REL Midwest Ask A REL Response

Teacher Workforce

April 2019

Burroughs, N. (2008). Arguments and evidence: The debate over collective bargaining’s role in public education. (Education Policy Brief). Bloomington, IN: Center for Evaluation and Education Policy, Indiana University. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED503855

From the ERIC abstract: “The role of collective bargaining in K-12 education invokes sharply different perspectives and debate. Teachers and administrators bring profoundly different points of view to the discussion, creating a division which significantly colors conversations on school reform. School administrators and many educational reformers have generally been critical of the role of teacher’s unions in public education, contending that teacher collective bargaining agreements have blocked education reforms and increased the costs of running schools without resulting in greater educational performance. They argue that the mission of teacher’s unions is not student achievement, but benefits for its membership. Other critics suggest that teacher’s unions are wedded to an outdated model of education and that collective bargaining agreements must change to reflect new social and economic realities. Defenders of teacher’s unions respond that the costs associated with collective bargaining agreements come with substantial benefits, that higher teacher salaries and benefits and smaller class sizes have led to improved teacher quality and student achievement, lower levels of attrition and turnover, and that it is unclear whether, controlling for other factors, non-unionized schools deliver greater educational performance. The authors of this report discuss both sides of the debate to critically examine the empirical evidence on the direct and indirect effects of collective bargaining on public education.”

Henig, J. R., Lyon, M. A., & Anzia, S. F. (2019). Will unions shift their focus to the statehouse? Forum: After the teacher walkouts. Education Next, 19(1), 52–60. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1199916

From the ERIC abstract: “Since the 1960s, teachers unions across the United States have used strikes or the threat of strikes to influence the terms of collective bargaining agreements with local school districts. In the spring of 2018, teachers in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona, and elsewhere changed their tack, staging walkouts designed to secure salary hikes and increased school funding from state legislatures. Will teachers unions increasingly shift their focus away from local districts and toward state policymakers? And how will unions adapt, now that the U.S. Supreme Court’s ‘Janus v. AFSCME’ decision has banned agency fees for teachers who decline to join? Jeffrey R. Henig and Melissa Arnold Lyon of Columbia University’s Teachers College discuss possible union comeback strategies post-’Janus,’ while Sarah F. Anzia of the University of California, Berkeley, foresees geographical differences in union tactics.”

Jacoby, D. F., & Nitta, K. (2012). The Bellevue teachers strike and its implications for the future of postindustrial reform unionism. Educational Policy, 26(4), 533–563. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ973627

From the ERIC 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.”

Note: REL Midwest was unable to locate a link to the full-text version of this resource. Although REL Midwest tries to provide publicly available resources whenever possible, it was determined that this resource may be of interest to you. It may be found through university or public library systems.

Shober, A. F. (2012). Governors make the grade: Growing gubernatorial influence in state education policy. Peabody Journal of Education, 87(5), 559–575. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ983073

From the ERIC abstract: “Since the 1970s, American governors have become increasingly active in education politics. Where they once told state education chiefs to ‘make me the best education governor ever,’ they now demand control of state boards of education, push for state control of school funding, and urge statewide standards for teacher evaluation. This article surveys the growth of gubernatorial interest in education in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Florida. It argues that sustained financial pressure on state budgets and widespread calls for educational equity have undercut both school districts and legislatures as effective arbiters of education policy. These twin pressures have forced governors, who have a statewide political constituency and are responsible for the state budget, to accept greater control over education policy.”

Note: REL Midwest was unable to locate a link to the full-text version of this resource. Although REL Midwest tries to provide publicly available resources whenever possible, it was determined that this resource may be of interest to you. It may be found through university or public library systems.

Shuffelton, A. B. (2014). The Chicago teachers strike and its public. Education and Culture, 30(2), 21–33. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1047455

From the ERIC abstract: “This article considers the 2012 Chicago Teachers Strike in light of John Dewey’s ‘The Public and Its Problems.’ It engages Dewey’s conceptualization of practical reason to challenge the educational reform movement’s commitment to technocratic decision-making.”