NYSUT Division of Research and Educational Services Files

New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) was created in 1972 by the merger of the New York State Teachers Association (NYSTA) and the United Teachers of New York (UTNY). NYSTA had been affiliated with the National Education Association (NEA), and UTNY with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). UTNY was the statewide organization whose United Federation of Teachers (UFT), led by Albert Shanker, was the predominant teachers’ union in New York City. In joining with United Teachers and affiliating with the AFT, NYSUT also became a member union of the AFL-CIO.

In 1976, NYSUT voted to disaffiliate with the NEA. Some locals left NYSUT and created the NYEA (New York Educators Association), which became the state affiliate for the NEA. In the early 1980s, NYEA changed its name to NEA-NY.

NYEA/NEA-NY viewed association with the AFL-CIO’s industrial unions as undermining the professional image and independence of teachers. The two organizations also differed strongly on aspects of the governance structure, particularly with respect to ethnic minority representation, with NYSUT opposed to mandatory minimums. The rivalry between NYSUT and NYEA/NEA-NY in organizing new locals expended a great deal of resources for both labor organizations.

While competition with NYEA/NEA-NY was a constant focus of NYSUT’s organizing efforts for teachers, NYSUT was also organizing college faculty members, nurses, and other non-teaching personnel. Once members were organized, NYSUT continued to advocate for teachers’ and other workers’ rights through contract support and legal services at the local level and political involvement at the state and federal levels, supporting candidates and legislation that protected funding, due process, and working conditions.

NEA-N Y merged with NYSUT in 2006, by which time NYSUT had grown to more than half a million members, becoming the largest union in New York State.

The Division of Research and Educational Services was created in 1974-75 from the merger of three departments, the Research Department, the Professional Services Department, and the Instructional Improvement Department.

The Department of Instructional Improvement was funded in part by a federal grant; when the grant money was discontinued in 1973, it was merged with the Research Department. The Professional Services Department was a small group that worked on policies related to certification and teacher issues and also coordinated statewide teacher conferences mandated by education law, and merged with the Research Department during the same time period. The head of the Research Department, Charles Santelli, became the director of the merged Research and Instructional Improvement Department. The name was changed shortly thereafter, in 1974-75, to the Division of Research and Educational Services.

The division was placed under the purview of the Second Vice President, Antonia Cortese (in 1985, Cortese was elected First Vice President). Charles Santelli remained the director of the division until his retirement in September of 2010. Dan Kinley took over for Santelli and remains head of the department as of 2011.

The department works closely with NYSUT's Field Services, Program Services, and Legislation departments and provides support to NYSUT's committees and task forces. It provides information on salary and contracts, statistics, New York state learning standards, assessments, graduation requirements and accountability systems, special education, professional development, financial support of public education, and higher education. The department regularly designs and analyzes phone and internet surveys of members and the general public. It also prepares Information Bulletins and Briefing Bulletins on emerging educational issues at the state and federal level.