Teacher Strikes

Education news, analysis, and opinion about labor actions by teachers that close or disrupt schools

Explainer

Teacher Strikes, Explained: Recent Strikes, Where They're Illegal, and More
Here's what to know about educator labor actions and how they've evolved since the 20th century.
Jennyerin Steele Staats, a special education teacher from Jackson County, W. Va., holds her sign aloft during a rally by striking teachers in late February outside the state capitol in Charleston, W. Va.
Jennyerin Steele Staats, a special education teacher from Jackson County, W. Va., holds her sign aloft during a rally by striking teachers in late February outside the state capitol in Charleston, W. Va.
Craig Hudson/Charleston Gazette-Mail via AP
Teaching Profession Surprise W.Va. Teachers Strike Emboldens Labor Activists Elsewhere
In states including Arizona, Kentucky, and Oklahoma, teachers turn up the heat in their quest for pay raises, even threatening electoral consequences if lawmakers fail to come through.
Daarel Burnette II, March 19, 2018
5 min read
Teaching Profession Collective Bargaining Does Not Improve Teacher Pay, Study Finds
A new study finds that mandatory collective bargaining laws did not improve teacher pay or public education spending.
Madeline Will, March 19, 2018
4 min read
Sara Doolittle, an English teacher at Norman High School who is also a graduate student and research assistant at the University of Oklahoma, took a major pay cut when her family moved to the state from Colorado.
Sara Doolittle, an English teacher at Norman High School who is also a graduate student and research assistant at the University of Oklahoma, took a major pay cut when her family moved to the state from Colorado.
Swikar Patel/Education Week
Teaching Profession Fed Up With Low Pay, Oklahoma Teachers Prepare to Walk Out
Shutting down schools is a last resort, teachers say, but they've exhausted other options for getting the legislature to listen.
Madeline Will, March 16, 2018
10 min read
Teaching Profession Video The High Stakes of a Teacher Walkout
Will the teacher walkout convince Oklahoma legislators to pass a teacher pay raise? Norman teacher Sara Doolittle said she’s worried about what will happen if the walkout is not successful.
March 16, 2018
0:24
BRIC ARCHIVE
Getty/Getty
Teaching Profession Opinion The War on Teachers Comes to Oklahoma
The West Virginia teachers strike is over, but the fight for teacher pay rages on, write Lawrence Baines and Jim Machell.
Lawrence Baines & Jim Machell, March 15, 2018
5 min read
Jennyerin Steele Staats, a special education teacher from Jackson County, W.Va., joins other striking teachers as they demonstrate outside the state capitol in Charleston, W.Va., on Feb. 27.
Jennyerin Steele Staats, a special education teacher from Jackson County, W.Va., joins other striking teachers as they demonstrate outside the state capitol in Charleston, W.Va., on Feb. 27.
Craig Hudson/Charleston Gazette-Mail via AP
Teaching Profession Explainer Teacher Strikes: 4 Common Questions
Education Week takes a look at how common statewide teacher strikes are and where they're most likely to happen.
Education Week Staff, March 13, 2018
7 min read
Teaching Profession Okla. Teachers' Union Calls for a $10,000 Pay Raise Over Three Years. Is It Enough?
The Oklahoma Education Association unveiled its legislative demands for a teacher pay raise and increased education funding. But many teachers worry it's not enough.
Madeline Will, March 8, 2018
3 min read
Teaching Profession Following West Virginia's Lead, Arizona Teachers Protest Low Pay, Discuss Striking
Has West Virginia's teacher strike started a movement? Arizona teachers are wearing red today to protest low wages. A strike could be imminent.
Brenda Iasevoli, March 7, 2018
2 min read
Teaching Profession Oklahoma Teachers' Union Sets Strike Date for April 2 After Teacher Outcry
The Oklahoma Education Association originally gave the state legislature an April 23 deadline to pass a pay raise for teachers, but after public outcry, the state accelerated the deadline to April 2.
Madeline Will, March 7, 2018
3 min read
Teaching Profession Will Teachers' Strikes Happen More Often in a Post-Janus World?
Union supporters have claimed that strikes and labor unrest could happen more frequently if the Supreme Court rules against mandatory union fees. But experts aren't so sure.
Madeline Will, March 6, 2018
3 min read
Teaching Profession Survey Shows Support for an Oklahoma Teacher Strike
There is overwhelming support for a statewide teacher walkout to push for higher pay, according to an online survey by the Oklahoma Education Association.
Brenda Iasevoli, March 6, 2018
2 min read
Teaching Profession West Virginia Legislature Reaches Deal to End Strike, Deliver Pay Raise to Teachers
The statewide teacher strike could end today if both chambers of the legislature pass the bill to deliver a 5 percent raise to all school employees.
Madeline Will, March 6, 2018
3 min read
Teaching Profession West Virginia Teachers Continue to Strike After State Senate Trims Pay Raise
The West Virginia Senate trimmed the proposed pay raise for teachers from 5 percent to 4 percent, prompting union officials to declare that the strike will continue indefinitely.
Madeline Will, March 3, 2018
2 min read
Teaching Profession West Virginia Teacher Strike Not Over Yet
Public schools in West Virginia are closed despite a deal that was supposed to end the teacher strike today.
Brenda Iasevoli, March 1, 2018
2 min read