Why Chicago Teachers Are on Strike

FEATURING KEVIN KUMASHIRO –  The nation’s third largest school district has come to a standstill as 25,000 teachers in Chicago, Illinois, began a strike on Thursday demanding better wages and more school support staff. The Chicago Teachers Union has organized picket lines and marches throughout this week. About 300,000 children are out of school.

The strike is a major test for Chicago’s recently elected mayor Lori Lightfoot, who says the district simply cannot afford to meet the teachers’ demands. There has been wave of teachers strikes around the US over the past few years unifying their struggle under the slogan, “Red for Ed,” as picketing educators don red clothing together in solidarity.

Read the Op-ed by CReATE in support of Chicago teachers, HERE.

Read the Washington Post article, ‘Yes, teacher-preparation programs need to be fixed — but more than 350 education leaders say reforms are ‘making things worse’, HERE.

Kevin Kumashiro is the education correspondent for Rising Up With Sonali. He’s the former dean of the School of Education at the University of San Francisco, a leading expert on educational policy, school reform, teacher preparation, and educational equity and social justice.