I have mentioned this previously. Teacher unions are hopelessly corrupt. And I would know, as I was an involuntary member of one for decades.
But they have nothing to do with setting educational standards. Sure, the unions can huff and puff. And they can issue all sorts of woke position papers. But it’s the local school boards and the state who set the standards.
I taught at an urban high school. We had discipline problems. Academic standards were set low. And we were forced to teach nonsensical curricula. It was very frustrating. Oh, the stories I could tell you. But the union caused none of these problems. The author is aiming at the wrong target.
All of these problems came from decisions made at either the school board or state level.
No offense, but that’s a lot of baloney. Teachers unions are among the most powerful lobbying groups in just about any given state. If you have crappy educational standards in your state, it’s because your teachers union is 100% behind it.