Comparative Analysis of Teachers' Rights Protection of U.S. Teachers' Unions -Focusing on the Cases of the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association-

The purpose of this study is to comparatively analyze teacher protection plans of two major teacher unions of the United States, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, and to propose ways to enhance teachers’ rights in the current education in Korea. To achieve this, we analyze official documents published by AFT and NEA and set up comparative analysis framework based on these documents, such as legal status, protections of teaching, protections of political activities, and professional development. This study finds out that both AFT and NEA tend to represent teachers’ rights and responsibilities as professional works in society in a concrete manner rather than in a comprehensive and abstract manner. Furthermore, they defin teachers as both workers and professionals, viewing the development of teachers’ competenticies as an area of public support rather than individual responsibilities, and provide a systematic system for self-development. In conclusion, this study suggests that Korean teachers’ unions have to reorganize details of teachers’ rights and strenthen policy responses to improve its professional development systems.