Brooks: Teachers’ Unions Deserve Coal for School Closures that Damaged ‘Lifelong Prospects of a Generation’

On Friday’s “PBS NewsHour,” New York Times columnist David Brooks argued that the teachers’ unions deserve coal for Christmas for the increases in inequality, harm to social mobility, and harm to “the lifelong prospects of a generation of young people” caused by the “overly, overly, overly long” school closures during the pandemic.

Host Judy Woodruff asked, “So, it is just a matter of hours before Christmas, and whether you observe Christmas or not, I have to ask a question about, okay, there’s a stocking hanging by the chimney. Who are some people, who’s somebody, David, who you think should get something nice from Santa on Christmas, and who’s somebody who you think maybe needs some coal?”

Brooks answered, “I just look at the schools and the effect that the long and overly, overly, overly long school closures during COVID had on student attainment and the lifelong prospects of a generation of young people. And I do blame a lot of different people for that, but I think the teachers’ unions blame — bear a share of the blame for really widening inequality, hurting social mobility, and hurting a lot of students. So, they get my coal.”

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