Teachers unions ensure teachers have the resources and support they need to educate kids, but given the perception that they primarily protect bad teachers, there’s plenty of pressure on Randi Weingarten, head of the
American Federation of Teachers, to come up with ideas that’ll prove her union isn’t just about maintaining the status quo. In a conversation with Walter Isaacson at the
Aspen Ideas Festival, Weingarten did just that, suggesting that making all prospective teachers
take a bar exam will improve the quality and status of America's teachers.
The idea is that just as lawyers must pass state bar exams to practice law, teachers would need to pass a test that proves their knowledge and critical thinking skills to be effective. That would, theoretically, dispel the public's
