Quality, Free Public Education for All
Public education is the foundation of our 21st-century democracy. Social justice for all begins with a quality, free public education. Our public schools are where our students come to be educated in the fullest sense of that word, including as citizens of this great country. As educators, we strive every day to make every public school and college a place where we prepare the nation’s young people to contribute to our society, economy and citizenry.
CTA members are committed to making sure all California’s students get the public education they deserve. Our public schools must remain centers of our communities, and not become corporate profit centers. We hold these values because all students, regardless of family circumstances, where they live, where they were born, how they look, who they love, or the language they speak have the right to a public education that helps them reach their full potential.
Join over 10,000 educators and supporters who pledged to support public education so ALL students can succeed.
Social Justice
Social Justice encompasses educational, economic, and political arenas. Social Justice is a commitment to equity and fairness in treatment and access to opportunities and resources for everyone, recognizing that all is not equal. Social Justice means that we work actively to eradicate structural and institutional racism, classism, linguicism, ableism, ageism, heterosexism, religious bias and xenophobia. Social Justice means that we, as educators are responsible for the collective good of society, not simply our own individual interests.
Social Justice Issues We Care About (just to name a few!):
- Racial Justice
- Ethnic Studies
- Black Lives Matter At School
- Ending the School to Prison Pipeline
- Dreamers
- Families Belong Together
- Creating Safe Zones
- Students’ and Educators’ Civil Rights
- LGBTQ+ Students
- Equity for Girls and Women
- Stopping Hate and Bias
- Confronting White Nationalism
- Addressing the “isms”
- Restorative Justice Practices
- Economic Justice
- Mental Health and Self-Care
Social Justice Resources
We wanted to provide CTA members with helpful social justice resources, videos, posters and shareables.
Want to join other CTA members passionate about racial and social justice? Sign up and learn more here.
Human Rights Department
The Human Rights Department unites all aspects of both unionism and public education, and supports the CTA Mission Statement and Strategic Plan. The work of the department uses transformative learning strategies with a focus on unconscious bias as a tool to look at both individual behavior and institutional practice. Ultimately, the intent is to create a more equitable union and public education system by helping to change behavior and practices that perpetuate inequality.
The Department is an integral part of CTA and the union movement. Human rights issues are at the core of all components of public education, including student learning and achievement, school culture, teacher quality, and parent and community engagement.
