Defending and Strengthening Public Schools and a Better Life for All

WHEREAS, for millions in our nation, the route to the American dream goes through our public schools; and

WHEREAS, public schools are the embodiment of America’s civic values and democratic ideals: All young people should have opportunities to prepare for life, college, career and citizenship. In a pluralistic society such as the United States, people with different beliefs and backgrounds must learn to bridge differences and work together. And, as the founders advocated, educated citizens are essential to protect our democracy from demagogues; and

WHEREAS, public schools are cornerstones of our communities, economy, democracy and of our place in the world; and

WHEREAS, the AFT and our members are part of the solution to helping people have a better life and to have great public schools where every parent wants to send their kids, educators want to teach and students get the critical thinking, reasoning, reading, mathematics, problem-solving and hands-on skills they will need to be active participants in our democracy; and

WHEREAS, the threat to America’s public education system under the current presidential administration is more dire, and upon more fronts, than ever; and

WHEREAS, the administration has helped to bring about attacks on educators and our schools for teaching American history, and for making sure that all children—regardless of race, creed, immigration status, gender expression, LGBTQIA+ status, among other attributes—get a fair and full education free from fear; and

WHEREAS, the administration, led by the education secretary is gutting the Department of Education, leading a war on knowledge, undermining broad-based opportunity, and illegally redirecting billions of dollars that are meant to support America’s children in schools across the country; and

WHEREAS, extremist politicians backed by billionaires are attempting to funnel massive amounts of funds to private interests with no oversight, including religious schools, through vouchers that have shown to fail to raise student achievement, fail rural communities, fail low-income students, and even fail to save taxpayer dollars; and

WHEREAS, we know we must defend and strengthen the ideals of and belief in our American free public education system among the American public at large; it is not enough to simply ward off attacks, but we must deepen and fortify American citizens’ core belief in and willingness to defend our public schools:

RESOLVED, that the AFT will commit to ensuring every student has access to a public school education that is engaging and relevant, safe and welcoming. This is our vision and promise for such schools:

Relevant and Engaging Schools for All

Students need a well-rounded education that develops their skills and exposes them to a wide range of ideas and knowledge, and prepares them for college, career and life.

That means our education system must move beyond stifling accountability models that fail to fulfill their purpose, narrow what teachers can teach, and force kids to spend excessive amounts of time preparing for and taking low-quality, high-stakes standardized tests.

Instead, we want schools to nurture a love of learning and be places where students become lifelong learners, which means they begin with learning by playing in the earliest years, and they leave high school able to demonstrate their abilities to organize information, to solve problems, to frame and conduct investigations, to analyze and synthesize data, and to apply learning to new situations. This keeps them excited and motivated to come to school ready to learn—and prepares them for life after high school.

This type of relevant and engaging education doesn’t have to look just one way, it can take many forms. But all students need an educationally rich and challenging environment that allows them to learn by doing and be assessed in meaningful ways that inform teaching and that allows students to demonstrate their skills and knowledge, through performance-based tasks such as essays, oral presentations, demonstrations, and multimedia presentations like a podcast or video or school exhibit.

High-quality career and technical education is one model that has been very successful at keeping students in school, raising graduation rates, and increasing preparation for both college and career. These types of programs should be available to more students. Often done in partnership with local industry, they prepare students for potential future careers in healthcare, information technology, skilled manufacturing and traditional trades, but they also develop skills valuable in any field, including critical thinking, collaboration and communication.

Project-based instruction and experiential learning can happen in more traditional classrooms as well. This type of instruction helps students develop problem-solving, inquiry and analytical skills that are necessary to succeed in a rapidly changing world—and it is well-suited to be tailored to student interests and promote student agency.

Rich extracurriculars are another way to expand children’s worlds and expose them to a variety of activities while building durable skills.

Reading, writing and oral communication are essential skills students need to become fully engaged citizens and fully participate in the job market. And we know that when students become strong readers when they are young, they are more likely to be successful later in school and beyond. Educators should be using what we know to be the most effective teaching practices, grounded in research.

College must be available and affordable to all but shouldn’t be a requirement for a happy or productive life. We must make sure that career and technical training is accessible, while also ensuring that all students are prepared for some form of continued learning beyond high school, whether in an industry setting, the local community college, or the array of four-year institutions that have long been a source of American pride.

We must protect our kids. The AFT will continue to work toward great public schools that foster joy in learning—where every parent wants to send their kids; educators want to teach; and students get the critical thinking, reading, mathematics, problem-solving and hands-on skills they will need to be active participants in our democracy.

Safe and Welcoming Schools for All

We know from brain science that safe and welcoming schools aren’t just a good idea for the well-being of kids, they're also essential to success in school—people simply cannot learn properly when experiencing hunger or under high amounts of stress. Schools must be places where students, families and educators are physically secure, supported and accepted. Educators and other school staff will continue to do everything in their power to address the fact that too many students today do not feel safe, whether because of the epidemic of loneliness, anxiety and depression, gun violence, immigration status or other personal characteristics and differences.

Every student’s behavior impacts the entire community, but states, districts and schools must have resources and tools that go beyond punishment and pushout to support repairing harm, building relationships and improving the school climate for all. This helps students learn from mistakes, strengthens the school community, and keeps kids engaged and supported.

Community schools are a research-proven way to serve all students well, particularly the most vulnerable children by bringing all the services and activities they and their families need under one roof. Community schools can take many forms. They can be open all day and offer after-school and evening recreational activities and homework assistance. They can be high schools that allow students to sign up for morning, afternoon or evening classes. They can be schools that include child care, dental, medical and counseling clinics, or other services the community needs like English language instruction, GED programs or legal assistance. More students and families should have access to these schools; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will share this vision widely, and assist affiliates to promote this vision and partner with allied organizations in a vigorous, positive reaffirmation of our public education system that transcends mere defensive action; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will commit to fight funding tax cuts for wealthy donors at the expense of meeting students’ basic needs and providing them with a world-class education; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will fight for America’s kids and their schools in the courts and in the court of public opinion, in the Congress and at the ballot box, on the streets and in our communities. We will put a face on the harms inflicted by this administration and its benefactors, and we will lift up the stories of the promise and purpose of public education and the actions our members undertake to honorably serve their students despite the significant challenges they are up against; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will continue to champion fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for our students, their families and our communities. We will fight alongside all who share our vision of a better life for all, regardless of political affiliation, whether that is in local communities, state capitals or Washington, D.C.

Adopted May 28, 2025