Title: Why do Teachers Strike? | American University
Headings: Why do Teachers Strike? Understanding how Policy Makers can Help
Why do Teachers Strike? Understanding how Policy Makers can Help
Why do Teachers Strike?
Inadequate Financial Resources
Inequitable Social Support
Public Support
How Policy Makers Can Help
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Content: Policy makers must walk a fine line in support of teachers without harming the greater good for state residents. Why do Teachers Strike? There are a number of reasons why teachers strike, but the most common is inadequate financial resources, including low pay and crumbling infrastructure. Other strikes might address social justice issues, such as low-income housing or the establishment of charter schools that may pull funding away from traditional institutions. Inadequate Financial Resources
The lack of adequate funding on a district level leads to low teacher pay, aging facilities, understaffing, poor work schedules, inadequate support staff, aging educational materials, and a host of other problematic working conditions. Wages are the biggest concern: US teacher salaries shrunk 1.6% between 2000 and 2017 when adjusted for inflation, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This trend is especially consequential in areas where the cost of living is skyrocketing, such as Oakland, California, where a teacher strike took place in early 2019. Other areas that struggle with insufficient school funding—often poor or rural communities—face low resources not only for wages but for building improvements, proper student/teacher ratios, school supplies, and support services for students. State education budgets were hit hard during the 2008 recession, and many states have yet to lift their per-student spending levels back to pre-recession levels, according to The Conversation.