We investigate the role of teachers' unions in state policymaking in the context of "No Child Left Behind." Our analyses of panel data show that political party control and region moderate the influence of teachers' unions in the adoption of accountability policies by states. Our analyses of marginal effects show that teachers' unions…

Policy pursued by Education Secretary Michael Gove promises to bring about the first national teachers' strike for a generation. This article reviews the nature and effect of Gove's intensification of academisation, and outlines ways in which edu-business is involved.

In this article, the authors explore the following questions: How have Americans actually responded to these developments? Have they grown more supportive of the current direction of school reform, or are there instead signs of a backlash? And how do the views of teachers compare to those of the public at large? In addition to the views of the…

The role of collective bargaining in K-12 education invokes sharply different perspectives and debate. Teachers and administrators bring profoundly different points of view to the discussion, creating a division which significantly colors conversations on school reform. School administrators and many educational reformers have generally been…

This booklet is the first in a series about teacher union issues. It notes that agency fees raise profound issues in education, labor relations, and public policy. Chapter 1 introduces the booklet, explaining that it is helps clarify major agency fee issues and recommend appropriate action. Chapter 2, NEA/AFT Revenues from Agency Fees, explains…

According to Joe A. Stone of the University of Oregon, average students do better in classrooms with unionized teachers, but less able and more able students do not. While this particular assumption lacks empirical clarity, many administrators and school board members feel that it would be much easier to reform public education if teacher unions…

This booklet, one in the Education Policy Institute series about teacher union issues, examines issues related to membership in the National Education Association (NEA) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Both unions aggressively strive to enroll more members or require teachers to pay agency fees. If teachers want to change union policy,…

This booklet, part of the Education Policy Institute series about teacher union issues, clarifies the concept of parent involvement in educational reform, analyzing the treatment of parents in collective bargaining contracts between teacher unions and school boards and in union policy resolutions. Chapter 1 introduces the issue, offering an…

Although the law has been the vehicle for launching school-reform efforts, little attention has been paid to the ways in which legal mechanisms enable or constrain effective school reform; however, law-based school reforms (lawsuits, regulations, statutes, and collective-bargaining provisions) have not changed the fundamental character of the…