Wednesday, September 12, 2012

The Educated Reporter: Chicago Teachers' Union Strike: Win the Battle But Lose the War?

The Educated Reporter: Chicago Teachers' Union Strike: Win the Battle But Lose the War?:


Chicago Teachers' Union Strike: Win the Battle But Lose the War?

As numerous news organizations have noted, including the Washington Post,  the Christian Science Monitor,and the Wall St. Journal, the Chicago teachers' strike is being posited by some as a referendum on President Obama’s education initiatives.



Indeed, the U.S. Department of Education has dangled some sizeable carrots to motivate states and districts to adopt significant reforms. Among them is Race To The Top, a competitive program in which states and districts apply for a share of more than $4 billion in federal grants to turn around underperforming schools. But to qualify for RTTT, states had to agree to implement a number of administration-approved reform measures, including the