In this paper we consider more than three decades of research on teachers' unions in the United States. Focusing on unions' role in shaping education policy, we argue that collective bargaining and political organizing comprise the two central but distinct forms of influence at the district, state and national levels of decision-making. We note…

No Child Left Behind radically shifted the balance of power in American education policy-making from the states to the federal government, not because a new consensus had emerged to make such a shift, but because both Democrats and Republicans were angry with the nation's teachers, holding them responsible for a massive increase in the costs of…

Many low-performing schools across the nation have increased learning time in response to federal requirements for the School Improvement Grant (SIG) program. The conditions governing federal waivers of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) also require certain schools to redesign the school day, week, or year to include additional…

The primary goal of performance pay for the past decade has been higher test scores, and the most prominent strategy has been to increase teacher performance through financial incentives. If teachers are rewarded for success, according to this logic, they will try harder. If they try harder, more children will achieve higher test scores. The…

This article reports the research findings of a qualitative study thatemploys case study research methods to examine a newly-formed university-district-teacher union partnership. Examination of the question ''How do we better prepare teachers'' led to the formation of a university-district-association (teacher union) partnership, which led to a…

For fiscal year 2010, Congress appropriated $14.5 billion for Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), which funds services to students in schools with high concentrations of students from low-income families. Title I, Part A includes several fiscal requirements, which are designed to prevent local school…

In this article, the authors talk about National Education Association (NEA) leadership's decision to side with corporate reformers rather than with teachers. While the authors agree with the NEA leadership in its argument that the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act "is not working" and is "an unfounded, unfair, and unattainable…

A complex federal law that has been on the books since 1965--upon which are based numerous beneficial programs that provide funding to the nation's education system through a range of complex mechanisms--cannot easily be cast aside as the Educator Roundtable recommends. This article discusses the decision by the National Education Association…

THIS ARTICLE SURVEYS VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE PRESENT STATUS OF SCHOOL INTEGRATION. CONGRESSIONAL AMENDMENTS TO, AND CHANGES IN, TITLE VI OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT AND THE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT ARE DISCUSSED. SOME STATEMENTS BY CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS AND BY THE PRESIDENT OF A NATIONAL PARENT-TEACHER ASSOCIATION ARE INCLUDED. THERE ARE…

This report offers detailed recommendations to improve the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the current version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). It is a call to action to provide educators with the tools and resources they need to do the important job of preparing our students to live productive and successful lives. The…