This study involved an evaluation of teacher experiences within their districts, schools, and unions across the United States. The primary research question was: How are teachers currently experiencing the relationship between their unions, districts, and administrators and what opportunities exist to improve cooperation and shared ownership between those groups? The study used a mixed methods approach by gathering quantitative data in the form of a survey and qualitative data through open-ended responses on the survey as well as interviews with seven teachers. The results formed a general understanding of the current state of teacher experiences that was then applied to better understand Chicago as a case study and the at times contentious relationship between the teachers union and district. Finally, recommendations were made for policy and leadership to promote cooperation and shared ownership among teachers, unions, principals, and district leaders, including trust building strategies, engagement efforts, and fiscal sustainability.
","abstract_html":"<p>This study involved an evaluation of teacher experiences within their districts, schools, and unions across the United States. The primary research question was: How are teachers currently experiencing the relationship between their unions, districts, and administrators and what opportunities exist to improve cooperation and shared ownership between those groups? The study used a mixed methods approach by gathering quantitative data in the form of a survey and qualitative data through open-ended responses on the survey as well as interviews with seven teachers. The results formed a general understanding of the current state of teacher experiences that was then applied to better understand Chicago as a case study and the at times contentious relationship between the teachers union and district. Finally, recommendations were made for policy and leadership to promote cooperation and shared ownership among teachers, unions, principals, and district leaders, including trust building strategies, engagement efforts, and fiscal sustainability.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Fink, Whitney"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ed.D. Doctor of Education","degree_level":"Dissertation - Public Access","degree_discipline":"Educational Leadership","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr Angela Elkordy","Dr Cheryl Watkins","Dr Todd Price"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2024-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:12Z","subjects":["teachers unions","union-management cooperation","cooperation","union relationships","educational leadership"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/776","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr Angela Elkordy","Dr Cheryl Watkins","Dr Todd Price"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Fink, Whitney"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-10-24T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educational Leadership"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Public Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["teachers unions","union-management cooperation","cooperation","union relationships","educational leadership"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/776"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This study involved an evaluation of teacher experiences within their districts, schools, and unions across the United States. The primary research question was: How are teachers currently experiencing the relationship between their unions, districts, and administrators and what opportunities exist to improve cooperation and shared ownership between those groups? The study used a mixed methods approach by gathering quantitative data in the form of a survey and qualitative data through open-ended responses on the survey as well as interviews with seven teachers. The results formed a general understanding of the current state of teacher experiences that was then applied to better understand Chicago as a case study and the at times contentious relationship between the teachers union and district. Finally, recommendations were made for policy and leadership to promote cooperation and shared ownership among teachers, unions, principals, and district leaders, including trust building strategies, engagement efforts, and fiscal sustainability.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Cooperative Pathways: Insights from Teacher Experiences on Improving Union and District Cooperation"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr Angela Elkordy","Dr Cheryl Watkins","Dr Todd Price"],"dc:creator":["Fink, Whitney"],"dc:date.available":["2023-10-24T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This study involved an evaluation of teacher experiences within their districts, schools, and unions across the United States. The primary research question was: How are teachers currently experiencing the relationship between their unions, districts, and administrators and what opportunities exist to improve cooperation and shared ownership between those groups? The study used a mixed methods approach by gathering quantitative data in the form of a survey and qualitative data through open-ended responses on the survey as well as interviews with seven teachers. The results formed a general understanding of the current state of teacher experiences that was then applied to better understand Chicago as a case study and the at times contentious relationship between the teachers union and district. Finally, recommendations were made for policy and leadership to promote cooperation and shared ownership among teachers, unions, principals, and district leaders, including trust building strategies, engagement efforts, and fiscal sustainability.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/776"],"dc:subject":["teachers unions","union-management cooperation","cooperation","union relationships","educational leadership"],"dc:title":["Cooperative Pathways: Insights from Teacher Experiences on Improving Union and District Cooperation"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Educational Leadership"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Public Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:12Z"}