It is unfathomable that, in light of recent efforts to close the student achievement gap, the body of research examining the impact of collective bargaining by teachers on public education is so scant. What are the facts and how do we find them? Hannaway and Rotherham rightly raise the issue and put forth real alternatives. — Andrew L. Stern, President, Service Employees International Union

School districts and unions are among the most conservative institutions left in our country. Their reluctance to budge from the status quo and their fierce resistance to competition adversely impact student achievement, teacher quality, and fiscal equity. Hannaway and Rotherham confront the 800-pound obstacle to renewing public education and set the stage for a vigorous debate that is long overdue. — Alan Bersin, California Secretary of Education

We have waited decades for such a comprehensive overview of collective bargaining and teachers unions. A fascinating mixture of solid empirical studies and balanced, informed debate. — Mike Kirst, Professor of Education and Business Administration, Stanford University

This volume moves teacher collective bargaining from the sidelines to the center of the policy debate over public education. Its contributors fill the spectrum from those who want to weaken or eliminate union power to those who want to strengthen and reform it. As the editors note, the book started with a conversation; it will stimulate many more. — Charles Taylor Kerchner, Hollis P. Allen Professor of Education, Claremont Graduate University