What Teachers Are Saying About Unions and Their Profession

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Today’s teachers want their union to protect them, but they also want it to engage in reform. Those are some of the conclusions of Trending Toward Reform, a report by Education Sector, an independent think tank which surveyed more than 1,100 K-12 public school teachers. As reported on the WTU Local 6 "Teachers' Lounge" blog, “Today’s teachers face a slate of bold reforms: new and improved evaluation systems, professional development, tenure laws, and hiring, compensation, and dismissal policies. But far too often, these policies have been made by people who talk about teachers, rather than talking to them.” The top five findings of the report include: Teachers want the union to protect them; the union should also engage in reform; teacher evaluation is improving—but still not good enough; teachers show strong support for some pay proposals; tenure is a must—but shouldn’t prevent ineffective teachers from being dismissed.