When Educational Institutions Drift, Build New Ones

Recently, comedian Rob Schneider posted on X:

“I would like to start a CONSERVATIVE TEACHERS UNION as an alternative to the WOKE EMOTIONAL LUNATICS in the @NEA Teacher’s Communist Union…”

While those are not the words I would have used, the underlying point resonates: many educators and parents feel that the nation’s largest teachers’ unions are actively working against them.

The National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) have drifted far from their original mission of advocating for teachers. Increasingly, they have prioritized political activism: pushing gender ideology in schools, opposing immigration enforcement, and even labeling the agenda of the sitting president “fascism.” Since 2015, these organizations have spent more than $1 billion supporting such initiatives.

Yet, as many users pointed out in response to Schneider, alternatives already exist. They simply need greater visibility. Across the education landscape, from unions to testing to school board governance, new organizations are stepping in where establishment institutions have lost the plot.

Consider teachers’ unions first. In recent years, unions have become overtly political. If you need more proof, nationwide “May Day” protests, organized in part by teachers’ unions, encouraged educators and students to participate in demonstrations for a range of left-wing causes.

That is a far cry from the original purpose of unions: protecting teachers’ rights and supporting their development.

For educators who do not want to spend their time or hard-earned paychecks on these unions, alternatives are emerging. Teacher Freedom Alliance and the Association of American Educators offer liability protection and classroom-focused professional development—without forcing members to subsidize political advocacy. This model reflects the original intent of unions to support and protect educators, not push ideological agendas that make their jobs harder.

The same pattern appears in standardized testing. Many parents may not realize that SAT is owned by the College Board, an organization that has drifted ideologically left over the past decade. A 2024 report by the Goldwater Institute highlights this with examples of the organization’s embrace of “anti-racism” and “equity.”

Controversy over College Board’s AP African American studies course, rejected in Florida for containing elements of critical race theory and “Black Queer Studies,” brought the organization’s ideological drift into the national spotlight. At the same time, SAT questions have become less rigorous.

In response, the Classic Learning Test (CLT) has positioned itself as a viable alternative. Its founder argues that because teachers inevitably “teach to the test,” the content of those tests shapes what students learn and the broader educational culture. By emphasizing academic tradition and rigor, CLT is an example of an alternative assessment that is well suited to influence classrooms in a positive direction.

Finally, consider school board associations. In 2021, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) drew national attention—and scorn—after sending a letter to President Biden that compared parents speaking up at school board meetings to “domestic terrorism.” This action by the NSBA confirmed long-standing fears that the organization had taken a worrisome turn.

Despite this, school boards around the country still rely on the NSBA and its state affiliates for guidance, model policies, and training.

But here, too, alternatives have emerged. Organizations such as School Boards for Academic Excellence, 1776 Project Foundation, School Board Member Alliance of Virginia, and National School Boards Coalition offer support rooted in academic excellence to enable non-politicized education for all students.

What is evidenced by the emergence of all these new institutions is clear: when institutions become captured by political ideologies, new ones emerge to replace them. Parents, educators, and concerned citizens are no longer content to simply complain about educational institutions that are failing students. They are building and supporting alternatives.

As these alternatives continue to grow and gain wider attention, they may not just compete with established institutions. They may eventually replace them.

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