AFT president Edward J. McElroy has been elected to the executive board of Education International, a federation of more than 348 organizations representing 29 million teachers and education personnel around the world.

McElroy, who was elected at an EI board meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on Feb. 21, will fill the North America/Caribbean regional seat on the board.

"AFT has been a part of Education International since its inception," said McElroy. "I am proud to continue this tradition and work with my colleagues to tackle issues that affect education around the world—free access to high-quality education, adequate funding for schools, and safe and effective working conditions for all education employees." (Read more about the AFT's work abroad.)

Founded in 1993 with strong AFT involvement and support, Education International is the largest global union federation and works to protect the rights of teachers, education workers and students world wide. Each year EI sponsors a Global Action Week, usually in April, to promote political support for universal education, as well as World Teachers' Day.

March 2, 2006