The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the U.S. and the biggest professional educator association in the world. At the risk of quoting Spider-Man: "With great power comes great responsibility," and the NEA is using its power not to improve education in America and help students learn.
Instead, it's using its power to push woke, leftist ideologies on teachers and, by extension, our students.
Defending Education recently uncovered NEA training documents that push such nonsense on teachers in the form of "training."
The National Education Association (NEA) just concluded its most recent Focus Academy event on “Advancing LGBTQ+ Justice.” Held December 2-4, 2025, Defending Education already covered various pre-attendance packets and participant handouts, including sample transition plans for school employees, and collective demands on race, class, and gender justice that referred to Republicans as the “villains” utilizing “strategic racism.”
Following the conference’s wrap-up, Defending Education gained access to the NEA’s day one and two PowerPoints on LGBTQ+ justice, revealing a heightened focus on race, class, and gender justice, as well as campaign-building, transgender terminology, transition plans, and gender.
Here's more from The New York Post:
The nation’s largest labor union held a conference earlier this month to train teachers on “Advancing LGBTQ+ Justice” — months after the Nation’s Report Card revealed student scores in reading and math were hitting new lows.
At the woke National Education Association (NEA) gathering, educators spent valuable time learning the nuances of so-called “neopronouns” and “xeopronouns,” while being instructed on ways to subvert conservative “villains” and their own “internal oppression.”
“When someone calls you and tells you they are transitioning, do not question them about what they are doing,” attendees were told, according to material obtained by conservative watchdog Defending Education.
The opening slide of the presentation read, “The content we are going to explore may bring up strong feelings. Throughout our time together, we will explore examples of racism, ableism, heterosexism, and sexism. By exploring these together, we can begin the process of unlearning our own internal oppression, and included a land acknowledgment that said, "We honor America's First People and all elders, past, present and emerging and we are called on to learn and share what we learn about the...story of what we now call the United States America" [sic].
Update on the NEA’s “Focus Academy,” which centered on “Advancing LGBTQ+ Justice” and concluded in early December 👇 pic.twitter.com/UU9b8wgsxN
— Defending Education (@DefendingEd) December 16, 2025
Of the 95 PowerPoint slides, 42 contained pride and/or trans flags and other rainbow/LGBTQ graphics.
The presentation also focused heavily on oppression.
"Oppressed people’s stories are deliberately kept out of the telling of the story of what we know as the United States of America. What we now call the United States of America is still an uncomfortable, awkward, and sometimes unsafe place to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community," read another slide.
Townhall spoke with Paul Runko, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Defending Education, about these slides.
"Parents in our K-12 coalition, they realize that while these types of trainings that the NEA gives its members are meant to ‘help’ their membership, these ideologies…have to trickle down into the classroom," Runko said.
"In a world where every effort should be spent on [education], this is at best not helping and at worst making the system an awful place for students and families," he added.
Runko said Defending Education has been encouraged by the level of accountability demanded by the Trump administration, noting the suit against Maine for allowing boys in girls' sports and the suit against Minneapolis Public Schools for racially discriminatory behavior. He also said Defending Education has filed 60 civil rights complaints since the organization started four years ago.
As far as parents are concerned, Runko said the Supreme Court gave them a "wonderful tool" this summer in Mahmoud v. Taylor. "If [parents] see any of the materials like the NEA was training their membership in...if they see anything like this in their schools, they can request their child be opted out on religious grounds."
Runko also said teachers should be outraged by these training materials. "As much as we can tell, it's union member dues that pay for the NEA to put on trainings like this. So if you're a teacher and a member of the NEA...you wouldn't want your dues to be paying for a training like this," Runko said.
"I would encourage teachers to probably look for alternative association options if they're a member of the NEA," he added.
Ultimately, Runko said it comes down to being informed. This means parents, teachers, and the broader community. "Knowledge is power," he said. "Really understand how your local teachers' union is operating...just be aware of what's being put into those collective bargaining agreements."
Editor's Note: President Trump is fighting to dismantle the Department of Education and ensure America's kids get the education they deserve.
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