Teachers Union Invites World Economic Forum Into American Classrooms
America's largest teachers union partners with the World Economic Forum to design curriculum for U.S. students, prompting critics to warn of foreign influence and ideological control in American classrooms.
America's largest teachers union now partners with the World Economic Forum to design curriculum for American students. Randi Weingarten announced the collaboration at the AFT TEACH Conference in July 2025. The initiative formally launched at Davos in January 2026.
"We are partnering with the World Economic Forum to create a curriculum that will lead to good jobs and solid careers in U.S. manufacturing," Weingarten said during her speech at the conference in Washington, D.C.
The American Federation of Teachers represents 1.8 million members including teachers, healthcare professionals, and government employees. The union's partnership with the Geneva-based organization marks one of the most significant collaborations between an American education group and an international body.
The initiative, called SmartStart USA, integrates academic learning with hands-on exposure to industrial technologies and processes. According to the WEF's SmartStart program page, the curriculum includes industry-aligned skills, mentoring opportunities, and certifications.
The World Economic Forum, known for its annual Davos summit and global economic coordination, has long maintained positions on digital IDs, climate regulation, and ties with China that have drawn scrutiny from critics. The organization published reports on China's manufacturing model and its implications for global industry.
Weingarten has served as AFT president since 2008, becoming the first openly gay person elected to lead a national American labor union. She resigned from the Democratic National Committee in June 2025, citing differences over the party's direction.
The AFT president served on the board of the National Democratic Institute, a U.S. affiliate of the Socialist International, around 2012.
Critics mobilized almost immediately after Weingarten's announcement. School choice advocate Corey DeAngelis responded to the news on social media with a single directive: "Abolish teachers unions."
"Teachers unions are no longer focused on teaching reading and math. Instead, they're pushing climate dogma, gender confusion, and anti-American ideology."
Steve Straub, writing for TFPP Wire, offered a starker assessment of the partnership's purpose.
"This isn't about improving manufacturing. It's about cementing ideological control over the next generation," Straub wrote.
The Dallas Express reported on July 29 that critics raised concerns about foreign influence in American classrooms following the announcement.
Weingarten has positioned herself as an advocate for modernizing education through technology. She recently launched AFT's National Academy for AI Instruction in partnership with Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic.
"The goal of education should be to cultivate the skills necessary to succeed in our rapidly changing world, not to create good test-takers," Weingarten said in her July 25 speech at the AFT TEACH Conference in Washington, D.C.
The AFT also announced a $23 million initiative with the three technology companies for free AI training and curriculum development.
Questions remain about how the curriculum will be implemented and who will control its content. No curriculum documents have been released to the public as of March 2026, and implementation timelines indicate the program will begin in 2026.
The partnership's funding structure has not been disclosed. It remains unknown whether taxpayer money supports the collaboration between the AFT and the World Economic Forum.
No official statement from the World Economic Forum confirms specific details about the curriculum partnership beyond its inclusion in the SmartStart USA launch at the annual Davos meeting.
Parents and educators continue to ask who ultimately controls what American children learn in school. The answer, for now, remains unclear as the partnership enters its first full year.