Collective Bargaining and the Student Achievement Gap

Tom Jacobs:

As numerous states -- most prominently Wisconsin and Ohio -- consider curtailing the collective bargaining rights of their workers, the debate has largely focused on money and power. If public employee unions are de-authorized or restricted, what impact will that have on state budgets? Tax rates? Political contests?

When it comes to teachers, however, this discussion bypasses a crucial question: What is the impact of collective bargaining on students? A study just published in the Yale Law Journal, which looks at recent, real-life experience in the state of New Mexico, provides a troubling answer.

It finds mandatory collective bargaining laws for public-school teachers lead to a welcome rise in SAT scores - and a disappointing decrease in graduation rates. Author Benjamin Lindy, a member of the Yale Law School class of 2010 and former middle-school teacher, reports that any improvements in student performance appear to come "at the expense of those who are already worse off."

Posted by Jim Zellmer at March 10, 2011 12:40 AM
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