Every student deserves a rich, hands-on learning experience. Students should receive individualized attention from teachers. Washington, D.C.’s schools should be racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse and places where parents and students are welcomed as active participants in decision-making. Students should receive health care, nutrition, and counseling services.
Join the Washington Teachers Union as we Take Action to ensure all students – regardless of race, ethnicity, immigration status, zip code, or luck in a school lottery - receive world class educational opportunities.
- Download the Contact List of DC Elected Officials (2023)
- Sign up today to make your voice heard! We need your voice on one or more committees.
- The IMPACT Committee
Teachers are the foundation of a quality education, and they are vital to the success of our students and our schools. The goals of excellence and equity in education in the District of Columbia cannot be achieved without a thriving, highly effective teacher workforce. The Washington Teachers’ Union fights for fair teacher evaluation systems which are designed to help teachers meet their students’ full educational needs.
Research has shown that the current DCPS system of evaluation, IMPACT, does not effectively measure progress being made by students from diverse backgrounds. It gives undue weight to test scores as the main measurement of success. The WTU is campaigning for teacher performance measurements that are developed, adopted and implemented collaboratively by teachers and administrators to replace IMPACT.
- Communications Committee
The Communications Committee creates, updates and monitors communications out of the WTU as well as works with other committees to develop policies that govern communications on social media accounts and discussion groups. We aim to create a united voice. It is the job of the Communications Committee to reach out to members in a timely manner and find new ways to engage new members across the District. This committee to open to all members of the WTU.
- Organizing Committee
The Organizing Committee helps to manage the different goals/activities of WTU Committees, providing a unifying voice on all issues to leadership.
- Committee on Political Engagement (C.O.P.E.)
The Washington Teachers’ Union established the Committee on Political Education (WTU-COPE) to lead our political activities. Contributions to COPE are strictly voluntary, but most WTU members sign up for a program through which each pay period $1 automatically goes to WTU-COPE. Time and again, when teachers speak up together, and are persistent, lawmakers listen.
Contact [email protected] for more information.
- Legislative Committee
The wide variety of issues that DCPS teachers deal with on a daily basis – from increasing class sizes, inadequate support for students and having our school budgets cut – are all directly impacted by the policies the lawmakers of Washington, D.C. put into place.
Join us as we pursue education policies to ensure that all students receive world class educational opportunities that empower them to fulfill their limitless potential.
Past Campaigns
- WTU's Contract Action Campaign 2023
Last year's contract dealt with big issues to get schools reopened safely and ensure educators a baseline level of respect needed to stay in the job, including retroactive pay raises for the past three years when they worked under an expired contract. This time, teachers are focusing on sustained, specific support to help make the entire school system safer and more responsive to student needs. We want to present the WTU membership with a new tentative agreement for their vote as soon as possible. DCPS must partner with us on this common goal! Learn more
- Fund Our Future Campaign
The WTU’s Fund Our Schools Campaign is calling for funding to guarantee that each and every DC public school receives the support needed to meet the needs of its students. This includes funds for adequate staffing levels, up to date computer labs, libraries and other resources, designated funding for school security so that these costs do not diminish educational resources, and sufficient funds for the programs needed by students who have been traditionally underserved by our schools. The campaign is part of a national effort by the American Federation of Teachers to urge lawmakers to approve budgets that accurately reflect the needs of students.
- Save the Librarians Campaign
Last fall, the WTU ran a successful campaign to place a librarian in every school. DCPS has committed to funding school librarians through 2023, but not beyond. Join us as we mobilize to make sure librarians keep the positions we were able to win for them initially!