ILRLR 4865

Public Education and Collective Bargaining

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2014-2015.

Using collective bargaining to push their way into the center of the middle class, school teachers and their unions have converted their economics gains into considerable political strength. As America's economic disparity widened over the last 40 years, public education successes have stalled. Many in the Middle and on the Right in America, educational reformers of all stripes, blame teachers, their unions, and collective bargaining for these "failures." Their "solutions," which we will carefully examine, include charter schools, testing of students, unilaterally created evaluations of teachers, and severe restrictions on collective bargaining. This course will address, through policy, legal, and political readings, what forms this struggle is taking in US public education and its workplaces. It will focus, in large part, on the sharpening conflict between the goals, agendas, and hopes of public school workers who now face challenges from politicians and liberal and conservative critics who see much to gain by arguing that public education success requires significant limitations of the bargaining and economic rights and power of teacher unions and their members. Graduate and undergraduate students from all colleges are encouraged to enroll. Considerable reading assignments, class room discussion, and guest lectures will characterize our work.

When Offered Fall.

Comments Co-meets with ILRLR 6865.

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