For about a week now, members of the Chicago Teachers Union have been on strike due to lack of job security, low wages, and strict evaluations. This left 400,000 students out of school for the week. Parents haven't been able to go to work so they are losing money, and possibly their jobs, while others are losing money by putting their kids into day care. The main problem is the evaluations which will become more frequent under a new Illinois law. Teachers say this isn't fair because some of them are having to teach kids who can't read or write so their grades will reflect that. They say that administration cannot evaluate teachers based solely on test scores. Some also say that this will lead to teachers giving easier tests just so the kids can pass, or even cheating on state administered exams.
This past Saturday the union said it would offer a three-year contract with a "3 percent cost of living increase in the first year and 2 percent raises in the second and third years, along with preserving pay for longevity and additional education." It also doesn't fix the problem of the evaluations because they will still be based on test scores but teachers will have a chance to appeal their ratings.
Also on Saturday, there was a rally held in Chicago in support of the teachers on strike. Teachers from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Boston showed up also in support of them. According to Fox, "With no contract ready and the strike still formally in effect after days of anticipation over a deal to end it, a rally scheduled for Saturday was unlikely to be a victory celebration. Instead, it was shaping up as a show of force for organized labor after a string of setbacks."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/09/15/end-to-chicago-teachers-strike-is-not-assured/#ixzz26es7sPtZ
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49050486
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