ILRLR 4865

The Crisis in Public Education: Analyzing the Clash Between Education Reformers and Teacher Unions

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2015-2016.

Many Democratic and Republican party political leaders claim to be education reformers. Billionaire philanthropists say the same. They and public education's other critics agree that they do not like the educational outcomes produced in our public schools. These increasingly strident forces often blame the political power and the collectively bargained over agreements achieved by the national and local teacher unions  for student failings, high local tax rates, inflated salaries, and monopolistic labor market practices. This narrative and pursuit of policies thereunder are challenging the historic public education configuration in nearly every state.    This course will critically examine these forces and attempt to place their criticisms and suggestions in a policy, political, and legal perspective. Are those who sharply disagree with the current state of the public education system and workplace true reformers? Has our public education system failed, and if so, how do we know? Whether the system has failed or is ailing, what role have unions and their insistence, where allowed, upon exercising their political power and their right to collective bargaining, played in creating this societal tension? And, looking into the future, do we see the educational reformers and/or the unions and their think tank colleagues fashioning a viable set of constructive policies that will attract teachers and make it possible for our youth to learn? Answering these questions will be a challenge, but we will surely attempt to throughout our studies in this course.

When Offered Fall.

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