I can't stand hearing the Chicago parents asking what they are supposed to do with their children

[HiPointDem]

18. just because cnn & the lame-ass media focus on parents who say that doesn't mean it's the norm.

in fact the union has made a huge effort to inform parents of strike plans and to rally their support.

Poll Shows Strong Support for Public School Teachers in Their Fight for Quality Schools
For Immediate Release: April 24, 2012
Contact: Stephanie Gadlin [e-mail]

Public lacks confidence in CEO Brizard and Chicago Board of Ed


Nearly three-quarters of Chicago voters have a favorable impression of Chicago public school teachers (74% favorable, 35% very favorable), and a solid majority of voters also holds positive opinions of the Chicago Teachers Union (57% favorable, 29% very favorable).

Just 15% of voters have an unfavorable opinion of teachers and 26% have an unfavorable opinion of the union.

In contrast, voters are highly critical of the Board of Education and CEO of Public Schools Jean-Claude Brizard. By two-to-one margins, voters rate the jobs being done by the Board of Education (27% excellent/good to 62% just fair/poor) and Brizard (21% excellent/good to 44% just fair/poor) negatively.

While polling from the summer of 2011 showed Rahm Emanuel fairly well regarded by the city’s voters, the mayor’s image has suffered in the intervening months. Emanuel’s personal favorability has dropped since last summer and his unfavorable ratings have jumped 11 points.[1] The deterioration in Emanuel’s image is most pronounced, however, in his job performance ratings. In August of 2011, 53% of voters thought he was doing a good or excellent job and 31% thought he was doing just a fair or poor job. Today, Emanuel’s job performance rating is evenly divided, with negative evaluations of his handling of the job surging by 16 points: 47% excellent/good to 47% just fair/poor. Hinting at one of the causes of this precipitous decline, perceptions of the mayor’s performance on education are even worse than his overall ratings (44% excellent/good to 46% just fair/poor).

At the outset, the electorate rejects the mayor’s proposal to close, consolidate, and phase out chronically underperforming schools: 41% favor to 47% oppose. Simulating an engaged debate over the issue quickly vaults the union’s position to an even more decisive lead (31% favor to 59% oppose).

Voters also side with the Chicago Teachers Union on the issue of merit pay, opposing basing a teacher’s salary on state test scores by a net of 10 points.

http://www.ctunet.com/media/press-releases/poll-shows-strong-support-for-public-school-teachers-in-their-fight-for-quality-schools