Unions Fight Accountability

What’s behind the Chicago teacher’s strike?  Sure money is a big part.  But, as the Christian Science Monitor notes, accountability is also a factor.  “A quarter of public school students still fail to graduate from high school – and those who do graduate have low skills in writing or math – parents, taxpayers, and employers insist on measurable standards for teachers,” they report.  “A few months ago, however, the Chicago Teachers Union rejected a district plan for merit pay. And in contract talks, it also opposes plans to beef up evaluations of teachers based in part on student test scores.  They continue: “In many cities and states, teachers unions have squashed or watered down such evaluation proposals. Under President Obama, the federal Department of Education has dangled the carrot of money for school districts that adopt such plans. But it also requires unions to buy into them. Like Chicago, Milwaukee and New York recently ended an attempt to win federal grants to begin performance-based compensation plans after union opposition.”