Giving Compass' Take:

· Tithi Bhattacharya at RS21 analyzes the US teachers' strikes from the past year and takes a new perspective to understand what the strikes mean to the people involved. 

· What are the common themes found in teachers' strikes? 

· Check out this article to learn more about teacher strikes and how to help.

Oral testimony from teachers shows clearly why they are in revolt. First there are the multiple jobs: teachers are 30% more likely to have multiple jobs than other workers, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Reports came in from Oklahoma, a state with one of the lowest pay for teachers, of teachers holding down six jobs.

Second, the crumbling infrastructure: Arizona teachers took pictures of their classrooms coordinated by the National Education Association (NEA).  The title of the NEA report should give you a sense of its content: ‘Mice, Mould and More: A Look Inside Arizona Classrooms.’

The rickety framework that now holds up public education in the US is the result of decades of cost cutting, overseen by Republicans and Democrats alike. A recent study found a slashing of state support by 7% or more per student over the last decade in at least 12 states.  Seven of those states—Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Oklahoma—cut income tax worth millions of dollars each year, instead of restoring, let alone investing in, education funding.  Average national spending per student per year is currently $11,000. But the amount spent per student in the highest poverty districts is $1,200 less. While districts serving the largest number of students of colour receive a full $2,000 less than this annual average.[1] The message for young people of colour is clear: the only free, public service you are welcome to is the prison system.

Read the full article about US teachers’ strikes by Tithi Bhattacharya at RS21.