Title: National Education Association | American organization | Britannica
Headings: National Education Association
National Education Association
American organization
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National Education Association

Content: National Education Association | American organization | Britannica
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National Education Association
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Alternative Titles: NEA, Teachers Association
National Education Association (NEA), American voluntary association of teachers, administrators, and other educators associated with elementary and secondary schools and colleges and universities. It is the world’s largest professional organization. Its headquarters are in Washington, D.C.
National Education Association
National Education Association headquarters, Washington, D.C.
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The association originated in 1857 as the National Teachers Association, which merged in 1870 with the National Association of School Superintendents and the American Normal School Association to form the National Education Association. Its membership exceeded 2.5 million in the early 21st century. The NEA has a complex organizational structure. First, it is a general-purpose, individual-membership organization that advances the cause of public education and the welfare of its members. It has a large professional staff and establishes committees and commissions, which provide numerous services, such as research, publications, liaison with federal-government agencies, promotion of federal legislation, and defense of professional rights. Second, the NEA comprises many national bodies that are based on specialized, professional, and vocational interests. These are simultaneously departments in the NEA and autonomous organizations with their own dues-paying members, officers, and staffs and in many cases with state and local affiliates or branches.