This article analyzes current debates on education reform, paying particular attention to the ways that scapegoating public school teachers, teacher unions and teacher education masks more fundamental, systemic problems. It further demonstrates how reducing the problems in education to the level of individual ("bad") teachers coincides…

The aim of this article is to contribute to the ongoing discussion on teacher professionalism by analyzing the professional strategies of Sweden's two teachers' unions from an organizational perspective. Drawing on institutional theory, the article argues that the teachers' unions' focus on strategies of professionalization has as much to do with…

Learn how to design history lessons that foster students' knowledge, skills, and dispositions for civic engagement. Each section of this practical resource introduces a key element of civic engagement, such as defending the rights of others, advocating for change, taking action when problems are observed, compromising to promote reform, and…

In 2017, the Center on School Turnaround at WestEd published the "Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement: A Systems Framework" [see ED584107] a framework to assist states, districts, and schools to improve student achievement in the lowest-performing schools. The framework immediately garnered national attention by outlining four…

This November, California voters must decide two policy questions of great concern to public-sector unions. One is a tax hike to stave off further cuts to state spending (there are two versions on the ballot with a chance of passing). The other is a "paycheck protection" measure that would ban the practice of unions' deducting money from…

The Summary of the Annual Statistical Report of Schools (SASRS) report provides Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and other interested parties the data submitted to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) by the Agency of Education. Consequently, data in SASRS are organized according to federal definitions. NCES uses this information to…

State and local education agencies across the country face challenges related to understanding and managing their teaching staff to best help students learn. Statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDSs) offer valuable information about teacher labor markets that can be used to analyze supply and demand, inform budget and staffing decisions, and…

Why does a divide exist between scholars of critical education and teachers unions and how might it be bridged to develop a more robust, mutually beneficial relationship? In this article I explain why supporters of critical education have a huge stake in the transformation and regeneration teachers unions and describe how critical education might,…

Local superintendents must do an important job while equipped with, at best, modest authority. Superintendents are ultimately responsible for all the schools in their district, and they at least nominally supervise everything that happens in those schools. Yet superintendents cannot count on obedience or even support from the people who work for…

This report investigates factors relevant to choosing locations conducive to both attainment and maintenance of a teaching career. In addition to salary and cost of living, the investigators compiled and ranked variables related to family, such as parental income and education, and differences in political structures that affect careers in…

When he first came to the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in 1973, reports Phil Kugler, there was no such thing as labor-management collaboration. It was a term he had never heard of, and no one used it. Back then, the focus was on supporting local unions in their struggles to win collective bargaining rights. At the time, teachers were…

This chapter calls for more intentional use and design of assessment, evaluation, and research about the topics and trends in colleges unions highlighted in this volume.

This study investigated the influence of bio-social variables - educational status, age and family socio-economic background on teacher union leaders' adherence to democratic principles in Ogun State of Nigeria. The study employed the ex-post-facto research design. Five hypotheses were generated and tested using an instrument titled "union…

Over the past few years, students by the thousands have refused to take their state's standardized tests. This "opt-out" phenomenon has prompted debate in state legislatures and in Washington, putting states at risk of losing Title I funds. Advocates describe opt-out as a grassroots movement of parents concerned about overtesting,…

The study sought to understand the essence of the lived experiences of principals in labor relations. Labor relations include aspects of collective bargaining, teachers unions, and interactions with teachers from the perspective and experiences of elementary and middle school principals who are also members of their district negotiation team with…