National Education Association - Political Activities

Political Activities

NEA has played a role in politics since its founding, as it has sought to influence state and federal laws that would have an impact on public education. Every political position adopted by NEA was brought by one of its members to the annual Representative Assembly, where it was considered on the floor, debated, and voted on by elected delegates.

The organization tracks legislation related to education and the teaching profession and encourages members to get involved in politics through a comprehensive Legislative Action Center on its website.

• 1912: NEA endorses Women's Suffrage
• 1919: NEA members in New Jersey lead the way to the nation's first state pension; by 1945, every state had a pension plan in effect
• 1941: NEA successfully lobbied Congress for special funding for public schools near military bases
• 1945: NEA lobbied for the G.I. Bill of Rights to help returning soldiers continue their education
• 1958: NEA helps gain passage of the National Defense Education Act
• 1964: NEA lobbies to pass the Civil Rights Act
• 1968: NEA leads an effort to establish the Bilingual Education Act
• 1974: NEA backs a case heard before the U.S. Supreme Court that proposes to make unlawful the firing of pregnant teachers or forced maternity leave
• 1984: NEA fights for and wins passage of a federal retirement equity law that provides the means to end sex discrimination against women in retirement funds
• 2000s: NEA has lobbied for changes to the No Child Left Behind Act
• 2009: NEA delegates to the Representative Assembly pass a resolution that opposes the discriminatory treatment of same-sex couples.

In recent decades the NEA has increased its visibility in party politics, endorsing more Democratic Party candidates and contributing funds and other assistance to political campaigns. The NEA asserts itself as "non-partisan", but critics point out that the NEA has endorsed and provided support for every Democratic Party presidential nominee from Jimmy Carter to Barack Obama and has never endorsed any Republican or third party candidate for the presidency. However, NEA has endorsed and supported Republican political candidates for Congressional and Gubernatorial offices. In 2006, NEA funded over 300 candidates, a list which included Democrats, Republicans and Independents, such as Mike Simpson, Richard Lugar, Olympia Snowe, Jim Gerlach, John M. McHugh and Bernard Sanders, among others.

Based on required filings with the federal government, it is estimated that between 1990 and 2002 eighty percent of the NEA's substantial political contributions went to Democratic Party candidates. Although this has been questioned as being out of balance with the more diverse political views of the broader membership, the NEA maintains that it bases support for candidates primarily on the organization's interpretation of candidates' support for public education and educators. Every Presidential candidate endorsed by NEA must be approved by majority vote among the members themselves at NEA's annual Representative Assembly.

Others benefitting from NEA funding, according to the most recent filings, include Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Center for American Progress, Media Matters for America, National Council of La Raza, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Amnesty International, the now-defunct ACORN, and AIDS Walk Washington.

The NEA is a leading member of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a Washington D.C.-based coalition of over 400 major companies and NGOs that advocates for a larger International Affairs Budget, which funds American diplomatic and development efforts abroad.