New Jersey Education Association | Diversity Employer

The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) is a diverse, democratic organization working to create an optimal environment to achieve excellence in public education in New Jersey.

Our Mission

The mission of the New Jersey Education Association is to advance and protect the rights, benefits, and interests of members, and promote a quality system of public education for all students.

Our Vision

The New Jersey Education Association is a diverse, democratic organization working to create an optimal environment to achieve excellence in public education in New Jersey.

Our Goals

• Member Advocacy
  To preserve and improve the economic interests, working conditions, job security, and pensions of all members.



• Enhancing Public Education
  To promote and deliver quality professional development for educators. To advance and support policies that enhance and enrich public education.



• Organizing
  To strengthen the Association by maximizing membership, developing leadership, and supporting affiliates.

The NJEA Real Movement

Becoming a leader in the global movement for human rights, civil rights, racial justice and equity
NJEA has been committed to public education for over 160 years. Our collective power has grown in the face of adversity during every decade of our existence—from our first convention in 1853 to the first tenure bill in 1909; from surviving the 1930s Great Depression to the first New Jersey collective bargaining law passed in 1968; from Judith Owens being elected as the first African-American president of the NJEA to paid health benefits for retired educational support professionals (ESPs) in 1992. We are now facing unprecedented attacks on organized labor from corporate-political interests, a revival of white nationalism harming our vulnerable communities and a massive recession caused by a global pandemic.

Within the next 20 years, NJEA can become a leader in the global movement for human rights, civil rights, racial justice and equity. Our organizing strategies and tactics may have changed over time, but one thing has always remained constant: our members are the source of our collective power. The more we engage, the stronger our relationships, the more powerful our unions become for our students in the New Jersey public school system.

The REAL Movement invites educators to combat the tactics of complicity in our society by affirming and embracing the beautiful differences of people, perspectives and experiences that diverse communities can bring.