The Illusion of Social Justice: Charter School Teachers in a Unionized Environment

• In Event: Teachers' Grassroots Organizing and Charter Schools

Abstract

Despite the beginnings of charter schools as deregulated spaces exempt from state education codes, some teachers in charter schools have unionized and have shared their experiences working in these spaces. In 2006, teachers at Hope Charter School (a pseudonym), voted to unionize with an independent union. This paper shares their experiences and asks, How did the illusion of social justice lure teachers to work in an environment that ultimately did not value their working conditions? Through a qualitative case study, this paper shares the experiences of one teachers union drawn to the social justice mission of the school only to experience a backlash during unionization.

Author

• Elizabeth Montaño, University of California - Davis