Teachers Unite is a growing membership organization of New York City public school teachers dedicated to building the social justice movement. Teachers Unite’s members work in solidarity with organizations of parents, youth and activists fighting for an overhaul of the criminal justice system, an end to school privatization, immigrant rights, and the many fights that are challenging the status quo in these dire times.


PURPOSE
Schools will never educate all children equitably unless we live in a society that is dedicated to racial and economic justice. As teachers recognize the political, economic and social forces that marginalize and disenfranchise their students and students’ communities, they grow increasingly concerned with fighting those forces rather than finding contentment with quick-fixes to school issues. There is a natural link between teachers’ workplace conditions—the decline in professionalism, the scarcity of resources, and the dangerous and heavily policed facilities—and the living conditions of the communities they serve. This link is what Teachers Unite seeks to highlight as it contributes educator experience, power, and resources to the social justice movement. Teachers Unite provides central coordination, education about the forces that impact communities failed by our public education system, a community of like-minded educators in a notoriously isolating profession, and a range of leadership opportunities that build alliances with advocates and grassroots activists.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Our work began when, between March 2006 and May 2007, Teachers Unite organized four events and one ongoing program that addressed teacher organizing, activism and social justice pedagogy reaching 250 participants in all. Building on that experience, Teachers Unite has sharpened its focus on developing a membership organization that builds power through ties between educators, community advocates, and the low-income communities most effected by inequity in our city. In addition, Teachers Unite co-sponsored and helped plan Creating Balance in an Unjust World, a conference on math education and social justice attended by 500 teachers from across the country.


WHAT WE DO
Teachers Unite with Grassroots Activists
Community organizers across the city are building political campaigns that need the input of New York’s teachers: How is the testing craze affecting schools in low-income communities? How do we foster safe schools while protecting students from police harassment? Teachers Unite brings teachers together to address these questions and many more. Whether through a focus group, a workshop, or other interaction—educators strive to meet the needs of community activists and build collaborative understanding in order to support campaigns fighting for racial and economic justice.


An example of this work is Teachers Unite’s participation in the Student Safety Coalition that works to end the New York City School to Prison Pipeline and its disproportionate impact on youth of color and youth with special needs. Made up of New York City advocacy, academic and community based organizations, the coalition uses a coordinated set of legislative, public education and organizing strategies. In addition to the promotion of positive rather than punitive school safety and school discipline measures, the coalition has as its main short-term goal the passage of the Student Safety Act by the New York City Council. Teachers Unite, in partnership with NESRI (National Economic and Social Rights Initiative), is documenting teacher opinions on school safety through surveys and focus groups to promote greater oversight of current school safety policies, as well as quality alternatives and supportive services for students.


FORUMS
Teachers Unite members plan discussion-based events that build a politically informed constituency of teachers able to connect larger political trends to what’s happening in schools and classrooms. Forums feature experts, and draw on the knowledge of educators who participate, to examine education in New York City.


HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Contact info@teachersunite.net or 212-675-4790 for information, or sign up for the email list by clicking on the Stay in Touch link to the left and submitting the requested information. We encourage New York City public school educators to drop-in at a Teachers Unite with Grassroots Activists meetings, or help plan and promote forums. We invite community organizations to get in touch and discuss ways teachers can support your work.




Teachers Unite is grateful for generous support from:
The Sparkplug Foundation
Ben & Jerry's Foundation
North Star Fund
The Yip Harburg Foundation
The Rose & Sherle Wagner Foundation