Successfully Forming a Charter School Teachers Union: A Case Study

• In Event: Teachers' Grassroots Organizing and Charter Schools

Abstract

Charter schools are an increasingly large share of American public schools. The successful political rhetoric accompanying this rise has included calls to "return decision making to schools and classrooms." Despite this, there exists little evidence about the role of teacher decision making in charter schools. Only 6% of charters are intentionally unionized- which is one method of formalizing teacher decision making. This case study examines the unionization process of one charter school in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Authors

• Brian Robert Beabout, The University of New Orleans

• Ivan Gill, University of New Orleans