Oral history interview with Dennis B. Van Roekel, 2022
Abstract
Dennis Van Roekel discusses his career in the American labor movement, with particular emphasis on his tenure as president of the National Education Association (NEA) from 2008 to 2014. Van Roekel outlines the state of American federal education policy around the time of Obama's election in 2008, surveys the connections between previous presidential administrations and NEA leadership, and recounts the issues of most urgent concern to NEA's members. Van Roekel describes the monthly meetings he held with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan throughout his presidency, and provides details about his involvement with the negotiation and development of notable policy and legislative initiatives, including the education provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Race to the Top), the Affordable Care Act, and the Every Student Succeeds Act. Also discussed are the use of standardized tests for teacher evaluation and promotion, relations between the NEA and other American and international labor unions, the historical relationship between the labor movement and the Democratic Party, and the power of the Department of Education to convene productive meetings between stakeholders
Presidents--United States; Education and state--United States; Educational tests and measurements--United States; Labor movement--United States; Van Roekel, Dennis; Obama, Barack; National Education Association of the United States; Race to the Top (Program : U.S.); United States; American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Every Student Succeeds Act
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2022
Physical Description
49 pages
Note (Biographical)
Dennis Van Roekel is an American educator and union leader. From 2008 to 2014, he served as president of the National Education Association (NEA), the national labor union for elementary and high school teachers. Van Roekel began his career teaching m ath to high school students, and he taught math for more than twenty years at Paradise Valley High School in Phoenix, Arizona. He joined the NEA in Arizona and rose through its ranks before his election as NEA president in 2008, previously serving as president of the Paradise Valley Education Association, president of the Arizona Education Association, secretary and treasurer of the NEA, and vice president of the NEA. Van Roekel is also a co-founder of the International Summit on the Teaching Profession and served as vice president of Education International. As NEA president, Van Roekel was a vocal supporter of the broader union movement, including calling for unity among labor unions such as the AFL-CIO and the organization then known as the Change to Win Federation
Note
Interviewed by William McAllister on August 11, 2022. This interview is part of the Columbia University: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
Dennis B. Van Roekel, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2023