芝加哥教师罢工影响35万学生

Good evening. It has been a tough summer in the nation's third largest city. 360 murders in Chicago so far this year. And now in the city schools, the fall season is off to a very tough start.

This morning, the Teachers Union, in the city of Chicago went out on strike. It leaves students scrambling for a place to go, at least parents with no options. Just as the Union says, it had no other option. And like any big city population in our country, nothing is simple. It's a complicated situation with hundreds of thousands of innocent victims. There was a big protest rally late today called by the Union there in Chicago, and we start off our coverage with our chief education correspondent Rehema Ellis in Chicago. Rehema, tell us what's going on there?

Brian, the crowd is starting to thin somewhat, but thousands of teachers have been walking in the streets of downtown Chicago. And police were so concerned about it, they cordoned off(布置警戒线戒严) the street, right in the middle of this big city's rush hour, causing a lot of concern for many people. But this is right near the headquarters of where the city school administration is conducting business. And the business at hand right now is how do they get all of these thousands of teachers who are on the streets back into the classrooms. It has been a thorny issue. They had hoped in negotiations leading up to this for weeks and months that this was something they would be able to avoid, to make certain that they would get the hundreds of thousands of students back in negotiations leading up to this for weeks and months that this was something that we'll be able to avoid to make certain that they would get the hundreds of thousands of students back into the classroom.

When do we want it?

Now.

What do we want?

Smaller class sizes.

When do we want it?

Now.

Chicago teachers hit the picket lines(抗议者在示威地点划出的纠察线) early this morning. 29,000 teachers and support staff now on strike after days of non-stop negotiations broke down last night.

"No, we did not have to come to this but you have to take a stance(表明立场）."

The impact shut down education for nearly 400,000 students in the nation’s third largest school district. Many parents were left scrambling for alternative care for their kids.

But many support the teachers.

"This is wrong, they need to pay these teachers, these teachers make everyone who they are today."

The strike is about more than just money. It’s about new reforms and new teacher evaluations linked with standardized test results, health benefits and pensions in the school system that’s facing a 3-billion-dollar deficit over the next three years, and job security. Rahm Emanuel who has pushed hard for education reform, backed by the Obama administration, criticized the walkout as a strike of choice.

"This offer is respected for our teachers, it does right by our students and is fair to our taxpayers.

Teachers don't see it that way.

"We're advocating for the education that we feel that our students deserve, and that all students across the nation deserve."

Education experts say the issues in Chicago are issues almost everywhere.

"It’s about power, it is about who has the authority to decide very important things for schools. Who teaches, how they teach."

Nearly 150 schools did open for half the day to provide activities as well as breakfast and lunch. In a district where more than 80% of the students rely on it.

We want to make sure that our students who receive most of their nutrition at that school are able to still get it.

But many other children wanted more.

"Why should kids miss school?"

"I just hope that the teacher's strike will be short, and we'll just be back to school later."

Something a lot of grownups are hoping for, too.

Rehema Ellis, NBC News, Chicago.