Educational Sector Is Often Approached

¶ … educational sector is often approached in the academic community due to the role it plays in the formation of the future generations. A distinctive point of interest in the assessment of the education system is represented by the role of unions. Paul Manna approaches the subject through the lenses of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and finds that the Act can generate both opportunities as well as threats for the educators.

"Overall, […] NCLB's multifaceted content and its demanding implementation requirements present opportunities and potential threats to teacher unions as they attempt to advance their members' interests" (Manna).

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 deals with complex issues relevant to education and unions, such as the requirements for teachers, the testing of students and teachers, the progress assessments and so on. The act also approaches the issues of collective bargaining, but does so in a highly generalist manner, and only states that the act does not interfere with previously accepted and promoted rules and regulations of collective bargaining. In other words, the No Child Left Behind Act does not modify or add new data on collective bargaining, but preserves the status quo and prolongs the problems existent in this segment (Gewertz).

"Nothing in this section shall be construed to alter or otherwise affect the rights, remedies and procedures afforded school or school district employees under Federal, State or local laws {including applicable regulations or court orders} or under the terms of collective bargaining agreements, memoranda of understanding, or other agreements between such employees and their employers" (Manna).

But the topic of collective bargaining remains a complex matter and policy venues are created to help resolve various situations. The emergence of these venues is pegged to the decentralization of the American educational system and some solutions to resolving the problems include the delegation chains or the policy networks. These techniques gather information and create networks of people and they help promote the interests of the unions at the level of policy making.

In terms of the future, this is difficult to foresee. Nonetheless, a feature which gains more and more popularity is the possibility for the No Child Left Behind Act to further increase the bargaining powers of the teacher and their unions. In such a context then, the policy making process would be more influenced by the teachers' unions.

At the same level of impasses which need resolution, Joan E. Pynes and Joan M. Lafferty take a more distant approach. Unlike Paul Manna, who emphasizes on the specifics of the NCLB act, Pynes and Lafferty take a more objective stand to the problems in the public sector and create a list of the means to be used in resolving impasses; their approach is more distant and more education, without revealing opinions or implications.