A Crowded Table: Teacher Union Strength in 2026
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| Title: | A Crowded Table: Teacher Union Strength in 2026 |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Melissa Arnold Lyon, Sandy Frost Waldron, Rebecca Jacobsen, Thomas B. Fordham Institute |
| Source: | Thomas B. Fordham Institute. 2026. |
| Availability: | Thomas B. Fordham Institute. 1701 K Street NW Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20006. Tel: 202-223-5452; Fax: 202-223-9226; e-mail: thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org; Web site: https://fordhaminstitute.org/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 61 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Sarah Scaife Foundation Achelis and Bodman Foundations The Anschutz Foundation |
| Intended Audience: | Policymakers; Researchers |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Elementary Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Unions, Teaching (Occupation), Elementary Secondary Education, Collective Bargaining, National Competency Tests, Educational Policy, Politics of Education, State Policy, Public Education, Educational Development, Influences, Educational Change, Labor Relations |
| Geographic Terms: | United States |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | National Assessment of Educational Progress |
| Abstract: | In 2012, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute released the first comprehensive state-by-state ranking of teacher union strength, a framework that has informed research and practice over the past decade and a half. This report updates and extends that analysis by addressing where teacher unions are strongest and weakest today across states. Contemporary teacher union strength across states is examined using 59 measures from publicly available datasets, public data compiled by the research team, and an original survey of education stakeholders in each state, which was fielded from June to October 2025. Using these data, all 50 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) are ranked both overall and within five core areas: (1) Resources and Membership; (2) Involvement in Politics; (3) Labor and Bargaining Policies; (4) Policy Wins and Losses; and (5) Perceived Influence. The rankings capture each state's teacher union strength relative to other states, not strength in absolute terms. Collectively, they demonstrate that teacher union strength is multidimensional: States can have favorable laws but weak membership or can have strong perceived influence despite limited resources. Rather than treating teacher unions as a monolith, these rankings help to understand variation in the ways that teacher unions hold and exert influence across states, providing policymakers, advocates, and researchers with new knowledge on where and how teacher unions shape public education in the United States. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | ED681225 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | In 2012, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute released the first comprehensive state-by-state ranking of teacher union strength, a framework that has informed research and practice over the past decade and a half. This report updates and extends that analysis by addressing where teacher unions are strongest and weakest today across states. Contemporary teacher union strength across states is examined using 59 measures from publicly available datasets, public data compiled by the research team, and an original survey of education stakeholders in each state, which was fielded from June to October 2025. Using these data, all 50 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) are ranked both overall and within five core areas: (1) Resources and Membership; (2) Involvement in Politics; (3) Labor and Bargaining Policies; (4) Policy Wins and Losses; and (5) Perceived Influence. The rankings capture each state's teacher union strength relative to other states, not strength in absolute terms. Collectively, they demonstrate that teacher union strength is multidimensional: States can have favorable laws but weak membership or can have strong perceived influence despite limited resources. Rather than treating teacher unions as a monolith, these rankings help to understand variation in the ways that teacher unions hold and exert influence across states, providing policymakers, advocates, and researchers with new knowledge on where and how teacher unions shape public education in the United States. |
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