Teacher unions are hard to miss in the news lately. Newspapers, blogs, social media posts, magazine articles, and political speeches abound with talk of them. Teacher unions are a hot topic and one that probably was not covered in college classes. The noisy back-and-forth among partisans can be both mind-numbing and confusing, often creating a…

Experience with performance pay projects across the United States has demonstrated that, if performance pay programs are to be successful, teachers must be involved in their design. In addition, the district and the union must agree on the purpose of the program, it needs needs to be based on consensually agreed, credible measures that determine…

A growing number of states and school districts are experimenting with new approaches to paying teachers. These efforts to reform teacher pay can involve a range of state and local actors, including governors, state education officials, superintendents, local school boards, teacher unions, private foundations, community organizations, and local…

As of August 2010, a total of 33 states, school districts, charter school coalitions, and other education organizations had received Teacher Incentive Funds (TIF) to redesign compensation programs for teachers and principals. The U.S. Department of Education named a new cohort of TIF grantees on September 23, 2010. TIF grantees have faced a number…

Despite a statutorily narrow scope of bargaining, the scope of topics of union-management discussions has widened over the last 20 years, resulting in the birth of reform, or professional, unionism. But over the last half decade, professional unionism has waned. School management often refuses to see unions as partners, politicians fail to view…

Four conditions are necessary for a union and school district to move toward professional unionism: understanding change's inevitability, keeping politics at bay, moving beyond anger, and believing in teacher professionalism. Professional unionism cannot grow in permanently contested terrain or amid standardized, centralized work rules. Many…

This book examines the changing role of teacher unions in the educational reform movement. It contains nine case studies of unions across the United States that are forging new, collaborative relationships with management in a reconceptualization of "professional unionism." Chapters include: (1) "Building the Airplane While It's Rolling Down the…

A central feature of the emergent pattern of educational reform is exemplified by alterations in the ways in which leaders of teachers' unions perceive themselves, their roles, and the relationship of their organization to their school district. Data for the study described here were derived principally from visits to and interviews with selected…

Teacher unions will affect the future of both the institution of public education and the institution of organized labor. Ways in which these unions can elevate education to a new level are described in this book. It offers a model in which teacher unions are organized around issues of quality teaching and professional development, as well as…

When President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) into law on January 8, 2002, neither the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) nor the National Education Association (NEA) was on record supporting the new legislation. What has transpired since the enactment of the statute is the story of the two organizations' different approaches…

This study examines the teaching conditions of educators working in charter schools, exploring the involvement of teachers' unions and associations. Data came from a literature review, a teacher survey, and five case studies in various types of charter schools. Results from the literature review indicate that: state charter statutes are…

A profile of Rochester, New York, Public School District's educational reform efforts from 1987 to 1990 is offered in this case study. Following an overview of the city and its public schools, the impetus for educational reform is discussed, with attention given to the roles of the superintendent, teachers' union president, and school board.…

This book suggets that teachers and teacher unions should take the lead in making changes to promote educational quality and prepare students for the 21st century, where knowledge rather than industry will be the organizing principle. Part 1, "A Call to Action," describes how American society is changing and how these shifts necessitate the…

It is by now a familiar story, often told as a lament: teachers in United States continue to be paid according to the single salary schedule. They accrue better pay on the basis of years of experience and college units earned. Units may or may not be related to teaching assignment. Some districts have modestly tweaked this arrangement by paying a…