Thousands of Chicago’s public school teachers are on strike for a second consecutive day as their union announced little progress toward a contract.The debate over teacher evaluations that’s taken center stage in the conflict could have major effects on a national scale, an education expert says.
“Chicago absolutely matters,” said Elena Silva, senior associate for public policy engagement at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. ”I think what happens here will substantially matter for what we see happen with teacher evaluations nationwide.”
In the last three years, 21 states have passed have legislation or implemented new regulations designed to highlight teacher accountability. The changes came often by way of the kind of standardized testing that one Chicago Teachers Union board member referred to as “data-driven madness.”