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John I. Wilson, a long-time special education teacher and Association leader, became executive director of the National Education Association on November 1, 2000. The nation's largest teachers union, NEA also represents education support professionals, higher education faculty, school administrators, retired educators, and education students who plan to become teachers. In all, NEA has 3.2 million members, a staff of 555, and an annual budget exceeding $300 million.
Since coming to NEA, Wilson has championed a minimum salary of $40,000 for every teacher and a living wage for Education Support Professionals (ESP). He has launched an NEA initiative to engage the best teachers in sharing ideas on staffing high-poverty, low achieving schools with the most accomplished teachers. Wilson has also chaired the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a coalition of 26 businesses and education groups that advocates for every child in America to graduate from high schools with 21st century skills.
Wilson previously served the Association as executive director of the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), which represents 72,000 active and retired school employees. During his five years at the helm of this NEA state affiliate, Wilson earned a well-deserved reputation as a powerful advocate for statewide education reforms.
Under Wilson's leadership, NCAE strengthened teacher training systems, professional development programs, teacher compensation, and teacher recruitment. His accomplishments include the development of new support systems for teachers pursuing certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. As a result of these efforts, North Carolina has more National Board-certified teachers and candidates than any other state. In addition, Wilson led NCAE's National Average 2000 Campaign, which over the past five years advanced North Carolina's average teacher salary rank from 43rd in the nation to 23rd. What's more, Wilson helped establish the North Carolina Teacher Academy, which is now funded by the legislature, and provides teachers with high quality professional development. | 