Why Here and Why Now? Teacher Motivations for Unionizing in a New Orleans Charter School

Beabout, Brian R.; Gill, Ivan P.

doi:10.1080/15582159.2015.1079467

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Longitudinal studies could examine the movement of teachers within the system in New Orleans and variation in teacher salaries and benefits. The long-term impacts of such experiments in teacher reform should be studied, particularly as some New Orleans charter schools seek to unionize (Beabout & Gill, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recruiting “Talent”: School Choice and Teacher Hiring in New Orleans

Jabbar

2017

Educational Administration Quarterly

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Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine school leaders’ preferences and practices in an environment of widespread decentralization, privatization, and school choice. In New Orleans, such reforms have been enacted citywide since Hurricane Katrina, making it an ideal site to examine what happens when policy makers lift restrictions for school leaders—and remove protections for teachers—related to teacher hiring on a large scale. Research Methods/Approach: In this exploratory study, I analyze qualitative data to examine school leaders’ preferences and practices when recruiting teachers in New Orleans. The data for the study come from 94 interviews with principals, district leaders, and charter network leaders. Findings: School leaders had different conceptions of “talent” and “fit,” and used a variety of strategies to recruit teachers. School districts and charter networks both supported and constrained school leaders’ autonomy and recruitment practices by screening applicants or setting guidelines and criteria. Other intermediary organizations also played a role in shaping the teacher labor market. School choice also posed unique challenges for teacher recruitment. Implications: Overall, expansive choice policies in New Orleans appear to foster flexibility and variation in teacher hiring strategies (although not in salary), as expected in a decentralized system. However, these policies and strategies appear also to have other consequences, including greater instability or “churn,” unpredictability, and a bifurcated teaching force.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recruiting “Talent”: School Choice and Teacher Hiring in New Orleans

Jabbar

2017

Educational Administration Quarterly

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“…Emerging literature on unionization within the charter sector, historically hostile to labor organizing, suggests that educators are working to meld the ideology behind charter schools with both traditional and new ideas about the purposes of teachers’ unions (Beabout & Gill, 2015; Malin & Kerchner, 2006; Montaño, 2015). As the charter sector continues to grow, understanding why teachers want unions and how those unions differ from traditional public school unions is crucial to analyzing the long-term viability of these schools and the career trajectories of the teachers who work in them.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There have also been some single-case studies of unionization processes in charter schools. In New Orleans, Beabout and Gill (2015) examined the motivations reported by teachers for unionizing their charter school. Drawing on seven interviews with teachers and an administrator, they found that common issues were pay inequity, a lack of teacher input into school decision-making, a lack of transparency in retention, and a climate of fear of speaking out.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some researchers have examined the impact of charter-school unions on student outcomes (Matsudaira & Patterson, 2017), and the legal context surrounding charter schools and collective bargaining (Green, Baker, & Oluwole, 2015; Kauffman, 2013; Superfine & Woo, 2018). There are a handful of qualitative case studies examining unionization efforts in particular schools, such as the motivations for union organizing in a charter school in New Orleans (Beabout & Gill, 2015), and the process of organizing in one charter school in Los Angeles (Montaño, 2015). Our work extends prior case studies to examine how, across multiple schools, teachers frame their organizing efforts, organizational responses from administrators, and the political and power dimensions of organizing.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Teacher Power and the Politics of Union Organizing in the Charter Sector

et al. 2019

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Despite the growing media attention paid to charter-school unions, comparatively little empirical research exists. Drawing on interview data from two cities (Detroit, MI, and New Orleans, LA), our exploratory study examined charter-school teachers’ motivations for organizing, the political and power dimensions, and the framing of unions by both teachers and administrations. We found that improving teacher retention, and thus school stability, was a central motivation for teacher organizers, whereas, simultaneously, high teacher turnover stymied union drives. We also found that charter administrators reacted with severity to nascent unionization drives, harnessing school-as-family metaphors and at-will contracts to prevent union formation. As the charter sector continues to grow, understanding why teachers want unions and how those unions differ from traditional public school unions is crucial to analyzing the long-term viability of these schools and the career trajectories of the teachers who work in them.

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“…Findings from this research may also be useful to charter organizations seeking to boost their retention rates and reduce burnout. Future research might also track the growth of charter-sector teachers’ unions (e.g., Beabout & Gill, 2015) to explore how such bargaining agreements come about and how they affect teachers’ working conditions.…”

Section: Discussion Future Research and Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender, Markets, and Inequality: A Framework

et al. 2016

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A growing body of research examines the role of elite networks, power, and race in the advocacy for market-based reforms and their ultimate effects on students, teachers, and communities of color. Yet, less research explores how such reforms interact with gender in the workplace, especially how policies such as school choice, competition, and incentive-based pay impact female actors within K-12 schools (e.g., teachers, school leaders). The current research on marketization and privatization in education has largely overlooked the potential impact on women in schools. We review the literature on women in K-12 education and in the economy more generally, and organize it conceptually to identify areas for future inquiry. After synthesizing and summarizing themes across diverse bodies of literature, we contend that as schools privatize, we may see greater gender disparities in education leadership and teaching.

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Why Here and Why Now? Teacher Motivations for Unionizing in a New Orleans Charter School

Cited by 6 publications

References 9 publications

Recruiting “Talent”: School Choice and Teacher Hiring in New Orleans

Recruiting “Talent”: School Choice and Teacher Hiring in New Orleans

Teacher Power and the Politics of Union Organizing in the Charter Sector

Gender, Markets, and Inequality: A Framework

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