Do Unions Get in the Way of Education Reform?

It safe to say that being a public school teacher is not what it used to be. With programs and jobs being cut left and right due to exponentially shrinking revenues, teacher unions nationwide have been circling the wagons to protect their members' hard fought jobs and benefits. And while facing such adversities, educators are still charged with providing a top notch education to the students of the 21st century.

In the midst of battle it is quite easy for teachers and their unions to confuse attacks on their benefits and jobs with calls for education reform. Generally such reforms are often tied to increasing test scores, but education reform is much more than that. Reforming the 21st century classroom means the incorporation of technology into every day lessons, creating a virtual classroom for you students to access when not in the classroom, making sure that the best teachers retain their jobs, and changing instruction strategies to favor the learning styles of the 21st century student.

Unfortunately due to the current political climate, calls for such reforms are often lumped together by teacher unions as being attacks on their members. Such a response is only natural, unions have been created to protect their members. However, even in the worst situations we as educators have to look through the constant political barrage and allow ideas that will assist our students come through. After all are the students the reason why we are educator. So, I pose this question: Do unions get in the way of education reform? Read the articles below, search this subject on your own, and feel free to post a response.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/us/17wisconsin.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=homepage

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/02/nj_education_chief_chris_cerf.html#incart_mce

http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2011/feb/17/teacher-roundtable-last-first-out/

http://www.wnyc.org/blogs/wnyc-news-blog/2011/feb/14/two_new_groups_step_into_debate_over_teachers/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U