The Tudor Dixon Podcast:

Teachers Unions, NEA Influence & the Future of Public Education
Guest: Erica Sanzi (Defending Education, former teacher and NEA member)
Date: December 8, 2025
Host: Tudor Dixon

Episode Overview

In this episode, Tudor Dixon sits down with Erica Sanzi—a former teacher, former NEA (National Education Association) union member, and current political activist with Defending Education. They explore growing concerns about teachers' unions, especially the NEA, and their shift toward highly politicized, progressive activism within public education. The conversation highlights the tensions between union leadership, classroom realities, the politicization of teaching, and declining student outcomes in the US public education system.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Political Evolution of Teachers' Unions

• Erica Sanzi’s NEA Experience:
  Erica recounts how, even in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the union leaned Democratic but stayed within the boundaries of practical educational priorities. Over the years, she describes a shift:
  • “They have morphed over the past couple decades into what I publicly have called an insane asylum. They are run by radicals. They are totally ideological…” (Erica Sanzi, 04:12)
• Union Endorsements and Activism:
  Teachers receive union materials instructing who to vote for using member dues, which is a foreign concept to those outside such organizations.
• Dixon’s Shock at Union Practices:
  Dixon, surprised by the overt political pressure on teachers, contrasts this with other industries where employer political guidance is absent.

2. Unions’ Focus vs. Student Outcomes

• Declining Scores:
  Erica provides concerning statistics:
  • Only 31% of 4th graders are proficient in reading.
  • Only 22% of 12th graders are proficient in math.
  • 32% of seniors fall "below basic" in reading, meaning they're not even close to proficiency. (Erica Sanzi, 06:07)
  • “It’s like a five-alarm fire… The trajectory for student outcomes has been going downward for a long time—decades.” (Erica Sanzi, 07:10)
• Unions’ Shifted Priorities:
  Instead of focusing on these academic issues, the conversation and union trainings often center on “LGBTQ justice” and “transgender advocacy.”
  • “You will never hear about improving instruction. You will never hear about student outcomes… certainly never hear about, like, parents as partners.” (Erica Sanzi, 04:12)

3. Radical Trainings & Messaging in Schools

• Union Trainings on Language and Ideology:
  Erica references NEA conference materials which advise teachers to use language like “genders” (plural) to reflect “expansive attitudes.”
  • “Embrace, replace… say this: our genders or genders instead of gender. And it says because pluralizing genders enables a greater agreement with our worldview…” (Tudor Dixon, 11:06)
  • The trainings instruct members to weave together race, class, and gender, comparing “gender justice” to the civil rights movement to build a stronger narrative.
  • Vilifying Opposition:
    • “They use the word villains in their training to describe anybody who opposes… They specifically name Republicans as the villains… Opposition can only be explained by racism and transphobia and racist dog whistles… and that they’re fascists.” (Erica Sanzi, 11:16)

4. Preference Falsification and Cultish Dynamics

• Pressure to Conform:
  Erica describes how “preference falsification” is highest around gender issues:
  • “Behind the scenes you say what you really think, but then outwardly you pretend that you agree with things that you don’t. It's the highest for this issue around gender.” (Erica Sanzi, 09:47)
  • Many teachers may disagree with radical stances but feel social or professional pressure to comply.

5. Race, Discipline, and Shifting Narratives

• Discipline and the ‘Architecture’ of Narrative:
  Dixon and Sanzi discuss how isolated instances (e.g., dress codes, hairstyle rules) are amplified into proof of widespread racism or sexism, shifting attention away from core academic failures.
  • “What they do is they find one example and then they make it as if this is a common thing happening everywhere... It’s a new shiny object that shifts the focus from what matters, which is students are not learning well enough.” (Erica Sanzi, 16:46)
• Equity vs. Colorblindness:
  Sanzi distinguishes between respecting all students by holding uniform standards (the “colorblind” approach) versus constantly modifying rules to accommodate perceived or actual marginalized identities.

6. Indoctrination and Campaigning—Teachers as Activists

• Explicit Political Indoctrination:
  Union materials coach teachers to “exploit the lack of familiarity with transgender people” to sway student opinions, linking certain politicians to “withholding healthcare” or “excluding trans kids from sports”—a highly charged, one-sided approach presented as education.
  • “You’re injecting full indoctrination politics into not only the teacher, but the teacher is meant to then bring that to the school and tell the students this politician is bad…” (Tudor Dixon, 21:52)
• Campaign Labs & Union Power:
  Teachers, armed with union talking points, are mobilized to organize campaigns, door-knock, and lobby for ballot initiatives and candidates—activities that are taxpayer-funded via public education budgets.

7. Not All Teachers Are Radicals—Understanding the Nuance

• Small Activist Core, Large Impact:
  Sanzi emphasizes that not all teachers attend these conferences or endorse radicalism, but that the leadership level is dominated by activists, and most teachers are unaware of the union’s actions.
  • “For some reason, any critique of a teacher or teachers… lands on the ears of teachers that you’re talking about all of them… But the leadership of the union is absolutely run by radical ideologues.” (Erica Sanzi, 27:15)
• Younger Teachers and Teacher Prep:
  Teacher education programs now emphasize activism—“teaching is a political act”—driving this generational divide as new teachers believe activism and ‘social justice’ are central to the job. Older teachers are bewildered by this redefinition.

8. Pronouns, Compliance, and Internal Tensions

• Enforced Language and the Risk of Non-Conformity:
  • “Add your pronouns to badges, emails, documents and system. Use pronoun pins if your school ID can’t be changed… Misgendering should prompt corrective action and/or consequences.” (Erica Sanzi, 35:01) Teachers feel pressured to adopt these practices or risk being labeled as harassers, jeopardizing their careers.
• Confusion and Pushback:
  There is widespread confusion and discomfort, but most dissenters keep quiet for self-preservation.

9. Teaching Climate & Student Discipline

• Teacher Burnout and Classroom Chaos:
  Teachers are overwhelmed, not only by these new political pressures but also by increased behavior problems post-pandemic and a decline in discipline due to administrative mandates.
  • “Teachers are 100% at the end of the rope in terms of behavior and discipline… The pandemic really blew that up.” (Erica Sanzi, 39:15)
  • Public schools’ inability to discipline or expel disruptive students due to federal regulations erodes learning environments for all children.

10. The Future of Public Education & Parental Dilemmas

• Public vs. Private Schooling:
  Dixon, a supporter of public schools, expresses sorrow that parent confidence is eroding, and many are forced into difficult choices. She notes private school children are thriving while public schools struggle.
• Return to Academic Standards:
  Both note that a reckoning is coming for public education, including the reintroduction of SAT requirements and the spotlight on lagging performance post-pandemic.

11. The Search for Nuanced Solutions

• Trade-Offs and Realities:
  Both Dixon and Sanzi urge listeners to recognize the complexity and trade-offs in any education decision or policy:
  • “Can’t we just have a conversation where we’re all saying we want what’s best for students and families without immediately, you know, like… ‘If you loved your kids, you would take them out of public school.’” (Erica Sanzi, 44:17)
• Teachers and Parents as Allies:
  The episode closes with a reminder that collaboration, not vilification or all-or-nothing thinking, offers the only path forward for students, teachers, and families alike.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the radicalization of unions:
  “They have morphed over the past couple decades into what I publicly have called an insane asylum. They are run by radicals. They are totally ideological.”
  — Erica Sanzi, 04:12

• On declining student outcomes:
  “It’s like a five-alarm fire… The trajectory for student outcomes has been going downward for a long time—decades.”
  — Erica Sanzi, 07:10

• On training materials labeling opponents:
  “They use the word villains… They specifically name Republicans… Opposition can only be explained by racism and transphobia and racist dog whistles and that they’re fascists.”
  — Erica Sanzi, 11:16

• On pressure to conform:
  “Preference falsification… is the highest for this issue around gender.”
  — Erica Sanzi, 09:47

• On misrepresenting teacher sentiment:
  “During the COVID… the head of the local union got up and said that the majority of the teachers didn’t want to go back… That wasn’t even true.”
  — Erica Sanzi, 27:15

• On teachers’ new roles:
  “We were taught in school that teaching is a political act. We were taught in school that our responsibility is to be activists.”
  — Erica Sanzi, 29:42

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 03:01 — Erica’s introduction and early NEA experiences
• 06:07 — Reading and math proficiency statistics
• 09:01 — The cult-like grip of progressive ideology
• 11:06 — Radical language in NEA trainings (“genders” instead of “gender”)
• 14:02 — Discipline, race narratives, and the ‘architecture’ of activism
• 21:52 — How political indoctrination enters curricula
• 27:15 — Not all teachers are radicals: leadership vs. rank and file
• 29:42 — New teacher education: activism as core mission
• 35:01 — Pronouns, misgendering, compliance, and career risk
• 39:15 — Discipline breakdown and classroom challenges
• 43:06 — Need for nuance, collaboration, and robust public schools
• 45:36 — Parental pressure, idealization, and anxiety

Tone and Takeaways

The conversation is frank, at times incredulous, and underscores the complexity and urgency of public education challenges. Both women emphasize the necessity of separating union leadership from individual teachers and caution against simplistic answers or scapegoating, even as they call out the dangers of politicized education and lost focus on student achievement.

For listeners seeking to understand the intersection of unions, activism, and classroom realities—this episode offers robust firsthand insight, sobering statistics, and a plea for nuanced solutions.