Chicago teachers strike poses a larger test about teacher evaluations around the country
WASHINGTON — The massive teacher strike in Chicago offers a high-profile test for the nation's teacher unions, which have seen their political influence threatened as a growing reform movement seeks to expand charter schools, get private companies involved with failing schools and link teacher evaluations to student test scores.
Union leaders are taking a major stand on teacher evaluations, one of the key issues in the Chicago dispute. If they lose there, it could have ripple effects around the country.
The American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association — the nation's two largest teacher unions — have been playing defense in jurisdictions around the country as Republicans and Democrats alike seek greater concessions in a bid to improve ailing public schools.
After decades of growth in membership and influence, the unions now are in a weaker position, said Rick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute, a nonpartisan think tank.
"They are playing on more hostile terrain and they are facing opponents the likes of which they have not had to face before," Hess said.
Members of the Chicago Teachers Union — the AFT's oldest local — walked off the job Monday