Dear Slate Readers,

A couple of Fridays ago, I interviewed

DCTA Outreach Manager Zach Rupp (see

page 3) for this issue of the Slate. “It’ll only

take, like, 15 minutes or so,” I said.

Almost three hours later, we wrapped

up our conversation. (Don’t worry, the arti-

cle isn’t three hours long!)

One of my favorite things about teach-

ers is that we’re just bursting with ideas

about how to improve education. If you

give a teacher the opportunity to talk about

teaching, you’d better be ready for a long

conversation! By nature, educators are peo-

ple who see possibilities and want to make

a difference. And of course, we love to

share our knowledge and ideas with others.

Above all else, that’s what makes a teacher

a teacher (and what makes for those long

conversations!). Yes, teachers are always

teaching, whether inside or outside of the

classroom.

For folks who don’t know me yet, I’m

Sabrina, and I used to teach here in Denver

Public Schools (shout-out to the Far North-

east!). Among the many roles I now play,

I’m proud to serve you in my role as a com-

munications specialist & organizer at

DCTA. I spent my summer ‘vacation’, and

the months preceding it, helping to organize

the Save Our Schools March & National

Call to Action events in Washington, DC

and around the country. Working together

with so many teachers, parents, and stu-

dents who are working to change national

trends in education policy was both chal-

lenging and energizing. There’s nothing like

coming together with people who care

enough about our children, our profession,

and our country to volunteer long hours in

addition to working other jobs, teaching the

public about the real-world impact of edu-

cation policy and then rallying and march-

ing in the sweltering heat. (There’s also

nothing like hanging out with people like

Matt Damon, Linda Darling-Hammond,

and Diane Ravitch all on the same day. But

that’s a story for another time!)

As important as national issues are,

though, many of the biggest changes that

affect us will happen right here, in our class-

rooms, schools, district, and community.

That’s why I’m so excited to be back here

in Denver. With a closely-watched school

board election and a changing evaluation

system, among other things, we’re in a

unique position to make local changes that

will reverberate throughout our city, state,

and country. If those changes are to be pos-

itive ones, it’s imperative that we take seri-

ously our responsibility to Be the Change

we want to see in the world.

In that spirit, I’m excited to present to

you this new version of the Slate (For more

on these changes, read Communications

Committee Chair Amber Wilson’s article on

this page, lower left). In it, you’ll find ex-

amples of members who are taking initia-

tive to create positive change in various as-

pects of our professional lives—from Den-

ver’s evaluation system to DCTA itself.

We’ve also included resources from educa-

tors around the country to help you Be the

Change in your classrooms.

In addition to changing the Slate, we

will also be updating our website (to re-

launch September 1) and other communi-

cations tools in our efforts to better serve

you and support you to become more ac-

tively engaged in our collective efforts to

improve education in Denver (and be-

yond!). Stay tuned—things are about to get

interesting!

Please enjoy this new issue, and please

please get in touch with any thoughts, opin-

ions, and ideas you’d like to share with your

fellow members.

Looking forward to changing the world

with you,

Sabrina

By SabrinaStevens Shupe, Editorsstevens@-coloradoea.org

DCTA SlateJournal of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association

Dedicated to serving Denver students, parents and the Denver community • www.denverclassroom.org

the

Yes,I

August 2011Volume 44, Number 1

From the Editor:

Here’s to a Year of Positive Change!

By Amber Wilson,DCTA Communications Chair

Another year is upon us, and while the last wisps of summer are quickly depart-

ing, the reality of the immense changes coming to DPS loom on the horizon. LEAP

and Common Core State Standards are just a couple of the new initiatives that will

impact every classroom in the district. Indeed, it will be a year of change.

But with change, comes opportunity. Realizing that the DCTA needed to move from

a reactionary position, to a proactive one, the DCTA Communications Committee worked

last year to evaluate the effectiveness of our member communications. The changes im-

pacting our profession are moving at a dizzying pace, and often the timeliness of impor-

tant information reaching members was not adequate. So, we too are embracing change

and the opportunities it brings to DCTA’s communication structures.

The Slate:After much discussion, the committee recommended changing the publication of

The Slate from a monthly newspaper to a seasonal, themed news “magazine”.

1. August: Membership Season – getting back into the swing of school and the

power of belonging. This magazine will offer practical suggestions and tips for the

classroom, as well as member stories of belonging. The magazine is also a kick-off to

the season of listening. Building representatives will begin listening campaigns in

their buildings.

2. November: Reporting Season – a chance for the Association to tell members

what we heard in the listening campaign.

3. January: Bargaining Season, Part 1 – The Issues & Time to Organize – the

issues coming up in bargaining as well as practical tips on how to engage and orga-

nize ourselves.

4. March: Bargaining Season, Part 2 – Time for Action!

We’re also planning for a supplemental Election Season, a smaller edition that

will coincide with elections, recommendations, and other political information in Sep-

tember/October.

The E-Slate:

Already in production, the E-Slate replaced the DCTA Action and is emailed on

Fridays. Information in the E-Slate will be timely, as well as concise with links to

more detailed information on the DCTA website. It is in this publication, that mem-

bers will look to find critical, need-to-know information, dates, and events.

Hey, What Happenedto My Slate??

By Jennifer PereaThis year I am beginning my third

year of teaching. I have been lucky

enough to be surrounded by wonderful

people who answered any questions I

may have had about what it means to be

a teacher, how to manage my classroom,

and DCTA. Unfortunately, I felt that a lot

of the young teachers around me weren’t

as lucky. This inspired me, with the help

of my friend Guillermo, to create a club

in which this community could ask ques-

tions, become involved and create a

more relevant agenda.

This year, DCTA is excited to launch

our new Club 30. Club 30 is a caucus ded-

icated to providing a current and relevant

platform for new and younger teachers.

Our current purpose states that, “The pur-

pose of Club 30 shall be to provide oppor-

tunities for new DCTA teachers to become

involved in building social networks, ser-

vicing the educational community, and

providing a platform for self-advocacy.”

We recognize that teaching is a forev-

er changing, dynamic field. Club 30 is an

opportunity for us to get together and

share successes and challenges in the

classroom. We are also here to help sup-

port the growth of new education profes-

sionals by creating a collaborative agen-

da. Please “like” our page on Facebook

(look for “Club 30 DCTA” in the search

box), and be on the lookout for the Club

30 page on the soon-to-be-relaunched

DCTA website.

You’re also invited to our first event

on Friday, September 16th, 4:00 pm at the

Funky Buddha Lounge (776 Lincoln

Street). Contact me, Jennifer Perea, at

303-887-6569 or Guillermo Reyes at 607-

267-0413 with any questions about Club30. Join us and help shape the face of ed-

ucation in the Denver Public Schools!

What’s Club 30?

Jennifer Perea, Martin Luther King, Jr. Early College and Guillermo Reyes,McMeen Elementary – organizers for “Club 30”

Many times, when someone gets in-

volved in a legal action, it is a defensive

act to protect themselves or their proper-

ty from change. In these cases, “protect-

ing the status quo” is considered a win.

However, DCTA, with the assistance

of the CEA (Colorado Education Associ-

ation) legal department, is getting in-

volved in two issues not to stop change

but to make sure two changes to Colorado

law, SB 130 (The School Innovation Act)

and SB 191 (regarding school based hir-

ing), are implemented correctly. The

change in these cases has already hap-

pened, but without thoughtful implemen-

tation, the possibility of positive results

is threatened.

SB 130 allows a school to waive cer-

tain requirements including district poli-

cy, contract provisions and state law in or-

der to implement an “Innovation Plan”.

But the law also calls for evidence that a

majority of the teachers at the school ap-

plying for innovation have voted for the

plan via secret ballot vote. Research

shows that educational changes made

without the involvement of critical stake-

holders fails. The need for stakeholder

involvement is one reason the law calls

for evidence of a vote before the plan can

be approved by a local school board.

Sixty percent of members of the bargain-

ing unit has to be in favor of the plan if it

waives contract provisions. The DPS

school board approved several new Inno-

vation Plans last spring without evidence

of the aforementioned vote. This hap-

pened because the plans were approved

before these schools had even hired all of

their staff! DCTA is challenging this

practice because teachers were not al-

lowed to “Be the Change” according to

the law -- and because we don’t think ig-

noring the law is “innovation” or

“change” – but instead the kind of thing

we teach our students not to do.

In the case of SB 191, DCTA is not

claiming DPS is ignoring the law – but

our interpretation of many SB 191 provi-

sions differs greatly from the DPS inter-

pretation. We first tried the negotiation

process to resolve these differences, but

could not come to a resolution. There-

fore, CEA Legal services has been in dis-

cussion with DPS attorneys and has pro-

posed to resolve these differences through

an advisory arbitration process. (In other

words – we want a judge’s opinion.)

Without DCTA’s proactive legal ac-

tions on both of these issues, “status quo”

would mean continuing practices that are

possibly illegal and definitely confusing,

instead of finding out how legal experts

understand what kind of implementation

these laws really intend. Please “Be the

Change” throughout this process by stay-

ing informed and giving us your opinion

through DCTA’s communication vehicles,

including the SLATE, e-SLATE and our

website.

Two weeks ago I had the privilege to

address teachers new to DPS. Every year

that I have this opportunity, I am reminded

of how important a teacher is in the life of

a student and how education for children

can make all the difference in their lives.

We had a fantastic day that ended with al-

most 200 people opting to join DCTA.

This year promises to be an extremely

busy year. In addition to the day-to-day

challenges of teaching, Denver educators

also face important challenges—and oppor-

tunities—that will have long-term effects

on the direction of our profession. The up-

coming school board election, the LEAP

project, legal challenges, and the re-negoti-

ation of our contract are all opportunities

for us to find new ways to “be the change”

we’d like to see in Denver Public Schools.

The School Board Election: The

School Board election this fall is critical.

Our representatives on the Board make ma-

jor decisions that affect how we get to do

our jobs, whether and how we get resources

for our classrooms, and the path we choose

as a district. It’s important to have a more

functional school board that works closely

with all stakeholders. I encourage everyone

to find a way to contribute during this elec-

tion. Whether it’s walking for candidates,

talking with community members about

how important it is to vote, or making a few

phone calls, no contribution is unimportant.

We’ll share more information about this ef-

fort soon, but feel free to contact Billy

Husher at bhusher@coloradoea.org with

any questions.

LEAP: We’re also re-making our eval-

uation system this year! Over 90% of Den-

ver Public Schools will be part of the next

phase of the LEAP (Leading Effective Aca-

demic Practice) pilot. We are testing the

new evaluation rubric as well as the new

peer observer process. The Design Teams,

Professional Practices Work Group and the

state Teacher Effectiveness Council are

spending a lot of time on this project, but it

is so important for their work to be in-

formed by your insight and knowledge.

Your feedback will help shape the final sys-

tem, and will help the Bargaining Team de-

termine the fairest, most thoughtful way to

implement this project. DCTA Board mem-

ber Zach Rupp (see the following page) has

been appointed to work with the pilot

schools, and I encourage everyone to com-

municate with him about how LEAP is af-

fecting your classrooms.

Legal Issues: The provisions of Senate

Bill 191 are having a huge impact on Den-

ver teachers. DCTA is working through the

court system in an effort to gain a clear in-

terpretation on several important portions of

the law. You can begin to "Be the Change"

on this issue by staying informed. The

DCTA website and Slate will be great places

to stay updated as this process unfolds.

The Contract: This coming Spring,

we’ll be bargaining the entire contract. Just

like with LEAP, your insight and knowl-

edge of what’s happening in your schools

will be crucial to making sure we can cre-

ate a contract that gives you what you need

to do your best for your students. The

DCTA Bargaining Team meets year round,

knowing that the process will be complicat-

ed. We will provide updates as information

emerges, but please stay in touch with your

Reps, Board Members, and office staff so

we can best represent you.

There is a lot to do, so I’d like to thank

in advance the members of the Bargaining

Team, The Political Action Committee, the

Teacher Design Team members, the Pro-

Comp Transition Team members, the

DCTA Board of Directors and many others

for the countless hours they will volunteer

this school year for our collective benefit.

As we enter this critical year, I also

want to welcome our new teachers to DPS.

I hope that your first year in Denver is

meaningful and exciting. Last but not least,

I want to thank to all of Denver’s educators.

The work you do each day makes a differ-

ence in the lives of Denver’s children. It is

an honor to work with you.

WHAT WE THINK The DCTA Slate2 August 2011

By CarolynCrowder, DCTA ExecutiveDirector

Welcome Back!

By Henry Roman,DCTA President

DCTA Legal Actions:Are they about

“Being the Change” or“Protecting the Status Quo”?

DCTA Board Member (and Bargaining

Team member) Zach Rupp is spending this

year working at DPS Headquarters as the

DCTA Outreach Manager for the LEAP

(Leading Effective Academic Practice) Pro-

ject. After working for years in the business

world, and watching most of his jobs evolve

into training positions, Zach tapped into his

passion for teaching and went back to school

to become a music educator. He has taught

elementary music at Greenwood, Columbian,

Lake, and the teacher-led Math & Science

Leadership Academy (MSLA). Here, he

shares a bit about himself and the evolution

of his involvement with the LEAP Project.

What brought you to DCTA?

I’ve always believed— having been in

the corporate world— that you should always

be a part of your professional organizations,

and that was reiterated in my training pro-

gram, both in music and in education. I con-

sider DCTA to be one of them, so that’s why

I joined. I first became a collegiate member

of the Alabama Education Association when

I began my practicum my senior year of col-

lege. After I graduated and moved to Den-

ver to start teaching, the first thing I did was

sign up at new teacher orientation. Within six

months of teaching at Columbian Elemen-

tary, I was approached by Bruce (Dickinson),

who was the DCTA Executive Director at the

time, and Jenny (Rasmussen), a DCTA Board

Member, to be the Building Rep at

Columbian. The only commitment was to at-

tend the monthly Rep Council meeting.

This sounded like a great opportunity to

get to know other teachers around the district

and gain a larger perspective of the teaching

community. Being the only music teacher in

my building, I was looking for ways to meet

other teachers from around the district,

specifically arts teachers in other school

buildings. I wanted to learn how arts instruc-

tion looked around the the district, and po-

tentially find a music teacher to mentor me.

So there was an immersion aspect for me. I

had no political concerns at that point. I have

found the more I become engaged and in-

formed, the more involved I want to be to

help create more opportunities to elevate our

profession. Being an active member of the

association has helped me better understand

the external factors that impact my job and

how I teach my kids every day. That became

a very immediate, recognizable connection

of how I was benefiting from being a mem-

ber, and being a Rep.

During the summer after my second year

of teaching, I got called by one of our UniS-

erv directors saying I’d been selected for an

opportunity to go to a Leadership Academy

created by the Colorado Education Associa-

tion. When I attended the academy, I started

getting the “nut-and-bolts” of how the Asso-

ciation works at all levels (NEA, CEA, and

local unit) and how they connect and support

each other. After completing the academy, I

was appointed to an open Board seat, which

I saw as an opportunity to learn more about

what DCTA was about getting a broader per-

spective of the teaching profession within

Denver. All of my participation in association

activities has made Denver a smaller and

more familiar place to teach.

My association work has also led to in-

volvement outside of Denver (and Colorado).

Three years ago, I was put in contact with the

Center for Teaching Quality (http://teach-

ingquality.org), which focused on develop-

ing teacher leadership. CTQ was embarking

on a new project that has now become The

New Millennium Initiative. This started with

a conversation among teachers within their

3-5 years of teaching experience. The con-

versation was focused on “What brought you

into teaching? What’s keeping you here?

What would make you leave, or what would

make you stay?” My involvement in the As-

sociation helped me speak directly about the

experiences and trials I have as an educator

(in a non-tested content area) in an urban

school district, and what I would like to see

changed to help my colleagues, as well as

myself. It also gave me an avenue to meet

other association members / teacher leaders

in other locales and states to have common

conversations and help each other think

proactively, and bring those ideas and con-

nections back to our relative situations. I am

always glad for the opportunities to bring that

knowledge, expertise, and connections with

others back to enrich our Association, as well

as my classroom. It amazes me how all of that

shows up in my classroom on a daily basis.

So how did you come to the LEAP project?

Through the conversations and the

work I’ve been a part of through the Center

for Teaching Quality, and the work DCTA

and DPS had started around teacher effec-

tiveness and how to improve our current

evaluation system, it seemed a natural next

step to become proactively involved.

Teachers [and Principals] often say that [our

current evaluation system] isn’t useful. It

has good intent, but because it has so much

room for interpretation, based on the lead-

ership style of the principals in the build-

ing, and also the knowledge of the princi-

pals and the teachers of how to use the tools

in place, there’s a lack of consistency in

how to utilize these tools most appropriate-

ly. That left room for us to look at how to

refine it in such a way that makes it more

useful to both principals and teachers.

At the same time, the Professional Prac-

tices Working Group (PPWG) had been

formed, and was in the process of research-

ing different peer evaluation models and

teacher support systems. About this time, a

grant for educator effectiveness from the Bill

and Melinda Gates Foundation became avail-

able. I was then approached by Henry to see

if I wanted to be a part of the design process

since I had helped open MSLA, had experi-

ence using a research-based peer evaluation

model we had developed at MSLA. Having

had the experience of peers evaluating peers

within our school, that gave me-- I wouldn’t

call it expertise as much as some experience

that could help the design team begin the con-

versations about what we think a peer obser-

vation model could look like district-wide.

So I was appointed to be the teacher co-chair

of the Peer Observation Design Team.

As I participated in the LEAP design

process, MSLA also became one of the 16 pi-

lot schools for the spring 2011 pilot. Having

the design and pilot experience, the DCTA

Bargaining Team asked me to step in help

bargain the MOU (Memorandum of Under-

standing) for the 2011-2012 LEAP pilot. We

wanted to draft an MOU that would create a

“safe environment” for teachers during the

pilot so that DCTA and DPS can have the

most authentic data that truly relates the ex-

perience of the pilot participants and informs

the project. That’s a role I’m still continuing.

So, having continued the design team

experience, participated in the initial conver-

sations that started the LEAP project, pilot

school participation, bargaining the LEAP Pi-

lot MOU, I have a vast amount of knowledge

around these different aspects of the project

(or at least where to get information) that are

useful in answering questions and help creat-

ing two-way communication opportunities

with all individuals around the LEAP pro-

ject, from participants to operations person-

nel, and making sure teacher voice and feed-

back is at the center of it. In this new role,

when I’m having conversations with teach-

ers, I am able to speak directly on how DCTA

has been collaborating with the District and

how support structures are evolving to meet

teacher (and ultimately student) needs.

Why did you feel it was important to

get involved with the LEAP project?

For starters, I think it’s important to

make sure that teachers have a real say in ma-

jor changes like these. Being a part of this

from start to finish helps me see how we can

make it more progressive in the future. I be-

lieve it’s important for us to move away from

a punitive model of evaluation to a growth

model, and I also believe it’s important for us

to find new ways to own our profession. I

want to ensure that teachers feel safe and

comfortable enough to be honest about

what’s going on, so that we can know if this

is or isn’t working, and how to make these

changes thoughtfully as we strengthen our

collaborative relationship with DPS.

Is there anything else you want fellow

DCTA members to know?

Yes. Please reach out with any comments,

questions, cares, or concerns you have! I will

keep what you say as anonymous as you need

it to be. As part of my work on this project,

I’m making sure that feedback is filtered ap-

propriately, so that a safe environment is

maintained for teachers to offer input and cri-

tiques for systemic change. If you have any-

thing you want to talk with me about (or to

say “hello”), please use my personal e-mail

zachary.rupp@gmail.com.

Introducing Your Friendly NeighborhoodLEAP Expert – Zach Rupp!

TEACHING AND LEARNINGThe DCTA Slate August 2011 3

DCTA Governing BodyEXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Henry Roman, President

DCTA Office

Melissa Underwood-Verdeal,

Vice President

Henry World School

Lawrence Garcia, Treasurer

East High School

Susan Pinkney-Todd, Secretary

South High School

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

SOUTHEAST SECTOR

Pedro Camacho

George Washington High School

Open Seat

Dolly Calderon

Samuels Elementary

Erich Smeaton

South

NORTHEAST SECTOR

Cathy Moore

Archuleta Elementary

Open Seat

Eric Rapp

Amesse

Carsten Engebretsen

Waller

NORTHWEST SECTOR

Beka Brewbaker-Toney

ColfaxDiana Hernandez

Trevista

Loralie Cole

Trevista

Lynne Valencia-Hernandez

Beach Court Elementary

SOUTHWEST SECTOR

Diane Anderson

Specialized Service Providers

Zach Rupp

LEAP Project, Outreach

Angela Kullhem

Henry World School

Benita Cervantez

Kunsmiller

CEA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Lloyd Bourdon

Henry World School

Amber Wilson

Thomas Jefferson HS

Cathy Cronn (Alternate)

McClone

David Szumiloski (Alternate)

Eagleton

DCTA-R President

Robert Alarid

DAEOP President

Cheryl Myres

1500 Grant Street • Suite 200

Denver, Colorado 80203

Phone: 303-831-0590 FAX: 303-831-0591

Web site: www.denverclassroom.org

The Slate, published monthly during the

school year, is the official publication of the

Denver Classroom Teachers Association.

Managing Editor: Carolyn Crowder

Copy Editor: Sabrina Stevens Shupe

The Association does not necessarily en-

dorse the companies or products advertised in

The Slate, and the opinions and articles pub-

lished in The Slate do not necessarily reflect the

position or view of the DCTA.

SLATE ADVERTISING

The Publication Company

Jon DeStefano,

Sheldon Spector

(303) 987-3994

DCTA Mission Statement The Denver Classroom Teachers Asso-ciation is a professional organization ofrecognized educational leaders. We ad-vocate for the rights and responsibili-ties of all educators, and for an ethicalsystem of quality public education forall students.

The DCTA Slate

Zach Rupp

TEACHING AND LEARNING The DCTA Slate4 August 2011

By Karen ZauberIf you're a beginning teacher, you prob-

ably worry about classroom management.

TYou're not alone. Classroom management

-- managing both student behavior and the

physical learning environment -- is an on-

going concern of all teachers. And a topic

you'll continue to read and learn about.

Begin by considering the following

four areas of classroom management: Es-

tablishing Classroom Climate -- the look

and feel of your room; Conducting Class

Efficiently -- managing time and students;

Reaching All Students -- delivery, encour-

agement, teaching techniques; Establishing

Discipline -- creating an atmosphere of con-

sistency and mutual respect.

Establishing Classroom Climate

To create the climate you want for

your classroom, you must first decide the

look and feel of the room. Think about the

types of activities that will go on in your

classroom as you answer the following

questions:

• Can you tolerate noise? Must the

room always be quiet? Or can you put up

with a mix of noise and quiet, depending

on the learning activity? It's easier to start

out more controlled and gradually open up to activity and noise than the other way

around.

• Must your classroom be neat (order-

ly rows, clean boards, limited clutter) or can

you stand it messy?

• What do you want your desk and sur-

roundings to say about you? I'm neat and ef-

ficient. I don't worry about clutter, but I like

some order. I like flowers and color. I value

students' work and enjoy displaying it.

• How do you want students to turn in

their work? Do you want them to put it into

your hands, into baskets, or e-mail it to you?

Let them know.

Tell students how you feel about class-

room climate and how everyone can help

maintain a pleasant, productive learning en-

vironment.

Conducting Class Efficiently

When you streamline classroom proce-

dures, you make things clearer for everyone

and you make more time for teaching and

learning. An efficiently run classroom en-

ables students to focus on their work,

which, in turn, helps reduce discipline prob-

lems.

To streamline your classroom proce-

dures, use the following approaches:

• Set long-term goals and keep them in

mind as you do your daily planning.

• Quickly learn and use student names.

• Gain students' attention before begin-

ning a new activity. Don't try to talk over

student noise.

• Give students their next assignment

before you collect or return papers.

• Don't interrupt students while they are

on task.

• Edit any materials you write for stu-

dents. On tests be sure to avoid using poor-

ly worded, ambiguous questions.

• Don't introduce too many topics si-

multaneously. Think through the delivery

of content before you get to the classroom.

• Think through directions you will

give students (write them down, if that

helps, before giving them verbally). Direc-

tions should be brief, and as the word im-

plies, direct.

• Don't stretch out the time for an ac-

tivity.

• Be consistent in what you say and

what you do.

Reaching All Students

Three strategies will help you teach and

reach all students. Vary your delivery to

keep students awake and interested in learn-

ing. Encourage all students to do their best

and let them know that you believe they can

succeed. Apply proven teaching techniques

to keep student interest and monitor

whether they are learning.

VARY YOUR DELIVERY

• Modulate your voice. Avoid speaking

too fast or in a high-pitched tone.

• Use a voice level that can be heard

easily in the back of the room.

• Be animated in your delivery. Using

facial expressions and body language can

be very effective in teaching.

• Move around. Don't stand or sit too

long in one place.

ENCOURAGE ALL STUDENTS

• Accentuate the positive.

• Be serious about getting work accom-

plished, but add some humor and fun to

class each day.

• Let students know that you expect

them to succeed.

• Talk to and interact with as many

students as possible, not just your fa-

vorite students.

APPLY PROVEN TEACHING TECH-

NIQUES

• Vary your teaching strategies or com-

bination of strategies during the week.

• Use three or more seconds of "wait-

time" after asking a content question.

• Balance the time you spend with one

student or group and monitoring the entire

class

• Do appropriate comprehension

checks -- as you are teaching -- to see if stu-

dents understand the content.

• Praise students appropriately. If you

praise them all the time -- especially when

they're only doing what's expected and no

more, they won't strive to do more. Re-

member, intermittent reinforcement is the

most powerful way to reinforce positive be-

havior. Be selective in your praise. Be hon-

est. Tell them when they've excelled and

how they can improve.

• Read student papers for correct an-

swers and for process and student thinking.

Establishing Discipline

When you establish an atmosphere of

consistency and mutual respect, you will

eliminate some discipline problems and fa-

cilitate the solving of others. Here are some

techniques to use:

• Be consistent in what you say and

what you do.

• Quickly learn and use student names.

• Find an effective means of quieting

students. Instead of saying "Shhh," consid-

er using a subtle strategy such as dimming

the lights, playing classical or other sooth-

ing music, or putting on the board a prob-

lem, a brainteaser, or an intriguing question

relating to the lesson of the day.

• Avoid using threats to control the

class. If you do use a threat, be prepared to

carry it out.

• Nip behavior problems in the bud. In-

tervene quickly when students are behaving

inappropriately.

• Whenever possible, reprimand a stu-

dent one-on-one instead of across the room,

in front of the whole class.

• Don't permit students to be inatten-

tive to an educationally useful media pre-

sentation.

• Use appropriate punishment for class-

room misbehavior.

About the AuthorKaren Zauber taught elementary school in

Oxon Hill, Maryland, and Denver, Colorado.She has worked for the National Education As-sociation for 12 years. Copyright © 2003 Na-tional Education Association

Bringing Order to the Classroom

By Rick DocksaiPeople used to write off Lake Dal-

wigk. That's not a place to take your kids

to, they'd say of the inner city-park in

Vallejo, California. Too many gangs. Too

many drugs. Karen Garcia, a fifth grade

teacher at Grace Patterson Elementary

School in Vallejo, agreed. That's why, in

fall 2001, she started taking her fifth grade

students and their parents there for field

trips. Those trips proved to be a transform-

ing experience, for the kids and for the

park.

Garcia wanted to teach her students

about wetlands habitats. The park's well-

watered grounds happened to have a quite

extensive one. "We studied wetlands in

class, and I was looking for somewhere to

show them some wetlands outside of

class," she says. "And this park had them."

But more than that, she wanted to get

them and their parents interested in a piece

of the community that others had forgot-

ten. "If families started going back there

en masse.it could help to make it a more

family-oriented place again," she says.

Garcia was involved in Neighborhood

Watch at the time, so safety was not an is-

sue. So she led her students on walks

through the park to observe the animal and

plant life. With the parents, she organized

picnics in the park.

Community Involvement

And other people began to take notice.

If Garcia and her group could frequent this

park in safety, couldn't they? "We were let-

ting families know that it was safe to go

there, that it was again a place for kids to

go to," Garcia says. For those remaining

skeptics, Garcia and her students wrote a

class letter to the editor of the local news-

paper, saying what a valuable resource the

park was, and urging other community

groups to get involved in it.

Other groups did. The local Audobon

Society volunteered members to show the

students the birds that lived in the park.

The sanitation department sent a guide

with holding nets and microscopes to show

them the microscopic organisms that live

in the water.

Sure enough, the dangerous elements

started leaving. "The drug users left when

they saw us coming," she says.

Months later, Lake Dalwigk was a vi-

brant place of community activity and vol-

unteer efforts. "We were, in a way, giving

back to the community a resource that they

were reluctant to use because of the kind

of people that had sort of begun to take it

over and hang out there," Garcia says.

Student Activists

The students' involvement in the park

was instrumental in that, and Garcia was

sure to point that out to them. "It was a sci-

ence project as well as a community de-

velopment project," Garcia says. "It was a

way of getting students and parents togeth-

er and to make them more interested in

their community." Garcia says that show-

ing students that they can make a differ-

ence for the environment is especially im-

portant today. With all the bad news about

global warming, urban pollution, and ris-

ing fossil fuel consumption, one can de-

spair of being able to make a difference.

"When we teach environmentalism to chil-

dren, we tend to teach doom and gloom,

and children can get very discouraged,"

Garcia says. "By getting them out there

and getting them involved locally, it really

empowered them."

The students started to see that their

actions really could make a positive dif-

ference. "They realized that when they and

their families started going to this park and

started taking interest, other local organi-

zations started taking interest. It gave them

a feeling that they could be activists, that

their actions could be worthwhile." More

importantly, they saw that they could have

the greatest impact when they worked to-

gether. "I believe that when kids start

working on a project as a team, and start

building something greater than them, they

start to act more civilly toward each oth-

er," Garcia says.

Civics Lessons for All

And it was a chance to make them

feel more like a part of their neighbor-

hood. "It's a matter of just getting stu-

dents out of the classroom and into their

communities. That can really have an

impact upon their lives." Needless to

say, she was teaching the adults some

civics lessons, too. "We were also get-

ting the neighborhood to know each oth-

er and have more pride in their neigh-

borhood," Garcia says. Clearly, Garcia

and her class did more than learn about

an ecosystem. "My hope is that it will

give them a lifelong interest in democ-

racy and might have a global impact."

Giving Back to the CommunityStudents Learn

Science & SocialLessons

By Peter Lorain, retired highschool teacher and middle schoolprincipal, Beaverton, Oregon

Just five years ago . . . a 13 year old

was considered over the hill by some ex-

perts in terms of brain development. -Judy

Rosenfeld (2002)

Although most people believe that

cognitive development plateaus in early

adolescence, current research shows that

young adolescents go through tremendous

brain growth and development. Far from

being over the hill, they are just beginning

to encounter the mountain.

Intellectual Growth and Behavior

Adolescence is a critical time for brain

growth. Significant intellectual processes

are emerging. Adolescents are moving

from concrete to abstract thinking and to

the beginnings of metacognition (the ac-

tive monitoring and regulation of thinking

processes). They are developing skills in

deductive reasoning, problem solving, and

generalizing.

This period of brain growth marks the

beginning of a person's ability to do prob-

lem solving, think critically, plan, and con-

trol impulses. This brain development cy-

cle also impacts short-term memory. A

middle school student can generally retain

from 5 to 7 bits of information at one time,

so teachers should not try to cram too

much information into one lesson. The

more engaged and "rich" the new informa-

tion, the more likely it is that the new in-

formation will be retained. The short-term

memory maintains information until it

moves into another area of the brain (long-

term memory) or until more, new informa-

tion is introduced. At this point the short-

term memory ignores the new information

in favor of the previous information, or

discards the previous information in order

to deal with the new.

Some of these changes manifest them-

selves in behaviors that are observable and

stereotypical of middle school students.

Taken in concert with the other major de-

velopment issues at this age, brain devel-

opment reinforces the following typical

adolescent behaviors:

• Engaging in strong, intense inter-ests, often short lived

• Preferring interactions with theirpeers

• Preferring active to passive learning

Teaching Implications

Given what we know about brain de-

velopment and the other changes taking

place in the young adolescent, teachers can

improve student learning by doing the fol-

lowing things:

1. Present limited amounts of new in-

formation, to accommodate the short-term

memory.

2. Provide opportunities for students to

process and reinforce the new information

and to connect the new information with pre-

vious learning. (Encourage students to talk

with their classmates about the new informa-

tion; have them debate or write about it; cre-

ate small group discussions.)

3. Provide lessons that are varied, with

lots of involvement and hands-on activi-

ties. Brain stimulus and pathways are cre-

ated and made stronger and with less re-

sistance if they are reinforced with a vari-

ety of stimuli. (Create projects; use art,

music, and visual resources; bring guest

visitors into the classroom.)

4. Provide lessons and activities that

require problem solving and critical think-

ing. Brain growth is enhanced and

strengthened through practice and exer-

cise.

As with other developmental changes,

students reach the "starting point" of this

brain growth cycle at different times and

progress through it at different rates. Some

students will be ready for problem-solving

activities, while others may still be work-

ing at their best when dealing with con-

crete information. Given these facts and

the fact that students learn in different

ways and respond to different stimuli, the

direction is clear: The middle school class-

room should be an active, stimulating

place where people talk and share, move-

ment is common and planned for, and the

teacher uses a wide array of approaches to

introduce, model, and reinforce learning.

When planning lessons, middle school

teachers must keep the goal clearly in

mind and make sure that students can

reach the goal in multiple ways. Teachers

must check in with students along the way

to keep them working toward the learning

objective. As thinking and learning be-

come more abstract, students need pre-

dictable and safe environments so that they

can risk, explore, and grow. Teachers must

structure and facilitate these experiences.

Students need to learn how to problem

solve, think critically, and develop

processes for learning. Teachers need to

structure and facilitate these, too. Teach-

ers should:

• Teach students how to study. Thereare many resources for teachers to struc-

ture these experiences.

• Establish, teach, and practice con-

sistent expectations

and routines. Don't

expect to tell stu-

dents once and have

them remember and

follow the "rules."

• Use processcharts to detail steps on a long-term pro-

ject and revisit these steps periodically.

• Use graphic organizers to assist invisualizing problem solving.

• Distribute assignment sheets thatclearly articulate benchmarks, timelines.

• Color code materials (e.g., assign-ments in blue, new information in red,

long-term project information in violet) to

help students put the material into a con-

text and take away the thinking and cate-

gorizing work to orient the brain as to what

should be done next.

These steps and others are tools teach-

ers can use to facilitate learning through the

new experiences and adventures in thinking

that are part of the young adolescent's life.

No. The thirteen-year-old brain is not

over-the-hill. It is just discovering the

higher peaks of thinking. And its owners

are ready to explore, understand, and max-

imize their developing abilities. Young

people experience tremendous brain

growth during the adolescent years. It is

up to educators to capitalize on this time

in their lives.

References

Dyck, Brenda A. "A Hunch about

Hovering." Middle Ground 5, no. 5 (April

2002). National Middle School Associa-

tion.

Rosenfeld, Judy. "Surfing the Brain-

waves." Middle Ground 5, no. 5 (April

2002). National Middle School Associa-

tion.Pete Lorain, author of articles on middle

schooling and other education issues, currently

works under private contract. Prior to retire-

ment, he served as a high school teacher, coun-

selor, and administrator; middle school princi-

pal and director at the district level; director of

human resources; and president of National

Middle School Association from 1996 to 1997.

Helping StudentsManage

Their Own BehaviorBy Merrill Harmin, from "InspiringDiscipline"

All discipline problems are not alike. Ef-

fective teachers match different approaches

to different problems. Here are some ap-

proaches from Inspiring Discipline by Mer-

rill Harmin that may prove useful to you.

The Simple Authority Statement

With a simple authority statement,

teachers can exercise authority with mini-

mum distress and emotion. By employing

this strategy, you also show students how a

person can use authority respectfully and

reasonably. The Strategy calls for the

teacher to voice disapproval authoritatively,

promptly, and as unemotionally as possible.

Redirect Student Energy

By redirecting student energy, a

teacher can end misbehavior without creat-

ing negative feelings. Instead of focusing

on the misbehavior, this strategy calls on

the teacher to turn student attention to

something else, preferably something

worth attending to. This is a useful ap-

proach when direct confrontation is either

unnecessary or imprudent.

The Calm Reminder

A calm reminder can help students un-

derstand what they are supposed to do, in a

way that does not communicate negative

emotions.

The Next-Time Message

A next-time message can correct stu-

dents' behavior without making them feel

discouraged. The strategy calls for the

teacher to tell students what to do next time,

without focusing on what was done this

time.

The Check-Yourself Message

A check-yourself message can remind

students to manage themselves responsibly.

The strategy involves the teacher telling

students to check what they have done, im-

plying that when they do so, they will see

what corrections are necessary. This strate-

gy can be used whenever students become

careless.

TEACHING AND LEARNINGThe DCTA Slate August 2011 5

Brain Development in Young AdolescentsGood News for Middle School Teachers

Continued on page 6

TEACHING AND LEARNING The DCTA Slate6 August 2011

William B. King1660 S. Albion St.

Suite 1110Denver, CO 80222(303) 331-1927

Steven Goldstein5299 DTC Blvd.,

Suite 1350Greenwood Village, CO 80111

(303) 283-8888

Representing DCTAmembers since 1978

The Silent Response

A silent response strategy gives stu-

dents room to solve their own problems.

This strategy also provides a way of avoid-

ing hasty, inappropriate responses. A

teacher using this strategy reacts to an act

of misbehavior by making a mental note

only and considering later what, if any, ac-

tion is appropriate.

Clock Focus

A clock focus strategy can settle stu-

dent restlessness and increase student pow-

ers of concentration. The strategy calls for

the teacher to announce "clock focus," a cue

to students to stand and watch the second

hand of a clock make full circles, as many

rotations as they choose, and then to sit and

resume their individual work. The strategy

can be used whenever students need to be

settled down, particularly young students

working at individual tasks.

The Visitor's Chair

By using the visitor's chair strategy, a

teacher can position a student close-by with-

out communicating disapproval. The teacher

using this strategy asks a student to sit in a

"visitor's chair" close to where the teacher is

sitting or standing. Students know they can

return to their own seats whenever they feel

ready for responsible self-management.

Honest "I" Statements

"I" statements can help teachers com-

municate honestly without generating de-

fensiveness or guilt. Honest "I" statements

also help teachers model a valuable inter-

personal skill. The strategy calls for the

teacher to talk honestly about personal

needs and feelings, making "I" statements,

avoiding comments about what "you" did

or "you" said. This approach is especially

useful when upsetting feelings emerge.

The Undone-Work Response

An undone-work response is a useful

approach for reacting when students fail to

do required work. A teacher using this strat-

egy avoids a blaming response and instead

aims to create a growth-producing response.

This approach can be used whenever a stu-

dent has not completed work on time.

Merrill Harmin.. Inspiring Discipline.Washington, D.C. NEA Professional Library.

Helping Students ManageTheir Own Behavior

Continued from page 5

By Cindy LongIn Chuck Pack’s Geometry class, stu-

dents learn how many rubber bands will pro-

vide the maximum amount of bungee jump-

ing thrill for a Barbie doll, determining how

far they can drop her from the ceiling to the

floor before she makes impact.

“They’re collecting data, they’re using

data to make predictions, they’re graphing

their results, and they’re learning about slope

and linear relationships,” says Pack, who

teaches in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. “But the

best part is that they persevere in this prob-

lem solving assignment. They don’t give up,

because they really want to see if and how it

will work.”

The Barbie Doll problem is a “Common

Core Standard” in action. In fact, “make

sense of problems and persevere in solving

them” is the first of the new Common Core

math standards.

What Is the Common Core?

Released in 2010, the Common Core

is a set of curriculum standards, covering

english, language arts and mathematics,

based on what all American students need

to know before entering college or the

workplace. Fifteen school districts nation-

wide are preparing to launch a test of new

standards as early as this fall. Forty-eight

states and the District of Columbia will

fully implement the standards for the

2014-15 school year.

The Council of Chief State School Offi-

cers (CCSSO) and the National Governors

Association Center for Best Practices (NGA

Center) led the Common Core State Stan-

dards Initiative. The groups worked with rep-

resentatives from participating states, a wide

range of educators – including Chuck Pack –

content experts, researchers, national organi-

zations, and community groups. The Com-

mon Core standards are also informed by the

standards of other high performing nations,

including Finland.

Their purpose is to provide a consistent,

clear understanding of what students are ex-

pected to learn, no matter where they live, so

teachers and parents know what they need to

do to help them.

They’re also designed to be much more

rigorous than current standards and relevant

to the real world, reflecting the knowledge

and skills that young people need for success

in college and careers.

“Rather than reading drills, we’ll ask stu-

dents to apply reading skills in a broader, ‘real

world’ context,” explains says Barbara Kapi-

nus, National Education Association Senior

Policy Analyst, who facilitated NEA teacher

member input and feedback for the develop-

ment of the new standards. “Instead of ask-

ing kids to stand in one spot and throw bas-

ketballs into a hoop over and over again,

we’re getting them to play as a team and score

points in a real game, using not only their

shooting or layup skills, but dribbling, pass-

ing, and all of the other skills necessary to

play the sport well.”

So gone are the days of summary

book reports – students will have to ana-

lyze the story rather than rehash the plot –

and no more teaching kindergartners only

to memorize the hands on the clock to tell

time.. Now they’ll learn numeracy – the

relationships between the numbers, so

they’re prepared to learn more complex re-

lationships with higher numbers in first

and second grade and beyond.

Real World Learning

Ricardo Rincon also helped develop and

review the Common Core standards. Rincon

is an elementary school teacher at Monte

Vista Elementary in New Mexico, a school

with a high population of English language

learners (ELL).

“It was important to work and collabo-

rate with other teachers on the standards be-

cause our knowledge and experiences with

ELLs is different,” Rincon says. “As individ-

uals, we can only contribute based on what

we independently know, and our recommen-

dations may only be meaningful to the stu-

dents in the state we serve. As a team, our col-

lective knowledge and experiences created a

foundation for recommendations that could

apply nationwide.”

Rincon was most impressed by how the

standards got young students to begin devel-

oping skills they will continue to use well be-

yond high school. “Knowledge-based re-

sponses will no longer be enough,” he says.

“Students will have to move beyond under-

standing a concept – they’ll have to make it

meaningful in their lives.”

Students will work in teams when

learning concepts, Rincon says, and as part

of the new standards, they will have to

evaluate areas of strength and areas in need

of improvement in their own work, and in

that of the other teams. Evaluation and of-

fering meaningful feedback is a skill many

adults are still grappling with – the new

standards will ask elementary school stu-

dents to master it by the time they enter

middle school.

In Oklahoma, and in most states around

the country, educators and reformers alike

have long complained that math standards are

a mile wide and an inch deep. Chuck Pack

was eager to take part in developing a new

set of standards that are more in-depth and

more rigorous.

“I currently teach 12 chapters in one year

of Geometry,” he says. “In the Common

Core, I’ll have six units that cover concepts

more comprehensively.”

Like Rincon, Pack is impressed by the

“real world” skills so many of the standards

require, such as the standard that asks stu-

dents to not only make sense of problems, but

to persevere in solving them.

When some of his students see that a

problem will take them more than a few min-

utes, Pack says they’ll cave. They’d rather

lose a point than persevere. He often teases

them that a single problem on one of his

quizzes could easily take up an entire piece

of paper.

“That’s reality. If your boss gives you a

task to complete, I guarantee it’s not going to

fit on one line,” he says. “So to make them

work ready, we need to build into our prac-

tice as educators a way to give them rich

problems that force them to persevere – prob-

lems that are so interesting they really want

to solve them.”

Like bungee jumping Barbies, for exam-

ple.

But Pack realizes it will be a slow, diffi-

cult process before he’s transitioned to the

Common Core. While some states expect to

have them in place by 2014, Pack says his

district is introducing them gradually, one or

two standards at a time.

“You can’t just flip the switch to the new

standards,” Pack says. “The most challeng-

ing part, getting started, will begin this sum-

mer.”

Here Come the Common Core Standards

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Me.html

By Tina Hicks WhittenOne of my favorite things about being

a veteran teacher is watching brand spank-

ing new, right out of college, first-year

teachers beginning their careers. These

young ’uns are so full of energy, enthusi-

asm, hope, determination, and “save the

world” attitudes that I find them extreme-

ly refreshing.

I have mentored many of these talent-

ed people and found that, although they

are well prepared in content areas and

child development research, they didn’t

learn everything they needed to know in

college.

Therefore, let me take this opportuni-

ty to offer some advice about what I have

learned from 10 years in my classroom.

Here we go...

1. Take your vitamin C.

You will find during your first years

that you are sick all of the time. You may

even begin to believe that you are allergic

to your students. In my first year of teach-

ing I had a conversation with the doctor

that went something like this.

Doctor: “It seems you have conjunc-

tivitis (pink eye) in both eyes, again.”

Me: “That makes the third time in six

months.”

Doctor: “Where did you say you

work?”

Me (proudly): “I’m a teacher!”

Doctor: “Oh, honey, get used to this

then. You’ll be sick for the first four years

of your career.”

This brought a completely new meaning

to the phrase “sick of my job.”

2. Stock up on antibacterial water-

less hand soap and disinfectant sprays.

When I am helping children with

something, I tend to pick up their pencils

and write on their paper. Bad habit, right?

God knows where a pencil has been. It is

slim enough and long enough to reach the

depths of one’s nostril and pull out the

most interesting things. I always realize

this after the pencil is already in my hand.

That is why antibacterial waterless hand

soap is my friend. I also love to disinfect

the classroom. I make my students clean

their desks daily. You would be surprised

at all the little germs that enjoy living on

those desktops among the leftovers from

juice spills, snacks, and sneezes. For proof

of this, see tip number one.

3. Remember, children are brutally

honest.

It no longer hurts my feelings when

students tell me that my pink lipstick does-

n’t match my red shirt or that I am having

a bad hair day. I just remember—they tru-

ly believe they are doing me a favor by an-

nouncing this in front of the class.

4. Keep a journal of the funny

things your students say.

I was teaching a group of students

one afternoon and needed to write with

a blue marker on chart paper. As I was

writing, the marker ran out of ink. I put

the cap on the marker and tossed it to

my team teacher. Without a word, she

caught it and threw me another. One boy

said, “Miss Hicks—Y’all got that ESPN

don’t cha?”

5. Invest in good, comfortable

shoes.

Don’t try to be cute or fashionable.

The blisters and corns on your feet aren’t

worth it.

6. Practice not going to the bath-

room for hours at a time.

I get to school at 7:15 a.m. and my

first opportunity to pee is at 12:30 p.m. Af-

ter five hours and 15 minutes, I am pray-

ing that the staff bathroom down the hall

is available. Bladder control should defi-

nitely be taught in college.

7. Practice eating your lunch in

three minutes or less.

By the time you help two children

find their lunch money, convince five of

them that pork dippers really taste like

chicken, put 18 pointed straws in juice

boxes, and stop two food fights, three min-

utes is all you will get.

8. Have a stash of chocolate in your

desk—you’ll need it some days.

Enough said.

9. Don’t snap your fingers at other

people’s children in the grocery store.

I know it’s hard—especially when

they are climbing on the shelves and rac-

ing their carts down the aisle. It’s not your

classroom.

10. Try not to treat your significant

other as though he or she is in third

grade.

This suggestion comes from my hus-

band. During a heated “discussion” we

were having, I didn’t believe he was pay-

ing attention to what I was saying. So I

asked him to put on his listening ears.

Needless to say, this didn’t help the dis-

agreement a bit.

There they are! The top 10 tips you

never learned in college. Keep them in

mind all year.

This article originally appeared in the

September 2003 issue of NEA Today maga-

zine. At that time, Tina Hicks Whitten taught

third grade at the New Vision School of

Math, Science, and Technology in Madison,

North Carolina.

TEACHING AND LEARNING August 2011 7The DCTA Slate

ColoradoEducation

Association

1500 Grant St.,Denver, CO 80203-1800

303.837.1500 / 800.332.5939

Top 10 Tips for Beginners

New Access to Professional DevelopmentOpportunities for Teachers!

DPS is turning on a new tab in

the Teacher Portal/SchoolNet on Au-

gust 29th that will give you all-new

access to highly differentiated pro-

fessional learning opportunities

aligned to the DPS Framework for

Effective Teaching.

In this new Educator Development

tab, you will find the link to your Pro-

fessional Growth Plan (PGP). You

will be learning more about this via

communications from your principal.

You can also visit the LEAP website

(http://leap.dpsk12.org) to learn more

about this new tool and timelines for

your required completion of your Ar-

eas of Focus. As a quick reminder re-

garding Professional Growth Plans, all

2011-12 LEAP pilot schools are being

asked to set a growth goal (school-

wide Area of Focus), and all teachers

are being asked to set an individual

growth goal (personal Area of Focus)

at the Expectation level of the Frame-

work for Effective Teaching.

You must enter your personal Area

of Focus by September 8th to ensure

you can have access to just-in-time PD

resources, and to ensure your princi-

pal/AP and Peer Observer know your

Areas of Focus prior to their observa-

tion. This will ensure that you receivetargeted feedback aligned to bothyour school and personal Areas ofFocus.

Don't hesitate to contact LEAP

@dpsk12.org or 720-423-2600 (x32600)

with any questions.

Thank you for the commitment to

continually improving your effective-

ness for your own benefit and the ben-

efit of our students. We hope you’ll

find the professional learning compo-

nents of LEAP (PGPs, targeted and di-

verse PD options, feedback from

peers, principals/APs and students, and

collaboration with peers at your site)

effective in helping you hone your

craft to become an even more excel-

lent educator!

The priority for 2011-2012 is for

teachers to participate in strong, site-based

PDUs. ProComp members can opt to cre-

ate a personal or small group PDU.

After September 1st, teachers interest-

ed in completing an individual or small

school group PDU need to log in to the

professional development registration sys-

tem and sign up for Assessment Evalua-

tion 5866-1 Fall.

These dates are important for Pro-

Comp teachers without a banked PDU

(completed in a prior school year) who

want to complete a three month PDU to be

paid out in January 2012.

Personal/Small Group PDU Deadlines:

• Fall: Register, submit and receive

approval by October 31, 2011 and reg-

ister to participate in a PDU final peer

review session before December 15,

2011.

• Spring/Year-long: Register, submit

and receive approval by February 15,

2012.

Contact Shirley_Scott@dpsk12.org

with questions.

Personal/SmallGroup PDU Update:

To advertise in the Slate, please callThe Publication Company at 303-987-3994.

The DCTA Slate8 August 2011 WHY WE BELONG

Why We Belong

Welcome back to another year! If this

is your first year in Denver, welcome to

DPS! If this is your first teaching assign-

ment ever, welcome to the profession! The

DCTA Membership Committee wishes

you a successful, satisfying school year.

You will hear many of your colleagues

talking about DCTA; the Association’s

work goes hand-in-hand with the work we

do teaching Denver’s students. However,

when we roll up our sleeves and delve into

our work with students, we may lose sight

of the importance of our Association and

the importance of being a member. Per-

haps this is your first year teaching in a

public school and you have never heard of

a teacher’s professional association, or per-

haps you come from another district and

you are trying to figure out what Denver

is all about, or perhaps you have been

working in DPS for years and just never

took the time learn about DCTA. In any

case, there are 3000 of us who belong, and

this is why:

We are advocates for our students

and schools. As educators, it is our ethi-

cal responsibility to ensure that our stu-

dents have quality public schools with

well-trained educators and adequate

learning materials. As members, we sup-

port our staff lobbyists who work dili-

gently with our legislators and policy-

makers to provide a quality public educa-

tion for every child. Remember, our stu-

dents cannot vote, so it is up to us to

speak on their behalf.

We are advocates for quality teach-

ing. Through the negotiations process,

DCTA helps secure the best conditions pos-

sible for student learning in our classrooms

and schools. We work closely with the Dis-

trict on joint committees to ensure that Dis-

trict policies and curricula are aligned with

excellent instructional practices. As mem-

bers, we have a voice in this process.

We are advocates for ourselves and

other educators. Also through the nego-

tiations process, DCTA helps secure

competitive salaries and benefits in order

to attract and keep the best educators in

DPS. We collaborate on committees in

schools to implement ideal teaching and

support models, and we create a collec-

tive professional network for each other.

As members, we have a voice in this

process.

We enjoy quality products and ser-

vices at reasonable prices. The NEA

Member Benefits program offers a variety

of products and services such as car insur-

ance, mortgages, investment accounts,

credit cards, cell phones, and much more.

These products and services undergo a rig-

orous endorsement process specific to ed-

ucators’ needs to ensure quality and value

for members. Because of this value, mem-

bers save our hard-earned money as well

as time and effort.

We are protected. DCTA provides

peer and legal representation at all levels

in case of a job-related conflict or a crimi-

nal accusation, including an Association

Representative right in our buildings. We

are not merely a referral service like some

other educator organizations: these legal

experts are hired Association staff, work-

ing for us, just an e-mail or phone call

away. Membership also includes a $1 mil-

lion liability policy.

So again, welcome to Denver, and

to DCTA. As you can see, there are so

many reasons, but only one decision:

BELONG.

By DaveSzumiloskiDCTA Membership& Benefits Co-chair

The DCTA Slate August 2011 9WHY WE BELONG

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!

Jill Abney, East HighGemma Aguayo, Smith ElementaryLydia Amewu, Denver Center for 21st Century

Learning at WymanRachael Amundson, Martin Luther KingSean Aronson, Munroe ElementaryTiffany Askins, SteeleDarilyn Barney, Abe Lincoln HighDr. Donna Barney-DiCianno, Martin Luther KingKelly Barst, Ellis ElementaryBrian Beard, Morey Middle SchoolThomas Bergen, North HighJennifer Blackburn, East HighNicole Bower, Montbello HighDenise Brandenburg, Morey Middle SchoolGrace Brandenburg, Castro ElementaryLindsay Brown, Collegiate Prep AcademyMarc Brown, MSLAKathleen Brownley, Bryant-Webster ElementaryAmanda Bryan, Oakland ElementaryAmanda Bucher, Kunsmiller Creative Arts

AcademyBrian Buddenhagen, East HighJoshua Burke, Rachel B NoelJulie Bush, SlavensDiane Bustillos, Beach Court ElementaryJose Cardona III, Montbello HighRebecca Castellanos, Peer ObserverEd Chance, Montbello HighEmily Clark, Lincoln MontessoriRyan Clark, Ashley ElementaryDavid Cohen, DCISDustin Coleman, TOSA District WideKelton Coppinger, Rachel B NoelMaren Corbly, West HighChristina Cordova, Cole Arts & Science

AcademyMatthew Craig, South HighKathryn Dai, Bruce RandolphLauren Danielson, Grant Middle School

Mary Davenport, Bruce RandolphSarah DeWeese, DCISTeresa Dickinson, Castro ElementaryLorraine Dinner, Trevista @ Horace MannChristy Dixon, Martin Luther KingLindsay Donaldson, George Washington HighGail Erisman Valeta, Oakland ElementarySarah Feaster, Bromwell ElementaryAlex Finney, Greenwood K-8Kathryn Fleegal, Bruce RandolphPaul Fleischer, Henry World SchoolMarisa Flood, Bradley InternationalNicole Foster, Oakland ElementaryGwen Frank, Valdez/ CastroMargarita Froelich, John F Kennedy HighJennifer Gaffner-Nelson, McMeen ElementaryTracy Garceau, Collegiate Prep AcademyGideon Geisel, George Washington HighKearse George, Green Valley RanchMatthew Gibson, LowryAndrea Glanville, Fairmont ElementaryChaundra Glenn, East HighJeffrey Glenn, Bradley InternationalAna Gonzalez, Kepner Middle SchoolC Shannon Good, McMeen ElementaryThomas Goodrich, Denver School of the ArtsStephanie Graves, Merrill MiddleSummer Hagge, Kaiser ElementaryErin Haggerty, Castro ElementaryTunisha Hairston-Brown, Lincoln ElementaryElise Harden, Barrett ElementaryTheresa Hintz, North HighVictoria Hodges, Abe Lincoln HighEmily Holman, Martin Luther KingMeaghan Holton, East HighKatherine Horne, South HighQuinn Hornecker, Lake International SchoolJustin Howard, Rachel B NoelDawn Husher, College View ElementaryOndrell Jackson, Ashley ElementaryChristopher Jarvis, McMeen ElementaryJaquita Jasper, Farrell B HowellElizabeth Jimenez, Smith ElementaryG Aaron Johnson, Lake International School

Matthew Johnson, McGlone ElementaryMattea Juengel, Abe Lincoln HighKimberly Kelley, Lake Middle SchoolNicholas Kelley, North HighMolly Kemp, MarramaSara Kerns, Hill Middle SchoolAmalia Kingsbury, Trevista @ Horace MannJennifer Kladstrup, Johnson ElementarySarah Klieforth, Smith ElementaryKristine Kline, McMeen ElementaryCaroline Kneppe, East HighEditha Knight, Schmitt ElementaryPeggy Kolaga, Green Valley RanchJesse Lajimodiere, Denver Center for 21st

Century Learning at WymanDeborah LaMere, CLAMegan Lawson, South HighJared LeMieux, Denver Center for 21st Century

Learning at WymanSarah Levinson, Garden Place ElementaryMaria Lopez, Montbello HighNicole Lovseth, Kunsmiller Creative Arts

AcademyMargaret Lowery, Denver Center for 21st

Century Learning at WymanJennifer Lowry, Kunsmiller Creative Arts

AcademyAngele Maez, Kunsmiller Creative Arts

AcademyErica Martinez, Castro ElementaryMark Masoni, Cole Arts & Science AcademyRosa Mateas, Montbello HighJeffrey McCrea, Edison ElementaryKatharine McGillen, Green Valley RanchMichelle McGuire, Godsman ElementaryConstance McNeil, Asbury ElementaryLindsay Meier, Castro ElementaryCarolina Mendez, Goldrick ElementaryLorian Meyer-Wendt, Valdez ElementaryErica Mitchell, Valdez ElementaryFelice Mittler, Henry World SchoolErika Mock, Newlon ElementaryNina Modern, GreenleeBrooke Mongold, Asbury Elementary

Jasmine Montgomery, Munroe ElementaryKristen Moreland, Martin Luther KingAndre Morton, Farrell B HowellKevin Murphy, Holm ElementaryMeghan Murphy, Denver Center for 21st

Century Learning at WymanTara Murphy, Ellis ElementaryConyea Nave, Montbello HighSusan Navin, LowryJasmine Neal, East HighMeghan Nelson, Skinner Middle SchoolJoseph Newswander, Bruce RandolphLacy Ogard, Hallett ElementaryChinyere Onyewuenyi, ColumbineJilliann Paluch, Castro ElementaryCharlotte Pascasio-Dawson, Doull ElementaryStephanie Pasek, Kunsmiller Creative Arts

AcademyRyan Paul, Schmitt ElementaryMatthew Pearlstein, Smith ElementaryEdie Pena, Hallett ElementaryRebecca Perry, Carson ElementaryMeredith Piec, Kunsmiller Creative Arts

AcademyJessica Pittman, Castro ElementaryKathryn Plichta, North HighWilliam Polk, Martin Luther KingEllen Pollis, Collegiate Prep AcademyLisa Polydoris, Farrell B HowellLisa Power, Farrell B HowellJohn Protsman, Rachel B NoelSarah Pryor, Montbello HighSarah Rasay, Montbello HighAndrea Renteria, Place Bridge AcademyJulie Reynoso, Fairview ElementaryJustine Riant, Kepner Middle SchoolJamie Riemersmay, Greenwood K-8James Robinson, Swansea ElementaryCecilia Rodriguez, Kepner Middle SchoolJoshua Rodriguez, Trevista @ Horace MannPiedad Romoleroux, Force ElementaryLaShawn Ross, West HighJohn Ruker, East HighColleen Rys, Force Elementary

Lauren Sabo, Manual HighAmparo Salazar, WallerRosalia Salazar-Calles, Kepner Middle SchoolJessica Salazar-Chatt, Bryant-Webster

ElementaryHarold Sands, William Roberts K-8David Santos-Solorzano, Holm ElementaryGladys Sarabia, CMS CommunityKatie Schenkenberger, Center for Early Ed.Stephanie Schroeder, Fairmont ElementaryMoire Schumacher, Martin Luther KingMathilde Schwartz, Castro ElementaryEdith Schweyer, Westerly Creek ElementaryRachel Sellers, Hallet ElementaryKristy Skarphol, East HighSimeon Smilalk, Rachel B NoelKayla Smith, Montbello HighMatthew Solomon, Greenwood K-8Ian Spain, Garden Place ElementarySheila Stradley, Force ElementaryBroch Strickland, Montbello HighJessica Sullivan, Abe Lincoln HighLake Sweet, Farrell B HowellMelinda Thompson, Kaiser ElementaryElizabeth Torres, Lake Middle SchoolCara Tran, Samuels ElementaryAntoinette Trullinger, Oakland ElementaryEmily Truman, Henry World SchoolAlyssa Tucker, George Washington HighAndrea Tyner, Henry World SchoolCalvin Van Wieren, Schmitt ElementaryEmily Volkert, Newlon ElementaryKelsey Wales, Edison ElementaryKristen White, John F Kennedy HighMary Wilson, Skinner Middle SchoolLeslie Wollenweber, MarramaAmanda Workman, Sandoval ElementaryMike Wylde, South HighLydia Xentaras, Hill Middle SchoolErica Yates, Barrett ElementaryAndrew Yoder, Sabin ElementaryPaula Zendle, Denver Green SchoolSarah Zhang, Castro ElementaryKrystin Zwolinski, Farrell B Howell

WHY WE BELONG The DCTA Slate10 August 2011

Members around Denver Public

Schools shared their responses to this

question, on why being a member matters

to them.

Why did I join the

Union?

• To have a voice

• Better pay and work conditions

• Unions offer support and advice

• Help with legal issue

• To help strengthen all DPS teachers,

(Union or Non-union) workplaces and fu-

ture workplaces.

—CW4 (Ret.) Charles Gaines

3rd Year in education

“The U in union means Updated on

current trends in education. The informa-

tion that I get through a variety of materi-

als shares ideas to apply to the classroom

and —Gabrielle Gerlits

5th Year in education

“I appreciate being part of the

union, knowing that I have someone on

my side who knows my rights and

needs as a teacher. I am a special edu-

cation teacher, and with that come a lot

of rules and regulations. Knowing that

I have the union on my side in getting

my class, my students and myself the

assistance I need, helps me to be a more

confident teacher. I also enjoy that the

union stays on top of important details

that I do not often have the time to stay

on top of, or that I do not fully under-

stand. Further, I feel the union reps can

explain the details to me so I under-

stand them and can use them to my ben-

efit as a teacher.”

—Elizabeth Repensek

4th Year in education

“I want to belong to a strong professional

organization that respects teachers and cel-

ebrates the teaching profession.”

—Diane Anderson

33rd year in education

“DCTA is an important advoate for our

students, parents, schools, and education

professionals. We are the voice for pro-

gressive and responsible education re-

form, and I have always felt it is a pro-

fessional obligation to stand for what is

right, together with my fellow educa-

tors.”

—Eric Rapp

14th year in education

What’s the ‘U’ in Union?

DPS Teachers: How are you ‘Being the Change’ this year?

“I’m looking for ways to make my

content area more authentic and exciting

for students.”

—Josie

Years teaching: 3

“I look forward to having my students

interact with me and others, and have stu-

dents use more visuals and do more pre-

sentations this year. I hope to change my

classroom from teacher-led to student-

led.”

—Sarah

Years teaching: 14

“I’m de-emphasizing punitive grad-

ing, and relying more on affective and ef-

fective teaching strategies.”

—Erick

Years teaching: 5

“Continuing to grow and reflect along

with my students. Mentoring future teach-

ers through the Denver Teacher Residen-

cy’s rigorous education. Continuing to

close gaps in student achievement.”

—12th year teacher

“I am part of the STELLA science re-

search project, and am trying out new

strategies to raise achievement and teach

more effectively.”

—Eric

Years teaching: 14

The DCTA Slate August 2011 11BENEFITS

Earn Money For Your School In The ‘Give Me Five!’ Campaign

Beginning August 10, schools may

earn up to $125 for their school in the

DCTA Give Me Five campaign!

There are two parts to the cam-

paign. In the fall, any school whose

membership grows by at least 5 mem-

bers will earn a $25 Safeway gift card.

Schools achieving this goal will also

be entered into the first drawing for a

$50 check at the December Rep Coun-

cil.

In the spring, any other schools

whose membership has grown by at

least 5 members since August 10 will

also earn a $25 Safeway gift card. These

schools AND the schools that met the

goal in the fall will ALL be entered into

the final drawing for another $50. That

is a possible total of $125!

Schools can earn more money by

achieving the goal early, making them

eligible for both drawings. The gift card

and check will be given to the Associa-

tion Rep, who may then use the funds to

purchase meals, treats, or gifts for mem-

bers in that building. Members who

joined at the New Educator Institute on

August 6 are not included in statistics

for this campaign. Please contact the

DCTA Membership Committee or e-

mail dcta@coloradoea.org with any

questions.

FinancialHelp for

First-YearEducators

If this is your first year EVER em-

ployed in a public school, DCTA will help

you pay your bills with a check for

$162.50 when you join DCTA!

Any first-year educator who has

NEVER worked as a teacher or special

service provider (SSP) in a public school

can benefit from this assistance. Other ed-

ucators at any point in their career, in their

first year or their 20th year, are also able

to receive this check, just as long as they

have never been employed in an NEA-af-

filiated district. This includes teachers who

have worked in private schools, or unaffil-

iated charter schools.

Unfortunately, educators who

could have previously belonged to

DCTA or other NEA-affiliated associa-

tions, either within or outside Col-

orado, are not eligible for this incen-

tive when they rejoin.

Hurry! The amount of the check de-

creases each month, so join TODAY to get

the full amount!

RETIREMENT The DCTA Slate12 August 2011

If you havea

What is the University ofNorthern Colorado Center forUrban Education?The Center is an elementary teacherpreparation program that leadsstudents to a Bachelor’s degree andColorado teacher licensure.But it’s more than that – it’s a placewhere traditional scholarship meetsa rich real-world experience in ametropolitan-area school classroom– a place where students find a homefor learning and growing as teachingprofessionals.That happens because Center studentswork with elementary school studentsand their teachers, developinginstructional skills on a daily basis.Who are Center for UrbanEducation students?Our current 200-plus students are richin variety and include:• Recent high school graduates.• More mature individuals who havebeen away from school for quitesome time.The one thing they have incommon?A desire to work with children rightaway and to learn how to be the bestteacher they can be.What makes the Center differentfrom other teacher prepprograms?

It’s a work-and-learn program. Here’swhat we mean:

CLASSROOM APPRENTICESHIP• You’ll spend your mornings in aclassroom teacher apprenticeshipposition – all four years.• You’ll receive pay as well as collegecredit.• You’ll be mentored by a retiredmaster teacher who offers guidanceand support for the classroomapprenticeship experience during allfour years of your program.That means you’ll be part of theschool environment as a working,contributing staff members while youcomplete their college education.

ACADEMIC CLASSESYou’ll major in a liberal arts programwith a concentration in Englishand literacy that gives you a broadfoundation for teaching and learningwith your future students.How can I learn more?Just ask. We’ll tell you more and helpyou decide if the Center’s uniqueprogram is for you.Here’s what you’ll do:• Spend your afternoons in academicclasses at the Center.• Focus on one academic class at atime, permitting you to complete

course requirements for a math,English or history class, for example,in five weeks.• Come away from each classroomexperience richer in what you’velearned because you’re focused moreclearly on the work at hand.• Immediately start taking classes tolearn how to teach all subject areasto children and not wait until yourjunior and senior years as in mostteacher prep programs.• Bring what you learn in the teachingmethods classes into your apprentice-ship classroom immediately – puttinginto practice what you learn and seeingfor yourself what works.• Take advantage of special seminarsin educational technology andclassroom management techniques,tapping instructional resourcesfound in the metropolitan area alongwith a variety of helpful learningexperiences.Is the Center for Urban Educationfor me?YES! If you’re ready to take on thechallenge of earning a bachelor of artsdegree and becoming a master teacher– one who will do everything in yourpower for the good of the studentswho will be entrusted to you.It will be your commitment and ourprogram that will make this happen.

Phone: 303-365-7631 or 303-365-7635 • E-mail: jennie.pallett@UnCo.edU • Online: WWW.UnCo.edU/Center/Urbaned

This program is offered as part of the statewide coordinated program of off-campus instruction authorized by and in compliancewith policies of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education.

By Kathleen KelleherYes, I just retired, but once a

teacher, always a teacher. And, once a

union maid, always a union maid (see:

YouTube: “Union Maid – Old Crow

Medicine Show”). Actually, I’ve come

full circle. Back in my grad student

days, I helped form the Union of Grad-

uate Student Teachers/Workers that was

modeled after the first-ever grad student

union in Madison, Wisconsin.

And now …

The teachers in Wisconsin are the

change that I want to see here in Den-

ver. Their concerted, ongoing, and very

peaceful efforts led to the recent recall

elections in Wisconsin that resulted in

two pro-teacher, pro-labor candidates

moving into the state legislature. While

all the major media—including NBC,

CBS, ABC, The Wall Street Journal, The

New York Times, etc.—have reported

that the recall elections were supposed-

ly a loss for the Democrats, what isn’t

being reported is that the Wisconsin re-

call election is a major win for progres-

sive labor, including professional teach-

ers like ourselves. The balance in the

Wisconsin state legislature is now 17-

16.

However, one of the 17 Republi-

cans, Dale Shultz, is actually pro-pro-

gressive labor, and Schultz voted

against Governor Scott Walker when

Walker flew in the face of 50+ years of

labor struggle and reform and stripped

the Wisconsin teachers of their voices in

negotiations that directly concern teach-

ing, student learning, and the classroom.

There are several reasons that Den-

ver teachers need to “Be the Change”

as demonstrated by our colleagues in

Wisconsin. I don’t have the space in

this article to list them all – but here

are a couple I discovered before retir-

ing from Montbello High School: 1)

The drastic cut in the number/percent-

age of African-American teachers in

DPS — from 17% in 1986 to less than

5% today. 2) And, directly contrary

to what we Montbello High School

teachers were initially “informed”

about by our administrators in a facul-

ty meeting earlier in the spring — i.e.,

that the community is very much in fa-

vor of the proposed closing of Mont-

bello High School —once an actual

community meeting was held and par-

ents and grassroots community leaders

(not the developers) had the opportuni-

ty to express their voices, the commu-

nity was actually very much opposed to

the phasing out of Denver’s historical-

ly black high school that has served the

Montbello neighborhood for over 40

years (see You Tube: “Protest in FNE

Denver – ednewcolorado.org”).

And, now, it’s time to hit the streets

again — as in: “Democracy is in the

streets”! We’ve got a tremendous op-

portunity this fall to elect three (yes,

t-h-r-e-e) pro-teacher, progressive can-

didates to the Denver School Board.

Let’s tip the balance … all the way.

Volunteer to knock on a few doors and

talk with a few parents with me!

RETIREMENT = REFIREMENT!

RETIREMENTThe DCTA Slate August 2011 13

By John MacPherson, DPSRS Retiree

On January 1, 2010, The Denver Pub-

lic Schools Retirement System (DPSRS)

was merged into Colorado PERA and re-

named the PERA DPS Division. This

complex transaction left much of the DP-

SRS benefit structure intact but provided

for some significant changes to factors

which affect these benefits.

All members of DPSRS as of Decem-

ber 31, 2009, were moved into the PERA

DPS division on January 1, 2010. For

those members of the DPS division, many

aspects of the benefit and contribution

structures remained the same. Employee

contribution rates of 8% of pensionable

salary, calculation of monthly retirement

benefit allowances, unit benefit accumula-

tion of 2.5% per year of service credit and

age and service retirement eligibility com-

binations did not change.

Pension Portability – Probably the

most significant addition to available op-

tions with the PERA merger was that pen-

sion benefits are now portable within the

state of Colorado. If you are a member of

the PERA DPS division through employ-

ment with the Denver Public Schools or an

affiliated DPS Charter School and you ter-

minate that DPS employment to work for

another PERA affiliated employer, you

now have the opportunity to continue to

build a benefit in your DPS division ac-

count with your new employer. This one-

time choice must be made within a limited

time frame very soon after the beginning

date of your new employment.

Other administrative changes were

implemented at the time of the merger to

align the past DPSRS processes with those

in place with the other divisions of PERA:

Definition of Salary: PERA’s defini-

tion of salary is now used to calculate

Highest Average Salary (HAS). The main

change was from DPSRS using only the

contractual rate of pay to PERA’s use of

all salary actually earned in a given month.

For example, the salary received from ex-

tra activities such as coaching is now in-

cluded in determining your HAS. Howev-

er, salary deferred into a flexible spending

account (FSA) for health care in not in-

cluded in pensionable salary.

Service Credit Calculation: One

month of service credit is earned, under

PERA’s definition, in each month that your

salary is equal to at least 80 times the Fed-

eral Minimum Hourly Wage ($7.25 as of

July 2009).

Purchase of Service Credit: The rate

for purchasing service credit is determined

by an age-related formula developed to re-

flect the true actuarial cost.

Disability Retirements: All applica-

tions for Disability retirements are re-

viewed and granted or denied according to

the rules of the PERA disability program.

PERA’s disability retirement program re-

quires you to be totally and permanently

mentally or physically incapacitated from

regular and substantial gainful employ-

ment. PERA has a short-term disability

program available for vested members

who are not totally and permanently dis-

abled, but prove to be incapable of per-

forming the essential functions of their po-

sition due to a disability.

Benefit Option Simplification: The ben-

efit payment options available for members

who retire after the date of the merger were

reduced from the previous 7 choices to 4 to

better align with the options available in the

other PERA divisions and to eliminate the du-

plicative and little used options.

John MacPherson is a Certified Retire-

ment Counselor® with the International Foun-

dation for Retirement Education, an affiliate of

Texas Tech University. He is available to con-

sult with DPS employees on matters related to

retirement. You may contact him at john-

macpherson42@ yahoo.com or 303-905-9057.

The PERA Merger – What Changed?

14 August 2011

Service Directory

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DCTA Central Grievance Board — Summary Active Grievance August 2011

The DCTA Slate August 2011 15

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