The Washington Post sharply rebuked the Chicago Teachers Union for prioritizing social justice campaigns while student achievement and attendance lag. The editorial cited 2025 data showing 43% of third- through eighth-graders reading at grade level and only 27% proficient in math, with similarly low ACT results for 11th-graders. It also warned about chronic absenteeism near 40% and high teacher absences, and called for the CTU to focus on basics and accountability before widening its political agenda.
Washington Post Blasts Chicago Teachers Union For Prioritizing Social Justice While Student Performance Lags
The Post warned CTU's President Stacy Davis Gates has the ability to "spread her radical agenda across the state" after being elected to lead the Illinois Federation of Teachers.
The Washington Post published a pointed editorial criticizing the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) for emphasizing social justice and political advocacy while student achievement and attendance in the district remain low.
The Post focused on the CTU's recent New Year's resolution posted to X, which pledged to "speak truth to power," "defend Black and brown and immigrant communities who are targeted by federal agents," and "fight back against an administration trying to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and roll back civil rights protections." The editorial argued those ambitions contrast sharply with the district's academic outcomes.
Academic Performance and Attendance Concerns
Quoting district data, the Post noted that in 2025 only 43% of Chicago's third- through eighth-graders were reading at grade level and just 27% were proficient in math. On college-readiness measures, only 40% of 11th-graders were proficient in reading and 25% in math on the ACT, the editorial said — gaps the paper warned could follow students into high school and beyond.
The board also highlighted persistent attendance problems as a major barrier to instruction. "For the fourth year in a row, chronic absenteeism among students stayed stuck near 40 percent, about 16 points higher than in 2019," the editorial wrote. It added that teacher absences are also high: roughly 43% of educators missed 10 or more days, compared with 34% statewide, a factor the Post said correlates with weaker student outcomes.
Leadership, Accountability, And Policy Context
The Post singled out CTU President Stacy Davis Gates, noting her recent election to lead the Illinois Federation of Teachers and warning she could extend her agenda statewide. The editorial recalled past criticisms of Davis Gates, including alleged failures to comply with mandatory union audits and comments describing standardized testing as "junk science rooted in White supremacy," which the Post cited as evidence of resistance to conventional accountability measures.
The editorial also referenced a summer change in Illinois' proficiency benchmarks for math and reading and reported that the House Education and Workforce Committee is investigating the CTU for not producing annual audits of its spending over the past five years.
"If the CTU actually cares about fighting injustice, it should focus on the basics," the Post concluded, urging the union to address low proficiency rates, chronic absenteeism, and accountability concerns before expanding its political agenda.
The CTU did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital, which originally reported on the Post editorial.
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