I recently got a call from a teacher at the University of Chicago Lab Schools who wanted to let me know just how many private school teachers detest the educational policies of Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
And one of the ways the school does it? “We have a pretty good contract,” the Lab teacher tells me.
In that instance, Mayor Emanuel made a change without any evidence of having substantively studied just what the hell he was doing, which is pretty much the same thing he did with his longer-school-day ultimatum. He certainly didn’t consult teachers, students, parents, or local school councils.
The contract even goes on to stipulate that the administration can’t change a teacher’s classroom without notifying the teacher first.
In any event, the teachers at Lab are protected from such intrusions thanks to the “Academic Freedom” clause of their contract, which reads: “Academic freedom shall mean that teachers are free to present instructional materials which are pertinent to the subject and level taught.”
Mayor Emanuel added his own twist by redefining entire schools—as with the wall-to-wall IB designations. That enabled the principal at Lincoln Park High to fire eight teachers in one swoop.
