Does fixing schools have to punish teachers and their union?
by Ron Whitehorne
Education reform's dominant narrative, in both the nation and this city, assumes that the traditional protections unions provide for teachers need to be sacrificed in the interest of improving children's education.
While the well-compensated CEOs and hedge fund managers who feed regularly at the public trough are portrayed as disinterested champions of poor children, unionized teachers are characterized as being motivated by narrow self-interest. It really rankles me.
Let me say at the outset, I don’t think unions have always acted to the benefit of children. There is room for debate about the wisdom of specific policies, particularly in an earlier period, when unions made little effort to build real partnerships with the community. But in the current environment, treating teachers with some degree of fairness and heeding their concerns over job security, compensation, and due process just isn't part of the conversation.
The Renaissance Schools initiative is a case in point. When a school is identified for this treatment, its teaching staff is reconstituted - all teachers, and staff, are
