Labor Management Collaboration District Case Studies Accessible 0

8/4/2019 Labor Management Collaboration District Case Studies Accessible 0

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LocalLaborManagementRelationshipsasaVehicletoAdvance

Reform:

FindingsfromtheU.S.DepartmentofEducationsLaborManagement

Conference

JonathanEckert

and

BobbiCirizaHoutchens,AnteroGarcia,NicholasGreer,EditKhachatryan,JamesLiou,Steve

Owens,LeahRaphael,ElaineRomero,KatieTaylor, JasmineUlmer,TraceyVanDusen,Linda

Yaron

Citeas:

Eckert,J.(Ed.).(2011).Locallabormanagementrelationshipsasavehicletoadvancereform:

Findingsfrom

the

U.S.

Department

of

Educations

labor

management

conference.

Washington,

DC:U.S.DepartmentofEducation.

Acknowledgements:

Theauthorswouldliketothankthedistrictleadersofeachofthepresentingdistrictsfortheir

opennessandwillingnesstosharetheirchallengesandsuccesses.Theircandorandgenerosity

withtheirtimemakethesecasestudiesuseful.Wewouldalsoliketoacknowledgethesupport

ofU.S.DepartmentofEducationstafffororganizingtheconferenceandprovidinghelpful

supportthrough

this

process.

Joanne

Weiss,

Brad

Jupp,

Jo

Anderson,

and

Michelle

Bissonnette

wereparticularlyinstrumentalinmakingthesecasestudiespossible.


2/57

SummaryofFindings

InFebruary2011,theU.S.DepartmentofEducation(ED)alongwithcosponsorsfromtheAmerican

AssociationofSchoolAdministrators,theAmericanFederationofTeachers,theCounciloftheGreatCity

Schools,theFederalMediationandConciliationService,theNationalEducationAssociation,andthe

NationalSchoolBoardsAssociationbroughttogetherover150schooldistrictsataconferencecalled

AdvancingStudentAchievementThroughLaborManagementCollaboration. Inordertoattend,a

teamcomposedofthesuperintendent,thepresidentofthelocalboardofeducation,andthepresident

ofthelocalteacherorganizationallmadeacommitmenttoworktogethertocreateordeepenalabor

managementrelationshipfocusedonadvancingstudentlearning.Twelvedistrictsnoteworthyforthe

partnershipoftheirdistrict,board,andteacherorganizationfacilitatedconversationswithdistrict

leadersandothersinattendanceattheconference.Individualdistrictbackgroundandprofilesofthe

progressmadeimprovingstudentperformanceresultsaswellasasummaryofthesignificantpolicy

progressthecollaboratingpartnershavemadetogethercanbefoundattheU.S.Departmentof

EducationWebsitehttp://www.ed.gov/labormanagementcollaboration/conference/district

backgroundinformation.The12districtswere:

ABCUnifiedSchoolDistrict,California BaltimoreCityPublicSchools,Maryland DenverPublicSchools,Colorado DouglasCountySchoolDistrict,Colorado GreenDotPublicSchools,California HelenaPublicSchools,Montana HillsboroughCountyPublicSchools,Florida MontgomeryCountyPublicSchools,Maryland NewHavenPublicSchools,Connecticut PlattsburghCitySchoolDistrict,NewYork IndependentSchoolDistrict15St.Francis,Minnesota WinstonSalem/ForsythCountySchools,NorthCarolina

Inthecasestudiesthatfollow,weattempttocapturewhatthesenoteworthylocalpartnershipshave

accomplishedand,moreimportantly,howtheyaccomplishedit.EDcommissionedpresentandformer

TeachingAmbassadorFellows,teachersselectedforoneyearleadershipassignments,toconductthis

work.Thefellowsusedinterviews,documentanalysis,anddigitalaudiorecordingsofpresentations

madebydistrictleaderstolearnfromtheopportunitiesandchallenges,thesuccessesandmisstepsof

these12districtpartnerships.Thisintroductionisasynthesisofthepatternsinboththeworkbeing

donebythedistrictsandhowtheyaredoingit.

Severalopportunitiesandlimitationsarepresentinthedistrictstudiesthatshouldbetakeninto

considerationwhen

reading

them.

First,

ED

demonstrated

acommitment

to

practitioners

by

selecting

teachersthathaveapolicybackgroundtotellthestoryofthesenoteworthydistricts.Thispractitioner

lensprovidesdepthandrichnesstothecasestudiesbutmustbeacknowledgedastheperspectiveof

theauthors.Second,wehadexcellentaccesstotoplevelleadershipineachofthesedistrictsaswellas

theirstudentachievementdata,butfewoftheresearcherswereabletospendtimeinthedistrictsthey

studiedortalktorankandfilefacultyorstaff.Additionalexplorationoftheperspectivesofteachers

andstaffinthesedistrictswouldbevaluablebutbeyondthescopeofthiscurrentproject.Third,the

selectionprocessforthe12noteworthydistrictsoccurredaftermuchthoughtfuldebatebetweenthe
http://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaborationhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/district-background-informationhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/district-background-informationhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/district-background-informationhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/district-background-informationhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/district-background-informationhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/district-background-informationhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/district-background-informationhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/district-background-informationhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/district-background-informationhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/district-background-informationhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/district-background-informationhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration


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sponsoringorganizations.Thisdemonstratestheinterorganizationalcredibilityofthe12districts,but

theselectionprocesswasnotbasedonacriteriaormethodologythatmightbeusedinarigorous

researchdesign.

Thisintroductionwillbrieflyexaminewhatthedistrictsaredoingandmoreimportantly,howtheyare

doingit.Thisisnotintendedtobeatemplateforreplication;instead,thisshouldbeviewedasresource

tostimulate

ideas,

catalyze

action,

and

inform

thoughtful

conversations

about

how

best

to

support

studentlearning.

Whataredistrictsdoing?

The12districtsdemonstratethreedominanttrendsofactivity:teacherevaluation,compensation,and

careerdevelopment.Thesetrendsmaybedueinparttoincentives,suchasstateorfederalgrant

programs,orotherexternalreformpressures.GrantprogramssuchasMinnesotasQCompprogram

andEDsTeacherIncentiveFundhavesupportedeffortstotryinnovativewaystobetteralignresources

forstudentlearning.Theexternalfundinghasalloweddistrictstoexperimentinwaysthatmightnot

havebeenpossibleusingdistrictfunds.

Forseveral

of

the

districts,

these

policies

developed

over

the

course

of

four

decades.

For

others,

that

progressoccurredinlessthanfouryears.Eightofthe12districtstracetheircollaborationbacktoa

crisispoint,typicallyastrikeorpotentialstrike,whichmarkedalowpointinthelabormanagement

relationshipthatprovedtobeacatalystfordevelopingpolicies,processes,anddispositionsthatledto

moreproductiverelationships.Collaborationinall12districtsresultedinpoliciesaroundevaluation,

compensation,andcareeradvancement.Itisabodyofinnovationthatdefiesgeneralization,often

uniquelyadaptedtolocalcircumstances.

EvaluationTenofthe12districtpartnershipsspecificallysetouttomaketeacherevaluationatoolforimproving

studentoutcomes.

Although

there

are

common

core

factors,

such

as

the

incorporation

of

student

growthdataasevidenceintheevaluationprocessandtheuseofoutcomesoftheevaluationtoinform

careerdecisionssuchascontinuingprobationaryemployment,tenure,andadvancement,their

approachtoimprovingteacherevaluationsystemsvarieswidely.

Atleastninedistrictteamsaligned,orareworkingtoalign,evaluation,compensation,andprofessional

developmentwithanemphasisonstudentlearning.Thedegreetowhichstudentachievementtestsare

includedinevaluationsvarieswidelyfromdistricttodistrict.DouglasCountyandDenverincludestudent

growthmeasuresas50%oftheirevaluationsofteachersasmandatedbystatestatute.Hillsborough,

NewHaven,andWinstonSalem/Forsyth,collaboratedwiththeirunionstodeterminehowvalueadded

measuresweretobeincorporatedintotheirevaluationsystems.However,ABCUnifiedandHelena

superintendentsarevocalopponentsofusingstudenttestscoresasapartofteacherevaluations.ABC

Unified,Douglas

County,

Montgomery

County,

Plattsburgh,

and

St.

Francis,

are

using

peer

evaluation

processes.Inthesesystems,teachersjoinprincipalsandotheradministratorsinassessingteacher

performance.

CompensationandcareerdevelopmentTenofthe12collaboratingdistrictsaredevelopingandimplementingperformancebasedcompensation

systems.Herethecommonfactorsaretelling.Alltenintegratestudentperformancedata,eitheratthe


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classroomorschoollevel.Inmostcases,theyphasedinthesepaysystemsslowlyandallowedteachers

theoptionofremainingonthetraditionalsalaryscheduleiftheyhadacertainnumberofyearsof

experience.Newteachersareautomaticallyinductedintothenewcompensationstructure.To

encourageteacherstooptintothenewsystems,districtsdevelopednewsalarystructureswithhigher

earningpotential.

Formany

of

the

districts,

including

Baltimore,

Denver,

Douglas

County,

Helena,

and

St.

Francis,

compensationreformispartofabroaderefforttorethinktheteachingprofession.Baltimoreseffort

servesasanexample.There,thedistrictpartnersestablishedthroughtheirlaboragreementongoing

structurestoensureshareddecisionmakingaroundcompensationandcareerdevelopment.Theyare

committedtoeliminatingsalaryincreasesbasedsolelyonadvanceddegreesandaredevelopingfour

careerpathwaysforteachers.Negotiationsarounddeterminingateachersplacementincareerpaths

werecontentiousattimes,butagreementwasreachedwhenthenegotiationteamagreedtoconsider

multiplefactors,includingadvanceddegrees,yearsofexperience,andateachersevaluationhistoryfor

placementinthesefourcareerpathways.Theiragreementgoessofarastoincludeteacher

representationindecisionmakingaboutresourceallocations.Denverengagedover250schoolleaders,

teachers,parentsandstudentstoprovideinputandfeedbackontheirteacherperformanceassessment

system.Douglas

County

uses

asimilar

group

to

continue

to

inform

its

teacher

evaluation

system.

Helena

andSt.Francisalsouseteamsofteacherstoexaminebroadissuesofinstructionalimprovementto

makerecommendationsthatdrivedistrictpolicy.Ultimately,thesedistrictshavenegotiatedstructures

tosustainprofessionallearningcommunitiesatscale.

OthercollaborativepolicyinitiativesInadditiontotheseareasofcommonactivity,thecollaboratingdistrictsarecreatingpocketsof

innovationsinotherfields: strategicdirectionsetting,sharedresponsibilityforstudentoutcomes,

professionalgrowthanddevelopmentofteachers,transferandreassignment,reductioninforce,the

evaluationofprincipalsandadministrators,theevaluationofschoolboards,employeebenefits,and

dynamicproblemsolving.AnalysisoftheirprogressisavailableinadocumentcalledGuidingPrinciples

inAction,

at

the

conference

Web

site.

In

these

other

areas,

innovation

is

much

more

divergent.

For

example,thereareveryfewexamplesofprogressonadministratorandschoolboardevaluationsor

employeebenefits.Additionally,workontyingstudentachievement,particularlytoteachersinsubjects

andgradesnotcoveredbystatestandardizedtests,isnascentinmanyofthedistricts.Furthermore,

withtheexceptionofHillsboroughCounty,mostdistrictsaredoinglittletodevelopformativeand

summativeassessmentsorothermeasuresthatmightprovidearobusttoolfordeterminingstudent

growth.Thismaybebecauseall12districtsreportthattheyaredoingmuchoftheirworkinisolation

withlittletransferofknowledgeintoandoutofthedistrict.

Howaredistrictsdoingit?

At

the

same

time

they

are

making

progress

on

policy

issues,

the

12

collaborating

districts

are

creating

newwaysofdoingbusiness.Theyarerethinkingtheirorganizations,andcreatingnewstructuresand

processesforgettingworkdoneaspartners.Asleadersinthefield,thecollaboratingpartnersareusing

anddevelopingdistinctiveknowledge,skills,anddispositionstoaccomplishtheirworktogether.Eightof

the12districtshaveestablishedfoundationalcommitmentsintheformofjointstatementsinfavorof

collaboration.All12ofthedistrictsdemonstrateasharedcommitmenttogoalsandtransparencythatis

atypicalformostdistricts.Astheygoforward,thesedistrictsarecreatingabodyofknowledgethatcan

serveasanexampleforotherdistrictstryingtotakestepsinthesamedirection.
http://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/principles-actionhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/principles-actionhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/principles-actionhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/principles-actionhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/principles-actionhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/principles-action


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StructuresandprocessesThecollaboratingdistrictsarebeginningtodotheirworkdifferently,ofteninwaysthatfundamentally

breakwithtradition.Theyarerethinkingsharedpolicymakingprocessessuchascollectivebargaining

andmeetandconfersettings,asvehiclestoaddressmoretraditionalissues,suchaswagesand

benefits.Theyoftenbeginwithasharedcommitmentinprinciplethatplacesimprovedstudentlearning

andclosing

achievement

gaps

as

an

explicit

priority

for

their

work

together.

More

often

than

not,

these

commitmentsreaffirmfairnessintheworkplaceanddeveloptheprofessionalfoundationforteaching

andteacherleadership,aswell.Teacherleadershipisessentialtodynamicdecisionmaking.St.Francis

usesaTeacherAcademyasapipelineofteacherleadershipandasthecornerstoneofitsinduction,

mentoring,professionaldevelopment,andcompensation.Similarly,Plattsburghusesteachersonthe

DistrictWideEducationalImprovementCounciltorecommendchangesincurrenteducationpolicies,

discusseducationalchangesinthedistrictpriortoimplementation,andprovidefordialoguebetween

theunion,theadministrationandtheboard,allowinginputbytheprofessionalstaffondistrictwide

matters. Denverusescommitteesandfocusgroupsofasmanyas250schoolleaders,teachers,parents,

andstudentstofacilitatereformsinteacherevaluationpolicy.Thebargainingagreementalsobecomes

aplacetomakeanexplicitpolicycommitmenttosharedprojectsthatimproveteachingandlearning,

suchas

the

professional

development

initiatives

being

undertaken

in

Douglas

County

and

St.

Francis.

Thesenewagreementsoftenleadtothedevelopmentofneworganizationalstructures.Manyofthe

districtsemployjointcentraloversightbodiesthatservetointerpretpoliciesandmanagetheexecution

ofsharedprojects.Inthiswaylaborandmanagementmovepasttheirtraditionalrolesandtakeupa

sharedstakeinthesuccessfulimplementationofjointinitiatives.NewHavencreatedreformtables

whereteachers,principals,andotherpractitionersaddressbroadrangingissuesandconcernssuchas

compensation,evaluation,studentachievement,andcareerpaths.Thesereformtablesareplaces

whereallpartiesexaminedifficultissues,withthecommonunderstandingthatthoseconversationswill

notreplaceorbeusedintheconcurrentnegotiations,butinsteadcreateopenspaceforformative

dialoguewheresolutionscanbediscussedbeforetheybecomeaproposal.Throughthesereformtables,

NewHavenextendstheflexibilityoftheirpoliciestoprovidehigherachievingschoolsahigherlevelof

individualschool

flexibility.

Many

of

the

collaborating

districts

take

shared

decision

making

to

adeeper

level.Theyalsoreportcreatingworkgroupsordesignteamswithspecificchargestodevelopand

implementreforminitiatives,suchasevaluationpilots,professionaldevelopmentcenters,career

ladders,andperformancemeasures.

Thesenewstructures,inturn,createinnovativeworkprocesses.Manydistricts,suchasDouglasCounty,

Helena,andMontgomeryCounty,sharedecisionmakingprocessesoninstructionalandprofessional

developmentpriorities.Districtswithcommitmentstopeerreview,suchasABCUnifiedand

MontgomeryCounty,sharetheworkofsupportingstrugglingteachers.InMontgomeryCounty,this

includesdeterminingifpeerassistancehassucceededinimprovingteachingperformanceenoughto

retainateacherinthedistrict.Anumberofdistricts,includingBaltimore,Denver,GreenDot,and

Hillsborough

County

have

worked

jointly

on

high

stakes

federal

or

philanthropic

grant

competitions.

The

proposaldraftingprocessleadstocarefullycraftedjointdecisionsand,whentheproposalissuccessful,

sometimesleadstosharedownershipofadministrationofthegrant.Thesenewprocessesextend

beyondthetraditionallimitsofcollectivebargaining.Theyexpandthescopeofbargainingto

educationalissues,changethetoneofbargainingfromadversarialtocollaborative,andusebargaining

asanalmostcontinuousprocessofshareddecisionmakingfocusedultimatelyonimprovingstudent

learning.


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Somedistrictsaredevelopingtechnologybasedstructuresandprocessestopromoteandsupporttheir

jointefforts.DouglasCountyisdevelopinghardwareandsoftwaresystemsthatwillsupporttheirnew

evaluationandcompensationsystems.HillsboroughCountyisdevelopingdatasystemsaswellasan

assessmentsystemthatwillprovidethebasisofavalueaddedsystembeingdevelopedbythe

UniversityofWisconsin.Additionally,Hillsboroughusesadistrictemailbox,Website,dailypopupe

mailsfromthesuperintendent,andshortsurveyprobestodisseminateandcollectinformation.

Thedecisionmakingstructuresinthesedistrictsoverlapwiththeprocessestodrivethelabor

managementrelationship.Collectivebargainingisviewedasavehicletoimprovestudentoutcomes.For

example,GreenDotnegotiatedacontractthatdoesnotstructuretheteacherworkdayaroundset

hours.Teachersoperatearoundaprofessionalday.Theirhoursarenotdefinedbythetimeoftheday.

Instead,teachersoptimizetheirworkscheduletobestmeettheneedsofthestudentsonasitebysite

basis.Bycentralizingsomeadministrativetasksawayfromthecampus,principalshavemoretimetobe

instructionalleaderswiththeGreenDotrequirementof50%ofprincipaltimespentinclassrooms.

Finally,almostallofthecollaborativedistrictsreportthatunderneaththeseformalstructuresand

processesarepowerfulinformalones,usuallysharedamongchiefleaders.Some,likeHillsborough

County

report

routine,

even

daily

contact

between

the

assistant

superintendent

and

union

president.

Thesearecloserelationshipsthatinvolvefrequentphonecallsandothercommunications.Atthis

table,thepartnersreportdoingmorethansimplymonitoringcompliancetothecontractorother

policy;theyworktogetherdevelopingstrategiesforsuccess.

Knowledge,skills,anddispositionsTheleadersinthese12districtsdidmorethandevelopnewpoliciesororganizationalstructures.They

steppedoutoftraditionalrolesandwereabletodevelopandputtousenewknowledge,skillsand

dispositionstobenefitstudents.

Formanycollaboratingdistrictsthisworkbeganwithdevelopingnewknowledgeandskillstoconduct

contract

negotiations.

Of

several

districts,

Montgomery

County

is

the

most

vocal

champion

of

an

interestbasedmodel,anapproachtonegotiationthatencourageslocalleaderstosetasidetraditional

positionalbehaviorandreplaceitwithnegotiationbasedonsharedunderstandingofthegoalsand

rationaleeachpartybringstothetable.LeadersinHelenaevolvedtheinterestbasedmodelintowhat

theycallconsensusbasednegotiations. Plattsburghsapproachrethinksthenatureofadministration

andtreatsitasasetoftasksratherthanagroupofpeopleontheothersideofthetable.Thisallows

themtogetpasttwosidednegotiationsandtowardjointproblemsolving.

Manydistrictsreportthesenewskillsformasharedorganizationalfoundation,whichisusedtobuild

capacitytoextendcollaborativedecisionmakingtocentralcommittees,workgroups,disputeresolution

processes,peerreviewpanels,andotherdecisionmakingsettingsbeyondthebargainingtable.Inshort,

itbecomesawayofbuildingorganizationalcapacity.Laborrelationsarenolongerconductedthrough

periodicadversarial

contract

talks,

but

ongoing

discussions

about

how

to

successfully

meet

goals

and

implementreforms.Thisdevelopsnewskillsofdelegationandbuildssystemsforcollaboration.

Manyalsomadeapointthattheyinvestedsharedeffortinlearningaboutdifficultpolicymatters

together.Sharedcommitteesonsubjectslikeperformancebasedcompensationoftenbeginwithjoint

effortstostudythefield.Theleaderspointoutthatthesharedlearningexperiencesareasmuchabout

levelingtheplayingfieldastheyareaboutdevelopingspecificsharedknowledge.Theinformalvalueis

thatteacherandadministrationleadersbecomelearnerstogetherastheyexplorethenewideas.


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Theleadersalsoemphasizetheroleotherinformalknowledgeandskillsplayintheircollaborativework.

Leadersstresshowimportantitistoknoweachotherandtheirorganizations.Theyoftentalkabout

theirsharedworkasifitwerediplomacy,andadmitthattheyshareaninterestinhelpingtomeeteach

othersorganizationalgoals.Theyalsorecognizehowimportantitistoknowthemembersoftheir

respectiveteams,especiallywhentheybeginbuildingcapacitybydelegatingwork.

Ultimatelycollaboration

does

not

replace

hard

work

with

harmony;

rather

it

provides

new

avenues

for

hardworktogetdone,inspiteofdifferences.Insomedistricts,suchasBaltimore,DouglasCounty,and

GreenDot,theleadersreportthatthecollaborationbeganwithacrisisthatprovedthattheoldwayof

doingbusinesswasinsufficient.Inothers,rangingfromDenvertoHillsboroughCountyandMontgomery

County,theyreportsustainingcollaborationthroughdifficultdisagreements.

Withoutexception,thesedistrictleaderscitefrequent,honest,andtransparentcommunication

betweenadministrationandunionasabsolutelyessential.Insteadofmakingthebudgetprocess

opaque,manyoftheboardsandadministrationshavepresentedtheirbudgetchallengestoteachersto

attempttocreativelyaddressbudgetshortfalls.

Theboards,administrations,andunionsalsotooktheseopportunitiestoensurethattheirstrategic

prioritieswere

aligned

to

ensure

that

essential

personnel

and

programs

were

supported.

Moreover,

informationisalsocollectedanddisseminatedforformativefeedbacktofacilitateshareddecision

making.WhenseverebudgetcutswerenecessaryinABCUnifiedoverthepasttwoyears,theunion

proposedfourfurloughdaystosave$6million.Noemployeesweregivenpinkslips.Thefurlough

includedallemployees,withtheschoolboardagreeingtotakeaproportionatereductionintheirown

stipends.

Inthelongrunthesecollaborativeeffortsdependedheavilyonsomebasicdispositions.The

collaborativeleaderssharedacommitmenttoeachotherandthesuccessoftheirjointgoals.Theyoften

spokeinsophisticatedtermsaboutgivingeachothercovertomakedifficultdecisions,andallowing

eachothertotakecreditforcriticalpartsofshareddecisions.Theleadersspokeeasilyabouttheir

commitment

to

improving

student

outcomes

and

the

quality

of

the

job

of

teaching.

Many

spoke

in

termsofafoundationintrust,butthatthetrustwasgroundedinongoingwork.Theyalsoreporteda

sharedcommitmenttotransparency,notonlyaboutinformationrelevanttotraditionalmattersof

contractnegotiation,suchasbudgets,butmoredifficultmatters,likeperformancemeasurement,even

topleveldecisionmaking.Theyalsospokeofresilienceandawillingnesstobendinordernottobreak

thecollaboration.Inthisway,thecollaborationbecomesasmuchaboutjointproblemsolvingand

continuousimprovementtowardsimplegoals,asitisaboutspecificpoliciesandinitiatives.Morethan

anything,thesedispositionsservetoerasethebrightlinethatexistsbetweenlaborandmanagementin

moretraditionalrelationships,andforgenewbondsaroundsharedoutcomes.

Conclusion

Inhis

closing

remarks

at

the

Labor

Management

Conference,

Secretary

of

Education

Arne

Duncan

recognizedtheproblemofscaleandcalledfortheleadersintheroomtobuildamovement.Thereare

15,000schooldistricts.If,asanation,wearetoimprovetheachievementofallstudentsandclosethe

persistentgapsbetweenlowerandhigherperformingstudents,districtleaders,boardmembers,and

teacherunionleaderswillneedtoworktogethertowardthosesharedgoals.

Wehopethesecasestudieswillstimulateandinformconversation.Oneofourpurposesistodescribe

theworkofdistrictsknownformakingearlyheadwayinthefield.Bysodoing,moredistrictswillbeable


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totakeupamorecollaborativeapproach.Anotherpurposeofthesecasestudiesistodemonstrateto

leaderswhodonotsitatthelocallabormanagementtable,whatisbeingdoneacrossthecountry,so

theycanconsiderhowtoencourageandacceleratethismovement.

Conditionscouldnotbemorechallenging.Schoolsarepressedtoprepareproductive21stcentury

citizens,whilefacingshrinkingstateandlocalbudgets.But,asmanyoftheleadersinthecollaborative

districtsassert,

they

began

their

shared

effort

to

address

acrisis.

In

response,

they

developed

new

ways

ofdoingbusinessandattainednew,moreambitiousresults.Thevalueofthesecasestudiesmaybe,

then,togalvanizeallinvolvedtomovefromislandsofinnovationtosweepingsystemicimprovement.

ThisdocumentwasproducedunderU.S.DepartmentofEducationContractNo.EDESE10O0087withJonathanEckert.Theviewsexpressed

hereindonotnecessarilyrepresentthepositionsorpoliciesoftheU.S.Department ofEducation.NoofficialendorsementbytheU.S.

Department ofEducationofanyproduct,commodity,serviceorenterprisementionedinthispublicationisintendedorshouldbeinferred.


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Wewilldisagreewithoutbeingdisagreeable.Wewillreflectoneachotherscomments,suggestions,andconcerns.Wewillseekclarificationuntilweunderstand.Wewillmaintainconfidentiality.Wewillbothownthecontract.Wewillsolveproblemsratherthanwinarguments.Wewilllaughatourselvesandwitheachother.

Ratherthanchangetheunioncontract,theunionanddistrictrelyupontheseguidingprinciples.These

dispositionalguidingprinciplesareessentialtodrivingandsustainingdistrictsuccess.Smutsstates,

Studentachievementisthebottomline.Wewontletanyonefail,notstudents,teachers,or

administrators.However,thedistrictdoesnotnecessarilyoperationalizesomeoftheseguiding

principlesthatseemtobeempirical.Whenpressedonhowthedistrictidentifiesthetopfivepercent

ofteachers,districtleadersacknowledgethatthisismetaphoricalandisnotactuallydefined.

Transparencyisimportant.Smutsstates,Wedontfightovermoney.Wedonthaveanytofightover,

buteveryone

knows

where

its

being

spent.

Following

aphilosophy

of

integrating

labor

and

managementroles,unionrepresentativesareappointedasliaisonstodistrictdepartments,are

representedondistrictcommittees,andparticipateineducationandbudgetdecisions.

StrategicPriorities

Thedistricts20102013StrategicPlanstates:

WebelievestudentsinABCshouldbeaswelleducatedasanyintheworld. Webelieveallstudentshavethecapacitytobehighachievers. Webelievepeoplearethecornerstoneofourdistrictandstudentsarethereasonwearehere.

Asaresult,ABCUSDsendsmoremoneyperstudenttoitsschoolsthansurroundingdistricts(local

comparisonofschoolsitebudgetsforfoursurroundingdistricts)eventhoughthedistrictranks43rdout

47L.A.Countyunifiedschooldistrictsinbaserevenuelimit(LosAngelesCountyOfficeofEducation

AnnualFinancialReport).Inaddition,theirstudent/teacherratioof24/1elementaryand26/1

secondaryislowerthanCaliforniasdesignatedlimit.

Schoolsareexpectedtocreatetheirownpocketsofsuccess.Anexampleofthisiswhenteachersand

leadersatFeddeMiddleSchooldecidedtoapplyforaSchoolImprovementGrant(SIG).Ricometwith

themandsaid,O.K.teachers,whatdoyouneed?HowdoyouthinkthisSIGmoneyisgoingtohelp

you?Wecouldnotmakeitaboutthemoney...Theincentivepart[teacherpayforperformance]

didntactually

come

until

the

very

end

of

negotiations.

They

saw

the

SIG

thing

as

not

punitive

...

They

werewillingtotaketheriskaboutstudentdatabecauseofthePartnership.Smutsadded,Ithinkifa

schoolwantstovolunteertodothat,Iwouldntstopthem.Thatssortofahabitinourdistrict.Andif

theyadoptagoodideaandthatschoolssuccessful...everybodyisgoingtowanttodothat.

ABCUnifiedvaluesitsteachersandfocusesonkeepingpeopleemployedwithbenefitsintact.When

severebudgetcutswerenecessaryoverthepasttwoyears,theunionproposedfourfurloughdaysto

save$6million. Noemployeesweregivenpinkslips.Thefurloughincludedallemployees,withthe
https://www.abcusd.k12.ca.us/ourpages/report_cards/secon-english/2009-10%20English%20SARC_Pharis%20F%20Fedde%20MS.pdfhttps://www.abcusd.k12.ca.us/ourpages/report_cards/secon-english/2009-10%20English%20SARC_Pharis%20F%20Fedde%20MS.pdfhttps://www.abcusd.k12.ca.us/ourpages/report_cards/secon-english/2009-10%20English%20SARC_Pharis%20F%20Fedde%20MS.pdfhttps://www.abcusd.k12.ca.us/ourpages/report_cards/secon-english/2009-10%20English%20SARC_Pharis%20F%20Fedde%20MS.pdfhttps://www.abcusd.k12.ca.us/ourpages/report_cards/secon-english/2009-10%20English%20SARC_Pharis%20F%20Fedde%20MS.pdfhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/sif/index.htmlhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/sif/index.htmlhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/sif/index.htmlhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/sif/index.htmlhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/sif/index.htmlhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/sif/index.htmlhttps://www.abcusd.k12.ca.us/ourpages/report_cards/secon-english/2009-10%20English%20SARC_Pharis%20F%20Fedde%20MS.pdf


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schoolboardagreeingtotakeaproportionatereductionintheirownstipends.Moreover,the

Partnershipbelievesthatschoolsandteachersbestunderstandthetypesofprofessionaldevelopment

needed.Teachersselectprofessionaldevelopmentinareassuchasleadershipdevelopment,data

analysis,teambuilding,communityinvolvement,anddeliveryofeffectiveinstruction.Theprevious

schoolboardpresidentacknowledgesthatthedistricthasalwaysrespectedteachersabilitiesto

understandwhatisneededtoeffectivelydeliverinstructionandthat,ifadistrictwantsmeaningful

professionaldevelopment,itmusttrustteacherstomakethosedecisions.

SystemInfrastructure

Accordingtotheadministration,board,andunionleadership,theunioncontractlanguagehasnot

changedsignificantlysinceinceptionofthePartnership,butthePartnershiphasgainedstrengthand

acceptancebecausecollaborativedecisionmakingandfundinghavechangedthecultureofthedistrict.

Teachersarevaluedasprofessionaldecisionmakingpartnerstoimprovestudentachievement.The

schoolboardandunionleadershipformallyadoptedaCharterStatementonJune2,2009.Throughthe

GuidingPrinciplesandtheCharterStatement,thePartnershiphasbeeninstitutionalized.

On

a

programmatic

level,

the

Partnership

instituted

the

Peer

Assistance

and

Support

System

(PASS)

nearlyadecadeagotoensurethatnewteachers,aswellasveteranteachersneedingassistance,receive

support.AspartofPASS,peercoachesusetheCaliforniaStandardsfortheTeachingProfessionand

gradelevelcontentstandardstoprovidefeedbacktoteachersaftervisitingclassroomsandconducting

pre andpostobservationmeetingswiththeprincipal.Thepeercoach,participatingteacher,and

principalformtheProfessionalSupportTeamtoimplementteachingandlearninggoalsestablishedin

theschoolsProfessionalSupportPlan.If,afterreceivingsupportfromPASS,ateacherisstillnot

effective,theunioncounselsthemoutofthedistrict.Ifaprincipalisnotworkingeffectivelytoclosethe

achievementgapafterreceivingsupportfromthedistrict,thendistrictadministrationcounselsthe

principalout.

CommunicationhasbeenanessentialcomponentofthePartnership.Everyyearsince1999,unionand

managementhave

attended

AFTs

Partnership

Administration

and

Labor

Retreats,

where

union

representatives,supervisors,andprincipalsworkwithRutgersDr.SaulRubinsteintodiscussschool

initiativesandtolearncollaborativemethodstoachievetheirgoals.Tocollectevidenceabout

effectivenessofthePartnership,theunionsolicitsyearlyfeedbackfromalldistrictemployees.Issues

madevisiblethroughthisfeedbackareaddressedduringthroughPartnershipactivities.Additionally,the

districtdevelopedacommunicationsystemtofacilitaterelationshipsbetweenlaborandmanagement.

SmutsandRicosweeklytwohourcloseddoormeetingsfocusonfindingresourcestofundschool

initiativesandprograms.Districtadministratorsinmostdepartmentscommunicateregularlywiththeir

unionliaisons,andunionleaderssitonimportantdistrictcommittees.Theunionandthedistrict

sponsoranannualretreatforunionanddistrictleadersresultinginastrategicplanwithspecificyearly

targetsforhighstandards,parentandcommunitypartnerships,professionaldevelopment,safeand

nurturing

schools,

and

facility

modernization.

Foundedinpastsuccess,thePartnershipbelievesthatthebestwaytobuildcollaborativecapacityisto

focusonschoolprojectstoimprovestudentachievement.AttheHarvardUniversityseminarin1999,

membersofthePartnershipdefinedareasforcollaborationandidentifiedthatschoolsonthesouthside

ofthedistrict,anareaofhighpovertywithmanyEnglishlanguagelearnersandspecialeducation

students,neededhelpwithreading.Managementandlaborvisitedprogramsandthen,workingwith

teachersfromthesouthside,createdtheSouthSideSchoolsReadingCollaborative(SSSRC).Through

district andunionfundedpeercoaching,fulldayreadingconferences,andcommunitypartnerships,
http://www.abcusd.k12.ca.us/apps/news/show_news.jsp?REC_ID=99823&id=0http://www.abcusd.k12.ca.us/apps/news/show_news.jsp?REC_ID=99823&id=0http://www.abcusd.k12.ca.us/apps/news/show_news.jsp?REC_ID=99823&id=0http://www.abcusd.k12.ca.us/departments/academic_services/prof_development/pass.jsphttp://www.abcusd.k12.ca.us/departments/academic_services/prof_development/pass.jsphttp://www.abcusd.k12.ca.us/departments/academic_services/prof_development/pass.jsphttp://www.abcusd.k12.ca.us/departments/academic_services/prof_development/pass.jsphttp://www.abcusd.k12.ca.us/departments/academic_services/prof_development/pass.jsphttp://www.abcusd.k12.ca.us/departments/academic_services/prof_development/pass.jsphttp://www.abcusd.k12.ca.us/departments/academic_services/prof_development/pass.jsphttp://www.abcusd.k12.ca.us/departments/academic_services/prof_development/pass.jsphttp://www.abcusd.k12.ca.us/departments/academic_services/prof_development/pass.jsphttp://www.btsa.ca.gov/ba/pubs/pdf/cstpreport.pdfhttp://www.btsa.ca.gov/ba/pubs/pdf/cstpreport.pdfhttp://www.btsa.ca.gov/ba/pubs/pdf/cstpreport.pdfhttp://www.btsa.ca.gov/ba/pubs/pdf/cstpreport.pdfhttp://www.btsa.ca.gov/ba/pubs/pdf/cstpreport.pdfhttp://www.btsa.ca.gov/ba/pubs/pdf/cstpreport.pdfhttp://www.btsa.ca.gov/ba/pubs/pdf/cstpreport.pdfhttp://www.btsa.ca.gov/ba/pubs/pdf/cstpreport.pdfhttp://www.btsa.ca.gov/ba/pubs/pdf/cstpreport.pdfhttp://www.btsa.ca.gov/ba/pubs/pdf/cstpreport.pdfhttp://www.btsa.ca.gov/ba/pubs/pdf/cstpreport.pdfhttp://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/http://www.aft.org/issues/schoolreform/csi/abcprofile.cfmhttp://www.aft.org/issues/schoolreform/csi/abcprofile.cfmhttp://www.aft.org/issues/schoolreform/csi/abcprofile.cfmhttp://www.aft.org/issues/schoolreform/csi/abcprofile.cfmhttp://www.aft.org/issues/schoolreform/csi/abcprofile.cfmhttp://www.aft.org/issues/schoolreform/csi/abcprofile.cfmhttp://www.aft.org/issues/schoolreform/csi/abcprofile.cfmhttp://www.aft.org/issues/schoolreform/csi/abcprofile.cfmhttp://www.aft.org/issues/schoolreform/csi/abcprofile.cfmhttp://www.aft.org/issues/schoolreform/csi/abcprofile.cfmhttp://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/http://www.btsa.ca.gov/ba/pubs/pdf/cstpreport.pdfhttp://www.abcusd.k12.ca.us/departments/academic_services/prof_development/pass.jsphttp://www.abcusd.k12.ca.us/apps/news/show_news.jsp?REC_ID=99823&id=0


12/57

teacherscontinuetoimproveinstructionalstrategiesandmaterialstohelpchildrenreachhighacademic

standards.Since2000,schoolsintheSSSRChavepostedthegreateststudentachievementgrowthinthe

district.Thecollaborativecultureoftheseschoolshastransformedthedistrict.In2002,theCalifornia

SchoolBoardsAssociationrecognizedSSSRCwiththeGoldenBellAwardasanoutstandingdistrict

programinCalifornia.

SustainingFactors

CeliaSpitzer,aformerschoolboardpresident,saysthataneffectivepartnershipmusthavethreelegs:

stability,strength,andsupport.AhighlevelofstabilityhasbeenpresentinABCUnifiedsince2001.Rico

hasbeenactiveinABCFTfor30years;Smutshasworkedinthedistrictasateacherandadministrator

forover30years;andtheschoolboardhasremainedstablewithfewnewmembers.Spitzersaysthat

newboardmembers,seeinghowothermembersworkcollaborativelywithunionanddistrictleaders,

realizethattosucceedtheyneedtoworkcollaborativelybecauseitworks.Spitzersaysstrengthcomes

fromworkingwiththeuniontoelectandhirepeoplewithknowledgeofthedistrict,whohavehad

involvementinschools,whounderstandpolicy,fiscalmatters,thestrategicplan,howclassroomswork,

andhowtheboardworks.Supportcomesfromboardmemberswhobelievethatcollaborationbetween

laborand

management

is

critical,

as

is

the

hiring

of

principals

and

other

administrators

willing

to

participatefullyinthePartnership.Inaddition,theBoardsannualevaluationofthesuperintendent

includesprogressonthedistrictsstrategicplan.

ThoughthePartnershiphasprovensuccessfulatthedistrictlevelandinsomeschools,allagreeitisa

workinprogressatmostschoolsites.ThePartnershipsvisionisthatbuildingrepresentativeswill

functionaspartnershipmanagersandproblemsolversincollaborativeeffortssimilartothoseatthe

districtlevel.However,teachersservingasunionrepresentativesoftenfeeluncomfortablefunctioning

asmanagers,andsomeadministratorsarereluctanttosharedecisionmakingwithlabor.Toovercome

thisresistance,thePartnershipisdevelopingsitepartnershipsbyworkingwithAFTsInnovationFundto

establishindividualschoolsaslaboratoriesforinnovation.Twentyoneschoolshavereceivedfundsand

areparticipatinginAFTsnationalinstitutestonurturelabormanagementcooperation.Thereisalsoa

twoyear

orientation

for

new

principals

on

the

attributes

of

using

partnerships.

LeadershipagreesthatthePartnershipisstillevolving.Theydonotagreeabouteverything,but

continuetoworktowardcommongoals.Theirsuccesseshaveencouragedotherdistrictunionsto

initiatepartnershipswithmanagement.Theyalsostatethatbynothavingtospendtimeandresources

onlabormanagementdisputes,theyhavemoretospendonteachersandstudents.Smutssaysthatall

partnersmustbewillingtoprioritizestudentlearning.Despitecontinuedconcernsaboutdecreased

funding,becausestudentscontinuetoachieve,moraleremainshigh.Ricoagrees,Ifyouwanttogo

fast,goalone.Ifyouwanttogofar,gotogether.

BaltimorePublicSchools,Maryland

Context

Inmanyrespects,BaltimoreCityPublicSchools(CitySchools)isauniquedistrict.Governedbyacity

statepartnership,CitySchoolshasa9memberBoardofSchoolCommissionersjointlyappointedbythe

mayorofthecityandthestatesgovernor.Thisstructurehasexistedonlysince1997,whenCitySchools

separatedfromtheBaltimoreCityGovernmentandagreedtocedepartialcontroltothestatein

exchangeforincreasedfunding.AnotheruniquefeatureofCitySchoolsisthatitsteacherunionisthe
http://www.old.abcusd.k12.ca.us/board.htmlhttp://www.old.abcusd.k12.ca.us/board.htmlhttp://www.old.abcusd.k12.ca.us/board.htmlhttp://www.aft.org/pdfs/about/IFlocals1009.pdfhttp://www.aft.org/pdfs/about/IFlocals1009.pdfhttp://www.aft.org/pdfs/about/IFlocals1009.pdfhttp://www.aft.org/pdfs/about/IFlocals1009.pdfhttp://www.aft.org/pdfs/about/IFlocals1009.pdfhttps://www.baltimorecityschools.org/https://www.baltimorecityschools.org/https://www.baltimorecityschools.org/https://www.baltimorecityschools.org/https://www.baltimorecityschools.org/https://www.baltimorecityschools.org/https://www.baltimorecityschools.org/https://www.baltimorecityschools.org/http://www.aft.org/pdfs/about/IFlocals1009.pdfhttp://www.old.abcusd.k12.ca.us/board.html


13/57

onlyoneinthestateaffiliatedwiththeAmericanFederationofTeachers.Therehasbeenarevolving

doorofCEOsforCitySchools,andthecurrentBaltimoreTeachersUnion(BTU)president,Marietta

English,hasbeenthroughsevenCEOsintenyears.Shedescribesalackoftrust,orbrokentrust,

betweentheBTUandtheprevioussetofCEOspriortothearrivalofthecurrentCEO,AndrsAlonso.

AlonsojoinedthedistrictinJulyof2007,astheunionanddistrictwerereachinganimpassein

negotiations.Over

the

last

three

years,

Alonso,

along

with

his

team

of

administrators,

has

worked

to

rebuildthetrustandmaintainacollaborativeandworkingrelationshipwithteachersandtheBTU.He

andEnglishjokeaboutthevariousinformaldinnersthathavebeenhadinordertolearnabouteach

other,buildtrust,andtalkthroughdifficultissues,becausetherelationshipisworthsaving,says

English.Havinglearnedvariouslessonsfromthelastroundofnegotiationsthatresultedinanimpasse,

bothlaborandmanagementinCitySchoolsrealizedthatitisarelationshipbuiltontrustthatwould

resultinasuccessfulnegotiation.Bothsidesenterednegotiationswiththemindsetandwillingnessto

continuetheconversationuntilanagreementwasreachedbyexploringareasofagreementsandall

possibleoptions. This,theysay,wasoneofthebiggestlessonslearnedfromtheimpasse.Whilewe

weredefinitiveonthebroadelementsandendgoalssaysDr.Alonso,therewasnotakeitorleaveit

stanceontheelementsbyeitherparty.Theyassertthatthedistrictwasalsoacenterofinnovation

anticipatingfederal

funds

through

the

Race

to

the

Top

grant

and

new

state

requirements

focusing

on

improvingoutcomesandengagingteachersintheprocess.TheBTUandCitySchoolsalsobeganthe

negotiationsamidstafewyearsofeconomicrecessionthatresultedintwoyearsofsalaryfreezesfor

teachersandadministrators.Beforenegotiations,bothsidesagreedonsomecommonexpectationsand

nonnegotiables.Allmembersofthenegotiationteamagreeto:

emphasizetheprofessionalizationofteaching, ensurefiscalsustainability, negotiatefortheentiremembershipwithoutanypilots, concentrateonthebigideasandleavethedetailstobelaterdetermined, collaborateforaslongasnecessarytonotgotoimpasse,and notcommunicatewithmediaorpublicuntilnegotiationended.

AlthoughAlonsoparticipatedinsettingthegroupnormsandexpectations,hedidnotactually

participateinthenegotiationprocess,butmadeoneappearanceatacriticalpointwhentheteam

seemedtobeheadedtowardsanimpasse.

StrategicPriorities

CitySchoolsvisionisthateverystudentwillgraduatereadytoachieveexcellenceinhighereducation

andtheglobalworkforce.AccordingtoMarylandsRacetotheTopapplication,50%ofteachers

evaluationwillbetiedtostudentoutcomes,andtenurewillbegrantedafterthreeyearsinsteadoftwo.

However,

there

is

still

debate

in

the

state

about

the

percentage

of

a

teachers

evaluation

that

can

be

tiedtostudentoutcomes.AstateEducatorEffectivenessCouncil,composedmainlyofeducators,was

createdtodecideonaframeworkandthedetailsofthestatesevaluationsystem.Thegoalisforthe

newsystemtogointoeffectforthe20122013schoolyear.ThereweremanymovingpartsinMaryland

astheteamnegotiated,whichledtothenegotiationresultinginabroadframeworkofpolicies,

processes,andstructuresthatarevehiclesforcontinuingtheworkofdeterminingthedetails.We

madeanearlydecision,Alonsoexplained,thatwhatwasmostimportantwasthebiglever,andwe

werenotgoingtogetintotheweeds,andthepeople[i.e.teachers]whoweregoingtobeaffectedby
http://www.aft.org/http://www.aft.org/http://www.aft.org/http://www.aft.org/http://www.aft.org/http://www.aft.org/http://www.aft.org/http://md.aft.org/btu/http://md.aft.org/btu/http://md.aft.org/btu/http://md.aft.org/btu/http://md.aft.org/btu/http://md.aft.org/btu/http://www.aft.org/


14/57

thisneedtobetheoneswhonegotiatedtheweeds.Whiletheunionwantedtogiveteachersgreater

controlovertheircareersaswellasopportunitytoclimbcareerladdersthatledtoincreased

compensation,thedistrictwantedtorecruit,retain,andgrowthebestteachersandbefiscally

responsible.BecausetheteachersinCitySchoolshadgonefortwoyearswithoutaraise,theysawthis

negotiationasanopportunitytorequestincreasedcompensation.


ThecontractnegotiatedinNovemberincludedstructurestoensurethatthereiscontinuedshared

decisionmakingandproblemsolvinginCitySchools.First,thecontracteliminatedsalaryincreases

basedsolelyonadvanceddegrees,andcreatedcareerpathwaysforteachers,includingfourpathsfor

teacherswithdifferentiatedcompensation.Oneofthecontentiousissueswashowcurrentteachers

wouldbeplacedintoeachpathway,andtheteamagreedtoincludeearnedadvanceddegreesandyears

ofexperienceindeterminingplacement,aswellasthehistoryofteachersevaluationresults.For

example,ateacherwithaMastersdegreeand10yearsofexperiencewouldonlybeplacedinthe

Modelpathwayifheorshehasalsohadtwoyearsofproficient,notjustsatisfactory,evaluations(See

Figure1).Thispleasedbothsidesthatdeterminedthecompromisefair.Thisgrandfatheredplacementis

forthe

initial

transition

and

would

be

effective

for

only

three

years.

Other

teachers

can

move

pathways

basedonpresentingdocumentationofbeingahighlyeffectiveteachertoapeerreviewpaneltwicea

year. Althoughthedistricthasflexibilityinidentifyingtheelementsofprofessionalpracticefactoring

intoevaluations,halfofateachersevaluationwillstillincludestudentgrowthdata,perstatelaw.

Figure1:CitySchoolsCareerPathways

Therearechecksandbalancesbuiltintothecontractthatassureteachersthatdecisionswillinclude

teacherrepresentationindecisionmaking.ThisisthecollaborativeframethatAlonsohopeswillhelp

inworkingthroughtheuncertaintiesandunanswereddetailsinthecontract.Healsolikesthenotion

ofeventuallyleadingtowardsresponsibility[andautonomy]attheschoollevel. Becausethese

committeesare

comprised

of

teachers,

with

union

appointment,

it

was

deemed

fair

(See

Figure

2).

The

JointOversightCommittee,forexamplewill:

DefinethefullscopeandobjectivesoftheBaltimoreProfessionalPracticesandStudentLearningProgram.

Assesstheschooldistrictsneedsforstudentprogramsandthecapacityoftheprofessionalstafftomeetthoseneeds.
http://md.aft.org/btu/index.cfm?action=article&articleID=4374f7ca-a0d6-4adc-8aad-6cb53a3c321ehttp://md.aft.org/btu/index.cfm?action=article&articleID=4374f7ca-a0d6-4adc-8aad-6cb53a3c321e


15/57

Identifyeducationalandprofessionalactivitiesinwhichstaffneedstobeengaged,andevaluatedforeffectiveness;thisservesasabasisforcompensationdecisions.

Createandoverseeasystemofensuringreliabilityandvalidityofteacherandstaffevaluationsconductedbyprincipals.

CreateandoverseetheprocesstoselectmemberstotheProfessionalPeerReviewCommittee,designate

its

responsibilities,

and

provide

general

operating

oversight

of

its

work.

Figure2:CitySchoolsContractCommitteesStructures

Recognizingthatschoolsshouldbedifferentfromoneanotherandthattheyshouldhaveflexibilityto

operate,aschoolbasedoptionwaswrittenintothecontract,givingflexibilitytoschoolstomodifythe

collectivebargainingagreementtobettermeettheneedsofstudentsandtheschoolcommunity.Since

CitySchoolshasalargenumberofstudentsincharterschoolsorschoolsworkingwithexternalpartner

organizations,thisoptionallowstheschoolcommunitytocollaborativelycraftcreativesolutionsspecific

totheirindividualschoolsneeds,aslongas80%ofaschoolsstaffapprovesoftheschoolbased

options.AlthoughtheCEOortheunionpresidentcanvetoaschoolsdecision,thisallowsgreater

flexibilityfor

school

leaders

and

staff

by

decentralizing

decision

making.

SustainingFactors

OnekeyelementthathasmadeCitySchoolslaborandunionrelationshipsuccessfulisthewillingnessof

bothsidestocollaborate.Theypointtostayingconnectedthroughconstantconversationwithout

makingthingspersonal.Whenthecontractwasnotratifiedthefirsttime,bothsidesofthenegotiation

teamfeltresponsiblebecausethroughouttheeightmonths,theyhadbecomepartnersinthework,

saidAlonso.Theysawthattheteachersquestionedthefairnessoftheevaluationsystem,sotheybuilt

languageintothecontracttoensurereliabilityandalsoaddressedhowtoincorporatetheexisting

structureintothenewsystem.Thedetailswerenotdeterminedthroughthecontract,butlefttothe

committeestoworkout.Theteamadmittedtonotgivingenoughtimetocommunicatewithteachers

aboutits

content.

Transparencyisanotherkeyfactor.Inordertoachievethetrust,thedistrictdecidedtoopenthe

bookswillingly,Alonsosays,andallowfortheunionleadershipteamtovalidatetheinformationand

understandthefiscalconditionofthedistrict.Thesecondtimearound,teachersratifiedthecontract,

becausetheirconcernswereaddressedandbecausetimewasallottedtocommunicatedetailsofthe

contracttothem.


16/57

TheCitySchoolslaborandmanagementcollaborationresultedintheestablishmentofnecessary

structuresandprocessesintegraltothesuccessofthedistrict.Thestructures,likethecommittees,

allowforongoingdiscussionandtweakingofthedetailstoensureafairandreasonablesetofpolicies

forstudentsuccess.Marylandhasyettodevelopitsteacherevaluationsystem,andthosedecisionsin

shiftingthestatewideframeworkwillhaveadirectimpactonCitySchoolsdecisions.Thisposesa

challengeasCitySchoolsstaysproactiveinmovingforwardrapidlywithreforms,whileawaiting

directionfromthestate.

DenverPublicSchools,Colorado

Context

Successfulstudentscomefromexcellentteachers,teachinginexcellentschools,ledbyexcellentschool

leaders.ThispremiseguidestheworkofDenverPublicSchools(DPS),theDenverClassroomTeachers

Association(DCTA),andissupportedbytheschoolboard.ThecurrentcollaborationbetweenDPSand

DCTAisbaseduponthefoundationestablishedbytheirfouryearefforttocreateanewteacher

compensationsystem.Aftertheschoolboardexpressedinterestinperformancebasedcompensation,

theunion

and

district

launched

apilot

effort,

resulting

from

negotiations

in

1999.

In

2005,

ProComp

was

approvedbyvoters,andfullyimplemented. InthewordsofSuperintendentTomBoasberg,Ifwecan

cometogetherandjointlyagreeonsomething,wellhaveamuchbetterchanceofhavingpublic

support.

Whileitisdifficulttodrawadirectcorrelation,muchlesscausality,betweentheimplementationofthe

ProCompsystemandstudentachievement,resultsofarecentUniversityofColoradostudyindicatethat

asaresultofimplementingProCompDenverisrecruitinghigherqualityteachersinthedistrict,teachers

intheirfirsttwoyearsaredoingbetterthantheywerebeforeProComp,andteacherturnoverhasbeen

dramaticallyreduced.AsTomBoasberg,Superintendentobserved,Themerepresenceofincentivesdid

notmaterializeintheformofinbetterresultsforstudents,buthelpedretainthoseteacherswhowere

gettingthegoodresults.

Recently,Denvercelebrateda42%reductioninthedropoutratesince2006.Furtherillustratingtheir

successistheirstudentsimprovedscoresontheColoradoStudentAssessmentProgram(Figure1).

Figure1:ChangeinCSAPproficiencysince2005

District

2005

10

State

200510

Mathematics 10% 4%

Reading 10% 2%

Science 7% 3%

Writing 5% 1%
http://www.dpsk12.org/http://www.dpsk12.org/http://www.dpsk12.org/http://www.dpsk12.org/http://www.dpsk12.org/http://denverprocomp.dpsk12.org/http://denverprocomp.dpsk12.org/http://www.dpsk12.org/


17/57

Thesharedbeliefthatimprovingstudentachievementreliesuponexcellentteachersandexcellent

schoolleadersisembeddedintheteacherandprincipalevaluationpilot,LeadingEffectiveAcademic

Practice(LEAP).LEAPissupportedbya$10milliongrantfromtheBill&MelindaGatesFoundation.The

grantextendsthecollaborationbegunbyDPSandDCTAtoreformteacherevaluationbysupportingthe

developmentofashared,researchdrivingdefinitionofeffectiveteaching;developmentofa

tool/frameworktoassessteacherperformance;implementationoftargetedprofessionaldevelopment;

andalignmentofcurrentsalarypolicieswithcompensationthatsupportseffectiveteaching.TheseeffortswillbeinformedbytheMeasuresofEffectiveTeaching(MET)researchstudy.

StrategicPriorities

ThestrategicprioritiesforthedistrictaresynthesizedinTheDenverPlanandinLEAP.Thegoalsset

forthintheDenverPlaninclude:

1. Everystudenttaughtbyanexcellentteacher,andeveryschoolledbyanexcellentprincipal;2. Clearunderstandingofcharacteristicsofeffectivenessandthecommitmenttoprovide

regularfeedbackagainstthesestandards;

3.

Providing

tools,

resources,

and

support

to

teachers

and

principals

in

pursuit

of

perfecting

theircraft;

4. Rewardingexcellentteachers.ThecurrentworkreformingteacherevaluationgrewfromTheDenverPlan.LEAPwillprovidea

frameworkforteacherandprincipalevaluationthat,asTomBoasbergdescribesprovidesteacherswith

additionalfeedbackandsupport,sotheycancontinuetolearnandgrowprofessionally.

LEAPincorporatesmultiplemeasuresincludingfamiliardatasuchasprincipalobservation,peer

observerobservationandincludesprofessionalcontributions,calledCollaborative

Professionalism/ContributionstoTeam&School.Theframeworkalsoincludesstudentoutcomes(50%

asset

by

the

recently

passed

Colorado

Senate

Bill

191)

and

student

perception

data.

Since

the

design

workisstillinitsinfancy,thecomponentofstudentoutcomeshasnotyetbeenfinalized.Measuresof

studentoutcomeswillincludemultiplesourcesofdata,growthandstatus,summativeandformative

assessments. Thestudentperceptioncomponentisalsostillindevelopmentandwillincludestudent

perceptionsurveysthatwillbedevelopedbasedontheresearchfindingsfromtheGatesfunded

MeasuresofEffectiveTeaching(MET)project.Theintentofthestudentperceptiontoolistoprovide

teacherswitheffectivefeedbackandtoensurethatevaluationwillbeconnectedtoafeedbackloop.

WhilenotspecificallyaddressedinTheDenverPlan,thecollaborationbetweendistrictandunion

emergedasapriority.ThejourneythatyieldedProCompsetthestageforthetheoreticalnotionsof

collaborationaswellasthevehiclesandlanguage. AsCarolynCrowder,ExecutiveDirectorofColorado

TeachersAssociation

shared,

We

believe

the

challenges

out

there

are

too

big

without

collaboration

whenwefailtocollaborate,webasicallyfailtosolvetheproblem.Theabilitytoapproachthe

collaborationasadialogueassistedDenverinovercomingapotentialpitfalltothegrantapplication.

Whenthedistrictfirstapproachedtheuniontosignoff,DCTAdeclinedsincetheydidnotfeelthegoals

wouldbeachievedbyonlyreformingteacherevaluation.Theunionwasfirmintheirdesiretohave

principalevaluationalsobepartoftheplan.Afteradialogue,thedistrictagreed,andthegrant

applicationwasapproved.
http://leap.dpsk12.org/http://2010denverplan.dpsk12.org/http://2010denverplan.dpsk12.org/http://2010denverplan.dpsk12.org/http://2010denverplan.dpsk12.org/http://2010denverplan.dpsk12.org/http://www.metproject.org/http://www.metproject.org/http://www.metproject.org/http://www.metproject.org/http://www.metproject.org/http://www.metproject.org/http://www.metproject.org/http://www.metproject.org/http://2010denverplan.dpsk12.org/http://leap.dpsk12.org/


18/57

SystemInfrastructureLEAPreliesuponstructuressupportedbygrantfunding:focusgroups,designteamsandpilotschools.

Eachofthesestructuresinvolvesawidearrayofstakeholders.Thefocusgroupsengagedover250

schoolleaders,teachers,parentsandstudentstoprovideinputandongoingfeedbacktoinformthe

designofDPSteacherperformanceassessmentsystem.Thedesignteamsarecochairedbyateacher

andaschool

leader,

and

include

45

school

leaders

and

teachers

to

create

definition

of

content

areas

suchastheobservationrubric,peerobservers,studentassessments,professionaldevelopmentand

principaleffectiveness.Topromoteequityandensurereadinessandfacultysupport,DPSofferedan

applicationprocessforschoolstoparticipateinpilotingtheevaluationtool.Thisspring,16schoolswill

pilottheframeworkdevelopedbythedesignteams.Teachersinthesepilotschoolswillreceive

satisfactoryratingsontheirevaluationandthedatacollectedfromthepilotyearwillnotinfluence

futureevaluations.

Decentralizationofbothfinancesanddecisionmakingsupportthebeliefthatsystemsclosesttothe

studentsshouldbeempoweredwiththeresourcesnecessarytosupportstudents:95%ofthefundsthe

districtreceivesfromthestategodirectlytotheschoolbuildings,withonly5%retainedbythedistrict

tocover

central

office

programs

and

offices.

Decisions

that

directly

affect

the

teachers

and

students

are

madeattheschoolsthroughtheirSchoolLeadershipTeamandareguidedbytheirSchoolImprovement

Plan;theprocessofteacherinvolvementindecisionmakingisoutlinedinthecontractestablished

throughcollectivebargaining.Inordertoratifythecontract,everyDCTAmembermustvotenotjust

thoseinattendanceatthemeeting.Thecontractensurestransparencyandpromotestrustand

communicationbecauseitestablishesteacherinvolvementinthedecisionmakingprocess,andoutlines

feedbackloops.Thecontractnegotiatesthehowwithbuildingsinpartnershipwiththeunioncharged

todeterminethewhatoftheirwork.AsnotedbyDCTAPresidentHenryRoman,Ourcontractsupplies

thestructures,butitstilldependsonthepeopleinvolved.

Theuseofdataanddialoguetomakedecisionsprovidesanotherexampleofcollaborativepractice

betweenDPSandDCTA.RecentlyDCTAapproachedthedistrictwithconcernaboutprincipalsnot

consistentlybeing

respected

by

their

teachers,

and

requested

to

administer

asurvey

to

its

membership.

Thedistrictatfirstresisted,butultimatelycollaboratedwiththeuniontodevelopandadministerthe

survey. Regardingtheuseofdatafromthissurvey,TomBoasbergremarksAlongwithstudent

achievementdata,thisisthesinglemostimportantpieceofdatathatIlookat.

ChallengesLimitedfundsandarapidlychangingdemographicarechallengesforDPS.Between1985and2005,the

LatinopopulationinDPSincreased111%.Whilethereismuchtocelebrateinthedistrictsimprovement

aroundstudentachievement,theschoolboard,union,anddistrictrecognizethatthedataalsopointsto

asignificantachievementgapbetweenvariousethnicgroups.AsnotedbyNateEasley,Presidentofthe

Denver

School

Board,

What

we

did

yesterday

doesnt

give

us

a

solution

for

tomorrow.

The

Denver

Planrefocusedtheirwork,andtheunionanddistrictcollaborativelyundertookLEAPtohelpconsistently

improveoutcomesforallstudents.

ThecollaborativefoundationestablishedbytheirworkonProCompcontinuestorequireDPSandDCTA

toengageinongoingdialogue.DCTAandDPScontinuetoworkthroughobstaclesthatarisein

ProComp,includingthestructureandtimingofthepayouts.Threeyearsintotheimplementation,the

districtmadechangesintheelementsofProComp.Thoughtheimplementationmovedforward,the

currentcollaborationhasinheritedthischallenge.CarolynCrowder,theExecutiveDirectorofColorado


19/57

TeachersAssociation,notedthatduringthisprocessofimplementinganewteacherevaluationprocess,

[DCTA}hadtoconvincethem[teachers]thatthedistrictisntgoingtopulltherugoutfromunder

them. HenryRoman,PresidentofDCTA,furtherobserved,perceptionisreality,whetheritisrealityor

not.

Recently,sixofthedistrictschoolswereinturnaround.Theprocessthedistrictadministeredwasmet

withcriticism

from

teachers

who

did

not

feel

sufficiently

involved

in

the

process.

After

the

decisions

weremadearoundturnaroundweremade,thedistrict,unionandschoolboardmettotalkabouthow

tomaketheprocessbetternexttime. AsCarolynCrowdernoted,Ifwedontshowwehave

collaborationinthisarea[turnaround],thenthecollaborationinallareasisntauthentic.

AnadditionalchallengeisthestillundefinedimpactofSenateBill191. Allmembersoftheleadershipin

thedistrictareconcernedabouttheunintendedconsequencesofthispublicpolicy,andareworkingto

contendwiththenonnegotiablessetbythestatelegislature,especiallytheprovisionrequiringthat

studentassessmentdatamustcountfor50%oftheevaluation.Thedesignteamtaskedwithdeveloping

thiscomponentisstrugglingtomakethisfairwithoutexistingmodelsinColoradofromwhichtodraw

upon.Thepilotoftheteacherevaluationframeworkthisspringwillnotincludethiscomponent

because,

at

present,

the

team

does

not

have

the

expertise

to

figure

out

how

to

meet

this

expectation

in

afairandequitablemannerthatcanbeclearlycommunicatedintheframeworkandconsistently

applied.

SustainingFactors

Thehistoryofsuccessfulcollaboration,astrongdesiretocollaborate,andstructurestopromote

investmentofallstakeholdershasaccountedfortheproductivelabormanagementrelationship.The

visionforthecollaborativeworklivesinpublicdocumentsandinestablishedpractices,anddoesnot

relysolelyuponthepersonalityorcapacityofthoseinleadership. AsHenryRoman,DCTAPresident,

quipped,[Ourcollaboration]islikeamarriage,andlikeanyrelationshipneedsattentionandquality

time.

Boththesuperintendentandunionpresidentwerenewin2009;however,bothhadbeendeeply

involvedinthedevelopmentofProComppriortoattainingtheircurrentpositions.BothSuperintendent

TomBoasbergandPresidentHenryRomancredittheinvolvementofteacherswithcarryingthework

forward,andfeelthattheworkwouldbesustainedthroughachangeinleadership.Anexampleof

teacherinvolvementtosustaintheworkistheProCompTransitionTeam.Since2005,agroupof

teacherswithunionleadershipformedatransitionteamtohelpwiththeimplementationofProComp.

ThisteamcontinuestomeetonaregularbasiswithHenryRomantoaddresschallengespresentedby

theProCompsystem.

Denversbiggestchallengesmayyetlieahead.WithSB191pushingtheteacherevaluationtobebased

primarilyonstudentoutcomemeasures,DPSandDCTAareworkingtodevelopafairevaluationsystem

thatis

in

compliance.

The

stakes

continue

to

increase,

because

as

the

overall

test

results

improve,

a

comparisonofachievementamongethnicgroupsshowsagrowingachievementgap.Whilethe

collaborationhasalreadysurvivedachangeinleadership,thenextyearwillbeacontractyearfor

Denver.InfinanciallychallengingtimesandwithSB191inplace,thecollaborativeculturecouldbe

tested.


20/57

DouglasCountyPublicSchools,Colorado

Context

TheDouglasCountySchoolDistrict(DCSD)andDouglasCountyFederationofTeachers(DCFTT)

innovative

and

collaborative

partnership

dates

back

over

two

decades.

These

efforts

began

in

the

early

1990swhenDCSDdevelopedoneofourcountrysfirstmodelsofpayforperformance.In1995Rob

Weil,a20yearveteranhighschoolteacher,waselectedDCFTunionpresident.Weilcurrentlyservesas

DeputyDirectoroftheNationalAmericanFederationofTeachers(AFT).CurrentDCFTPresidentBrenda

SmithhasbeenateacherinDCSDsince1992. SheknowstheongoingDCSDgrowthchallengefirsthand

throughtheperspectiveofherfirstclassroom,Ibeganwith16studentsandendedtheschoolyearwith

32students.Districtleadershiphasbeenconsistentwithonlythreesuperintendentsinfiftyyears.Dr.

ElizabethCelaniaFagenisinherfirstyearasDCSDsuperintendent.Anotherrecentleadershipchange

occurredontheDSCDBoardofEducation.InNovember2009,threenewmemberswereelectedtoa

sevenmemberschoolboardbynarrowmargins.Allboardmembershaveadvancedcollegedegreesand

workexperiencesthatincludepositionsinrealestate,investmentadvising,economics,theU.S.

DepartmentofDefense,theU.S.StateDepartment,theWhiteHouse,andsenioradvisingtoaU.S.

Senator.

DCSD/DCFTisfocusedonbuildingcollaborativerelationshipsbasedontrust.Thiswasevidentin

presentationsandinterviewsconductedduringtheLaborManagementCollaborationConference.At

theconference,DCFTPresident,BrendaSmithshared,

Howdoyoubuildthisrelationshipofcollaborationforstudentsuccess?Firstandforemost,you

needtounderstandthatourdistricthasreallyfocusedinonrelationshipbuilding.We,asan

organization,asateachersvoice,arealwaysatthetabletalkingaboutwhatsnextsotherere

nosurprises.Wehavenotfiledagrievanceinoversixyears.Wetypicallymakeaphonecall

priortoagrievanceandsolveissuesthroughdialogueandopencommunication.Partofthis

comesfrombuildingrelationships,gettingtoknowwhomyouredealingwithinsidethesystem

andwhen

there

are

problems,

solving

them

very

quickly.

BoardofEducationVicePresident,DanGerken,agreesandadds,Seriously,someofthisstuffisfairly

obvious,butBrendaandIgrabcoffeeoftenandwehaveanethicthatweagreetodisagree.Wedont

keepsmallerdisagreementsfromgettinginthewayofthebigpicture.

Parent,KevinLarsondiscussedtheimportanceoftrustinaninnovativedistrict.Hestated,Ifpeople

dontfeelthereistrustbetweentheleadershipandthefrontline,whenindoubt,withlossin

communication,youassumetheworst.Whatmusthappenislotsofcommunication.Then,whenyou

dontknowallthedetails,youassumethebestisactuallyoccurring,andtheenergyisspentgetting

innovationsimplemented.

StrategicPriorities

Thepayforperformanceplanwascreatedin1992andincorporatedtwodistinctcomponents: abase

salarystructureandbonusincentiveawards.Theprogramwasdevelopedin6,000hours,duringanine

monthperiod,tobuildconsensusonafinalplanthatwasapprovedby80%ofDCSDteachers.Today,

DCSD/DCFTisworkingtoalignthepayforperformanceplanwithteachercompensationandevaluation.

ContinuousImprovementofTeacherEffectiveness(CITE)isthecurrentDCSDevaluationinitiative.The

goalistomaketeacherevaluationlesssubjective,morereflective,andsupportiveofteachersperfecting
http://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSDhttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSDhttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSDhttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSDhttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSDhttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSDhttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSDhttp://www.dcft.net/http://www.dcft.net/http://www.dcft.net/http://www.dcft.net/http://www.dcft.net/http://www.dcft.net/http://www.dcft.net/http://www.dcft.net/http://www.dcft.net/http://www.milkeninstitute.org/events/events.taf?EventID=GC07&SPID=2582&cat=allconf&function=show&level1=speakers&level2=biohttp://www.milkeninstitute.org/events/events.taf?EventID=GC07&SPID=2582&cat=allconf&function=show&level1=speakers&level2=biohttp://www.milkeninstitute.org/events/events.taf?EventID=GC07&SPID=2582&cat=allconf&function=show&level1=speakers&level2=biohttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Superintendenthttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Superintendenthttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Superintendenthttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Superintendenthttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Superintendenthttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Superintendenthttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Superintendenthttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Board_of_Education/Board_Membershttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Board_of_Education/Board_Membershttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Board_of_Education/Board_Membershttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Board_of_Education/Board_Membershttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Board_of_Education/Board_Membershttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaborationhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaborationhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaborationhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaborationhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaborationhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaborationhttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaborationhttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Human_Resources/Certified_Staff/Pay_for_Performancehttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Human_Resources/Certified_Staff/Pay_for_Performancehttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Human_Resources/Certified_Staff/Pay_for_Performancehttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Human_Resources/Certified_Staff/Pay_for_Performancehttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Human_Resources/Certified_Staff/Pay_for_Performancehttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Human_Resources/Certified_Staff/Pay_for_Performancehttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Human_Resources/Certified_Staff/Pay_for_Performancehttp://online.dcsdk12.org/moodle/course/view.php?id=7161http://online.dcsdk12.org/moodle/course/view.php?id=7161http://online.dcsdk12.org/moodle/course/view.php?id=7161http://online.dcsdk12.org/moodle/course/view.php?id=7161http://online.dcsdk12.org/moodle/course/view.php?id=7161http://online.dcsdk12.org/moodle/course/view.php?id=7161http://online.dcsdk12.org/moodle/course/view.php?id=7161http://online.dcsdk12.org/moodle/course/view.php?id=7161http://online.dcsdk12.org/moodle/course/view.php?id=7161http://online.dcsdk12.org/moodle/course/view.php?id=7161http://online.dcsdk12.org/moodle/course/view.php?id=7161http://online.dcsdk12.org/moodle/course/view.php?id=7161http://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Human_Resources/Certified_Staff/Pay_for_Performancehttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaborationhttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Board_of_Education/Board_Membershttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Superintendenthttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Superintendenthttp://www.milkeninstitute.org/events/events.taf?EventID=GC07&SPID=2582&cat=allconf&function=show&level1=speakers&level2=biohttp://www.milkeninstitute.org/events/events.taf?EventID=GC07&SPID=2582&cat=allconf&function=show&level1=speakers&level2=biohttp://www.dcft.net/http://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD


21/57

theircraftthroughprofessionaldevelopment.CITEisbasedon21professionalcharacteristicsofteacher

effectivenessinthreegeneralcategories:StudentAchievementandGrowthExpectations(primary),

DifferentiatedPerformanceExpectations(secondary),andBasicComplianceExpectations(tertiary).

DCFTPresidentBrendaSmithrecalledthedevelopmentofthepayforperformanceplanasaclassic

caseofputtingthecartbeforethehorse.In1992,thepayforperformanceplanwasdeveloped

separatelyfrom

the

salary

schedule,

as

well

as

the

evaluation

and

professional

development

plan.

With

CITE,DCSDisbringingtogetherover200oftheoriginalteachersandadministratorswhoworkedonthe

payforperformanceplanwithnewteacherstoaligntheexistingplanwithcompensation,evaluation,

andprofessionaldevelopment.Thisisanticipatedtobeathreetofouryearprocess,firstbuildingan

evaluationsystem,andthenimprovingtheperformancepaysystem,whilesimultaneouslyenhancing

theprofessionaldevelopmentprogram.

DCSDhasalsodevelopedanalternativelicensureprograminordertomeettheongoingchallengeof

rapidenrollmentgrowth.AccordingtoNationalCenterforEducationStatistics,DCSDisthefastest

growingdistrictinthecountry.From19982008,DouglasCountygrew427.3%.DCSDmusthire

hundredsofteacherseveryyear.DSCDpresentedaproposaltotheColoradoStateBoardofEducation

to

streamline

the

state's

current

teacher

licensure

and

endorsement

procedures

in

an

effort

to

better

servestudents.WaiverstocurrentprocessesallowthedistricttocreateitsownProfessionalinResident

(PiR)programtohelphighlevelindustryprofessionalslikelocalaeronauticalengineers,foreign

languageinstructors,andnuclearphysiciststoqualifytoteachDouglasCountystudentsonaparttime

basis.Additionally,thedistrictwouldhavetheabilitytofillhardtostaffpositionslikespecialeducation,

technologyeducation,mathematics,scienceandvocational/technicaleducation,byprovidingadditional

trainingforqualifiedlicensedteachers.


TheDCSDcontract,alivingcontractrepresentstheprimaryfocusofadoptingwhatsbestforstudents

asthesharedvalueforanyspecificproposaladvancedbyeitherthedistrictortheDCFTasstatedon

pageone.

This

includes

school

flexibility

to

utilize

a21st

Century

Waiver

Agreement

to

do

things

outside

ofthecontract.Examplesofsuchwaiversinclude,increasingstudentloadsordeterminingthespecifics

ofplanningandcollaborationtime.

Feedbackloopsarebuiltintothedistrictinfrastructuretoensureaccurateandtimelycommunication

withanongoingopportunityforfeedback.OneexampleistheCITEWebsite thatisatthecoreof

developingteacherevaluation.Alsoimportantareopportunitiesforcriticalconversations.Indescribing

thecollaborativeprocess,teacherKimHermansays,Ithinktheprocessisagoodone,therearelotsof

conversations,wearereallydiggingdeeptodefinewhateffectiveteachingis.Allvoicesintheroomare

valuedandultimatelytheendresultwillbesomethingthatwecanalltrust.

BoardofEducationVicePresident,DanGerkendiscussesthechallengesofinfrastructuretoinsurethe

CITEevaluation

system

is

done

right.

The

challenges

include

hardware

and

software

costs

to

create

a

sophisticated,stateoftheartsystem.Anotherchallengeisdevelopingasystemthatteachersandthe

publicbelieveisavalidsystem.Gerkensharesthatthereissupporttopushteachersalariesuptoat

least$100,000.Whilehebelievesthatseniorityisusuallyanindicatorofincreasedteachingability,

Gerkenrecognizestheimportanceforgainingpublicsupportforhigherteachingsalariesbydevelopinga

validevaluationsystemratherthanjustrestingontheassumptionthatmoreyearsofserviceequatesto

betterteachers.
http://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Center_For_Staff_and_Community_Developmenthttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Center_For_Staff_and_Community_Developmenthttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Center_For_Staff_and_Community_Developmenthttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Center_For_Staff_and_Community_Development/CDEDCSD%20Waiver%20Archiveshttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Center_For_Staff_and_Community_Development/CDEDCSD%20Waiver%20Archiveshttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Center_For_Staff_and_Community_Development/CDEDCSD%20Waiver%20Archiveshttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Center_For_Staff_and_Community_Development/CDEDCSD%20Waiver%20Archiveshttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Center_For_Staff_and_Community_Development/CDEDCSD%20Waiver%20Archiveshttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Human_Resources/Certified_Staff/DCFT_Final_Contract_2010_2011_102010.pdfhttp://online.dcsdk12.org/moodle/course/view.php?id=7161http://online.dcsdk12.org/moodle/course/view.php?id=7161http://online.dcsdk12.org/moodle/course/view.php?id=7161http://online.dcsdk12.org/moodle/course/view.php?id=7161http://online.dcsdk12.org/moodle/course/view.php?id=7161http://online.dcsdk12.org/moodle/course/view.php?id=7161http://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Human_Resources/Certified_Staff/DCFT_Final_Contract_2010_2011_102010.pdfhttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Center_For_Staff_and_Community_Development/CDEDCSD%20Waiver%20Archiveshttp://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Center_For_Staff_and_Community_Development


22/57

SustainingFactors

TheDCFTconstitutionincludesafocusonstudentandcommunity,andutilizingademocraticprocess.

Twoofsixsectionsarefocusedonstudents.SectionFivefocusesonpromotingademocratic

environmentintheschoolsandworksitestoenablestudentstofindtheirplacesintheindustrial,social

andpoliticallifeofthecommunity.Threeexamplesofutilizingthedemocraticprocesswereevident

duringthe

Labor

Management

Collaboration

conference

presentations.

First,inaconversationbetweenU.S.DepartmentofEducation,SeniorEducationAdvisor,BradJuppand

alternativehighschoolseniorAnnie,studentinvolvementinhiringteachersatDanielC.OakesHigh

Schoolwasdiscussed. WhenaskedwhetherOakesHighcouldworkwithoutteacherbuyintothe

schoolmodel,Anniereplied,

Itwouldntworkatallbecausethestudentsinterviewtheteachersfirst.Thenthatteacher

meetsthestaffandgetsinterviewed.Wefilloutasurveyandgiveittothestaffandtellthem

whatwethinkabouttheteacherwejustinterviewed.Ifwegetateacherwhocomesinwhojust

wantstogobytherules,whichisfine,butdoesntreachouttokids,itsnotgoingtowork.We

needpeoplewhohavetheenergytoteachthestudentsandactuallyeducatethem,notjustgive

thematest,agrade,andgohome.Itsamazingthatwehavethechoicetopickwhichteacher

wewanttoworkwith.

Inasubsequentexample,resourceteacher,KimHermanfromNortheastElementarySchool,sharedher

motivationforparticipatingintheCITEcommittee,

ItsthefactthatImABLEto.Thisissomethingthatisnotbeingdonetous...Ourdistrictasked

forteacherstojoinaroomwhereadministrators,districtleaders,unionrepresentatives,and

nationalunionleadersweregathered.Itdidntfeellikeadistrictcommittee.Itwasinvigorating.

Itwasabouthelpingeducationandfiguringouthowtodothingsbetter.

Andfinally,SuperintendentCelaniaFagendescribesthechallengeofColoradoSenateBill191andthe

CITEinitiative.

She

stated,

Coloradohasworkedtomaintainafairamountoflocalcontrol.Ithinkalotoftheinnovation

youseeinDouglasCountyisaresultofhavingtheopportunitytodothesethings.Agreat

exampleiswehaveCITEmovingforwardwith21indicatorsofteachereffectiveness,fullspeed

ahead,downthetrack,andallofasuddennowwehavethestatecomingoutwithteacher

standards.Insomestatesyouwouldhavetostartoverandyoudhavetomakethosestate

standardsyourindicators;butourunionpresident,BrendaSmithworkedwiththelegislature

andotherstomakesurethatifourCITEsystemisbetter,orequalto,whateverthestatecomes

upwith,wecanbewaivedoutofthestatesystem.

DCSDisattemptingtoprovideaworldclasseducationthroughtheircommitmentstoschoolchoiceand

assessmentofsystemperformance. Thedistrictisnotonlyexaminingstudentoutcomesbutalsohow

theyaregoingtoteachstudentswhoaredigitalnatives.Theyareaskingquestionsabouthowtoengage

studentsintheworldinwhichtheyareandwillbeliving.Theyareanalyzinghowallofthisworkswithin

asystem.SuperintendentCelaniaFagensaid,

Sinceabout2002weveallowedexternalforcestodefinewhatsgoodineducation.Were

changingthat.InDouglasCountyourbumperstickerreads,Wearegoingtoauthentically

assessthatwhichmattersmost.Andweregoingtodecidewhatmattersmostforourstudents,
http://www.dcft.net/resources/constitution.pdfhttp://www.dcft.net/resources/constitution.pdfhttp://www.dcft.net/resources/constitution.pdfhttp://www.ustream.tv/recorded/12732806http://schools.dcsdk12.org/education/school/school.php?sectionid=3919http://schools.dcsdk12.org/education/school/school.php?sectionid=3919http://schools.dcsdk12.org/education/school/school.php?sectionid=3919http://schools.dcsdk12.org/education/school/school.php?sectionid=3919http://schools.dcsdk12.org/education/school/school.php?sectionid=3919http://schools.dcsdk12.org/education/school/school.php?sectionid=3919http://schools.dcsdk12.org/education/school/school.php?sectionid=3919http://schools.dcsdk12.org/education/school/school.php?sectionid=3919http://schools.dcsdk12.org/education/school/school.php?sectionid=3919http://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2010a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/EF2EBB67D47342CF872576A80027B078?open&file=191_enr.pdfhttp://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2010a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/EF2EBB67D47342CF872576A80027B078?open&file=191_enr.pdfhttp://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2010a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/EF2EBB67D47342CF872576A80027B078?open&file=191_enr.pdfhttp://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2010a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/EF2EBB67D47342CF872576A80027B078?open&file=191_enr.pdfhttp://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2010a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/EF2EBB67D47342CF872576A80027B078?open&file=191_enr.pdfhttp://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2010a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/EF2EBB67D47342CF872576A80027B078?open&file=191_enr.pdfhttp://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2010a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/EF2EBB67D47342CF872576A80027B078?open&file=191_enr.pdfhttp://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2010a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/EF2EBB67D47342CF872576A80027B078?open&file=191_enr.pdfhttp://schools.dcsdk12.org/education/school/school.php?sectionid=3919http://schools.dcsdk12.org/education/school/school.php?sectionid=3919http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/12732806http://www.dcft.net/resources/constitution.pdf


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ourteachers,ourschools,ourdistrict,andforourleaders.Andthenweregoingtoassessthose

thingsauthenticallyandsharethoseresultswithourcommunityandallourstakeholders.

GreenDotPublicSchools,California

Context

GreenDotPublicSchoolsisachartermanagementorganization(CMO)foundedin1999asaresponseto

dismalstudentachievementresultsinLosAngeles.ThecurrentCEO,MarcoPetruzzijoinedGreenDotin

2007andtookoveroperationsasPresidentandChiefExecutiveOfficerin2008.Alsoin2008,GreenDot

NewYorkCharterSchoolopenedforasmallgroupofninthgradestudentsintheBronx.

Operating17highschoolsintheLosAngelesareaandonemiddleschool,GreenDotshistoryisonethat

startswithadrivetoimproveacademicgrowthinstrugglingorimpoverishedcommunitiesinLos

Angeles.Consistently,LosAngelesGreenDotschoolsoutperformcomparableLosAngelesUnified

SchoolDistrict(LAUSD)sitesontheCaliforniaStandardizedTest,theCaliforniaHighSchoolExitExam,

andcollegeeligibility.In2007,GreenDottookonthetaskofturningaroundoneofthecityslargestand

lowestperforming

schools.

The

Locke

Transformation

Project,

seen

by

the

district

as

an

unprecedented

challenge,signaledoneofthelargestprojectsbyaCMOtodate.TransformingAlainLeroyLockeHigh

SchoolinSouthCentralAngelesintoeightsmallerhighschools,GreenDotsoughttodemonstratea

directresponsetolacklusterresultsfromLAUSD.Thusfar,GreenDotsworkatLockehassignificantly

improvedcampussafety,attendanceandretentionofstudentsandacademicachievementisalso

showingimprovement,althoughGreenDotacknowledgesthatthereisstillalongwaytogotoachieve

truecollegereadinessforthemajorityofstudentsthere.

StrategicPriorities

GreenDot'stheoryofacademicsuccessisidentifiedinitssixtenets(Figure1).

Figure1:

Green

Dots

Six

Tenets

of

High

Performing

Schools:
http://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/green-dot-public-schoolshttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/green-dot-public-schoolshttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/green-dot-public-schoolshttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/green-dot-public-schoolshttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/green-dot-public-schoolshttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/green-dot-public-schoolshttp://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/green-dot-public-schoolshttp://www.greendot.org/newyork/http://www.greendot.org/newyork/http://www.greendot.org/newyork/http://www.greendot.org/newyork/http://www.greendot.org/newyork/http://www.greendot.org/newyork/http://www.greendot.org/newyork/http://www.greendot.org/newyork/http://www.greendot.org/newyork/http://www.greendot.org/newyork/http://www.greendot.org/newyork/http://www.greendot.org/newyork/http://www.greendot.org/newyork/http://www.ed.gov/labor-management-collaboration/conference/green-dot-public-schools


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Thesetenetsaremadeexplicittoparents,students,andtheinstructionalcommunityofGreenDot

schoolsanddriveeverysignificantstructuralandstrategiceffort.Thoughtheyappeartobegeneral

concepts,theyhavesweepinglaborconsequencesthatrethinkcontractualobligationsandexpectations

ofeducatorsateveryleveloftheGreenDotschoolsystem.Forinstance,thoughthereisacknowledged

flexibilityinparentalparticipation,GreenDotasksparentstocontribute35hoursoftimeperyearat

theirchild'sschool.Moreover,GreenDothelped

Documents

Labor Management Collaboration District Case Studies Accessible 0