doi:10.7916/qfmm-er76Oral history interview with Dennis B. Van Roekel, 2022Van Roekel, Dennisoral historiesmixed materialPresidents--United StatesEducation and state--United StatesEducational tests and measurements--United StatesLabor movement--United StatesVan Roekel, DennisObama, BarackNational Education Association of the United StatesRace to the Top (Program : U.S.)United StatesAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009Patient Protection and Affordable Care ActEvery Student Succeeds ActDennis 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