I will be focusing on the large teacher union, the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA), and a smaller caucus that has emerged from DCTA, the Caucus of Today’s Teachers (CTT).
Denver Classroom Teachers Association
The Denver Classroom Teachers Association is the Denver Public Schools teacher union of 5,500 educators. The union is committed to the belief that education is the gateway to opportunity and rests its work around equal opportunity, professionalism, a just society, partnership, democracy, and collective action (DCTA, 2020). Many of my teachers in high school belonged to the DCTA, so it is an organization close to my heart.
DENVER CO – FEBRUARY 12: Denver Public Schools and Denver Classroom Teachers Association are backs at the negotiation table on February 12, 2019, in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
I am also looking at the Caucus of Today’s Teachers. This caucus is highlighting social justice unionism, critiquing the DCTA for not advocating enough for students, and institutional change and reform (Asmar, 2017). They are members of the community along with educators in the DCTA, using the CTT’s platform to give all Denver students, their families, and their communities the absolute finest schools that they deserve (Today’s Teachers, 2020). The Caucus ties funding inequalities to larger issues of racism embedded in the education system. They have mobilized around many education efforts, including activism and accountability of their members.
Our Strike Is Over. Now It’s Time For Equity-Focused Leadership In Our Union And On Our School Board. Caucus of Today’s Teachers. (2019).