National Education Association

A dear friend of mine, Jim shared with me that a friend of his said, "Jim, why don't you get a different job instead of being just a school bus driver?" Anyone who knows him, knows how compassionate Jim is about driving his school bus.

Key Takeaways In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination in 2025, many faculty, teachers and other public employees were disciplined for social media posts that called him racist or anti-gay. Educators still have First Amendment rights, as private citizens—and NEA attorneys have advice for them on safely posting to social media. Karen Leader faced death threats and an administrative investigation. What helped? Her union attorney, her tenure, and the fact that she didn’t do anything wrong.

For Melissa St. Rose, the Status of Women Chair for the Caribbean Union of Teachers (CUT), and the General Secretary of the Grenada Union of Teachers, the training was more than an opportunity to deepen the connection between CUT and the NEA. It showed her that educators in the Caribbean are not alone, and that they can rely on educators around the world for support.

Summer 2026 was one for the record books with sweltering heat domes, rising inflation and gas prices, and an on again off again ceasefire in the Middle East. But through it all educators found ways to form lessons for their students from some of this summer’s hottest headlines.

Jacob Bennett, a teacher and County Council member in Harford County, Maryland, says voting is essential in advocating for students. Credit: Jati Lindsay When Jacob Bennett was growing up, he felt more secure at school than anywhere else—especially compared with his turbulent, abusive home. He knew by age 10 that he wanted to be a source of security and encouragement for other children, just as his educators had been for him.

By: Lakeisha Waichungo, Contributor The 2026 Kids Count Data Book is a sobering look at the well-being of children across the United States. Despite some gains over the past few years—fewer children living in high-poverty neighborhoods and a drop in teen births, for example—on too many fronts, namely education, child well-being declined. Overall, the overall score for the U.S. fell from 553 in 2019 to 547 in 2025. Eell-being declined in 29 states and improved in 15 states.

By: National Education Association Building Power This summer, Denver, Colo., buzzed with more than 300 retired educators as they gathered for the 2026 Retired Annual Meeting, on June 30–July 1.

By: Tim Walker, Senior Writer/Editor Every year at the NEA Representative Assembly, delegates come together to do the business of the nation’s largest labor union. But this year, in Denver, they were also tasked with electing a new leadership team, as NEA President Becky Pringle’s six-year tenure came to a close. On July 5, they cast their ballots for Princess R. Moss as president, Noel Candelaria as vice president, and Robert Varela Rodriguez as secretary-treasurer.

By: Joye Mercer Barksdale, Senior Writer Jacob Bennett, a teacher and county council member in Harford County, Maryland, says voting is essential in advocating for students. Credit: Jati Lindsay When Jacob Bennett was growing up, he felt more secure at school than anywhere else—especially compared with his turbulent, abusive home. He knew by age 10 that he wanted to be a source of security and encouragement for other children, just as his educators had been for him.

American history includes “a long lineage of working-class heroes who, when faced with injustice and oppression, stood up, looked their bosses dead in the eye, and said, enough,” writes journalist Kim Kelly, author of Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor. But can you name any of them? Many legendary laborers are left out of history books.