A recent survey of 41 different state boards of education revealed that officials from 28 states indicate that they are experiencing teacher shortages. The shortages in some states are significant. While the teacher shortage in many states is tied to different factors, one frequently cited reason for leaving the teaching profession is low pay.…

As school closures are increasingly used as a remedy to budget woes and a solution to failing schools in many cities, debates are intensifying about their effect on student performance and well-being, on district finances, and on communities and the processes districts use to choose which schools will be shuttered. Student and parent groups in…

This historical account is told as a narrative from the authors' perspectives of Project Giant Step, which might be one of the most successful teaching-of-reading projects in history. There are a few purposes in telling this story. First, it is in times of chaos that real innovation can be made. It is then that people take chances and it is not…

The financial crisis in New York this year may be a harbinger of things to come in other cities and states across the nation. (Author/MLF)

A BRIEF HISTORICAL REVIEW OF STATE LAWS RELATED TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING BETWEEN TEACHER ASSOCIATIONS AND SCHOOL BOARDS IS FOLLOWED BY SIX SUGGESTIONS FOR COMPONENTS OF A WORKING MODEL--(1) GUARANTEE TO TEACHERS OF THE RIGHT TO JOIN THE ORGANIZATION OF THEIR CHOICE AND OBLIGATION IMPOSED UPON THE LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD TO BARGAIN WITH TEACHER…

The discussion in this report focuses on the state-level structures and processes for the administration of teacher bargaining in four very different states: New York, Minnesota, California, and Kansas. Sections on each state are based on interviews with personnel in state labor relations agencies or boards. Each state's structure is described and…

FOUR MAJOR AREAS OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING FOR TEACHERS, BASED ON A REVIEW OF HISTORICAL RECORDS, A COMPARISON OF EXPERIENCES, A STUDY OF RELEVANT DOCUMENTS, AND INTERVIEWS WITH PERSONNEL DIRECTLY INVOLVED ARE DEFINED AND ANALYZED--(1) FACTORS GIVING RISE TO THE BILATERAL DETERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, (2) THE CHARACTER…

This study tests the fit of competing models of strike causes on a sample of public school districts in New York. The models are based on differing assumptions. One is that strikes are the result of mistakes or imperfect information; the other is that strikes are rational choices made in expectation of gain. The differences in these views are…

Reports how the prolonged 1978 Levittown (New York) teachers strike initially depleted resources and created problems but proved to be the impetus for development of an effective school system. Reviews sources of conflict that led to the strike, reactions of community and teachers, and reforms focused on teacher empowerment. (FMW)

An intensive two-phase study of teachers' unions in three small school districts in southern New York State over a 10-year span investigates the changes within the union movement and assesses the impact of unionization on the school systems. The study discloses that teachers' organizations and the collective bargaining process are subject, over…

THIS VOLUME CONTAINS PAPERS PRESENTED AT THE CONFERENCE ON EMPLOYEE RELATIONS IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, HELD JULY 14-15, 1966, AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE NEW YORK STATE SCHOOL OF INDUSTRIAL AND LABOR RELATIONS AND THE NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT. THE PURPOSE OF THE CONFERENCE WAS THREEFOLD--(1) TO PROVIDE A FORUM WHERE…

The collective bargaining agreement between the State of New York and United University Professions, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, for the period July 1, 1988 to June 30, 1991 is presented. The contract's 50 articles cover the following: recognition, unchallenged representation, exclusive negotiations, definitions, policies,…

"Chronicle of Higher Education" presents an abundant source of news and information for college and university faculty members and administrators. This April 30, 2004 issue of "Chronicle for Higher Education" includes the following articles: (1) "Why Michigan State Opted Out" (Eddington-Shipman, Richard); (2)…