National Education Association

Roughly 6,000 educators from around the nation gathered in Denver, Colo., on July 3-7, for the 2026 National Education Association Annual Meeting and 105th Representative Assembly (RA). The RA is the world’s largest democratic body and the top decision-making body for NEA’s nearly 3 million members. Every year, local unions elect and send thousands of delegates from around the U.S. to draft, debate, and adopt policies that set the course for the future of the Association.

Our students are very important to us. But we can’t take care of them if we can’t take care of ourselves. Quote by: —John Ross, Science teacher, The South Carolina Education Association What’s on Your Mind? We’re here to help. Our community comes to us seeking tools (guides, reports, trainings, and more) to help answer everyday questions. We’re here to support you in whatever you need.

State voucher schemes. Mass deportations and detentions. A lack of support for special education students and their educators. The myriad of ways that some politicians are sabotaging public schools and educators goes on and on, and has been the focus of discussion among the nearly 7,000 educators at this year’s NEA Representative Assembly (RA) in Denver.

NEA’s 2026 Education Support Professional (ESP) of the Year, Ric Calhoun, encouraged the delegates attending the 2026 NEA Representative Assembly, in Denver, to believe not only in the value of their work, but also in their power to “demand better, and win.” “For too long, wealth and power have been concentrated in the hands of a few, while working people like us—the very backbone of our communities—are told to settle for less,” Calhoun said on July 6.

NEA Higher Educator of the Year Clinton Smith, a professor of special education at the University of Tennessee at Martin, told a story on Monday about a child named Sam. Smith, who addressed the NEA Representative Assembly (RA) delegates, in Denver, has been involved in Special Olympics for decades. In 2022, he coached Sam at the USA Special Olympics Games. “Sam was in a track event. And right after the starting gun, another runner in his heat went down, hard. Just fell.

National Education Association members “belong to the most noble professions on the planet,” NEA Executive Director Kim Anderson said in prepared remarks delivered July 5 at the 2026 NEA Representative Assembly in Denver. “Without you, there is no future full of engineers and artists and musicians and nurses and educators,” Anderson told the 7,000 delegates gathered at the Colorado Convention Center “You are the foundation everything else rests on. So, you’re not just noble.

On July 5, almost 6,000 delegates elected a slate of officers, during NEA’s Representative Assembly (RA) in Denver—ushering in a new era of leaders as the association looks to build on its priorities and meet the challenges ahead.

The NEA awarded its highest honor, the Friend of Education Award, posthumously to Illinois Education Association (IEA) President Albert J. “Al” Llorens on July 5 at the 2026 NEA Representative Assembly in Denver. Llorens, who died on Sept. 25, 2025, at 73, was honored for his lifelong commitment to public education in Illinois, accomplishments as an IEA leader, and contributions to NEA members across the nation. His widow, Wanda Llorens, accepted the award on his behalf.

By: Cindy Long, Senior Writer In her final keynote as president of the National Education Association, Becky Pringle began with love. She read aloud a letter her late husband wrote on her birthday the year he died.

Name: Antonio Hernandez Where are you from? Passaic, New Jersey Job? Paraeducator in a transition program for 18- to 21-year-olds (and also an Aspiring Educator!) What's the best part of your job? Helping my students to understand the transition from high school to life, and seeing them grow and change. How many NEA Representative Assemblies (RAs) have you been to?This is my first RA. Why come to the RA? I want to have a better grasp of democracy in the NEA. Favorite RA snack?