Chicago Teachers Strike Puts Charter Schools in the Spotlight

In Chicago, one out of every eight public school students attend charter schools. That means 52,000 public charter school students in Chicago have had class this week, while 350,000 others have been out of the classroom since the city’s first teachers strike in 25 years began Monday.

One major difference between the city's traditional Chicago Public Schools and public charter schools is that CPS teachers are represented by the Chicago Teachers Union. Most of Chicago’s charter teachers are not unionized. That very fact makes charter school officials and proponents see the strike as an opportunity, though most won't use that word. So far, picketing teachers clad in red t-shirts have been met with honks from cars in every corner of the city. But if the strike, which centers on job security and plans to evaluate teachers based on student performance, keeps students out of school for much longer, there's a distinct possibility that sympathy could erode and push more interest into the charter movement.