Student teachers in public universities such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison formed unions as early as the 1960s, but the pace of unionisation has increased recently.
The academics are still pretty left-leaning, but nearly a quarter of new teachers now train in schools rather than universities, up from a handful ten years ago.
However, the key reason we need the best talent in our universities is that teachers at this level cannot be competent if they were only middling students.
We need to put more good teachers in our classrooms, and get colleges and universities to bring down the cost of tuition.
Unlike many other countries in Latin America, in Guatemala, teachers are not required to attend universities.
Our universities claim to train teachers, but in reality many people find themselves overwhelmed by reality once inside a K-12 classroom.
"I have every sympathy - it's very difficult for the students and teachers who are caught up in it, but until universities know what the results are like they are being cautious, " said one of the project leaders, Dr Ann Hodgson.
The committee says it is vital that universities continue to play a major role in training teachers.
Another complaint made by Thai teachers is familiar elsewhere in the region: that the government's administration of schools and universities is cumbersome, centralised and resistant to change.
With e-learning sites offering students access to the best teachers without having to call in at their institutional home, there is a danger that the universities' academic superstars may choose to go solo.
And presidents from more than 75 of the largest public universities in the country have committed to produce thousands of additional science and math teachers at their institutions.
In America the rise of PhD teachers' unions reflects the breakdown of an implicit contract between universities and PhD students: crummy pay now for a good academic job later.
National and sub-national government bodies, development agencies, teachers unions, the media, families, communities, universities and research centres must work together in order for the school system to fulfill its mission in the best possible way.
应用推荐