ILRLR 3095

Labor, Work, and Employment in US Public Education

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2021-2022.

This course rigorously examines issues at the intersection of American public education and Industrial Relations. The first half of the class sets the stage by exploring the history and philosophy of education in the United States, state and federal education policy and law, multiculturalism, and poverty. It also examines contemporary challenges facing public education, including the achievement gap and rampant teacher turnover. The second half of the semester turns to critically exploring (often competing) reform strategies commonly pursued by policymakers and district and school-level administrators. These efforts increasingly include top-down reform via standards-based accountability, performance-based incentives, and market-based approaches, such as charter schools. The course critically evaluates the efficacy of these top-down reform efforts while introducing alternative, bottom-up reform strategies that emphasize capacity building through district- and school-level institutions that target professional development, increased involvement in decision making, and intra- and inter-school collaboration.

When Offered Fall.

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