourt High School on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City on Nov. 1, 2022.
Ted Shaffrey/AP
School & District Management Running for a School Board Seat? This Is the Most Powerful Endorsement You Can Get
New research shows that this endorsement in school board races is more influential than any other, with virtually no downside.
Caitlynn Peetz, September 22, 2023
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5 min read
Republican presidential candidates, from left, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum stand on stage before a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by FOX News Channel on Aug. 23, 2023, in Milwaukee.
Republican presidential candidates, from left, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum stand on stage before a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by FOX News Channel on Aug. 23, 2023, in Milwaukee.
Morry Gash/AP
Federal WATCH: 5 Key Takeaways on Education From the 1st GOP Presidential Debate
Among the highlights: take on the teachers' unions, scrap the Education Department, and boost reading.
Libby Stanford, August 24, 2023
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8 min read
Republican presidential candidates, from left, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum stand at their podiums during a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by FOX News Channel on Aug. 23, 2023, in Milwaukee.
Republican presidential candidates, from left, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum stand at their podiums during a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by FOX News Channel on Aug. 23, 2023, in Milwaukee.
Morry Gash/AP
Federal Broad Calls to Ax Education Department and Take On Teachers' Unions at 1st GOP Debate
Republican presidential candidates also used the first primary election debate to call for expanded school choice.
Libby Stanford, August 24, 2023
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4 min read
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten gives an address during the AFT Together Educating America’s Children conference, in Washington, D.C., on Friday, July 21, 2023.
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten speaks during the union's Together Educating America’s Children conference, in Washington on Friday, July 21, 2023. The nation's second largest teachers' union held the conference, attempting to propose solutions in response to criticism the union and its leaders have sustained from conservative politicians and activists.
Graeme Sloan for Education Week
Teaching Profession AFT Head Wants to Show She's Focused on Solutions to K-12's Challenges
Randi Weingarten attacked conservatives in a speech while responding to criticism by saying teachers are responsible for finding solutions.
Libby Stanford, July 21, 2023
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6 min read
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