Unionization and Productivity: Evidence from Charter Schools

Arbeitspapier

This paper studies the relationship between teacher unionization and student achievement. Generally stable patterns of teacher unionization since the 1970s have historically presented challenges in measuring the effects of unionization on educational production. However, the blossoming of the charter school sector in recent decades provides fertile ground for study because while most charters are non-union, teachers at some charters have unionized. Using a generalized difference-in-difference approach combining California union certification data with student achievement data from 2003-2012, we find that, aside from a one-year dip in achievement associated with the unionization process itself, unionization does not affect student achievement.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 7887

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Analysis of Education ; Public Sector Labor Markets ; Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity ; State and Local Government: Health; Education; Welfare; Public Pensions ; Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
• Subject: teacher ; labor union ; student achievement ; charter school ; education ; labor productivity

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Hart, Cassandra M. D. ; Sojourner, Aaron J.
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2014

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/89840
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:41 AM CET