Abstract
Striking for nine days in 2008, teachers in Bellevue carved a distinctive path through the contradictory movements for professional reform unionism and national accountability. In addition to compensation, Bellevue’s teachers struck over the top-down prescriptive management epitomized by the Gates Foundation supported “Curriculum Web.” Where district administrators envisioned the web as a community resource, teachers complained that its detailed daily lesson plans hamstrung their ability to teach effectively. Teachers returned to work only when a memorandum of understanding was signed recognizing their authority to deviate from the district’s web-based curriculum. To achieve reform minded goals, teachers relied upon traditional union militancy.
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