Teachers unions: They'€™re powerful, they'€™re defensive, and they'€™re stubborn. And if it seems their leadership places a premium on protecting its members above all other interests€“ we should not be surprised, because protecting jobs and wages is what unions were created to do. And there'€™s the rub, say critics who argue the unions are shielding too many teachers who do their jobs poorly:€“ teachers who should be replaced, for the good of the children. Indeed, so central is good teaching to good learning, some say it'€™s the unions as presently constructed€“ more than anything other factor€“ that are undermining America'€™s schools. But can it really be that simple? In a ranking of whom to blame for what'€™s wrong in America'€™s classrooms, do teachers unions really come before slashed budgets? Or crumbling infrastructure, broken homes and the influence of narcotics? Do bad teachers so outnumber good ones that the union represents a collection of educational misfits? The question comes down to a decision: do we need to reform the unions before we do anything else , and if we do, is that the fix that will once again make US public education the model system it once was?