On Unions and Education

In: Dissent: a journal devoted to radical ideas and the values of socialism and democracy, Band 51, Heft 1, S. 51-55

Abstract

Personal experience over the past 35 years with schools in New York City & Boston (MA) is drawn on to argue that unions are not the cause of the problems with the nation's schools or school reform efforts. In states with weak unions & no legal bargaining rights, teachers are afraid to speak up about what they perceive as problems; even in states with strong unions, dissatisfaction with educational policies or practices is rarely voiced. It is argued that many teachers' unions come to assume the very traits of the management they oppose, eg, rigidity, impersonality, & power obsession. In addition, too great a focus on tests & standards has led to neglect of the teaching of critical thinking, as has a lack of demonstrable critical thinking among teachers themselves, who have been rendered too compliant & focused on test scores. Both unions & educational management need to actively involve teachers in the reform process. The overwhelming benefits of unions for addressing educational -- as well as social & political -- inequalities are enumerated. K. Hyatt Stewart