Public education today faces a troubling set of challenges, including declining enrollment, staffing shortages, and polarized communities, with school boards at the center of broader political debates. How did we arrive at this current state? This study--described here and, in more detail, in a related report--of seven California school districts…

Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD), California's thirteenth largest school district, faces a looming deficit and must make significant budget adjustments to avoid state intervention. This case study explores how the district reached this point, how its finances compare with other districts in Sacramento County, and what the…

COVID-19 has had a profound impact on all aspects of lives, including how to teach students. It is clear that the K-12 education system as it was known has changed. The pandemic has stressed each level of the education system: the state education agency (SEA), regional education agencies (REA), local education agencies (LEA), tribal education…

Almost daily, media headlines draw attention to students struggling academically and emotionally from interrupted learning, high student absenteeism, declining enrollment, teacher and leader burnout, staffing shortages, polarized communities, and school boards at the center of broader political debates. How did we arrive at this current state of…

Due to a diminishing level of available funds, school leaders are faced with difficult decisions associated with reducing budget expenditures. The only way to prevent losing more programs and services is to reduce spending. An area which is quickly gaining popularity in reducing expenditures is outsourcing. Many schools have turned to outside…

Teachers' unions are under unprecedented bipartisan attack. The drumbeat is relentless, from governors in Wisconsin and Ohio to the film directors of "Waiting for 'Superman'" and "The Lottery"; from new lobbying groups like Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst and Wall Street's Democrats for Education Reform to political columnists such as Jonathan Alter…

In 2002, approximately two thirds of school teachers in the Canadian province of Alberta went on strike. Drawing on media, government and union documents, this case study reveals some contours of the political economy of labor relations in education that are normally hidden from view. Among these features are that the state can react to worker…

Profiles Robert P. Bates, director of field services for the American Federation of Teachers. (IRT)

The downside to collaborative bargaining is people's infatuation with the process rather than the outcome. Some school board officials claim that successful collaborative bargaining sessions happen only in wealthier districts. The most effective negotiator/facilitators are professionals found within the school district. Extreme positions could…

The proper role of collective bargaining in the public sector is to help establish the benefits that employees will accrue as a result of their employment. Any extension beyond that should be seriously questioned. Available from Kansas Association of School Boards, 5401 S.W. Seventh Avenue, Topeka, Kansas; SC $1.00. (Author/IRT)

Mutual gains negotiation is an innovative system that emphasizes interests instead of positions and problem solving instead of preconceived solutions. The process can reverse social disintegration, reverse worker alienation, and address a shifting educational environment. It can resolve difficult labor-management problems such as contracting out,…

This book is a study of the Australian Education Union (AEU), a federal organization of government schoolteachers in the states and territories of Australia. Founded in 1984 as the Australian Teachers Union, it became the AEU in 1993. By 1998, the AEU had grown to become the third largest trade union in Australian, with some 157,000 members. This…

Describes the process for hearing complaints filed under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. For related articles, see pages 21 and 22 in the same issue. (WD)

Introduces the special section of this issue on the Public Employee Relations Act (Act 195) in Pennsylvania. (IRT)

A "pro-management" leadership stance means that board members and administrators run schools so that employees are comfortable bringing concerns to management directly rather than through a union. (Author/IRT)