This article examines how teacher collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), teacher salaries, and class sizes changed during the Great Recession. Using a district-level data set of California teacher CBAs that includes measures of subarea contract strength and salaries from 2005-2006 and 2011-2012 tied to district-level longitudinal data, we…

We investigate patterns of teacher mobility in districts with different collective bargaining agreement (CBA) transfer provisions. We use detailed teacher-level longitudinal data from Washington State to estimate the probability that teachers of varying experience and effectiveness levels transfer out of their schools to another school in the…

Paraeducators perform multiple roles in U.S. classrooms, including among others preparing classroom activities, working with students individually and in small groups, supporting individualized programming for students with disabilities, managing classroom behavior, and engaging with parents and communities. Yet, little research provides insights…

The popular narrative of Wisconsin's collective bargaining battle started out being about money. Should public employees pay more toward their healthcare? Can school districts offset state aid cuts using the additional revenue from employee healthcare contributions? Does collective bargaining have a cost? This article gives an overview of…

Governing public schools is one of the most important responsibilities a citizen can undertake. School board members work on behalf of all the families in their community, with fellow board members and with other community partners, to ensure that each student has equal and ample opportunities to reach his or her greatest potential. This guide…

This guide is intended to give individual school board directors an introduction to some of the legal issues they may encounter in their board service. This material is not intended to answer every question, even in the subject matter areas they cover. This guide is merely intended to alert directors to the legal issues that they will encounter…

At the request of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) undertook this analysis of the teacher policies in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). A coalition of civil rights groups were also involved in this project, including Parent Organization Network, Families in Schools, Alliance for a…

A district about to bargain for the first time should perform a comprehensive review and revision of board policies before it begins to bargain. Once a union is recognized, a board cannot make unilateral decisions to change its policies on terms and conditions of employment. (Author/IRT)

Reviews the pros and cons of having the superintendent, a board member, a selected administrator, and an outsider represent the district in collective bargaining sessions. (IRT)

There is a need for new specialized school management personnel for the successful operation of a modern school system. (Author)

Reflecting the management advocacy position taken by school boards in collective bargaining procedures, this report analyzes New Jersey school labor negotiations laws and practices as of 1978. Terms and issues of special interest are defined and explained. Topics include contract language, good faith bargaining, past practice, negotiations…

Reprints of the five-part series, Bargaining for Beginners, are available from Reprint Dept., The American School Board Journal, 1233 Central St., Evanston, Ill. 60201 (

Claims there are many styles of governance observable in schools and that these are a consequence of changes in schooling technology and in shifting demands from school environments. Asserts that an understanding of school governance and the place of collective bargaining within it requires sensitivity to the multiple mental models. (Author/MK)

By resisting laws that would legalize teacher strikes, state legislatures and local school districts probably have contributed to the excessive time devoted to bargaining and consequently have helped bring on themselves many of the ills that protracted bargaining invites. (Author/IRT)