An Exploratory Study of the Perspectives of Teachers on the Unionization of One Charter Management Organization

• In Event: 61.068 - MTCC Roundtable Session 23
  In Roundtable Session: 61.068-5 - Research on Charter School Teachers, Principals, and Board Members

Abstract

This study is an exploratory study of the perspectives of teachers who were knowledgeable about the effort to unionize one charter management organization (CMO) in Chicago. Current trends in charter schools indicate high turnover amongst teachers, with contributing factors including workload and school culture. An increasing number of charter schools nationally have unions. The primary source of data for this study were interviews conducted with six teachers who had been teaching for more than seven years and were knowledgeable about the effort to unionize a three-school CMO. Secondary sources of data included state collected school performance data and the documents related to collective bargaining. The findings of this study reveal similarities in teachers' views with respect to reasons for unionization.

Author

• Justin S McClinton, The University of California - Santa Barbara