Failure gets rewarded when it comes to government unions. Look no further than Stacy Davis Gates, the president of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU). She was just unanimouslyelected to lead the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT).
Her promotion comes despite a track record of presiding over educational disasters in Chicago, where student outcomes are abysmal and public trust in the union has cratered. Failing upwards exposes the rotten core of teachers unions. They focus on power, politics, and protecting adults at all costs, with no regard for kids.
Start with the facts on the ground in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Despite spending roughly $30,000 per student annually, not a single child was proficient in math in 55 schools. Zero kids met basic standards in over 50 schools – failure factories churning out ill-equipped students while taxpayers foot the bill.
According to the Nation’s Report Card, only nine percent of black eighth graders in Chicago areproficient in math. Children are getting shortchanged by a system that prioritizes union demands over actual education.
When confronted with these dismal results during a radio interview, Davis Gates deflected by callingstandardized testing “junk science rooted in white supremacy” and claiming it was “born out of eugenics.”
Under Davis Gates’s leadership, public opinion of the CTU has tanked. A poll by Echelon Insights, conducted for the Illinois Policy Institute, showed the union’s net favorability dropping 11 points – from +2 to -9 – in just eight months of her tenure. The rapid nosedive reflects Chicagoans’ growing frustration with strikes, school closures, and political overreach.
Yet instead of accountability, Davis Gates gets a statewide promotion, now representing over 100,000 educators across Illinois. Parents in conservative areas won’t even be able to escape her influence, as she’ll be calling the shots for the entire state’s union apparatus.
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Did taxpayer funded Wisconsin DPI Superintendent Underly Juice Test Scores for Reelection?
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Only 31% of 4th graders in Wisconsin read at grade level, which is worse than Mississippi.
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Madison taxpayers have long supported far above average (now > $25,000 per student) K-12 tax & spending practices. This, despite long term, disastrous reading results.
Madison Schools: More $, No Accountability
The taxpayer funded Madison School District long used Reading Recovery…
The data clearly indicate that being able to read is not a requirement for graduation at (Madison) East, especially if you are black or Hispanic”
My Question to Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Teacher Mulligans and our Disastrous Reading Results
2017: West High Reading Interventionist Teacher’s Remarks to the School Board on Madison’s Disastrous Reading Results
Madison’s taxpayer supported K-12 school district, despite spending far more than most, has long tolerated disastrous reading results.
“An emphasis on adult employment”
Wisconsin Public Policy Forum Madison School District Report[PDF]
WEAC: $1.57 million for Four Wisconsin Senators
Friday Afternoon Veto: Governor Evers Rejects AB446/SB454; an effort to address our long term, disastrous reading results
Booked, but can’t read (Madison): functional literacy, National citizenship and the new face of Dred Scott in the age of mass incarceration.
When A Stands for Average: Students at the UW-Madison School of Education Receive Sky-High Grades. How Smart is That?