Read the report “The Future of Charter Schools and Teachers Unions: Results of a Symposium,” available from the National Charter School Research Project.
Teachers’ unions and charters schools often act like sworn enemies, but productive coexistence could come through fewer assumptions based on the polarized philosophical positions of both camps and more evidence about charter schools’ performance, says a report based on discussions from a symposium.
The May symposium, held under the auspices of the National Charter School Research Project at the University of Washington and the Washington, D.C.-based Progressive Policy Institute, brought together leaders of teachers’ unions and charter schools. Report authors Paul T. Hill, Lydia Rainey, and Andrew J. Rotherham recommend that union and charter leaders produce more examples of effective partnerships, and build trust by having charter school leaders acknowledge abusive labor practices, while union leaders drop campaigns to undermine charter schools.
