Collective bargaining shapes the way public schools are organized, financed, staffed, and operated. Understanding collective bargaining in education and its impact on the day-to-day lives of schools is critical to designing and implementing reforms that will successfully raise student achievement. But when it comes to public discussion of school reform, teachers unions are the proverbial elephant in the room. Despite the tremendous influence of teachers unions, there has not been a significant research-based book examining the role of collective bargaining in education in more than two decades. As a result, there is little basis for a constructive, empirically grounded dialogue about the role of teachers unions in education today. This timely and comprehensive volume offers a thorough and nuanced analysis of the available research and varied perspectives on its implications. It will spur and strengthen public debate over the role of teachers unions in education reform for years to come. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press, 2006).

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