Chicago teachers go on strike

Dequita Wade walks her son Jerome Wade, 16, to Paul Robeson High School, one of the few schools open for a half-day during the first day of a Chicago teachers strike.  (M. Spencer Green / Associated Press)

Parents drop their children off at Benjamin E. Mays Academy, one of the few schools open for a half-day during the first day of a Chicago teachers strike.  (M. Spencer Green / Associated Press)

Chicago teacher Alma Hill walks a picket line outside Benjamin Banneker Elementary School in Chicago.  (M. Spencer Green / Associated Press)

Union and district officials were unable to reach a contract agreement despite intense weekend negotiations.  (M. Spencer Green / Associated Press)