Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden address the National Education Association (NEA). The nation's largest teachers union is holding its 150th annual meeting in Washington, DC this week.
The NEA has endorsed President Obama's re-election campaign, the first large union to do so.
Some 9,000 educators are expected to attend the meeting and the 91st Representative Assembly (RA), which sets the NEA policy and spending plan for the coming year.
On Sunday, NEA Secretary-Treasurer Becky Pringle told assembly delegates that the union faces a "trifecta" of challenges. She pointed to the ongoing recession, political attacks and social changes that have weakened the union. The NEA expects to lose 140,000 certified members and support staff and face a $27 million shortfall for 2012-13.
To reverse the challenges facing the NEA, the assembly is expected to focus its energy on a three-part action agenda to improve teacher training and transform the profession.