Chicago teachers strike and challenge corporate reform model of education

RT @CTULocal1: Teachers went into 63rd street police station to use bathroom and got a standing ovation from police #FairContractNow for all city workers!  http://tl.gd/j85t8g

For the best coverage on the strike this morning, go to Democracy Now’s coverage of the strike:

Striking Teachers, Parents Join Forces to Oppose “Corporate” Education Model in Chicago



I'm snatching this from PAA affiliate at the Seattleeducation blog:
http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/chicago-teachers-strike-and-challenge-corporate-reform-model-of-education/

Here are the specific stories on the strike:

More than 29,000 Chicago public school teachers and support staff have gone on strike today after union leaders failed to reach an agreement with the nation’s third-largest school district over educational reforms sought by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. It is the first teacher strike in Chicago in a quarter of a century. Unresolved issues include the cost of health benefits, the makeup of the teacher evaluation system and job security. Emanuel, who is President Obama’s former chief of staff, wants teacher evaluations tied to the standardized test results of students. We hear the voices of union leaders, teachers and parents on Chicago’s strike.

Chicago Public Teachers Stage Historic Strike in Clash With Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Education Reforms

To discuss the Chicago teachers’ strike, we’re joined by two guests: Phil Cantor, a teacher and strike captain at Chicago’s North Grand High School and member of Teachers for Social Justice; and Rhoda Rae Gutierrez, the mother of two public-school students in Chicago and a member of the grassroots group, Parents for Teachers.

Striking Teachers, Parents Join Forces to Oppose “Corporate” Education Model in Chicago

The showdown in Chicago — the nation’s third largest school district — pits teachers against Mayor Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s former chief of staff. Emanuel remains a close ally to Obama, while many of the policies at issue in Chicago are being pushed on a national scale by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, former Chicago public schools chief. We’re joined by Pauline Lipman, professor of education and policy studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago, director of the Collaborative for Equity and Justice in Education and member of Teachers for Social Justice.

Chicago Teachers Strike Could Portend Referendum on Obama Admin’s Approach to Education Reform

I think the strike is also a referendum on the Weingarten/Mulgrew/Casey policies of collaboration and surrender under the "climate of our times."

[More on this aspect later]