69ý

Teaching Profession

NEA Sets Up Entity to Advocate Changes in Education Law

By Bess Keller — May 05, 2004 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

The nation’s largest teachers’ union has launched a new advocacy organization focused on changing the No Child Left Behind Act and getting more funding for it.

Set up as a “social-welfare organization,” Communities for Quality Education may lobby and, on a limited basis, take part in political campaigns.

That gives the group a wider scope for advocacy than the National Education Association itself can have under the federal tax code.

Mike Casey, a public relations consultant to the new group, said the sweeping federal law is causing grave harm. “Teachers say the way the law is implemented now is taking the joy out of teaching and learning in America’s classrooms, and we want to change that.”

Leaders of the 2.7 million-member NEA have asked each of its 50 state affiliates to contribute $1 per member from either dues money or their political-action funds to get the group off the ground, according to internal documents.

The new Washington based organization opens its doors as Democrats, Republicans, and politically active groups of every stripe scramble to fill political-spending gaps spawned by the 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign-finance law.

Both corporations and unions, for instance, can no longer donate so-called “soft money,” which went to political parties to try to influence voters during campaigns without directly supporting particular candidates.

The NEA itself has come under increased scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service, which is auditing the union, and the U.S. Department of Labor, which is investigating the union’s reporting of its political activities.

‘Something Different’

The new group is headed by John Hein, who until recently was the chief lobbyist for the California Teachers Association. Its initial board is made up of Anne Davis, the president of the Illinois Education Association, as chairwoman; and Robert Bonazzi, the executive director of the New Jersey Education Association, and Maurice Joseph, the NEA’s deputy general counsel, as members.

Despite the union ties, Mr. Casey, the spokesman, said: “We’re focusing on doing something different here that’s not being done now by an array of education organizations. We want to get a dialogue going on among people who often don’t see eye to eye.”

He said that while the group’s immediate aim was to “fix and fund” the law that the NEA has both tepidly supported and denounced, in the long run, Communities for Quality Education wants to generate a “discussion about the direction of public education” and involve busy parents, teachers, and policymakers.

Mr. Casey said the organization would be active on the local, state, and national levels, but that plans were still being laid.

Some union observers and education advocates did not immediately welcome the new organization.

Mike Antonucci, a teachers’ union critic who carried news of the group’s existence in his independent online newsletter, said Communities for Quality Education would have credibility in its mission “only to the extent that this organization can distance itself from NEA’s own agenda.”

Ross Weiner, the policy director of the Washington- based Education Trust, which influenced the federal law and advocates higher educational standards for poor and minority children, said he did not have much confidence in the new group because of its close connection with the NEA.

“The NEA has been the primary source of misinformation regarding the law,” he charged. “I worry there’s more of that in store for us.”

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69ý
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Teaching Profession The State of Teaching Why Teachers Likely Take So Few Days Off
The perception coincides with teachers' low levels of job satisfaction.
3 min read
survey teachers static
via Canva
Teaching Profession What the Research Says The More 69ý Miss Class, the Worse Teachers Feel About Their Jobs
Missing kids take a toll on teachers' morale, new research says. Here's how educators can cope with absenteeism.
4 min read
An empty elementary school classroom is seen on Aug. 17, 2021 in the Bronx borough of New York. Nationwide, students have been absent at record rates since schools reopened after COVID-forced closures. More than a quarter of students missed at least 10% of the 2021-22 school year.
An empty elementary school classroom is seen on Aug. 17, 2021 in the Bronx borough of New York. Nationwide, students have been absent at record rates since schools reopened after COVID-forced closures. Now research suggests the phenomenon may be depressing teachers' job satisfaction.
Brittainy Newman/AP
Teaching Profession Will Your Classroom Get Enough 'Likes'? Teachers Feel the Social Media Pressure
Teachers active on social media feel the competition to showcase innovative lessons and beautiful decorations.
5 min read
Image of a cellphone on a desk.
iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession New Findings on Teacher Morale Highlight Ways to Make It Better
A new College Board survey on teacher morale echoes some previous findings. But it also highlights opportunities for schools to improve it.
4 min read
A student raises her hand to share her work with her teacher.
A student raises her hand to share her work with her teacher.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed