How Unions Have Destroyed Public Education

During Chicago Teachers Union’s militant reign over Chicago Public Schools, proficiency ratings for 3-8th graders have plummeted and less than 23% of 11th graders can read at grade level.

For this reason, the reformation of public education should be a political issue that Christians champion. If you need a Bible verse to justify that, then you ain't a Christian - to paraphrase Joe Biden.

Hannah Schmid of Real Clear Education explains:

• The path forward for families is to stop allowing union-led public education to put power first and students last. Educators must lean into proven methods to help students succeed.

(Real Clear Education) In a first-ever election on Nov. 5 for control of the Chicago Public Schools Board of Education, candidates backed and funded by the Chicago Teachers Union were largely rejected at the polls. Out of 10 races, only four CTU-backed candidates won, and one of those was uncontested.

It was a sign Chicago has had enough of failing schools and voters were placing blame. During CTU’s militant reign over CPS, proficiency ratings for 3-8th graders have plummeted and less than 23% of 11th graders can read at grade level. Meanwhile, the CTU has spent over six months lobbying for a $50 billion contract that rather than advancing classroom instruction makes demands over things such as climate justice, green schools, and affordable housing.

CTU candidates’ rejection is just one example of a seismic shift in the way constituents are viewing public education across the country. A national literacy epidemic means only 1 in 3 students are meeting proficiency standards in reading. People are seeing the results of union-led public education – and they’re not pleased.

Literacy is one of the most important skills because it’s the foundation of every milestone that follows: from reading and comprehending course material in every other subject to understanding and following instructions in employment. When children aren’t reading proficiently by the end of third grade, they are far less likely to graduate high school and are four times more likely to drop out.

States such as Florida and Mississippi have worked to improve literacy rates. Both adopted literacy policies that encourage “science of reading” literacy instruction. This evidence-based reading instruction emphasizes phonics, fluency, and comprehension. The end results have been impressive.

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