Chicago teachers’ strike against reform a battle N.J. should watch

By Star-Ledger Editorial Board

The picket line in Chicago is now the front line in the fight for education reform in America, and it’s a battle we all have a big stake in. Because the union there, as in many states and cities, is fighting against the basic principle that teachers must perform well to keep their jobs.

It’s not about money. Mayor Rahm Emanuel offered an average 16 percent pay hike over four years, even while the city drowns in debt.

This is about how teachers do their jobs and how the system evaluates them. In the end, it’s about whether the aim of public schools is to prepare children for successful lives or to ensure job security for teachers who perform poorly. Are the schools there for the kids or the adults?

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