Student Scholarship

Document Type

Research Paper

Abstract

This paper examines the lobbying activities of the National Education Association (NEA) between 1959 and 1961, focusing on the organization's efforts to influence federal legislation regarding public schools. The NEA operates through a structured approach led by an active minority that coordinates research and federal relations divisions to shape policy and disseminate propaganda. Its primary lobbying methods include providing expert testimony, conducting research for congressional hearings, and mobilizing a grass roots network of state and local chapters to pressure legislators. During this period, the NEA’s core objectives were the improvement of teacher salaries and the expansion of school construction, framed to the public as a mission to strengthen the nation through quality education. 

The study details the NEA’s involvement with several key legislative items, most notably the Murray-Metcalf Bill, which sought significant federal grants for both salaries and construction. While the NEA provided extensive testimony and launched massive propaganda campaigns for this bill, it eventually shifted support to the McNamara Bill and the School Construction Act of 1960 as legislative priorities evolved. The document also explores the organization’s participation in amendments to the National Defense Education Act and the Public School Assistance Act of 1961. Despite these rigorous efforts, the NEA faced repeated setbacks as major supported bills failed to pass a conservative-leaning Congress. Additionally, the paper notes the NEA's cautious, middle-of-the-road stance on school segregation, maintained to preserve organizational cohesion between northern and southern chapters. Ultimately, the study concludes that while the NEA is a powerful and well-organized professional interest group, its legislative success during these years was limited by the political climate of the era.

Research Highlights

  • The Problem: The National Education Association (NEA) sought to influence federal legislation between 1959 and 1961 to address national deficiencies in teacher salaries, school construction, and the perceived threat of federal control over local education. 

  • The Method: The study analyzes NEA lobbying through its Research Division and Division of Federal Relations, examining participation in Congressional hearings, "grass roots" letter-writing campaigns, and the distribution of propaganda via The NEA Journal and specialized pamphlets. 

  • Quantitative Finding: NEA membership grew from 700,000 in 1959 to 770,000 in 1961; the organization advocated for a $1.1 billion annual federal investment for school support; the Senate passed the McNamara bill (S. 8) with a 51 to 34 vote, while the House passed the School Construction Act (H.R. 10128) with a 206 to 109 vote. 

  • Qualitative Finding: The NEA maintained a "weak" or "middle of the road" stance on school racial segregation to preserve organizational cohesion between integrated northern chapters and segregated southern chapters. 

  • Finding: Despite extensive lobbying efforts for the Murray-Metcalf Bill, the Public School Assistance Act of 1960, and the Federal Aid to Education Bill of 1961, all major NEA-supported legislation faced defeat in Congress during this period. 

Publication Date

1-1962

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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