Round 2 of teacher strikes looks beyond pay and funding

Teachers in Oakland, California, hit the picket lines just as West Virginia teachers went back to class this week in a display of the national teacher unrest that in many places has moved beyond pay to politics, tackling issues like charter schools and vouchers.

Call it round two of the teacher mobilizations that began last spring as grassroots revolts over salaries and school funding.

The most recent actions have been as much about pushing back on charter schools and other school choice reforms — initiatives that have a history of bipartisan support but have long been decried by teachers unions as threats to the traditional public school system.

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said teachers involved in strikes this year are pushing back on efforts to silence them.