Karen Lewis and Randi Weingarten on the Chicago teachers strike
This article was originally published in the Wall Street Journal. It was written by Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), and Randi Weingarten, president of the CTU’s national union, the American Federation of Teachers.
After more than a decade of top-down dictates, disruptive school closures, disregard of teachers’ and parents’ input, testing that squeezes out teaching, and cuts to the arts, physical education and libraries, educators in Chicago said “enough is enough.” With strong support from parents and many in the community, teachers challenged a flawed vision of education reform that has not helped schoolchildren in Chicago or around the country. It took a seven-day strike—something no one does without cause—but with it educators in Chicago have changed the conversation about education reform.
These years of dictates imposed upon teachers left children in Chicago without the rich curriculum, facilities and