Teacher's Work/Teachers Unions SIG 127

SIG Purpose

To provide a forum for critical research, dialogue, and collaboration about teachers’ work and teachers unions.

What is mission and/or purpose?
As members of Teachers' Work/Teachers Unions we aim to: (i) promote multi-disciplinary research of teachers’ work and teachers’ unions in both historical and contemporary contexts; (ii) provide a forum for sharing research related to teachers’ work and teachers’ unions; (iii) to support, promote, and advocate for the role of teachers and teachers unions in democratic societies, globally and locally.

Who are we?
We are a global network of teachers, teacher unionists, educational researchers, and activists. Members are concerned with K-12, higher education, and adult or informal education as well. We are a smaller community within AERA, open to mentoring and supporting each other's research and activism.

Why not join us?
We believe there is no other organization or network in the USA that brings together scholars and researchers interested in developing, promoting and sharing research of teachers’ work and teachers unions. Teachers and university academics, unionists and activists, are all involved in the SIG. If you have an interest in the organization and are eager to find a "home" within AERA, join us! Become a member today!

How can and do members get involved?
By joining the AERA SIG, Teachers' work/teachers unions, you become a voting member. You are the driving force behind elections of officers, the terms they serve, and agenda setting for the SIG.

Want to be more involved?
Run for one of three elected offices: Chair, Program Chair, and Secretary/Treasurer. You can run for elected offices with a co-collaborator too.

Each year, the SIG fields a call for papers or presentations to be presented at the AERA annual conference. Send in session or panel ideas! Send in papers and poster proposals! The more proposals to the SIG, the more opportunities our members have to present work from the field of Teachers' work and teachers' unions.

We need reviewers, session chairs, and discussants too. Again, a great way to read/hear/speak to cutting-edge research from the field and from our global network of members.

How can you stay involved?
Members are encouraged to share publications, work and award opportunities, calls for action, and calls for future publications or conference presentations related to teachers' work and teachers' unions.

Message from SIG Chair

Welcome!

It is my hope that you find this SIG a generative space where we can all contribute and learn from each other. Please consider joining our SIG and submitting proposals for the next AERA conference.

In today's sociopolitical climate, research on teachers' work and the impact of teacher unions and grassroots activist groups is of paramount importance. Coming out of the pandemic, we saw the work of teachers and unions shift in many unprecedented ways. This global event has shifted perspectives about education and resulted in an increase of right-wing attacks on teachers and education.

Therefore, it is imperative that research and work in contemporary and historical teachers' movements and the work of educators continue to be communicated in academic and public circles. This SIG aims to provide a space where these ideas can be discussed and shared.

Dr. Brianne Kramer

briannekramer@suu.edu

Awards

Teachers' Work/Teachers Unions Outstanding Student Paper Award

Award Description

This award recognizes outstanding scholarly writing by a graduate student related to teachers’ work or teachers’ unions. Graduate students at the master's and doctoral level are welcome to submit an exemplary paper (i.e., published scholarly paper and/or final or full AERA papers presented at AERA) that explores teacher's work and/or teachers unions. We seek to recognize a student whose scholarship provides a significant contribution to the field of teacher’s work and teachers unions. We invite nominees to submit a paper accepted for submission at the Annual Meeting for this award.

Rationale for Establishing the Award

This award seeks to recognize recent exemplary scholarship by a graduate student who demonstrates recent exceptional scholarly writing. The work of teachers and unions continues to be a vital area for educational research, thus we seek to recognize graduate student scholarship in this field that makes a significant contribution. Teacher's work is broadly understood as comprising of the day-to-day work of teachers, the contexts of teaching, various characterizations of teaching, and teacher's working conditions. Unions include the national, state, and local organizations vested with the authority to negotiate on behalf of teachers through collective bargaining. As scholars working in the field of teacher education and research, we recognize the need for an award that highlights scholarly work in this area as it is often invisible within the larger focus on pedagogy and curriculum. Given the SIG's focus on teacher's work and teachers unions, this award speaks to our mission and supports our effort to recognize student work.

Eligibility Requirements

Nominees must be currently enrolled in graduate school when the submission was written/presented.
Membership in the SIG is not required.
Nominations are encouraged from domestic and international graduate scholars.

Submission Requirements

Applicants must submit their paper along with their resume or CV.
Submissions consist of a peer-reviewed, published article or book chapter or final version of an AERA paper presented at AERA in the past two years that is 3000-7000 words.
Nomination materials should be emailed to the awards committee chair.

Selection Criteria

Submissions will be assessed based on the following criteria:

Contribution to the field of teachers' work and/or unions
Theoretical framework
Methodological approach
Overall written quality

Nomination-to-award Timeline

Deadline for Submissions: December 1
Winner Notification/Confirmation: February 15th
Decision announced to members via Teachers’ work / Teachers Unions’ email listserv, posted to the SIG Facebook page, and through AERA award notification SIG Annual Business Meeting within 48 hours of winner confirmation.

2024 Award Committee Members

TBD

Teachers' Work/Teachers Unions Outstanding Student Paper Award

Award Description

We seek to recognize outstanding scholarly writing by an educator related to teachers’ work or teachers’ unions. This award is offered in memory of Chicago Teacher Union Leader, Karen Lewis whose revolutionary leadership helped redefine social justice and community unionism, through her tireless struggles for the schools Chicago’s children deserve. Education scholars and unionists producing exemplary scholarly work about teacher's work and/or teachers union are encouraged to submit their work.

Rationale for Establishing the Award

This award seeks to recognize recent exemplary scholarship by an education scholar, in honor of the legacy and memory of Karen Lewis. A leader in the Chicago Teachers Union, Karen Lewis insisted on fighting for "the schools our children deserve". In honor of the woman who, alongside her broader union and the educational justice movement, helped redefine social justice union leadership, this award recognizes an education scholar who demonstrates recent exceptional scholarly writing. The work of teachers and unions continues to be a vital area for educational research, thus we seek to recognize scholarship in this field that makes a significant contribution. Given the recent passing of Karen Lewis, this award is needed to further her work and legacy by recognizing the scholarship of educators who extend her vision of fighting for schools all children deserve.

Eligibility Requirements

Submissions will consist of a peer-reviewed scholarly article or book chapter published within the past three calendar years that makes a significant contribution to scholarship on teachers' work or teachers unions. Membership in the SIG is not required in order to be nominated for this award. Students are not eligible for this award. Student nominations are encouraged for the Teacher's Work Teachers Union Outstanding Student Paper Award.

Submission Requirements

Submissions will be 6,000-12,000 words in length.
Nominees should have a minimum of three years experience working in an education or teacher related field including P-12, higher education, and local, state, or national union organization.
Nominees should have either a master's degree or doctoral degree.
Nominations are encouraged from both domestic and international scholars and unionists.

Selection Criteria

The evaluation rubric will address the following criteria:

Contribution to the field of teacher's work and/or unions
Theoretical/Conceptual framework
Methodological approach
Overall written quality

Nomination-to-award Timeline

Deadline for Submissions: December 1
Winner Notification/Confirmation: February 15th
Decision announced to members via Teachers’ work / Teachers Unions’ email listserv, posted to the SIG Facebook page, and through AERA award notification SIG Annual Business Meeting within 48 hours of winner confirmation.
2024 Award Committee Members TBD