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A Crowded Table: Teacher Union Strength in 2026

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Title: A Crowded Table: Teacher Union Strength in 2026
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
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  Data: 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/
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  Data: 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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      – Text: English
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        PageCount: 61
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Unions
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Teaching (Occupation)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Elementary Secondary Education
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      – SubjectFull: Collective Bargaining
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      – SubjectFull: National Competency Tests
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      – SubjectFull: Educational Policy
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      – SubjectFull: Politics of Education
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      – SubjectFull: State Policy
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      – SubjectFull: Public Education
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      – SubjectFull: Educational Development
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      – SubjectFull: Influences
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      – SubjectFull: Labor Relations
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      – SubjectFull: United States
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      – SubjectFull: National Assessment of Educational Progress
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