Connecticut Education Association

What Connecticut Education Association does

The Connecticut Education Association (CEA) is a private, nonprofit, membership-based labor union and professional association founded in 1848 and headquartered at Capitol Place, Suite 500, 21 Oak Street, Hartford, Connecticut. It represents approximately 43,000 public school teachers, counselors, social workers, psychologists, and other certified educators in Connecticut's preK-12 public schools, organized through more than 160 local affiliates and a board of approximately 35 elected directors. CEA is the Connecticut affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest K-12 teachers' union with roughly 2.8 million members, and participates in the annual NEA Representative Assembly with 125 of its members joining nearly 7,000 educators in Denver for the 2026 session.

CEA's product surface spans advocacy, professional development, member benefits, and internal communications rather than a unified software platform. Core offerings include the Professional Learning Academy (workshops on leadership, evaluation, education law, equity, and well-being), the Two T's in a Pod podcast, the CEAdaily news publication, a certification and TEVAL guidance service, a job board powered by ADP, the CEA Pride advocacy program for LGBTQ+ students and educators, legal services, and a member discounts ecosystem. Member-facing technology is limited to standard WordPress-based web properties, social channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr), and the NEA Ed Communities self-service membership portal at mynea360.org, which supports a try-before-you-buy model that waives dues until September 1 for new teachers. No public APIs, mobile apps, or proprietary AI/ML systems are offered.

CEA's revenue model is membership dues on a recurring subscription basis collected from active educators, retired teachers, and aspiring educators; dues fund advocacy, professional development, member benefits, and political activities. Go-to-market is community-led: recruitment occurs through local school district affiliates, educator conferences, and direct outreach, with retention driven by collective bargaining power, legislative wins (e.g., HB 5003 Teacher Fairness Bill, $170M in additional 2026 school funding, protection of nearly $400M in federal education funds), and member benefits. The organization is governed by four elected executive officers (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer) serving three-year terms and operates a Representative Assembly with more than 350 delegates as its highest policy-making body.

Name

Connecticut Education Association

Legal name

Connecticut Education Association

Website

https://cea.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1848

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hartford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: CEA generates revenue through membership dues paid by active educators, retired teachers, and aspiring educators. These dues fund the union's advocacy, professional development, member benefits, and political activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Connecticut Education Association is a private nonprofit teachers' union that represents approximately 43,000 public school teachers in Connecticut through collective bargaining, legislative advocacy, legal services, professional development, and member benefits. The organization recruits members via 160+ local affiliates and the NEA online portal, delivering services such as the Professional Learning Academy, certification guidance, a job board, and the CEAdaily news publication to active, retired, and aspiring educators.

Product overview

The Connecticut Education Association (CEA) is Connecticut's largest teachers' union, founded in 1848, offering a suite of member services including professional development through the Professional Learning Academy, advocacy programs like CEA Pride, certification guidance, a job board, and communications through CEAdaily and the Two T's in a Pod podcast. CEA serves as an advocacy organization for approximately 43,000 public school teachers, focusing on legislative representation, member benefits, and professional support rather than a unified software product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CEA Professional Learning Academy A professional development program offering workshops for Connecticut educators on leadership, teacher evaluation, instructional enhancement, education law, social justice, equity, and health and well-being.
• CEA Pride Program Advocacy program supporting LGBTQ+ students, families, and educators through resources, professional development, workshops, and community-building initiatives.
• CEA Certification & TEVAL Services Guidance and resources for Connecticut educators on certification requirements, certificate progression (Initial, Provisional, Professional), and teacher evaluation guidelines.
• CEA Job Board A job vacancy listing service connecting educators with teaching positions across Connecticut's public schools, powered by ADP.
• CEA Commissions and Committees Member involvement programs including Aspiring Educators, CEA PAC, Human and Civil Rights Commission, Legislative Commission, Negotiations Commission, Racial and Ethnic Diversity Affairs Commission, Retirement Commission, and various other committees.

Quantifiable outcome

• Secured passage of guaranteed 30-minute duty-free lunch break for educators
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• National Education Association (NEA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEA is the Connecticut affiliate of the National Education Association, the nation's largest K-12 teachers' union with approximately 2.8 million members. CEA sends delegates to the NEA Representative Assembly and participates in NEA programs, initiatives, and advocacy at the federal level.
• Connecticut Education Foundation (CEF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEF is CEA's charitable arm that provides grants, awards, professional development support, and community outreach including the annual Read Across Connecticut Book Drive and the CEA Celebrates Education and Advocacy Gala.
• Teacher Leader Fellowship AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Teacher Leader Fellowship Academy to host the annual Teacher Leader Forum, bringing together educators and administrators for professional learning and collaboration.
• Rock and Soul Forever FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Rock and Soul Forever Foundation covered all resource costs for the 'An American History of Rock and Soul' course developed in collaboration with TeachRock and Connecticut's Department of Education.
• Connecticut General AssemblycoreOthersCEA lobbies the Connecticut General Assembly for resources public schools need and campaigns for high standards for teachers and students. The organization advocates for legislation at the state and federal levels.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Education Association (NEA): The parent national federation of which CEA is a Connecticut state affiliate. Operates the same dues-funded, advocacy-and-services union model for ~2.8 million K-12 educators nationwide.
• American Federation of Teachers (AFT): The principal competing national teachers' union. Operates state and local affiliates in Connecticut and elsewhere with the same collective bargaining, advocacy, and professional development mission as CEA.
• California Teachers Association (CTA): An NEA state affiliate and one of the largest state teachers' unions in the U.S. Operates the same membership/dues/advocacy model as CEA, scaled to California's much larger teacher population.
• New York State United Teachers (NYSUT): A large NEA/AFT state affiliate representing New York K-12 educators. Closely comparable to CEA in structure, revenue model, and member services portfolio.
• United Federation of Teachers (UFT): An AFT-affiliated New York City teachers' union. Comparable to CEA in collective bargaining focus, member benefits, and professional development offerings, but operating at city rather than state scale.
• Illinois Education Association (IEA): The NEA state affiliate in Illinois. Runs a comparable dues-funded advocacy, PD, and member-services model for Illinois public school educators.
• Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA): NEA state affiliate in Pennsylvania. Closely parallel to CEA in size, structure, and the mix of advocacy + professional development + member benefits services.
• Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA): The NEA state affiliate for Massachusetts — a geographically adjacent, structurally similar state union to CEA, with the same dues/advocacy/PD business model.
• New Jersey Education Association (NJEA): New Jersey's NEA state affiliate, serving public school educators with advocacy, collective bargaining, and professional learning services — a near structural twin of CEA.
• Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA): Texas's NEA state affiliate. Comparable dues/advocacy/PD model, though operating in a right-to-work state — a useful contrast to CEA's collective bargaining environment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ceavideo
• Facebookfacebook.com/ctedassoc
• Instagraminstagram.com/cea_teachers
• Xx.com/ceanews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/connecticut-education-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Connecticut Education Association