Unions and Politics

A couple of very good reads on teacher unions and education in the Summer 2006 Education Next.

In Strike Phobia, Frederick Hess and Marty West look at the roll collective bargaining plays in holding back educational reform. They conclude, "One can sympathize with union locals and simultaneously see the contracts they’ve negotiated as enormous obstacles to retooling schools for the 21st century. "

In The Union Label on the Ballot Box, Terry Moe examines how teachers and union endorsements influence school board elections: "there is good reason to be concerned that the local governance of schools tends to be more responsive to the interests of teachers (and other school employees) than a focused concern for quality education—and the interests of children—would warrant. "