Northwest Professional Educators

Welcome to Northwest Professional Educators!

Northwest Professional Educators (NWPE) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, professional educators’ organization founded by educators wanting a professional organization focused on students as educators’ highest priority and improving the professionalism of education. NWPE offers excellent benefits, constructive educational ideas, and respects members' values.

NWPE dues are not contributed to political parties or candidates nor are they used to promote non-education social and political issues. NWPE is open to nonunion and union educators of any education entity including teachers, administrators and support staff.

NWPE is committed to professionalism and protection without the politics!

Affiliated with the Association of American Educators (AAE). AAE is a national independent professional educators' organization with affiliates in ten states. Three National Teachers of the Year serve on AAE’s board. AAE and NWPE are also members of the Coalition of Independent Education Associations which has over 250,000 members nationwide. NWPE, the AAE, and the independent teachers' movement have been featured in the Washington Times' Insight Magazine.

Beliefs. Together with AAE, NWPE holds that public education will be improved if:

1) We always remember that our first duty is to the student;

2) We aim to develop a young person's character as well as his or her intellect;

3) Our schools are free from strikes or any other work stoppage tactics or coercive threats;

4) Educators are free from all forms of compulsory membership and are not forced to join or otherwise pay dues to a labor union in order to teach or hold membership in a local or state association; and,

5) Public schools are primarily accountable to their local communities.

Professional Benefits. NWPE provides members with a personal $2 million professional liability insurance policy (with extra job protection benefits for legal fees that can be utilized at the onset of problems), legal assistance, an attorney referral network, teacher scholarships and classroom mini-grants, professional development resources, character education resources, newsletters (both AAE and NWPE), networking with like-minded colleagues, and more. Educators may join using a check, credit card, our secure online application, or our monthly automated bank payment plan.

Supportive of collective bargaining rights. Although NWPE is not a union, it is not anti-union. NWPE supports educators’ collective bargaining rights including the right and opportunity to belong to a “local only” teachers’ union. Many members have been, and some currently are, leaders and officers in their local unions.

A Voice for Educators. NWPE provides a voice for our members in the media and in the legislature. Positions are taken on education issues, but only after surveying members and receiving a supermajority vote. NWPE also provides a forum for diverse viewpoints about education-related issues to increase awareness on topics of interest to both educators and the public at large.

Living What We Teach. Schools teach democratic ideals by promoting diversity and pluralism founded on the individual dignity of each person. NWPE lives out the principles of freedom of speech, freedom of association, and freedom of inquiry by supporting teacher choices in professional associations. NWPE seeks the opportunity to advance mutual respect, cooperation, and the exchange of ideas for the sake of our students and for advancing the professionalism of education. Join us!