NRTA Past, Present and Future
NRTA: AARP's Educator Community is America's foremost network of 50+ adults and organizations with a passion and affinity for education and learning. NRTA members share a commitment to learning, voluntary service, and civic participation. Members of NRTA are dedicated to continuous educational opportunity, advocacy, and service as a means of safeguarding the economic security, work opportunities, and future well-being of all generations.
As a member of NRTA, you enjoy a specially designed program developed by and for teachers, educators and people age 50+ who celebrate the idea that learning never ends. Benefits include:
- Information about NRTA's Staying Sharp program and invitations to Staying Sharp forums. Staying Sharp is dedicated to maintaining cognitive fitness by understanding the brain after 50 and providing information on how to maintain an engaged and inquisitive mind throughout life.
- A subscription to NRTA Live & Learn, a quarterly publication that provides profiles of celebrities passionate about education, articles of particular interest to educators, coverage of top educational issues, and a unique perspective on learning after 50.
- Our nationwide community service projects and volunteer opportunities, including NRTA's Educator Support Network, With Our Youth! program, Pension Round Table, and more.
- All the valuable benefits of AARP membership that include access to health insurance, automobile insurance, homeowners insurance, discounts on travel, hotels, internet access, prescription drugs, AARP publications and much more.
NRTA's History
Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus founded the National Retired Teacher's Association (NRTA) in 1947 to address the economic challenges and health insurance needs of educators in retirement. Eleven years later, Dr. Andrus responded to similar concerns voiced by a broader audience of older Americans by founding The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). NRTA and AARP shared many goals and collaborated in the development of countless programs and advocacy initiatives.
In 1982, the two associations merged at the national level and NRTA became a division of AARP. The merger was designed to continue the beneficial relationship NRTA and AARP had enjoyed for nearly a quarter century.
The 50th Anniversary of NRTA was celebrated in 1997 with events nationwide and at the state and local levels—culminating in a national Convocation at which the NRTA and AARP state presidents, the Board of Directors, and other leaders celebrated their shared history and vision. NRTA no longer refers to itself as the National Retired Teachers Association but rather uses the acronym with the tag line, NRTA: AARP's Educator Community.
In 2005, NRTA received nearly $500,000 in grants for projects related to our Educator Support Network, Staying Sharp program and college and career planning from Farmers Insurance, MetLife and The Hartford, respectively. We will continue to host Staying Sharp forums around the country because more and more people are eager to learn about brain function and heath, particularly in the second half of our lives.
In the tradition started by our founder, Ethel Percy Andrus, today NRTA strives to help all those committed to education and learning.
Would you like to join NRTA and be a part of this exciting group of people with a passion and affinity for education and learning? Join today!
