American Federation Of TeachersEdit
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is one of the largest labor unions in the United States, organizing teachers, paraprofessionals, librarians, and other school staff across public and higher education. As a key affiliate of the AFL-CIO, the AFT operates as a national voice for classroom professionals while also coordinating with thousands of local and state unions. Its core mission centers on improving pay, benefits, and working conditions for teachers and on strengthening funding and governance for public education. The AFT also engages in policy advocacy, research, and political organizing to influence education policy at the state and federal levels, often emphasizing professional standards, classroom safety, and student outcomes.
Historically, the AFT emerged as a vehicle for classroom professionals to bargain collectively, advance professional rights, and push for school reforms that could benefit teachers and students alike. The union maintains a presence in both public and higher education, reflecting the broad scope of today’s education workforce. Its leadership and policy directions are shaped by delegates at its national convention and by the work of local and state affiliates, which negotiate contracts with school districts, administer pensions and health benefits, and advocate for resources that support classrooms and campuses. The AFT also communicates with its members and the public through publications and research, including professional journals and educational reports, and it operates a political action program to support candidates and initiatives aligned with its view of how best to educate students and run schools.
History
Origins and growth
The AFT was founded to give classroom professionals a collective voice in matters that affect daily teaching conditions, salaries, and professional autonomy. From its early days, the association sought to balance the needs of teachers with the demands of a changing educational landscape, laying down norms for collective bargaining, due process, and professional standards that would be familiar to modern teachers. Over time, the AFT expanded beyond k-12 into higher education and related school staff roles, transforming into a national federation that connects thousands of local unions.
Expansion and modernization
During the latter half of the 20th century and into the 21st, the AFT broadened its focus to include issues such as school funding, classroom safety, professional development, and the evolving role of teachers in policy conversation. As education reforms emerged at the state and national levels, the AFT positioned itself as a defender of strong public schools while grappling with debates over how best to measure teacher quality and school performance. The union also deepened its involvement in civil rights and equal access to education, integrating concerns about equity into its policy work and bargaining priorities.
Contemporary era
In recent decades, the AFT has remained active in shaping education policy through bargaining outcomes, public statements, research, and campaigns at the state and federal levels. It has sought to balance the traditional strengths of collective bargaining with a modern understanding of accountability, school choice, and school improvement. The union has also emphasized the safety and well-being of educators in an era of rapid technological change and shifting student needs, while navigating the complexities of political involvement in a highly polarized policy environment.
Organization and activities
Governance and structure: The AFT operates through a system of local, state, and national bodies. Local unions negotiate contracts with school districts, state affiliates coordinate policy and organizing efforts across districts, and the national entity provides guidance, research, and communications. Delegates at the national convention set broad policy directions and elect national leadership, while the day-to-day work of policy development occurs in a range of committees and program offices.
Membership and advocacy: The union represents a broad cross-section of education workers, including teachers, paraprofessionals, school librarians, and college faculty in some contexts. It uses collective bargaining to secure wages, benefits, and working conditions, and it engages in political advocacy through its AFT-PAC to influence legislation and elections at the state and federal levels. The AFT often argues that stable funding for public schools, competitive teacher compensation, and strong classroom safety are essential to student success.
Policy positions and programs: The AFT promotes robust public education funding, supports professional standards and educator voice in policy, and advocates for safe and supportive school environments. It emphasizes teacher professionalism and due process in evaluations, while generally opposing high-stakes evaluation systems that rely heavily on standardized tests. The union also engages with issues around school governance, the role of charter schools, and the proper balance between public schools and school choice options, often arguing for accountability measures that apply to all forms of public education.
Research and communications: Through journals and policy briefs, the AFT contributes to the national conversation about education reform, teacher development, and school improvement. It publishes materials that analyze funding needs, labor-market conditions for educators, and the impact of policy changes on classrooms. The organization also maintains a presence in media and public discourse to explain its positions on education policy and bargaining outcomes.
Historical and ongoing debates: The AFT participates in a broad policy conversation about the best ways to improve student learning, balance equity with opportunity, and ensure that teachers have a professional role in decisions that affect their classrooms. This includes discussions about the appropriate role of school choice, the use of performance-based evaluation, and the design of compensation systems that reward teacher excellence without penalizing due process or undermining collaboration.
Controversies and debates
Public education funding and school choice: Critics on the political right argue that the AFT’s strong defense of public schools can impede reforms that broaden parental choice or introduce competition to improve performance. Supporters contend that stable, well-funded public schools form the backbone of an meritocratic society and that school choice should be measured and targeted to ensure accountability and quality, while not compromising core obligations to all students. The AFT’s position has often been framed as prioritizing universal access and high standards within the public system, while remaining wary of policies that divert funds away from public schools without adequate safeguards.
Teacher evaluations and tenure: A perennial debate centers on how to assess teacher quality and manage tenure protections. Right-leaning critiques frequently argue that tenure and job protections can shield underperforming teachers from dismissal, which in turn harms student outcomes and school efficiency. The AFT has generally promoted due process protections and multi-faceted evaluation approaches that incorporate peer review, professional development, and student outcomes without reducing teaching to a single metric. This stance aims to preserve professionalism while pursuing accountability.
Political activity and influence: As a major political actor in education policy, the AFT is subject to scrutiny about its lobbying, campaign contributions, and public endorsements. Critics contend that such activity can distort educational policy toward interests of a specific constituency. Proponents say that unions have a duty to advocate for teachers and students, defend public education against reforms they view as detrimental, and participate in the democratic process to shape outcomes that affect classrooms.
Charter schools and expanded options: The AFT’s stance on charter schools has often reflected a cautious, balanced approach. Some affiliates support charter initiatives as complementary to public schools, while others oppose certain models that they see as diverting resources or undercutting teacher labor standards. The overall position tends to emphasize accountability, equitable funding, and application of professional standards across all forms of public education, rather than blanket opposition or support.
Identity politics and equity discourse: Critics from conservative or centrist perspectives sometimes characterize the AFT’s emphasis on equity, diversity, and inclusion as prioritizing identity politics over classroom basics. Proponents counter that equity is central to improving learning for all students and that inclusive practices, culturally competent pedagogy, and safe school environments are prerequisites for effective teaching. From a non-woke vantage, supporters argue that improving outcomes for disadvantaged students requires both rigorous standards and attention to the conditions under which teachers work and students learn.
Woke criticisms and strategic focus: In debates about educational policy, some observers argue that the AFT concentrates too much on broader social politics at the expense of practical classroom concerns. Supporters respond that educational performance is inseparable from the conditions students bring to school—family, community, and social context—and that a strong union voice is necessary to secure the resources and policies that enable teachers to address these realities. Critics who dismiss this as “woke” excess often overlook the empirical links between school climate, equity, and achievement that a well-supported teaching profession can influence.