The New Jersey Education Association, with more than 200,000 members, is the second largest state association in the NEA, behind California. It has long been recognized as a powerful force in state politics and one of the reasons NJ schools have among the highest levels of funding for its public schools and some of the highest teacher salaries in the United States. The NJEA’s annual state convention draws more than 20,000 teachers, counselors, administrators, and school support staff from New Jersey and the surrounding region and is one of the largest gatherings of K–12 educators in the nation.
Over the years, Rethinking Schools has built ties with NJEA, which were showcased at this year’s convention. NJEA gave RS a prime location at the convention’s sprawling exhibition fair, which included more than 300 organizations. The RS booth was a hotbed of activity, in part because NJEA purchased 200 copies of Transgender Justice in Schools and 200 copies of Teaching for Black Lives to distribute free to members at the convention. The books were enthusiastically received and jump-started conversations throughout the two-day exhibition fair.
Rethinking Schools and Zinn Education Project (a project co-coordinated by Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change) also presented five workshops at the convention, including Writing for Publication, The Politics & Challenges of Anti-racist Teaching, The Black Panther Party You Never Learned About in School, The Climate Crisis Has a History — Let’s Teach It, and Transgender Justice in Schools.
RS and ZEP’s participation was also part of NJEA’s Consortium project, a curriculum design and implementation effort supported by a multi-year grant from NEA. The Consortium aims to breathe life into curriculum initiatives mandated by the NJ state legislature, including initiatives around Amistad (i.e., Black History), the Holocaust, LGBTQIA+, Persons with Disabilities, and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The Consortium “intends to infuse historically marginalized identities into K–12 teaching and learning… [it] will also focus on developing high-quality professional learning for members and foster meaningful community conversations that will prepare all stakeholders to understand, embrace, and celebrate New Jersey’s diversity.” The Consortium has utilized materials from RS and ZEP in its work; and is currently recruiting the second of three cohorts of NJEA members to become part of “a dynamic team working to enhance an intersectional and inclusive curriculum that reflects the beautiful diversity of New Jersey’s public schools and communities.”
In 2025 and beyond, we look forward to more ways to be in partnership with unions across the country, including offering resources to educators, supporting study groups, and publishing stories that highlight the power of teacher unionism.
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