Teachers as Reformers in the Education Industry
Due to their participation in the collective bargaining of the necessary modifications, teachers play a vital role in their unions. Because of this, they are able to acquire the conditions and equipment needed to get the desired results. To put this simply, the teachers are the reformers in the education industry. Additionally, if the instructors have what they require, they can build positive relationships with students, which will result in good performance (Kays, 2015). They should therefore be the driving force behind the unions in order to address problems within and outside of the classroom that have an impact on both students and teachers. On the other hand, there are instances where some teachers lose their jobs in tragic circumstances and through the role played by their counterparts in the unions, they manage to get merit pay. Thus, they take part in negotiations that assist in arriving at amicable solutions to problems affecting them and the environment they work in on a daily basis.
The War Within Teachers' Unions
Despite there being some reforms in the education sector, there have been some factors that have bought separations and factions in the teachers' unions for many years. It is important to note that some of the pupils who experienced the same factions are now adults and perhaps with their kids. The problem has remained the same as the union leaders are not championing for change (Antonucci, 2011). Therefore, whenever the junior teachers try to create reform movements, they meet opposition on their way which generates a war within the unions. In particular, most heads of teachers' unions fail at their responsibilities and even worse, also their successors. There are two forms of wars within the unions. One is internal, and it entails differences between the union leaders and the activists while the other involves external factions between the government heads of education and the public. The issues at hand in these unions have been persistent, and it seems that the situation might get out of hand soon when it comes to delivery in the public education sector.
Effects of Teacher Unions on Student Achievements and American Education
There has been a heated debate on the impact collective bargaining has on the test score of students in the American education system. For example, the Wisconsin protests reveal significant information from both the opponents and supporters of the teachers' union (Di Carlo, 2011). In particular, the impact is dependent on the type of contracts these unions enter with teachers, and it varies from one state to another. It is important to note that those states with binding contracts tend to record low test scores (Antonucci, 2011). For this reason, teacher contracts hurt the student achievement while at the same time have no impact at all. For example, some states do not reveal any differences in student achievement but looking at the union contracts, and the case is different from one to the other. Despite these claims, specifically, those raised in Wisconsin, teacher bargaining is what improves student test scores in the United States. Hence, there is not the abstract relationship on the impact of teachers' unions and student achievements in the American education.
Importance of Teachers Supporting Their Unions
It is through adequate support offered by teachers to the unions that they managed to end gender inequality in the education sector. Besides, support by the tutors has enabled unions to have meaningful negotiations that have assisted the government in avoiding strikes at all costs. Thus, the history of teachers' unions shows that through this support, the unions have managed to attain different powers and success levels. On the other hand, other national and state unions have shown their togetherness in the recent past, and it is this time that teachers' unions need their members more than ever. Besides, there has been a tremendous shift in the educational atmosphere in the United States, and government officials are out there looking for individuals to point fingers at for the low student achievements (Di Carlo, 2011). For this reason, teachers need to show their solidarity to avoid a crisis which is looming in the future.
Changes Needed to Prevent Losing Support from Educators and the Public
There is a need to institute an appropriate procedure when it comes to laying off teachers. Evidently, most of the new teachers fall victim, and this has been the primary cause for lack of creativity in the educational institutions. Secondly, the teachers' unions need to review matters related to the mandatory dues paid by teachers (Kays, 2015). It is important to note that even those teachers who try to opt out of these unions have a forced obligation to pay agency fees which is not fair as they are not in support of the unions' activities. Lastly, the teachers' unions need to improve the representation of their members. Most tutors have complained of misrepresentation when it comes to emergent issues such as police brutality where even teachers have fallen victim.
References
Antonucci, M. (2011). Teachers Unions and the War Within: Making sense of the conflict. Education Next. Retrieved 13 October 2017, from http://educationnext.org/teachers-unions-war-within/
Di Carlo, M. (2011). Revisiting The Effect Of Teachers’ Unions On Student Test Scores. Shanker Institute. Retrieved 13 October 2017, from http://www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/revisiting-effect-teachers-unions-student-test-scores
Kays, H. (2015). The Top Five Reasons Teachers Unions Need to Change. The American Spectator. Retrieved 13 October 2017, from https://spectator.org/63684_top-five-reasons-teachers-unions-need-change/
