This article examines the legal and political significance of teacher unionization in rural and suburban school districts between 1960 and 1975. While most historians focus on the growth of unions in urban areas, strikes in outlying districts played a determinative role in the development of public sector labor law, particularly in the arbitration…

Chicago teachers voted last week to suspend a 7-day-old strike, sending some 350,000 students back to the classroom and paving the way for the teaching force to vote on a tentative contract. But for many in the Windy City, the contract has raised another potentially tall hurdle: how the cash-strapped district will manage to pay for it. District…

Background/Context: Although the dominant narrative of the civil rights movement marginalizes the role of black educators, revisionist scholars have shown that a significant number of black teachers encouraged student protest and activism. There has, however, been little analysis of the work of black teachers inside segregated schools in the…

In comparing one public school to another, discussions frequently include talk concerning the socio economics of a school or district, which then leads to talk about the advantages that one socioeconomic setting has over another. Educators tend to agree that low academic achievement frequently associated with a low socioeconomic status is a…

Fourteen questions to help a board decide what it will do if its teachers go on strike. (IRT)

Outlines what board members should and should not do during a strike in order to smooth the transition back to normal after the strike. (IRT)

Recounts what it is like to be a school board member during a teacher strike. (IRT)

THE AUTHOR STATES THAT GROWING DEMANDS BY ORGANIZED TEACHERS FOR NEGOTIATION CONCERNING EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS AND POLICY FORMULATION HAVE BEEN ACCOMPANIED BY A WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT SUCH BARGAINING THROUGH PROCEDURES WHICH DO NOT INTERRUPT ORDERLY SCHOOL OPERATION. TRADITIONAL LEGAL AUTHORITY OF LOCAL BOARDS OF EDUCATION TO MAKE UNILATERAL POLICY…

The history of events leading to the merger of the Flint, Michigan AFT and NEA units Plus some observations on merger steps being taken elsewhere. (MF)

Outlines some of the pressures board members can be under during a teacher strike. (IRT)

Recent activities of the National Education Association, state teachers' associations, and various local teachers' associations indicate that states which do not now have them should adopt statutes regarding collective negotiations. This report analyzes the laws of 17 states which do have such statutes. The recent New York act, one of the newest…

Boards are effectively countering teacher strikes and threats of teacher strikes. (IRT)