Here, we examine over two decades of empirical literature to explore the ways scholars have been working to reveal the changing set of policy and political conditions in which teachers unions are operating. In this context, we identify the conceptual models educational researchers have used to frame their research and the applications of these…

The literature on teachers' unions is relatively silent about the role of union strength in affecting important outcomes, due in large part to the difficulty in measuring union strength. In this article, we illustrate a method for obtaining valid, reliable, and replicable measures of union strength through the use of a Partial Independence Item…

To receive School Improvement Grant (SIG) funding, districts must submit an application to the state that outlines their strategic plan to implement one of four intervention models in their persistently lowest-achieving schools. The four intervention models include: (1) School Closure; (2) Restart; (3) Turnaround; and (4) Transformation. The…

Using a reduced form version of a theoretical expansion of Hoxby's (1996) education production model, we investigate whether bargaining teachers unions are a boon or a bust to the economy of the state. We anticipate teachers, being in the public sector veiled from competition, are less likely to be efficient. Yet, their product, education,…

This article traces the history of union involvement in learning and skills policy from the neo-corporatism of the 1960s and 1970s through the voluntarism of the 1980s and 1990s to the present "post-voluntary" era. It sets out the political background against which the development of union learning representatives can be contextualised.…

The concept of Educational Ambassadors is embedded within the so-called "Danish model" of industrial relations. The Danish industrial relations system is characterised by strong collective organisations with national coverage, which conclude the collective agreements for various industries or sectors and which are mostly grouped under…

This article presents a principal-agent model in the context of public schools to help explain the use of merit pay for teachers. The model considers how both the nature of teaching and the political costs of union resistance affect school district merit pay decisions. Our results support the idea that merit pay is more likely in environments…

Manpower training and upgrading programs have negative secondary effects upon regular employees. A review of the literature and empirical research on these negative effects indicated that no model has yet been devised and tested to measure these negative effects. This paper suggests a preliminary model for the evaluation of the disruptive effects…

The three-story building that was once the United Teachers of New Orleans' office is dark and deserted, the first floor damaged by Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters. The union membership, which numbered 4,700 before the storm, is now down to 300. Of the 25 schools that are now open in New Orleans, only five are regular public schools. The rest are…

A new phase of the faculty bargaining movement has begun, with increased administrative sophistication and student involvement; but only enlightened policymakers can keep universities from following the traditional industrial model. (Editor)

Defines and establishes a common framework to observe, describe, and assess modifications in the public sector bargaining model that hold great promise to incorporate all groups having vital interests in the reallocation of resources through collective bargaining. (Author/MLF)

An initial test of a model of intraorganizational conflict is presented by examining conflicts among city management officials engaged in collective bargaining with unions in 228 cities. The results show that goal incompatibility and factors that provide the ability to interfere with goal attainment of others are significantly correlated with…

Politicians are increasingly pressuring school districts to improve instruction while holding down costs. To achieve this aim, western New York school districts are experimenting with mutual gains bargaining, an alternative negotiation process based on Roger Fisher and William Ury's 1991 book "Getting to Yes." Instead of bargaining from…

Critiques the referendum model for impasse resolution in collective bargaining disputes from a union perspective. Outlines problems including the length of time a dispute could be extended by the process, and the loss of confidentiality in the mediation process. (MD)

Hugh D. Jascourt describes a new way to negotiate called "collaborative bargaining." Nancy E. Peace, who had a neutral role, describes her experiences with the method in five Massachusetts school districts, and provides reference sources. Responses are from Naomi R. Stonberg, a school committee attorney, and Ellen M. Suarez, a consultant…