The American Federation of Teachers is teaming up with the World Economic Forum to develop a new classroom curriculum, a move that’s already drawing sharp criticism from political observers and education reform advocates.

AFT President Randi Weingarten announced the partnership during a July 25 speech, telling union members the collaboration aims to create “a curriculum that will lead to good jobs and solid careers in U.S. manufacturing.”

The World Economic Forum (WEF), headquartered in Geneva and best known for its annual Davos summit, has long championed global economic coordination, climate policy, and digital transformation.

Critics immediately raised concerns about the influence of a foreign-aligned organization on U.S. public school content, particularly one with a record of advocating digital IDs, carbon regulation, and closer industrial ties with China. Corey DeAngelis, a prominent school choice advocate, responded on social media on July 27: “Abolish teachers unions.”

The AFT did not immediately release details of the planned curriculum. Still, Weingarten defended the direction of the initiative in her speech, saying education must go beyond test-taking and adapt to a changing economy. “The goal of education should be to cultivate the skills necessary to succeed in our rapidly changing world, not to create good test-takers,” she said.

One attendee at the AFT event in a union video, presumably a union member and teacher, called the speech “empowering, inspiring and just what I needed.”

While the AFT cast the partnership as a workforce development strategy, some political writers such as at TFPP Wire pointed to WEF’s praise for China’s state-managed manufacturing strategy and its ongoing cooperation with Chinese firms and government-linked entities. A recent WEF report asked whether “Made in China 2.0” represents the future of global manufacturing.

Weingarten also used her speech to criticize the current administration’s approach to education and technology, taking aim at what she described as an overreliance on standardized tests and insufficient engagement with educators on AI policy. “It’s insulting that Trump signed an executive order saying teachers need to be trained on AI—without involving teachers,” she said, claiming the administration also attempted to block rules for regulating AI.

In contrast, Weingarten announced the launch of the AFT’s National Academy for AI Instruction, developed in partnership with Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). “Educators must be able to maximize the good and minimize the bad, to use it safely, wisely and ethically,” she said.

The Academy, based in New York City, is intended as a training facility for teachers to learn to use artificial intelligence in the classroom. “AI should serve our values, support strong instruction and enhance the work that teachers do, never replace it,” Weingarten said, emphasizing that educators—not corporations or technocrats—should be “in the driver’s seat” of AI’s classroom deployment.

Beyond technology, Weingarten warned of a broader “crisis of engagement” in schools, blaming smartphones and social media for distracting students and driving up anxiety levels. She praised New York’s bell-to-bell school phone ban and cited psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s research on youth mental health.

The AFT’s growing interest in shaping industrial and technological education mirrors broader trends at the WEF, which recently hosted dialogues focused on AI, green energy, and labor transitions. A January 2025 WEF blog post described efforts to promote cooperation between labor unions and private industry in areas like semiconductor manufacturing and workforce development.

The AFT has previously collaborated with companies like Micron to expand STEM education pathways into high-tech industries. In her speech, Weingarten framed the WEF partnership as a continuation of that mission and insisted it was consistent with American values and economic needs.

Still, critics remained unconvinced. Straub described the move as “deeply troubling,” calling it part of a broader ideological shift within public education. “This isn’t about improving manufacturing. It’s about cementing ideological control over the next generation,” the TFPP Wire story claimed.

DeAngelis also highlighted a recent AFT resolution that pledged to “protect public education from right-wing extremism” and teach “about the insidious nature of white supremacy,” arguing that the union is veering further into political territory.

While the full scope of the new curriculum remains unknown, the partnership with the World Economic Forum is already placing America’s largest teachers union at the center of a high-stakes battle over the future of public education and who gets to shape it.