The National Council of Urban Education Associations (NCUEA)

04/15/2026

Today, NCUEA was honored to engage with Marshall Ganz the “Dean of Organizing” in a powerful conversation with NEA’s G27 cohort on building organizing strength at every level of our movement. Grounded in the lived realities of our members, NCUEA President Shannon Rasmussen elevated the voice of the local, while Vice President Alfonso Salais underscored a core truth: organizing is not separate from our work it is the work.

04/12/2026

Congratulations to UTLA on securing a tentative agreement - this is a powerful testament to collective action and solidarity. As we celebrate this milestone, we must continue to stand strong alongside SEIU members who are still at the table fighting for their fair agreement.

Early this morning, UTLA's 150-member Bargaining Team reached a tentative two-year agreement with the district with big wins that the team enthusiastically recommends to UTLA members for ratification.
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The flexing of our collective power forced LAUSD to direct significant funding into critical priorities identified by UTLA members in the Win Our Future contract demands.⁠
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Full details coming soon. Be on the look out for an email this morning.

03/25/2026

Today we honor the life and legacy of Reg Weaver who was a giant in our movement whose impact stretched across local, state, national, and global unions.

From his roots in local and state leadership with the Illinois Education Association, to serving as President of the National Education Association, and later as a global advocate with Education International, Reg never stopped fighting for educators, students, and the promise of public education.

What set Reg apart was not just his leadership, but his deep belief in equity and justice. He understood that strong unions are built on strong relationships, courageous advocacy, and an unwavering commitment to those most often unheard.

His support and commitment to NCUEA reflected that same spirit - always showing up, always pushing us to think bigger, and always grounding the work in purpose and people.

Reg Weaver didn’t just lead, he inspired generations of leaders across this country and beyond.

We are better because of him. We carry his legacy forward in the work we do every day.

It is with great sadness that we share former IEA President Reginald “Reg” Weaver, trailblazer for collective bargaining rights in Illinois, passed away on Tuesday at 86.

Reg was an absolute legend. He had a gift at bringing people together and helped transform our union into the powerful force it is today. Reg was the first Black president of the IEA, serving from 1981 to 1987. He later went on to serve as president of the National Education Association, from 2002 to 2008.

Full obituary: https://ieanea.link/RegWeaver

03/11/2026

NCUEA is proud to announce our endorsements for NEA Officer and Executive Committee positions!

We take this responsibility seriously. Candidate interviews were conducted, recommendations were made by the Screening and Elections Committee, and then all members at our Fall Conference got to vote for our endorsement. Only candidates reaching an ambitious 60% of the vote receive our endorsement.

03/08/2026

Excited to see how WEA is using its organizing grant to support innovative classroom learning practices and create new opportunities for educators and students alike. If your local is thinking about launching a similar program or has another creative idea to strengthen organizing and support members—please consider applying for a grant. These resources are here to help bring forward-thinking ideas to life.

Innovation, history, and coding all came together in Nicole Commons’ classroom at the Magnet Program at Swope Middle School.

Nicole teaches ELA and social studies and recently used a WEA Classroom Grant to bring hands-on learning to her Ancient China unit. With the grant, she purchased Ozobots that students used to build timelines of major historical events. Students then coded the Ozobots to follow the timeline, programming a different action for each event.

The result was a powerful blend of history, coding, robotics, and problem solving that kept students highly engaged while strengthening their understanding of sequencing and historical content.

This is the kind of creative, meaningful learning happening in classrooms across our district every day.

Through our WEA Classroom Grants Program, we’ve awarded thousands of dollars this year to educators creating innovative learning experiences for students in our community.

A big thank you to Today and The National Council of Urban Education Associations (NCUEA) for helping us expand our classroom grants program and supporting the amazing work happening in our classrooms.

02/16/2026

The NCUEA Organizing Task Force is hard at work actively mobilizing and building momentum in support of the May Day Strong Movement. Now is the time for local leaders to step up, plug in, and take action. Together, we’re raising our voices, standing united and preparing for November 2026.

02/10/2026

NCUEA stands today and for how ever long it take for the San Francisco educators to secure a strong collective bargaining agreement.

01/30/2026

How We Build a General Strike 🔥
Virtual Meeting | Sunday, Feb 1 | 5–6:30pm CST

Inspired by the powerful actions in Minnesota where 75,000+ people shut down Minneapolis in a day of No work. No school. No shopping. This call brings together Minnesota organizers, global experts, and everyday leaders building power in their communities.

Join us to learn how a general strike becomes real, why it works, and how we win - together, wherever we are

We are inspired by the incredible wins coming out of Minnesota - and we know how they got them. More than 75,000 people took to the streets in Minneapolis January 23rd and hundreds of stores closed in solidarity. They shut the city down in a day of No work. No school. No shopping. And they’re read...

01/26/2026

We have made the decision to cancel tonight's Policy Sip & Talk in order to allow folks to attend "Eyes on ICE: Document & Record," a webinar focused on action in response to escalated ICE violence in Minneapolis. We hope you will join us on this important call tonight at 8pm. More details, including the link to register, can be found below.

Eyes on ICE: Document and Record organized by No Kings

On Saturday, federal agents horrifically shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse who cared for veterans, in the Eat Street neighborhood of south Minneapolis after brutally beating him in front of witnesses.

Enough is enough. Exercising our Constitutional right to document and record ICE and other federal agents is more important than ever.
This call will give you the tools to exercise your rights in a moment when federal agents are terrorizing our communities and using excessive force.

Join our call, Eyes on Ice: Document and Record on Monday, January 26th, 2026, at 8:00 pm ET. RSVP for Link. 1/26/26 at 8 PM ET.

We will cover the latest updates on ICE and CBP's out-of-control and dangerous operations. We will talk through rights when documenting and recording law enforcement encounters, and how you can continue to take action.

Register here at this link.

On Saturday, federal agents horrifically shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse who cared for veterans, in the Eat Street neighborhood of south Minneapolis after brutally beating him in front of witnesses. Enough is enough. Exercising our Constitutional right to document and record IC...

01/26/2026

Be ready...

On Saturday, federal agents horrifically shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse who cared for veterans, in the Eat Street neighborhood of south Minneapolis after brutally beating him in front of witnesses. Enough is enough. Exercising our Constitutional right to document and record IC...

01/25/2026

Federal enforcement shouldn’t operate unchecked - tune in for the Eyes on ICE call to get tips on documenting ICE activity and protecting our communities. Let’s show that our rights matter and that we’re watching together. 📱📸 

On Saturday, federal agents horrifically shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse who cared for veterans, in the Eat Street neighborhood of south Minneapolis after brutally beating him in front of witnesses. Enough is enough. Exercising our Constitutional right to document and record IC...

01/23/2026

Minnesotans, Minnesotan businesses, and Minnesotan educators standing up against authoritarianism and putting our members and students in harm’s way.