Union Leaders and the Generational Divide

Bridging Differences on the Way to Reform

By Susan Moore Johnson

The federal Race to the Top initiative has empowered teachers’ union presidents as brokers of education policy. States that apply for the competitive grants hold an advantage if they secure their local unions’ endorsement. In the first round of submissions, some presidents signed on, while others refused.

Endorsement is only the first step, however, in a long, precarious path to change. Moving from ideas to implemented programs will present an unprecedented leadership challenge for local union presidents. To be effective, they will have to bridge a deep divide between two generations of teachers, each with a different history and a different set of expectations for their union.

The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, widely viewed as a very traditional union, was one of those that did endorse its state’s Race to the Top proposals. Then, the same week as the grants-application deadline, Philadelphia teachers settled a contract that included several notable reforms: performance pay, peer assistance and review, and plans to restaff failing schools. A meeting to ratify the agreement was marked by contentious debate, however, with the contract eventually ratified after a close voice vote...