Kristen Rawls Opinions On Teacher Unions

Opinions on teacher unions are extremely polarized, even within the unions themselves. Opinions seem to be strong and range from unions being the only hope for the teacher who wants to stand up against an oppressive administration to being a force that prevents the administration from actually ensuring teachers are effective. The unions look out for either the teacher first at the cost of the student, are defenders of equality for students, or are looking out solely for the union itself and doesn’t really have anyone else’s best interests in mind. In the following, the arguments and opinions of several writers will be summarized.

Franchesca Warren says that the most frequent complaint she has encountered about teacher unions is one that pops

Rawls argues that allowing students to choose schools has resulted in what equates to “apartheid” like conditions, with families choosing to send their children to schools based on socioeconomic factors, leaving those who cannot afford the move to be stuck at public schools that are noticeably less funded than the schools the more affluent and frequently white children are attending. Rawls also argues that unions give teachers the ability to advocate for both students and schools without the fear of losing their job for speaking up against the administration, offer the professional development resources that Warren spoke about and help protect both student and teacher safety through such programs as those that train custodial staff on steps to take towards cleaner air and insisting that schools have safety plans in

Public opinion has fallen for unions in general over the years, and the unions have lost the backing of Democrats that was once a given. Part of the loss of this backing is through the unions’ public support of laws that require districts to lay off teachers based solely on seniority in the district and not looking at effectiveness. Additionally, some teachers are abandoning the traditional choices of the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) to found their own splinter group, calling themselves the Badass Teachers Association. Simon argues that teachers are losing faith in their unions, a loss that is felt by declining numbers and revenue experienced by both the NEA and the AFT. This faith has not been shored by the AFT who, in recent years, has expanded beyond merely representing teachers to representing a variety of other professions ranging from dental hygienists to