The Future of Charter Schools and Teachers Unions: Results of a Symposium

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October 2006
Paul Hill, Lydia Rainey, Andrew J. Rotherham

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The report makes the case that if relations are to improve, three things are needed. First, to help ground the discussion in facts, we need better evidence about the charter school teaching force and the impact of chartering on issues that matter to teachers. Second, more exemplars and models of effective union-charter partnerships can help show how important problems can be solved. Finally, both groups could engage in confidence-building measures to demonstrate their desire to make progress, not just give the appearance of openness. On the part of charter school advocates, such measures could include acknowledging instances of irresponsible charter school labor practices and working for common standards for fair and respectful teacher employment. For their part, teachers unions cannot be seen as credible collaborators while they campaign to repeal or cap charter laws.

Over the past fifteen years, charter schools and teachers unions have battled in state legislatures, the courts, and the media. But with increasing frequency, the two groups are facing each other in the everyday operation of schools. Will on-the-ground experiences change charter schools or unions? Will existing conflicts only spread, or will direct experience lead to some moderation within each party?

To begin to answer such questions, the National Charter School Research Project and the Progressive Policy Institute convened a meeting of local, state, and national leaders from both the charter school and teachers union communities.

The Future of Charter Schools and Teachers Unions: Results of a Symposium summarizes the opinions expressed at the meeting and provides recommendations for how both groups might coexist while maintaining their most valued principles. Some important themes emerged from this unusual meeting:

• Each side (often incorrectly) defines the other by views of its most extreme members;
• Moderate members from each group share many of the same ideas about good schooling, but each side thinks the other insists on something that will interfere with quality teaching;
• Even though some large urban districts have viewed chartering as a reform tool, the politics of school districts make them unlikely partners in scale-up;
• Both sides acknowledge the costs of their conflict, but few leaders are willing to take the first step; and
• Thin evidence about the work life of charter school teachers or how unionized charter schools operate exacerbates conflicting beliefs.