The National Education Association

Websites | Member Benefits | Nationwide Resources

NEA Website

Teacher Leadership Initiative

AFT Website

Educating Through a Crisis

NEAMember Benefits

EdCommunity MyNEA360

NEAToday School Me

EdVotes

NEAEdJustice

SupportEd

NEAToday

The #RedForEd Movement

Facebook

NEA Today The official Facebook page for the National Education Association. We bring you tips and tricks for the classroom, keep you informed on the latest education news, and help you connect with others who are working to create great public schools for every student.

Speak Up for Education and Kids A group started by the National Education Association to unite educators and community members committed to investing in education for all students.

Read Across America Join the National Education Association as we celebrate a nation of diverse readers with these recommended books, authors, and teaching resources that represent an array of experiences and cultures.

NEA Educators Navigating COVID-19 Together Use this group to connect with members in your states and locals to seek and share important information about how COVID-19 is affecting your communities and what’s being done to support your students and one another.

Twitter

@NEAToday The official Twitter page for the National Education Association. Follow us to access the latest education news, advocacy actions to support public education, and resources that will help you thrive in the workplace.

@EdVotes A community of political activists founded by the National Education Association focused on building great public schools and benefiting all students.

@NEAMedia The official Twitter feed for the National Education Association's public relations department. Check here for the latest news, media releases, and statements from NEA.

@BeckyPringle National Education Association President Becky Pringle's official Twitter feed. Follow her to hear her thoughts on the issues that matter to educators.

@NEArESPect A community providing Education Support Professionals with useful news and resources.

NEA Today on Instagram The official National Education Association Instagram account. This account highlights the stories of NEA's members and staff as they work together to provide great public schools for every student.

NEA Video on YouTube The official National Education Association YouTube account. See the latest videos highlighting our members, sharing messages from our leaders, and providing resources that support educators.

NEA Today on Pinterest Find classroom projects, lesson plans, and other resources for your school and your career.

EdCommunities NEA's edCommunities is a place for teachers, parents, education support professionals, community supporters, and NEA affiliates to find and share ideas and resources.

FIND EVENTS NEAR YOU

Local events are a great way to join fellow educators in making your voices heard. This feed lists candidates who also use the Mobilize platform and will be supplemented by NEA and affiliate-sponsored events. Please visit strongpublicschools.org for more information.

Subscribe to Newsletter Updates

About NEA / History

Education Issues

Current State of Public Ed.

Never miss major news, great educator resources, and opportunities for aspiring and current educators.

Connect with NEA Homepage

Get the NEAToday App on Google Play

Get the NEAToday App on Apple IOS

Aspiring Ed. Nationwide Student Program of the NEA

Specific resources provided by NEA to support Aspiring Educators across the nation.

Join the Aspiring Ed Facebook Page

How mentors first year teachers

NEA Today for Aspiring Educators is an annual magazine for NEA Aspiring Educator members. It offers a wealth of resources to those new to the education profession. Each issue offers help with job searches, provides classroom tips for surviving the first year in the classroom, recommends strategies for parental and community outreach, and much more.

More free magazines here.

NEA Aspiring Educators Program Benefits

There are many advantages of being a part of the NEA Student Program. Benefits include:

Member Discounts and Services: As an NEA member, you'll receive great deals on professional and consumer products and services including:

low-interest credit cards
car rentals
mortgage plan with low down payment options
early-start investment plan for retirement
life insurance
accidental death and dismemberment insurance
magazine subscriptions
and more

$20 Dues Rebate After Graduation

During your first year of teaching and regular NEA membership, you'll be eligible to receive a rebate of $20 for each year you were a student member.Download the rebate form ( PDF, 92 KB, 1 pg.).

Scholarships

Student members are eligible for NEA’s Jack Kinnaman Scholarship or leadership training that helps members can gain skills in communication, time management, group management, organizing, and publishing.

Professional Workshops and Conferences

We hold national leadership and professional development meetings. Topics include everything from stress management and interviewing skills, to classroom management and pedagogy.

Publications

NEA Today for Future Educators and your state newsletter are available.

Community Outreach

Student members can work alongside peers and working professionals to make positive differences in communities across the country. Special grants are available for student chapters that want to start an outreach program.

Legal Services

NEA provides $1 million in professional liability coverage and offers other legal services such as will writing, consulting, etc. This coverage, provided by our Educators Employment Liability Program, protects you every time you step into a classroom!

Technical Support and Assistance

If you've got a great idea for a membership drive or local workshop but need some help to pull it off, NEA can help. Student Program members are part of a network that includes local association leaders, UniServ staff, state affiliate officers, and staff at NEA headquarters.

Legislation and Lobbying

NEA supports America's public schools on national and state levels. As a member, you can be a part of this process and support pro-public education legislation.

Save 18% on Sprint PCS Service

You'll save 18% on your monthly fee when you sign up for select Sprint PCS Plans. Existing customers, please call 1-866-853-4931. Be sure to have an employee or member ID or recent pay stub handy. Please reference root node number 0011866077.

Grants and Programs for NEA Aspiring Educators

Aspiring Educators CREATE Grants

State Aspiring Educators (AE) organizations and campus chapters are eligible to apply for CREATE grants. These grants of up to $2000 should strengthen the AE Program and build stronger partnerships. Grants should also have a primary focus in one of the areas aligned with AE Core Values:

EDUCATOR QUALITY – Projects involving preparation for professional practice, strengthening educator preparation programs, and/or support for career preparation and advancement

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT – Projects involving partnerships with P-12 schools, local organizations, and other community-based involvement

POLITICAL ACTION – Projects involving advocacy for policies, legislation, and political issues with an impact on education

SOCIAL JUSTICE – Projects involving social justice issues activism and/or that contribute to the development of aspiring educator knowledge, skills, and dispositions as culturally responsive educators.

Submission deadlines occur twice each year - October 15 and February 1. For assistance with grant applications, contact Blake West (bwest@nea.org). Click HERE for the online CREATE Grant application.

SchoolMe Podcasts

Our podcast empowers seasoned educators to use their years of experience and wisdom to help you get the most out of your career in education.

Check out resources, webinars, & more!

Resource Library
Best of "Back to School"
Professional Learning Resources
New From NEA | Read the latest on the education trends we're watching.
Calculate your living wage

Creating the Space to Talk About Race in your School

Cyberbullying & Cyber Safety

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Building a Diverse Workplace

Time for a Change: Diversity in Teaching Revisited
Strengthening and Diversifying the Teacher Recruitment Pipeline: Current Efforts
Diversifying the Teaching Profession: How to Recruit and Retain Teachers of Color
Seven Trends: The Transformation of the Teaching Force

Positive & Just School Climate

NEA Harassment and Discrimination Toolkit

Collaborating for Student Success Phase 2

Guide: How to Define Content for Collaboration

Guide: Creating a Culture of Collaboration

NEA LGBTQ+ Caucus

A Guide to Supporting Transgender Students K-12

The Case for Union & Community Collaboration

The_Road_To_Student_Success(2).pdf

Schools-In-Transition (1).pdf

facilitator-guide.pdf

NEA's School Crisis Guide_.pdf

Advocating for Great Public Schools Handbook.pdf

Raising Your Voice_ Guide for Local Associations.pdf

Collaborating-for-Student-Success-e-guidebook-fall-2019(1).pdf

NEA Guide_ Teaching Students with Autism.pdf

All In! How Educators Can Advocate for English Language Learners.pdf

Harassment and Discrimination Toolkit (Final) 2014_1.pdf

ETS - Teacher Leader Model Standards.pdf

NLMP-ReOpening-June-4-2020(1).pdf

LongTermEngLangLearner-NEA.pdf

2013_INTASC_Learning_Progressions_for_Teachers.pdf

Teacher Residencies.pdf

HabitatGuideColor.pdf

IEP Document-4th proofFINAL.pdf

Guide_ Creating a Culture of Collaboration.pdf

NEA Teacher Leadership Competencies.pdf

Center for Teacher Quality

Standards for Professional Learning

if_abcsofpartnership_2012.pdf

Teacher Professional Growth

Resources

Three excellent sources provide guidance to help educators make professional learning decisions and also help them create and advocate for a culture that supports their growth:

NEA’s Great Teaching and Learning Report.  In addition to describing a vision for professional learning at various times of a professional’s career, it also identifies five elements of organizational culture that are necessary for transforming our schools and for supporting professional excellence.
Learning Forward's Standards for Professional Learning.  These standards provide specific guidance in the design and implementation of professional learning experiences that support growth in both the knowledge and skills for the professional educator.
Education Support Professionals (ESP) Professional Growth Continuum.   This document provides guidance for each of the nine ESP categories for professional growth.

Opportunities

The NEA Center for Great Public Schools supports our members as they pursue the vision for great teaching and learning throughout their entire careers.  Some of these efforts include:

The Teacher Leadership Institute that provides tools for our members to create genuine transformation of the entire organization – classrooms, schools, districts, and communities.
NEA’s Aspiring Educators Program that supports professional excellence through teacher preparation initiatives.
The Early Leadership Institute supports educators from the very outset of their careers for a trajectory of excellence and professional leadership. The Early Career Learning Labs provide an opportunity to investigate a problem of practice collaboratively along with a virtual coach.
Micro-credentials (over 170 available as of June 2020) provide a way for educators to exercise autonomy over their professional learning priorities and to expand their expertise across a vast array of teaching, learning, leadership, and community support topics.
Jump Start provides support to educators interested in pursuing National Board Certification. The program is supported by NEA in collaboration with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Support for Cooperating Teachers is available in multiple formats including micro-credentials, Blended Learning study groups, and a curriculum addressing the major elements of the student-teacher/mentor-teacher relationship and work.

HighEd / Faculty Professional Growth

NEA Micro-Credential Certification Bank

Micro-credential Policy MapHow are states and districts across the U.S. engaging with micro-credentials? Our interactive map lets

Check if your state provides credits for micro-credentials

NEA STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS NAVIGATOR

Exclusive to NEA members, the NEA Members Insurance Trust is offering one year of no-cost access to the NEA Student Debt Navigator powered by Savi. Use this tool to understand your relief options, file all required paperwork, and talk with experts to get your student loan debt under control. You don’t have to do this alone.

It’s easy — log in and try it today: neamb.com/GetNavNEA.

Student Debt Support

5 Steps to Public Service Loan Forgiveness

This federal program forgives the federal student loan debt of public employees including teachers and education support professionals after they make 120 qualifying payments.

Have the right kind of loan: Your loans must be Direct Loans to qualify for forgiveness.
Have the right servicer: Your loans must be serviced by FedLoan when you request forgiveness.
Be in the right repayment plan: You must be in an income-driven repayment plan.
Work full-time for the right kind of employer (all public schools, colleges, and universities count): You must prove your employment by filing a public-service employment certification form. If your loans are not already serviced by FedLoan, they will be transferred to FedLoan when you submit the employment certification form.
Make 120 on-time payments—they don’t have to be consecutive.

3 Steps to Teacher Loan Forgiveness

For teachers only, this program forgives up to $5,000 after five years of teaching, or up to $17,500 if you teach math or science at the secondary level or special education at any level.

Have either Direct or Stafford loans.
Be a “highly qualified,” or fully state-certified, teacher.
Teach at a school or educational service agency that serves low-income students for five years after your loans were taken out.

HEALTH INSURANCE

Collective Bargaining

Collective bargaining is about more than ensuring economic security. It's about winning better conditions for student learning and development. Here's how to make it work for you.

Collective Bargaining_ What It Is and How It Works.pdf

2020: Collective Bargaining Rights Must Be Protected

Currently, teachers in 34 states and the District of Columbia have the legal right to bargain. Education support professionals in 31 states plus D.C. have that right, as do some higher education faculty in 28 states and D.C.

OUR APPROACH: STUDENT-CENTERED ADVOCACY

Students, and student-centered issues, are at the heart of our bargaining, organizing, and engagement efforts. This type of advocacy is about taking charge and implementing educator-led solutions that work for our students and their schools. It involves leveraging collective power in new ways to raise the voice and vision of educators and build stronger partnerships with parents, students, and other community stakeholders that share common values. As a result of student-centered advocacy, NEA local affiliates have won contract language around issues such as:

smaller class size
less testing
increased staffing of nurses and counselors
community schools.

Student–Centered Advocacy Grants

https://www.bargainingforthecommongood.org/

Education Support Professionals

Why do we say "Educators" instead of "Teachers?'

ESPs-Whole-Student.pdf

A closer look at the nine career families

While every ESP has a unique position with specific duties, all of these educators cultivate and meet the needs of the whole student, promoting quality education and fostering positive learning environments.

Join the ESP Facebook Group

Follow @NEArESPect on Twitter

Learn more about K-12 ESPs

Learn more about Higher Ed ESPs

The NEA ESP Quality Department offers a variety of resources designed to support and elevate the professional excellence of Education Support Professionals in all career families.

ESPs: Who We Are This brochure promotes an understanding of the 9 ESP career families and provides data and statistics about NEA ESP members working in K-12 and higher education. English / Spanish (only available online)

ESPs: Supporting Our Own Through Mentoring This manual is designed to assist state and local Associations and/or school districts/universities to plan and implement mentoring programs for ESP. Download >>

ESP Voice and Opportunity in ESSA The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides ESP a voice for input into school decision-making, as well as opportunities for professional development and program funding. ESP Voice and Opportunity in ESSA is designed for the busy ESP advocate who needs to know the key areas where ESSA may be used for positive impact.

ESPs: Meeting the Needs of the Whole Student This digibook illustrates how ESP keep students healthy, safe, engaged, supported and challenged, ensuring their success for school and in life. Download >>

ESP Bullying Prevention Brochure This brochure advocates for ESP inclusion in school bullying training and informs how ESP can intervene in bullying, meeting the needs of the whole student. Download >>

Making Connections: Engaging Members in Building Community Support This manual provides tools to develop strong community connections and support for ESPs and the Association. In order to achieve our goals: gaining recognition and respect for the work we do, improve working conditions, protect our jobs against privatization, and ensure fair pay, we must enlist the support of our communities. This resource is only available to NEA members and must be ordered by sending a request to esp.program@nea.org.

Beat Privatization: A Step‐by‐Step Crisis Organizing Manual When a school district is already considering contracting out for services, it’s too late to develop a pro‐active anti‐privatization campaign. The local must organize and act immediately! Beat Privatization provides the step-by-step approach for locals and members to organize and win! This resource is only available to NEA members and must be ordered by sending a request to esp.program@nea.org.