Teachers unions push politics as test scores drop
Surprisingly, the data also show that the learning crisis did not originate with COVID-19, but started around 2013. The pandemic didn’t create this disaster — it accelerated one already well underway.
TL;DR
- Only 31% of fourth graders in America are reading proficiently, and achievement gaps are widening.
- Student reading scores have been declining since around 2013, with the pandemic accelerating the crisis.
- Teachers unions are criticized for focusing on political activism, protests, and ideological causes instead of literacy.
- Examples include the Chicago Teachers Union organizing student protests and the American Federation of Teachers considering a resolution with disputed geopolitical claims.
- Some unions actively oppose 'science of reading' legislation, a proven strategy for improving literacy.
- Teacher preparation programs often fail to adequately cover the core components of reading instruction.
- Grade inflation is masking academic failures, with students passing with credentials that don't reflect their knowledge.
- A new coalition is forming to advocate for keeping personal political biases out of the classroom.