Education Next

In West Virginia, teachers went on strike this morning over a new bill that raises pay for teachers but allows for the creation of charter schools and education savings accounts. After teachers in the state went on strike last year, Leslie Finger analyzed what the success of the nine-day walkout revealed about the power of the teachers union in the state.

At a House Education Committee hearing on underpaid teachers, Ben Scafidi testified about the "staffing surge," the sharp rise in the number of non-teachers hired by schools. The staffing surge makes it harder for districts to afford higher salaries for teachers.