Administrative Expansion in Public Schools: The Role of Unions in Resource Allocation and Student Performance

ABSTRACT Why have student outcomes deteriorated so much in the United States? This paper explores the role of unions in educational resource allocation. Using data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and the American Community Survey (ACS), we estimate the relationship between unionization and staffing patterns, controlling for a wide array of local demographic and economic characteristics and year fixed effects. We find a robust positive relationship between union density and staff‐to‐student ratios, as well as a negative effect of right‐to‐work (RTW) laws on these ratios, driven largely by the expansion of administrative and support roles, rather than teachers. Furthermore, the expansion of these ratios also predicts the deterioration in math and reading scores, particularly among 8th graders, across states over time. Related Articles Ertas, N. 2015. “Policy Narratives and Public Opinion Concerning Charter Schools.” Politics & Policy 43, no. 3: 426–451. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12120 . Holyoke, T. T. 2022. “Path Dependence and Resistance to It in Public Policies: The Case of Charter School Policies in the United States.” Politics & Policy 50, no. 6: 1203–1220. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12506 . Mallinson, D. J., and D. Lovell. 2022. “Race to the Top and the Diffusion of State Education Intervention Policy in the American States.” Politics & Policy 50, no. 6: 1221–1240. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12508 .