INTERVIEWS WERE HELD WITH SUPERINTENDENTS AND TEACHERS IN A SELECTED SAMPLE OF 16 SCHOOL DISTRICTS, DRWN FROM A NATIONWIDE LIST OF 108 DISTRICTS WITH HISTORIES OF COLLECTIVE NEGOTIATIONS, TO STUDY THE VIABILITY OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AT THE LOCAL LEVEL AS A MEANS FOR DETERMINING WAGES AND WORKING CONDITIONS OF PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS. BECAUSE OF ITS ECONOMIC STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION, LEGAL ASPECTS, LABOR MARKET, AND TEACHER ORGANIZATIONS, THE ENVIRONMENT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION WAS REGARDED AS UNIQUE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING. SIX COMMON FEATURES OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING WERE FOUND TO BE PARTICULARLY RELATED TO PUBLIC EDUCATION--EXCLUSIVE RECOGNITION, APPROPRIATE BARGAINING UNIT, JOINT DECISIONMAKING, BARGAINING POWER, SCOPE OF BARGAINING, AND THE WRITTEN AGREEMENT. THESE SIX FEATURES WERE STUDIED WITH RESPECT TO (1) REASONS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE FEATURE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, (2) FUNCTIONAL APPROPRIATENESS IN PUBLIC EDUCATION, (3) CURRENT UTILIZATION IN PUBLIC EDUCATION, AND (4) DEGREE OF MODIFICATION NECESSARY FOR VIABILITY IN THE PUBLIC EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT. THE STUDY CONCLUDED THAT A MODIFIED FORM OF LOCAL-LEVEL COLLECTIVE BARGAINING IS VIABLE IN PUBLIC EDUCATION. NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND IN THE PRACTICAL IMPACT OF NEA AND AFT APPROACHES. THIS DOCUMENT IS PUBLISHED BY INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH UNIT, WHARTON SCHOOL OF FINANCE AND COMMERCE, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, PHILADELPHIA 19104, 288 PAGES, $8.50 CLOTHBOUND, AND $5.95 PAPERBOUND. (JK)