Rebecca S. "Becky" Pringle (born 1955) is an American

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

and

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (s ...

leader. She is the President of the 3 million-member

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stud ...

, the largest professional employee organization and labor union in the United States.

Early life and education

Pringle is a native of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

, and she graduated from the

Philadelphia High School for Girls The Philadelphia High School for Girls, also known as Girls' High, is a public college preparatory magnet high school for girls in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As its name suggests, the school's enrollment is all female. Established in 1848, ...

. She received a B.S. from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

and an Master's Degree in Education from

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State becam ...

. She taught in Philadelphia's

West Oak Lane West Oak Lane is a neighborhood in the Northwestern Philadelphia. The neighborhood was developed primarily between the early 1920s and late 1930s, with the areas near to Cedarbrook constructed after World War II. At the northeast corner of Limekil ...

section before moving to

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

with her husband, where she worked for 28 years as a middle school physical science teacher in the

Susquehanna Township School District The Susquehanna Township School District is a midsized, suburban, public school district serving students from Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. The school district is located in suburban Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Susqueh ...

Labor leader

Before becoming NEA President, Pringle served on the Board of Directors for the

Pennsylvania State Education Association The Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) represents more than 187,000 teachers, educational support professionals, counselors, curriculum specialists, librarians, health care workers, school nurses, school dental hygienists, school nurs ...

, the NEA Board of Directors, NEA’s Executive Committee, as NEA secretary treasurer, and as NEA vice-president. She has been vocal in the effort to limit federal testing requirements. She chaired the workgroup that developed the NEA’s Policy Statement on Teacher Evaluation and Accountability.

President Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

named Pringle a Member of the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans. She was elected NEA vice president on July 4, 2014, with 92% of the vote, becoming part of NEA's historic all-minority, all-female leadership team, with Lily Eskelsen García (President), and Princess Moss (Secretary-Treasurer). In July 2020, the NEA Representative Assembly elected Pringle President of the NEA. She took office on September 1, 2020.

References

External links

NEA President Profile: Becky Pringle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pringle, Rebecca S. 1955 births American trade union leaders Living people Presidents of the National Education Association Schoolteachers from Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh alumni 20th-century American educators 20th-century American women educators 21st-century American educators 21st-century American women educators Pennsylvania State University alumni Pennsylvania Democrats