Teachers Unions and Dual Enrollment Policy in Collective Bargaining Agreements

Abstract

This study explores how teachers’ unions are responding to the growing policy of dual enrollment (DE). I reviewed all available collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) of public schools in Ohio, using qualitative content analysis to look for ways that CBAs are addressing DE policy. Analysis revealed four themes. The first theme suggests that teachers’ unions are incrementally bargaining provisions addressing DE into their CBAs. Of the 586 CBAs analyzed, 160 included provisions regarding DE. The three remaining themes centered around working conditions for teachers, including provisions related to monetary compensation, existential protection of bargaining unit members, and the protection of teacher time. Additionally, district typography was explored, revealing that wealthier/smaller school districts have bargained more teacher protections for DE than larger districts with less wealth. This study provides information about what might be of interest to teachers and policymakers when reforming DE policy.

High School Principals’ Perceptions of Dual Enrollment Policy in Ohio and Texas

“…Both states are large and populous, with Texas second and Ohio as the seventh most populous (U.S. Census, 2021). With respect to K-12 policy, Ohio is a state with a powerful teachers' union presence, whereas Texas has a law that bans collective bargaining (Hornbeck, 2023). In both states, high school principals are the senior leaders at the school building, making many curricular decisions while also delegating some decision-making to others (Houchens et al, 2018).…”

“…DE changes comprehensive high school norms by offering students curricular choices that differ from traditional high school courses. About 80% of students who take DE courses do so at their home high school, making local high school leaders, like school principals, important actors in DE educational policy (Hornbeck, 2023;Shivji & Wilson, 2019). In most DE delivery contexts, high schools and IHEs share governance in various capacities (Hornbeck and Malin, 2019;Pompelia, 2020).…”