World Education News

Fearing that the recent Chicago teachers strike might have eroded union support across the country, labor organizations are ponying up for an extensive publicity campaign to improve their image. The Washington Times is reporting that an umbrella group for many of the nation’s teachers unions, the American Federation of Teachers, will be holding community events in cities all over the U.S in the waning weeks of the 2012 election season.

Some speculate that this new push is an indication that far from being chastened by the events in Chicago, the unions are going on the offensive.

In the frantic final campaigning days of the 2012 election season, the two Presidential candidates have been trading barbs over their relationship – or lack thereof – with teachers unions around the country.

While the Chicago teachers strike was going on, Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney accused President Barack Obama of allowing teachers unions to dictate policy to the detriment of their students. Romney pointed out that Obama went so far as to send his most visible proxy – Vice President Joe Biden – to speak about the Administration’s support for the union at their annual convention. In reply, President Obama has said that Romney’s comments during the strike amounted to “teacher-bashing.”

In February, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo famously claimed the title of ‘student lobbyist’ and heralded his breakthrough in holding the state’s teachers to standards of accountability.

Bonuses of $20,000 offered by the Obama Administration as an incentive for “master teachers” in mathematics, science and technology have been put out of reach for teachers in one of the nation’s largest school districts. Teachers employed by the New York City school district may not apply to receive the federally-funded money because the terms of the contract their union signed with the city prohibits any kind of financial bonuses for outstanding achievements in the classroom.