Charter Schools and Collective Bargaining: Compatible Marriage or Illegitimate Relationship

The rapid increase in charter schools has been fueled by the view that traditional public schools have failed because of their monopoly on public education. Charter schools, freed from the bureaucratic regulation that dominates traditional public schools, are viewed as agents of change that will shock traditional public schools out of their complacency. Among the features of the failed status quo are teacher tenure, uniform salary grids and strict work rules, matters that teacher unions hold dear. Yet unions have begun organizing teacher in charter schools. This development prompts the question whether unionization and charter schools are compatible. In contrast to traditional public schools whose labor relations are based on the traditional industrial labor relations model, charter schools are envisioned as high performance workplaces in which teachers gain enhanced psychological purchase as a result of sharing in the risks of the enterprise. We look to traditional public schools and find exceptions where teachers and their unions have become agents of change and risk takers. We ask why these exceptional cases have not spread more broadly and find the answer in public sector labor law doctrine which has channeled teacher unions away from risk sharing and toward insulating their members from the risks of the enterprise. We then consider the labor law governing charter schools. We discuss whether charter schools are governed by the National Labor Relations Act or state law and survey the different approaches that have developed under state law. We conclude that all of these approaches are based on the industrial relations model which is incompatible with the high performance workplaces envisioned for charter schools. We propose to free charter schools and their teachers from traditional labor law doctrine and propose a new approach to teacher voice that, in keeping with the vision of charter schools as shaking up the status quo by injecting competition, will lead to competition and innovation in teacher involvement in the regulation of their workplaces

A Happy Abundance : Tales, Memoirs and More Past and Present in Wayne, Maine

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New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/'proxy' AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele

The Relationship Between Teacher Unionism and Educational Quality: A Literature Review Executive Summary Research on the Relationship Between Teacher Unionism and Educational Quality: A Literature Review

The 2003 NEA Representative Assembly passed a new business item that directed the organization to produce a literature review "on the effects of collective bargaining on the learning environment," which would "include but not be limited to issues such as student performance, employee morale, and the recruitment and retention of quality teachers." In response, the NEA commissioned Charles Taylor Kerchner 1 to produce a thorough literature review on the effects of collective bargaining and teacher unions in the educational environment in order to provide a convenient reference for state affiliate researchers and other interested parties. This report is the result of that work, and is briefly summarized below. At the outset, the author notes that while "it is easy to find assertions" about the effects of unionism and bargaining in education, "it is much harder to find credible evidence." The author reviews 30 years of academic research on the connection between teacher unionism and academic achievement, activities associated with increased student progress, and the bargaining process and its impacts on school governance and management. To conclude, the author lays outs "a practical means for union locals to answer for themselves the question of how their activities, including their contracts, intersect with educational quality." Effects on Student Achievement There are numerous studies that attempt to estimate the direct effect unionization or collective bargaining has on student achievement, carried out at both the state and school district level of analysis. A variety of indicators have been used to measure unionization, such as the percentage of the teachers covered by bargaining agreements, degree of unionization of instructional staff, the strength of the labor law in a state, and the presence of a bargaining agreement in a school district. To measure student achievement, researchers usually use student scores on standardized tests, though one researcher used student dropout rates over time as a measure of academic productivity. The studies utilized regression analysis to estimate the impact of unionization on these outcomes, while drawing inferences about why this relationship would occur. Major studies have found both positive and negative effects of unionization on student achievement, with considerable debate over methodological issues and differences. Overall, the author observes that on the basis of these studies, "researchers tend to find evidence that coincides with their predispositions about teacher unions" and that, in general, the estimated "effect size of teacher unions on student achievement is not huge," with most studies finding effects below two percent. The author concludes that "the quality of the data does not warrant the strength of the assertions that are attached to them." Union Contributions to the Antecedents of Achievement After examining the evidence regarding the direct effect of unionization, the author reviews research on the "antecedents of achievement." These antecedents are seen as the actual behaviors and activities undertaken by unions that impact on educational outcomes. By examining these antecedents, researchers may draw conclusions about what unions do that may have positive or negative effects on student achievement. 1 Charles Taylor Kerchner is the Hollis P. Allen professor of education at The Claremont Graduate School in Claremont, California. He is co-author of The Changing Idea of a Teachers' Union, A Union of Professionals, United Mind Workers, and Taking Charge of Quality, and is an advocate for a greater role for teachers in education policy making. i First, several studies have "sought to document the union's transformation from negotiating wages and working conditions to an interest in school operations and educational quality." While these studies did not specifically measure the effect of union reforms on student achievement, the "tacit assumption has been that by working on the elements of schooling --such as professional development or teacher evaluation --student achievement would increase, too." Several case studies document reform efforts in various school districts during the 1980s and 1990s, involving a variety of labor-management approaches to professional issues. While the these efforts were not systematically followed over time, informal communications have found that many reform efforts "withered when the school superintendent or the union leadership that initiated them left office." Some reform efforts have continued despite "system shocks" and other challenges. Generally, the author finds that "where reform efforts were anchored in contract or other written agreements, they tended to last longer." A distinction between traditional "industrial style unionism" and the emerging "union of professionals" is drawn along three lines: separateness versus collectiveness of workers and managers, emphasis on the adversarial versus interdependent nature of labor-management relationships, and the protection of individual teachers versus the protection of the occupation of teaching. The author examines research involving additional outcomes of teacher unionization and collective bargaining, including: Professional development: one study identified three types of professional development: traditional, new unionism, and organizational involvement. These activities range from isolated workshops to the inclusion of teachers and unions in planning and executing comprehensive professional development programs. However, the author "found few studies about the efficacy of professional development." Salaries and benefits: the author found that "while there is some disagreement about the size of the union effect on teacher salaries, it is generally agreed that the effects are positive. But it is also clear that collective bargaining has not brought about a massive shift in the economic fortunes of teachers." Thus, the author concludes that "the union wage effect is 'not the stuff out of which Porsches are purchased,' but they do reflect a handsome return on amount teachers spend on union dues." The exact amount of the union wage differential is difficult to pin down, but it appears to be generally about 5 to 10 percent, with some variation depending on the data and methodology used and the time period of the analysis. Teacher compensation systems: the growth of teacher unionism has coincided with the development of the single salary schedule. Historically, efforts to introduce merit pay plans "have been short lived, largely because of the difficulty in measuring outcomes and the perception that they are not particularly good motivators." Job satisfaction: The author notes that "a bargained contract, better wages and benefits, a grievance system, and an organizational voice in their future does not appear to be strongly associated with employee satisfaction, either in the private sector or in public school teaching." However, one study found that teachers "who perceived that their union was effective were more satisfied than those who did not." The attraction to teaching: some studies have found that the presence of reductions-in-force provisions, class-size limitations, and strong grievance procedures are associated with reduced teacher resignations or dismissals. ii Teacher assessment: in several unionized school districts, systems of peer assistance and review have been implemented. The author described research that was largely descriptive in nature, with mixed reviews and opinions. The Bargaining Process and Impact After examining the antecedents of achievement, the author reviewed numerous studies that examined how the collective bargaining process had affected behaviors and outcomes of labor and management in the educational field. First, an early investigation of the interaction between bargaining, teaching, and school operations concluded that bargaining had "not produced armed camps, and that… contract negotiations were always linked to a school district's economic and social context." Later studies in the 1980s found that settlements "have extended well beyond traditional bread-and-butter issues into areas of organizational policy. Over time the scope of bargaining expands in most jurisdictions." Later studies examined bargaining behaviors, finding, for example, that "districts with strong unions produced behaviors that were associated with high trust more than did districts with weak teacher organizations." Conclusion: A "Bargaining Book" for Student Achievement Overall, the author concludes that "the results of most social science research are ultimately not very helpful to unionists or public policy makers who have to deal in practical ways with the impacts of unions and their rights to represent public school employees… Or in the common teacher refrain, 'it doesn't tell us what to do on Monday.'" To get answers to questions about how to conduct labor relations, the author suggests that practitioners keep track of educational topics as they arise in daily labor-management interactions, just as the parties keep "bargaining books" about issues that impact negotiations and grievance handling. This would produce "both a reflective work and an agenda for action." With regard to tracking educational outcomes, the author suggests going beyond the "current testscore mania" to look at data on outcomes for former students, such as asking the simple question: "how are students doing who left this school five years ago?" Researchers should then examine specific activities that link student achievement, such as how that topic is treated in negotiations or training. Further, at the level of policies and procedures, areas commonly thought to influence student achievement should be examined, such as teacher recruitment and induction, professional development, evaluation, rewards and incentives, the extent to which schools are organized around learning, the use of time, class size, meetings, and providing a safe and orderly environment. Donovan King Labor Relations Research Introduction It's very easy to find assertions about the effects of unions on academic achievement, on schools, and on teachers. It is much harder to find credible evidence. A review of 30 years' research into the effects of teacher unionism has yielded more assertions than research and conflicting claims among social scientists. People who want to believe that unions are vital to schools, to America, to democracy, and to social justice will want to believe that teacher unionization also leads to higher student achievement. The majority of academic studies support that position. People who demonize unions, however, will remain unconvinced, and they will be able to point to research undertaken by credible academics that supports their beliefs. In the body of this report, I review the social science research from the last three decades-the most salient published work we have been able to find from various Bruno & Melkin, 1975; Governance was a central issue because it was assumed that the collectivization of public-sector workers posed a real threat to the orderly and democratic operation of Effects on Student Achievement The debate about whether unions help or hinder student achievement rests on 16 cross-state comparative studies. Of these, two studies have captured attention and comment, partly because they come to opposite conclusions. There are large differences in unionization by region, and the authors checked to see if those are more associated with some unspecified regional effect or whether they remain a unionization effect. In the regression models in which unionization does not appear as a variable, the differences between Southern and non-Southern states appear very large, but when unionization is introduced the regional variation becomes insignificant. The authors then turned their attention to the ACT, and they find that in large part the regression models produce similar results. However, the union effects are much smaller. Indeed, the ACT may not be a particularly good interstate test of achievement because that examination is used by relatively few colleges in their admissions decisions and those colleges are concentrated in a few states, mostly in the Midwest. In their conclusion, Steelman, Powell, & Carini state that their study challenges the view that teacher unions are "at odds with what parents desire from schooling, namely, the educational advancement of their children" (p. 458). The authors note that they did not expect to find either a positive or negative relationship between unionization and student outcomes, but rather they had expected that there would be no relationship at all. "That we found such a strongly consistent positive relationship across so many permutations of analysis should give pause to those who characterize teacher unions as adversaries to educational success and accountability" (p. 459). The most commonly cited study reaching a contrary conclusion comes in the 1996 Albert Shanker, 1996). Using dropouts as the measure of student achievement is also a definitional stretch. However, the data may be the best available. Hoxby makes the point that, "It would be good to have additional measures such as test scores, but consistent test scores that span the 1970-1990 period do not exist at the school district level for a universal (or even large) sample of individual school districts" (p. 686). She estimates that unionized school districts have a dropout rate of 2.3 percentage points higher than other districts, all other factors being equal. She also asserts that nonunion districts are more efficient than unionized districts, a conclusion reached by observing that a one-student decrease in the student-teacher ratio in a non-union school 8 will decrease the dropout rate by .4 percentage points and that a 10 percent increase in salary is associated with decreasing the dropout rate by .7 percentage points

Diversity and Educational Challenges in Oslo and Los Angeles - A Metropolitan Perspective nr 2

Receiving, accommodation and education of children with immigrant background is one of the challenging issues in almost all the metropolitan areas in many countries. In our study we are exploring the impact of demographic changes on political agendas, legal frames, educational approaches, research findings and student achievement in the field of education of linguistic minorities in Oslo, Norway and Los Angeles, USA. Although there are significant historical and socio economical differences between Los Angeles and Oslo, many of the educational challenges facing the educational policy makers and the linguistic minority students are quite similar

Teaching language minority students in Los Angeles and Oslo-A metropolitan perspective nr 1

Receiving, accommodation and education of children with immigrant background is one of the challenging issues in almost all the metropolitan areas in many countries. In our study we are exploring the impact of demographic changes on political agendas, legal frames, educational approaches, research findings and student achievement in the field of education of linguistic minorities in Los Angeles, USA and Oslo, Norway. Although there are significant historical and socio economical differences between Los Angeles and Oslo, many of the educational challenges facing the educational policy makers and the linguistic minority students are quite similar

Distribution of impacts of natural disasters across income groups: A case study of New Orleans.”

This paper explores elements of vulnerability to natural disasters in the context of Hurricane Katrina. We examine whether neighborhoods in New Orleans were impacted differently by Hurricane Katrina based on pre-existing social, physical and economic vulnerabilities. We evaluate the degree to which the initial impacts of Hurricane Katrina were distributed among the New Orleans' residents. Geographic Information System (GIS) technology was used to perform analyses using household income, housing values, and elevation and flood levels. Next, we investigate whether particular socio-economic groups in the city were more vulnerable during the response and recovery phases. However, findings do suggest that pre-existing socio-economic conditions play a significant role in the ability for particular economic classes to respond immediately to the disaster and to cope with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The paper concludes with policy recommendations to reduce social and economic vulnerabilities to natural disasters, as well as suggestions for future research