Teacher Unions in Public Education : Politics, History, and the Future

Focusing on teacher unions in Canada, the United States, and England, Bascia reveals the dynamic nature of teacher unions engaging in a variety of activities and pursuing multiple strategies. Front Matter....Pages i-vii Perspectives on Teacher Unions: History, Discourse, and Renewal....Pages 1-8 Front Matter....Pages 9-9 Gender and Status: Ontario Teachers’ Associations in the Nineteenth Century....Pages 11-31 Defending Teachers’ Rights and Promoting Public Education: Evolving and Emerging Union Strategies within a Globalized Neoliberal Context....Pages 33-51 Remembering, Reimagining, and Reviving Social Justice Teacher Unionism....Pages 53-67 Front Matter....Pages 69-69 Fragility and Volatility in Teacher Union—Governmental Relations....Pages 71-82 Model Citizen or Bad Influence? The Contested Nature of Teachers’ Public Activism....Pages 83-99 The Formal and Informal Contexts of Union Socialization....Pages 101-118 Front Matter....Pages 119-119 Classroom, Community, and Contract: A New Framework for Building Moral Legitimacy and Member Activism in Teacher Unions....Pages 121-138 Why and How a Teacher Union Supports Autonomous Teacher Professional Development in an Age of New Managerialism....Pages 139-153 Crossing Boundaries to Support Strategic Foresight....Pages 155-168 Education Reform in England and the Emergence of Social Movement Unionism: The National Union of Teachers in England....Pages 169-187 The Teachers’ Trifecta: Democracy, Social Justice, Mobilization....Pages 189-199 Conclusion....Pages 201-205 Back Matter....Pages 207-220 While much mainstream educational research maintains that teacher unions should be outlawed or their powers greatly reduced, Bascia and her contributors, including many of the leading teacher union researchers working today, challenge this position. Instead, they recognize the important role teacher unions must play in defending public education and in minimizing the damage wrought by ill-thought-out educational policies. By avoiding idealization of these organizations and recognizing their limitations, Teacher Unions in Public Education demonstrates the necessity for union renewal for a successful education system. "This book locates teacher unions at the crux of the enduring tensions between teachers' own low status in the educational system and the necessary autonomy and working conditions to teach effectively and well. The chapters, focusing on teacher unions in Canada, the U.S., and England reveal the dynamic nature of teacher unions engaging in a variety of activities and pursuing multiple strategies"-- Provided by publisher