cover image: Labor Relations in California As Seen by Members of the Association of California School Administrators: A Survey Conducted by the Far West Laboratory.

Labor Relations in California As Seen by Members of the Association of California School Administrators: A Survey Conducted by the Far West Laboratory.

In May 1985, the Representative Assembly of the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) adopted a resolution calling for a comprehensive review of labor relations among teachers, school boards, and school management. The Far West Laboratory was engaged to design a survey of ACSA members. A questionnaire was designed and circulated to a 25 percent random sample of active ACSA members (3,105 administrators) in November 1986. The usable response rate was 1,275, or 10.3 percent of the active ACSA membership. The questionnaire consisted of 97 questions covering 11 areas of labor relations practice, experience, and opinion. The data demonstrate that administrators are broadly experienced with the basic elements of labor relations: proposal development, negotiations, contract administration, and grievance resolution. However, considerable confusion was found concerning the "confidential employee" concept and the identity of the chief management spokesperson in teacher negotiations. Many administrators disclosed knowledge gaps regarding negotiations history and contract content. Administrators seemed less troubled than expected by collective bargaining. Although unenthusiastic about collective bargaining's contribution to education, administrators do feel that cooperation is possible and that teacher organizations could provide significant leadership in schools. Further examination of interrelationships among responses, such as the "trust syndrome" covered in this report, is recommended. Two appendices contain the survey instrument and data tables. (MLH)

Authors

Mitchell, Douglas E.

Authorizing Institution
Far West Lab. for Educational Research and Development, San Francisco, CA.
Location
California
Peer Reviewed
F
Publication Type
['Reports - Research', 'Tests/Questionnaires']
Published in
United States of America
Sponsor
Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC.

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