The Influence of Teachers Unions on the Decline of American Education and the Urgent Need for Reform

Teachers have witnessed firsthand the complexities of our education system, including the significant influence of teachers unions. While unions advocate for educators’ rights, their impact on educational outcomes has increasingly come under scrutiny. The American Enterprise Institute’s (AEI) Sketching a New Conservative Education Agenda (2021–25), edited by Frederick M. Hess and Anna Low, provides a comprehensive set of proposals to address systemic challenges in education. This article explores how teachers unions contribute to the decline of educational quality and summarizes key reform proposals from the AEI report that aim to restore excellence, empower educators, and prioritize students.

Teachers Unions and the Decline of Education

Teachers unions, such as the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), wield significant influence over education policy, teacher contracts, and school operations. While their mission includes protecting teachers’ wages, benefits, and working conditions, their actions often prioritize job security and bureaucratic control over student outcomes. Several key issues highlight their role in the decline of education:

• Resistance to Accountability and Merit-Based Systems
  Unions frequently oppose policies that tie teacher evaluations to student performance or allow for the dismissal of underperforming educators. For example, tenure systems, fiercely defended by unions, make it difficult to remove ineffective teachers, even when evidence suggests they hinder student progress. Michael J. Petrilli’s essay in the AEI report notes that union contracts create barriers to recruiting and retaining talented educators, undermining organizational excellence (p. 15). This resistance stifles innovation and perpetuates mediocrity in classrooms.
• Obstruction of School Choice and Competition
  Teachers unions consistently oppose school choice initiatives, such as charter schools and education savings accounts (ESAs), which empower parents to select better-performing schools. The AEI report’s section on school choice (pp. 111–171) emphasizes that unions view these reforms as threats to their monopoly over public education. By lobbying against policies like open enrollment or weighted ESAs, unions limit competition, which could drive schools to improve quality to attract students, as Robert Enlow and Jason Bedrick argue (p. 118).
• Bureaucratic Inefficiencies and Misallocated Resources
  Union-driven policies often prioritize seniority-based pay and rigid pension systems over flexible, merit-based compensation or teacher support. Martin F. Lueken’s proposal to modernize teacher pensions (pp. 236–240) critiques traditional defined benefit plans that penalize mobile teachers and fail to serve the majority, a system unions defend despite its inefficiencies. Similarly, Patrick Graff’s teacher spending accounts (TSAs) proposal (pp. 241–244) highlights how teachers lack control over classroom resources, with union-backed funding structures funneling money to administration rather than classrooms.
• Politicization of Curriculum and Culture
  Unions have increasingly aligned with progressive ideologies, advocating for curricula that prioritize social justice over academic rigor. Essays in the AEI report, such as David Bernstein’s on ethnic studies (p. 23) and Matt Beienburg’s on academic transparency (p. 27), argue that union influence amplifies radical politics in K–12 education, sidelining core subjects like literacy and civics. This shift diverts focus from preparing students for practical success, as Ian Rowe’s emphasis on individual agency underscores (p. 7).

These factors contribute to stagnant student achievement, as evidenced by flat reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for 17-year-olds over decades (p. 24). Public trust in education is also eroding, with the AEI report noting a “plunging faith in higher education” and an “academic culture unmoored from traditional values” (p. 256). Teachers unions, by prioritizing their members’ interests over systemic improvement, exacerbate these challenges.

Summary of Sketching a New Conservative Education Agenda

Published in 2025 by AEI’s Conservative Education Reform Network (CERN), Sketching a New Conservative Education Agenda (2021–25) compiles four years of policy proposals to reshape American education. Founded in 2021, CERN aims to provide a “big tent” for conservative education thinkers to develop practical solutions (p. 12). The report, spanning K–12, higher education, and early childhood, is organized into four parts:

• Curriculum, Climate, and Culture (pp. 3–54)
  This section addresses the need for academic rigor and cultural balance in schools. Key proposals include:
  • Michael J. Petrilli: Advocates for excellence in organizational, academic, and extracurricular domains, urging conservatives to support high standards and gifted programs (pp. 4–6).
  • Ian Rowe: Promotes teaching the “success sequence” (education, work, marriage before children) to foster individual agency and upward mobility, countering victimhood narratives (pp. 7–12).
  • Robert Pondiscio: Calls for a common early literacy curriculum and better teacher training to address reading failure, a critical predictor of academic success (pp. 13–15).
  • Chester E. Finn Jr.: Proposes a national citizenship curriculum based on the U.S. citizenship test to improve civics knowledge (pp. 16–18).
  • Other essays tackle arts education, viewpoint diversity, and campus free speech, emphasizing transparency and protection from ideological indoctrination.
• Higher Education Finance and Workforce Pathways (pp. 55–110)
  This section focuses on making higher education affordable and career-relevant. Proposals include:
  • Beth Akers and Joe Pitts: Expanding private student loans and income share agreements to reduce reliance on federal loans (pp. 56–67).
  • Preston Cooper and Stig Leschly: Dropping accreditation barriers and creating new accreditors to foster innovative colleges (pp. 69–74).
  • Michael B. Horn: Advocating third-party credentialing to ensure transparency in higher education’s return on investment (p. 87).
  • Additional ideas promote three-year degrees, hybrid colleges, and career-readiness training.
• School Choice and Parental Rights (pp. 111–174)
  This section champions empowering parents and diversifying educational options. Key proposals include:
  • William A. Estrada: Enshrining parental rights in state laws to ensure parents control their children’s education (p. 112).
  • Robert Enlow and Jason Bedrick: Shifting perspectives to advance school choice through universal funding models (p. 118).
  • Jenny Clark: Supporting weighted ESAs to give families flexible education funds (p. 132).
  • Matthew Ladner and Steven Thayn: Promoting microschooling and public-private partnerships to expand innovative learning models (pp. 151–157).
  • Other essays explore charter schools, hybrid homeschooling, and using CARES Act funds for choice.
• Instruction, Administration, and Governance (pp. 175–244)
  This section addresses teacher support, early childhood policy, and system efficiency. Proposals include:
  • Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane: Principles for voluntary early childhood reforms (p. 176).
  • Lindsey M. Burke: Creating an appraisal market for K–12 education to enhance accountability (p. 194).
  • Martin F. Lueken: Modernizing teacher pensions to support mobility and fairness (pp. 236–240).
  • Patrick Graff: Introducing TSAs to give teachers direct control over classroom resources (pp. 241–244).
  • Other ideas focus on reducing red tape, rethinking teacher certification, and breaking up large urban school districts.

The report concludes by emphasizing the opportunity for conservatives to shape education proactively, leveraging public skepticism of progressive policies (p. 256). It acknowledges support from AEI, the Gates Foundation, and a network of 1,000 scholars and advocates (pp. 12, 257).

Proposals to Counter Union Influence and Drive Reform

To address the challenges posed by teachers unions and improve education, the AEI report offers actionable reforms that align with conservative principles of flexibility, accountability, and student-centeredness:

• Promote School Choice to Foster Competition
  Proposals like weighted ESAs (p. 132) and public school open enrollment (p. 127) weaken unions’ grip by allowing parents to choose schools that prioritize quality over bureaucracy. Competition incentivizes schools to hire effective teachers and adopt high-quality curricula, as Pondiscio notes in the context of literacy (p. 13).
• Empower Teachers with Resources and Flexibility
  Graff’s TSAs (pp. 241–244) and Lueken’s pension reforms (pp. 236–240) directly support teachers by giving them control over classroom funds and ensuring retirement plans don’t penalize mobility. These policies bypass union-driven inefficiencies, appealing to teachers’ desire for autonomy, as evidenced by 90% teacher support for TSAs (p. 243).
• Enhance Accountability and Transparency
  Beienburg’s call for academic transparency (p. 27) and Burke’s appraisal market (p. 194) introduce mechanisms to hold schools accountable for outcomes, countering union resistance to evaluation. A national citizenship curriculum (p. 16) ensures students learn essential civics, reducing the influence of politicized curricula.
• Invest in Teacher Training and Curriculum
  Pondiscio’s focus on early literacy (pp. 13–15) and Petrilli’s push for academic rigor (pp. 4–6) emphasize training teachers in evidence-based practices and adopting high-quality curricula. These reforms prioritize student success over union-protected status quos, addressing the “science of reading” gap (p. 25).

Conclusion

Teachers unions have played a significant role in the decline of American education by resisting accountability, obstructing choice, and perpetuating inefficiencies. AEI’s Sketching a New Conservative Education Agenda offers a roadmap for reform, emphasizing excellence, parental empowerment, and teacher support. By implementing proposals like school choice, TSAs, and curriculum improvements, conservatives can counter union influence and build an education system that serves students first. Educators, we must advocate for changes to restore trust in our schools and ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed.