Oklahoma state Superintendent Ryan Walters speaks at a rally on Nov. 1, 2022, in Oklahoma City. Walters is now facing scrutiny from GOP lawmakers, who seek an investigation into his stewardship of education funding and his agency's transparency.
A 9th grader places her cellphone in a phone holder as she enters class at Delta High School, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Delta, Utah. Some educators are hoping for national guidance from the National Education Association on cellphone policies.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. annual convention during the 71st biennial Boule at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Wednesday, July 10, 2024. The National Education Association will support Vice President Kamala Harris as she begins her bid for the White House.
Parents, students, and staff of Chino Valley Unified School District hold up signs in favor of protecting LGBTQ+ policies at Don Antonio Lugo High School, in Chino, Calif., June 15, 2023. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law Monday, July 15, 2024, barring school districts from passing policies that require schools to notify parents if their child asks to change their gender identification.
Anjali Sharif-Paul/The Orange County Register via AP
Protestors gather outside of the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, during the NEA Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly.
The staff organization for the National Education Association strikes on Friday, July 5, outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia where the union was hosting its annual conference. The staff organization members will be locked out of work until a contract is ratified.
Noel Candelaria, a special education teacher and secretary-treasurer of the National Education Association, addresses delegates on Thursday, July 4 at the annual NEA representative assembly in Philadelphia. Candelaria served as chairman of a task force that developed a policy statement on the use of artificial intelligence in classrooms.
Photo courtesy of the National Education Association
National Education Association representatives attend the annual assembly in Orlando, Fla., on July 4, 2023. Delegates are gathering in Philadelphia July 4 to 7, 2024, to vote on key education concerns.
Students at Mount Vernon Library in Raleigh, N.C., pose with free books after their book fair. School librarian Julia Stivers started the free book fair eight years ago, in an effort to make the traditional book fair more equitable. Alternative versions of book fairs have been cropping up as a way to help students' build their own personal library, without the costs associated with traditional book fair models.
Staff from the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers union, protest outside the organization's building in Washington, D.C., on June 20, 2024.