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The article discusses the court case Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association wherein the Supreme Court hears allegation on free speech teachers' union financing. Topics discussed include the background of the case, the allegation of teachers and a Christian educators' group on agency fees or fair share payment of nonmembers violation to the free speech rights, the associated cases, and the continuous trial of the case.

A condensed reprint of the article "New Attitudes Shaping Labor-District Relations," by Stephen Sawchuk, which was published in the November 16, 2011 issue of the journal "Education Week," is presented. The article examines the role of collective bargaining rights for teachers in collaboration between school districts and teachers' unions. Other topics explored include school budgets, U.S. education policy, and teacher evaluations.

An excerpt from the article "New Groups Give Teachers Alternative Voice" by Stephen Sawchuk in the September 14, 2011 issue of the journal "Education Week" is presented.

The article discusses the educational cooperation between U.S. school boards and teachers' unions, focusing on the efforts of Alan J. Ingram, the superintendent of the Springfield, Massachusetts public schools, and Timothy T. Collins, a member of the district's budget advisory committee. Topics include the funding of educational change by the National Education Association (NEA), the support of teachers' unions to improve teacher quality, and their related collective bargaining relations.

The article reports that the U.S. Supreme Court will reconsider a 1977 ruling in the case Abood v. Detroit Board of Education which allowed public-sector unions to force nonmembers to pay service fees. According to the author, a rejection of this ruling in the case Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association could eliminate a significant revenue source for teachers' unions. Details on the U.S. Supreme Court case Harris v. Quinn are also presented. Collective bargaining is discussed.

The article examines the Professional Practices and Student Learning Program, the teacher-pay schedule in the Baltimore, Maryland school district which emphasizes professional accomplishments over credentials and experience. Details are provided on the history of the reform beginning in 2010 via a collecting bargaining agreement between the district and the Baltimore Teachers Union. A chart is included detailing how teachers can advance on the pay scale by earning achievement units (AUs).

The article discusses the budget of the St. Louis, Missouri school district in 2013 as it faces increasing employee-pension costs and decreasing student enrollment rates. It covers budget reductions implemented by the district with participation from the city's teachers' union focusing on pension management. Information is also included on the history of the Public School Retirement System of the City of St. Louis (PSRS) and the demographics of the city's teachers.

A profile is presented on the district-union partnership between Cynthia M. Stevenson, superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools in Colorado, and Kerrie Dallman, former president of the Jefferson County Education Association. The author discusses how they collaborated on the school district's budget with members of the school district and its teachers' union and explains that they were inspired by a labor-management cooperation conference sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.

The cover story discusses the conflict of interests between teachers' unions and educational advocacy groups regarding changes in U.S. educational policy, including reduction of the collective bargaining rights of teachers, performance-based staffing, and vouchers for private schools. Advocacy groups such as StudentsFirst and Stand for Children, as well as unions including the National Education Association (NEA) are also discussed.

The article reports on ways in which several groups including the nonprofits Teach Plus Policy Fellows, New Millennium Initiative, and Educators 4 Excellence are providing opportunities for teachers to influence education policy in the U.S. It presents examples of how these groups have been active in local policy changes related to teacher evaluations, teacher retention, and teacher recruitment and examines instances of the interactions of these groups with teachers' unions.

The article discusses the National Education Association (NEA) teachers' labor union, which has decided to create a policy statement that will allow the use of students' standardized test scores to be used as a factor in teacher evaluations. NEA president Dennis Van Roekel comments on the debate in the U.S. regarding teacher evaluations. The evaluation system would include an evaluation of teachers' teaching methods and classroom management skills, the educational leadership exhibited by teachers, and the use of standardized tests to determine teacher performance.

The article discusses plans which have been proposed by legislators in Alabama, Tennessee, and Wisconsin that would reduce the collective bargaining rights of teachers. It examines how national teachers' unions such as the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA) are involved in the effort to prevent this legislation from passing and comments on other topics including Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, U.S. education reform, and the political activity of teachers' unions.

The article reports findings from the U.S. National Center on Performance Incentives' Project on Incentives in Teaching program, which was designed to study bonus pay for teachers. The article reveals that the merit pay system had no overall impact on academic achievement for students according to the study of 300 teachers in Nashville, Tennessee. Other topics include teacher's unions, U.S. Department of Education policy, and the federal performance-pay system Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF).

The article presents an overview of differences of opinions that members of the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers have about U.S. President Barack Obama's teacher effectiveness goals and agenda, which include the federal Race to the Top competition. The possible impact the two teachers unions will have on the outcome of the renewal of the U.S. Elementary and Secondary Education Act is discussed.

The article discusses prospects of states winning the U.S. Department of Education Race to the Top funding competition. It notes that guidelines included using student test scores in teacher and principal evaluation, support by school boards and teachers' unions of the plan, and tough approaches to poorly performing schools. It notes that some states traded less rigor for more local support, and vice versa. Education specialist Chester E. Finn thinks sincerity of the plans will be important.

The article discusses the unionizing of charter schools in New York City, Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California. Charter schools are traditionally not unionized and look at teachers' unions as detrimental to the collaborative school culture. The unionization implies to some observers that teachers do not feel included in decision-making. Randi Weingarten, president of the United Federation of Teachers, sees a chance to meet teachers' needs and align unions with school culture.

This article presents information on a decision by a state appeals court on the case, Vergara v. California, which was to uphold teacher job protections under the California constitutional law. It discusses the implications of the fallout from the appeals decision for teachers' unions, the key aspects that the suit attempted to overturn, and the reaction of teachers' unions to the ruling.

The article discusses investigations of teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District in Los Angeles, California in relation to a lawsuit by fired teacher Rafe Esquith. Topics include the district's creation of a Student Safety Investigation Team (SSIT), due process rights for teachers who are being investigated, and the position of the teachers' union United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) on the issue. The lawsuit Vergara v. California is noted.

The article discusses the appointment of John B. King, Jr. as acting U.S. Secretary Education. Topics include King's relationship to the New York City public school system and charter schools, his role in a New York state teacher evaluation law, and conflict between King and the labor union New York State United Teachers (NYSUT).

The article examines how efforts to unionize the Alliance College-Ready Public Schools chain of charter schools in Los Angeles, California has led to debate between the schools' management and the district teachers' union. It notes that the argument has be based on issues such as merit pays, benefits, and governance.

The article discusses criticism of New York Governor Andrew Mark Cuomo's budget plan for education in 2015-16, noting that teachers' unions and parents of schoolchildren are opposing a plan to increase the role of student standardized test scores in teacher evaluation. Topics include public opinion in New York State on the debate, the position of the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) on school funding, and political aspects of the dispute.

The article examines the public response to proposed rules designed to improve monitoring of teacher-preparation programs released by the U.S. Department of Education issued under the Higher Education Act. It notes that the proposal calls for states to use measures such as surveys of school districts, teacher-employment data, and student-achievement results. Opposition form teachers' unions is also covered.

The article discusses the collaboration between the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the U.S. National Education Association (NEA) teachers' unions. Topics discussed include the views of the unions with regards to high-stakes testing, AFT President Randi Weingarten and NEA President Lily Eskelsen García, and the unions' views about the Common Core State Standards.

Several diagrams are presented regarding elements of the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) teachers unions, such as the unions' governance, campaign spending, and assets.

The article reports on the 2014 Los Angeles, California Superior Court case Vergara v. California, addressing issues of educational equity. An overview of the case is given, including a summary of the laws involved, the trial, and the various levels of legislative and appellate responses up to the June 2014 decision. Accounts are given charting the reactions from both sides, championing students' rights and teacher tenure respectively. Questions are then raised concerning future implications.

The article discusses the efforts of the U.S. National Education Association (NEA), a teachers' union, to focus on political organizing and the 2012 creation of its Center for Organizing. Topics discussed include the drop in NEA membership, the efforts of Joey Matthews, president of the NEA affiliate in Loudoun County, Virginia, and the Clark County Education Association in Clark County, Nevada.

The article examines how researchers are emphasizing teacher contracts in studies on the gap in teacher quality between U.S. schools serving large populations of minority students and those serving primarily white students. Details are provided on research suggesting that seniority policies may influence teacher-quality gaps in high-minority elementary schools in larger districts. The role of teachers' unions is also covered.

The article reports that as of March 21, 2014 Tennessee's state teachers' union has filed a federal lawsuit claiming the state's teacher-evaluation system is arbitrary and violates teachers' constitutional rights. Information is provided on the state's value-added model designed to calculate how much a teacher contributed to student learning based on standardized-test scores.

The article reports that support for the Common Core State Standards is wavering among U.S. teachers' unions, such as the National Education Association (NEA), due to factors such as flawed implementation, concerns over testing related to the standards, and internal state-union relationships. It notes that while support of the standards by advocacy groups has not made union support a necessity, political observers have noted that acceptance by teachers remains critical.

The article reports on a dispute between a school district and a teachers union in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as of January 2014, which involves a teacher-evaluation system. Topics include the funding of the system by the nonprofit Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, disputes involving school district Superintendent Linda S. Lane, and the opinions of teacher union officials on value-added teacher evaluation.

The article discusses a 2013 lawsuit filed against Florida's education department and education commissioner Tony Bennett by the National Education Association (NEA) teachers' union regarding Florida's teacher evaluations, which the NEA claims are sometimes based on the academic achievement of students or subjects unrelated to the teacher. State standardized tests, teacher salaries, and teachers' constitutional rights are also mentioned.

The article discusses mergers among U.S. teachers' unions and organizations such as the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in several states including North Dakota, Wisconsin, and New York. Topics include the creation of the North Dakota United teachers' union, comments by Gary Feist of the North Dakota Education Association (NDEA), and comments by Mary Bell of the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC).

The article presents information on the 2012 convention for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) labor union held from July 27-30, 2012. The author looks at standardized testing, AFT President Randi Weingarten, and educational reform. The article also discusses the Chicago Teachers' Union (CTU) of Chicago, Illinois and the U.S. Department of Education.

The article discusses teacher performance evaluations in the U.S. and who will have access to the results. While some U.S. states such as Maine, Colorado and Tennessee allow evaluations to be made public as a result of open-records laws, the availability of evaluations in other states is conditional. The article reports that because evaluations contain subjective information, some teachers' unions argue that they should be exempt from disclosure laws.

The article reports on several topics discussed at the annual conference of the U.S. National Education Association (NEA), a national teachers' union, which met from July 2-5, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. Topics discussed include the NEA's stances on policy issues such as teacher evaluations and standardized tests and the organizations decision to endorse U.S. President Barack Obama for reelection in 2012. Comments from NEA President Dennis Van Roekel are also highlighted.

Information about the Advancing Student Achievement Through Labor-Management Collaboration Conference in Denver, Colorado in 2011 is presented. The article addresses pledges by conference participants to continue improvement in relations between school districts and teacher's unions. The role of the U.S. Department of Education and the team of Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Director George H. Cohen in improving relations is also explored.

The article discusses a movement by Republican lawmakers in U.S. states to limit the collective bargaining rights of teachers. It explores proposed bills in Idaho, Indiana, and Tennessee that would limit or eliminate teachers' collective bargaining rights. Topics include teachers' unions, the political and economic aspects of the proposed bills, and state education associations such as the Tennessee Education Association (TEA).

An article discussing teacher compensation is presented. The author explains different models for calculating the base pay raises for educators and provides a historical statistical analysis of teacher compensation. The roles of teacher's unions and how proposed changes in teacher compensation could effect students is also examined.

The article discusses criteria proposed by the U.S. Education Department for grants under its Teacher Incentive Fund. The five factors for teacher pay plan proposals include communication of the system to teachers, administrators and community, support by teachers, principals and applicable unions of the plan, and an evaluation system for teachers and principals which includes multiple observations aligned with professional standards and which take student progress into account.

The article discusses an effort by the American Federation of Teachers to invest in models of teacher bargaining, recruitment, evaluation or compensation through its Innovation Fund. Randi Weingarten, the group's president, notes that the move represents a departure for the union in tying teacher compensation to student achievement. Projects are through union affiliates in Broward County, Florida, New York state and Rhode Island and focus on performance-based systems and value added data.

Th article reports that a judge's restraining order has kept the Los Angeles, California-based charter school network Alliance College-Ready Public Schools from preventing the unionization of its teachers by the union United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA).

The article discusses the results of a survey that was done by the Education Sector think tank about how strongly teachers in the U.S. feel they need to have teachers' unions. The research uncovered that there was an increase in the number of beginning teachers who reported feeling this way. Respondents also expressed the idea that reforms are needed for things like tenure, collective bargaining, salaries, and performance evaluations.

The article states that the national teachers unions could play a role in the close race between Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nominations in the U.S. A total of 2,025 delegates must be secured by a candidate to win the nomination. Under the rules of the Democratic National Convention, the delegates shall reflect the sentiments of those who elected them. The barrier standing in the way of National Education Association's providing unified support behind Clinton or Obama is cited.

The article reports that U.S. House Education & Labor Committee Chairman George Miller has engaged in a debate with teachers' union over proposed performance-pay programs in the No Child Left Behind Act reauthorization discussion draft. National unions opposed using student test scores in teacher evaluations, although some local union affiliates have agreed to performance-pay proposals that incorporate test scores.

The article offers information on a U.S. Supreme Court Case involving the Washington Education Association, which centers on the issue of when a teachers' union can use agency fees collected from nonmembers for political purposes. The constitutionality of a 1992 Washington state campaign reform law requiring nonmembers to affirmatively consent to having their agency fees used for politics rather than merely giving them the chance to opt out is addressed in the case.

The article reports on the equity plan of the state of Nevada that balances strategies for attracting new teachers to its high-growth districts. Both the U.S. Education Department and the Education Trust have praised the plan for its data analysis, targeted strategies and cohesive vision, articulated with the help of legislators and teachers' unions.

Reports on the calls for collective bargaining contract reforms in the teaching profession by state policymakers, teachers' unions and local school boards in the U.S. in 2006. Contract provisions suggested in the report written by Frederick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute and Martin West of the Brookings Institution; Reason for the need to reform the collective bargaining process.

The article deals with the response of teachers' unions to the adjunct teachers proposal of U.S. President George W. Bush in February 2006. As part of the American Competitiveness Initiative of the administration of the President, up to 30,000 scientists and industry professionals would be enlisted over the next eight years as part-time high school mathematics and science teachers.

The article discusses U.S. lawsuits regarding state teacher evaluation legislation and procedures filed by teachers' unions, including the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and National Education Association (NEA) and their affiliates. Matters addressed by lawsuits include ties between standardized tests and teacher evaluation, the lack of a due process hearing for a fired tenured teacher, and the structuring of performance-based pay for teachers.

The article discusses a September 2015 teacher strike in Seattle, Washington over wages, work hours, and policies on teacher evaluation and discipline. The strike began on the first scheduled day of school, leaving parents to make alternate arrangements for child care. Details on state funding of the district and on the Seattle Education Association (SEA) teachers' union are presented. Topics include collective bargaining, testing, and equity.