Oklahoma has historically been a very conservative state. Bob Blackburn, the executive director for the Oklahoma Historical Society, was quoted as saying that, "We have never been a liberal in Oklahoma." Due to Oklahoma's strong conservative history, the Oklahoma Education Association has been fighting an uphill battle for much of their history. Labor unions such as the OEA are generally considered liberal groups as the funding they request from the state government generally comes from taxpayers. Education isn't a priority for many families in Oklahoma, which is rich in blue-collar jobs such relating to things such agriculture, which often don't require a college degree, or even a high school diploma. As a result, the OEA's requests are often met with scrutiny from the conservative government and taxpayers. Recently however, conditions for the group have been improving as technology and extensive media have led more Oklahomans to see the value in public and higher-level education, and this is reflected in the raises teachers and teacher's aids received from the recently successful strike.
The OEA is a branch of the National Education Administration, which was founded in 1867 and is the preeminent group for fighting for the rights of public school teachers nationally. The OEA itself was founded on October 19th, 1889 and held its first meeting on Christmas Day of that same year at Guthrie First Methodist Church in Guthrie, Oklahoma. The OEA has faced many of the same challenges since its incorporation over one hundred years ago. Oklahoma has historically been on the low end when it comes to teacher pay and state funding for public education. As a result many of the battles the OEA is fighting today are the same battles they fought in 1990 or even 1943. A link has been included at the bottom of this section that touches on the recurring issues the OEA has faced over its history and development.
On the whole, the OEA has no one particular ideological composition, members come from a variety of religious, ethnic, and social backgrounds. However, all members are current or former public school teachers and employees who work together to ensure that Oklahoma's state government is treating teachers fairly and providing adequate funding for schools.
The OEA has an executive board that is responsible for executing actions that reflect the best interest of the public school employees in Oklahoma. The OEA has a president, vice-president, and NEA director. Besides these executives, the remaining people who make up the OEA include school teachers, counselors, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, nurses, secretaries, retired teachers, administrators, and education majors at public Oklahoma universities.