The Kansas National Education Association’s mission is to advocate for education professionals and to unite our members, Kansans, and the nation to fulfill the promise of public education to prepare every student to succeed in a diverse and interdependent world. 

To accomplish this, we work with laser focus on three strategic goals: quality public schools, strengthen the teaching profession, and improve the well-being of members. Most important to KNEA members are the concerns of teachers and the needs of students. KNEA, in cooperation with its local associations and the National Education Association, developed a variety of programs to meet both the professional and the personal needs of its membership. 

NEA has the largest college and university faculty and staff membership in the United States, representing more than 200,000 higher education employees, including almost 900 members in Kansas. 

Since NEA’s beginning, college and university faculty have played prominent roles in the Association’s history. udring our first 60 years, there was hardly a leader in American higher education who was not also a leader in the NEA. At least one-fourth of its founding members were faculty or administrators from higher education institutions. 

The choesiveness of NEA higher education membership is particularly important now, in light of the constant challenges and threats to our professional and economic rights. KNEA strongly supports the efforts of faculty and staff to safegaurd intellectual freedom, professional integrity, tenure, and the right to a voice in academic governance. 

KNEA-R members are elected to serve as delegates to the KNEA Representative Assembly and one member is elected to serve on the KNEA Board of Directors. The KNEA-R officers are elected at large by all retired members. KNEA-R members attend legislative committee meetings and conduct a series of Pre-Retirement Seminars in locations across Kansas. 

On the nation level, NEA-R members work to protect and imporve retirement pension and health benefits — including state pensions, Social Security and Medicare; improve public education through mentoring, literacy, and intergeneational programs and activities; and achieve legislative and political action goals for education and education employees. 

The KNEA Student Program is a professional association for college students preparing to enter the education profession. Through its affiliation with KNEA, NEA and the NEA Student Program, KNEA-SP provides college students with assistance, benefits, and professional resources. The association gives student the opportunity to learn – not only from each other – but also from a network of campus advisors and from the finest professionals in education. 

KNEA-SP is one of the largest and most successful student programs in the country. The assocation currently has 28 local chapter on Kansas College and University campuses. Two conferences are held each year from the student program. Each conference is centered on the three core values of the student program: teacher quality, political action, and community outreach. 

A democratically elected president, president-elect, secretary, and an underclassmen representative make up the Executive Committee. Together, they develop goals for the student pgoram and plans for implementing them. The KNEA student program is representated on the KNEA Board of Directors and all KNEA standing committees. Student representatives are also elected to the KNEA Representative Assembly as well as the National Representative Assembly, ensuring that professional practitioners are listening to the voice of future educators. 

Each KNEA-SP campus chapter plans activities and programs designed to help students become successful educators. KNEA-SP also providers statewide leadership training sessions to keep future teachers informed on the issues that willa ffect them when they entre the classroom. 

kNEA-SP provides four annual scholarship opportunities for its members. The scholarships range from $200 to $1,000.