The Power of Labor-Management Collaboration: Using Data to Address Achievement Gaps

Thursday, January 15, 2009
8:30 AM – 10:30 AM

Omni Parker House Hotel
Boston, MA

Presented by the:  
Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy
Massachusetts Teachers Association

Join us for an event to highlight the ways teachers and their unions can provide leadership and support for improving outcomes for ALL students..

Session Overview

As more and more schools are labeled “underperforming” or “in need of improvement,” educational leaders are challenged to find the ways and means to dramatically improve school performance. While various interventions have been launched, too seldom are the roles of teachers and teachers’ associations/unions central to the discussion of the intervention process. 

Researcher Susan Moore Johnson

This event seeks to highlight the ways in which teachers and their associations/unions can play a vital role in leading efforts to improve the schools in which they work. In March 2008, over 40,000 Massachusetts educators - teachers and administrators - responded to the Massachusetts Teaching, Learning and Leading Survey (TeLLS), a statewide survey supported by a broad coalition that included Governor Deval Patrick and the state Legislature. Through the survey, educators provided their views about teaching and learning conditions in their schools on topics including leadership, empowerment, facilities and resources, professional development, and time.

The insights from educators across the Commonwealth provide critical information for making local and state-level decisions to improve Massachusetts schools. Presenters and panelists will describe how, at the school and district levels, teachers and administrators are using this survey data to transform their professional interactions to focus on high performance and improving student achievement. This discussion will highlight these collaborative strategies and focus attention on the policy implications for encouraging and scaling these types of reform efforts.

The event will open with a presentation by Susan Moore Johnson, one of the nation’s leading researchers on issues of teacher quality and teachers unions. She will discuss the benefits and challenges to teachers unions and district leadership working together to improve student achievement – especially in low-performing schools and districts. 

Next, teams from the Everett Public Schools and the Lowell Public Schools will discuss their use of TeLLS data to collaboratively develop action plans aimed at closing the achievement gaps and improving outcomes for all students. Teacher and district leaders will describe how they overcame the traditional barriers to collaboration and established a joint focus on student learning. 

Glenn Koocher, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) and Thomas Scott, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS) will offer closing remarks.

To see photos from this event, click here.

Keynote Presentation
Susan Moore Johnson, Carl H. Pforzheimer, Jr. Professor of Teaching and Learning, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Director and Principal Investigator, The Project on the Next Generation of Teachers

Overview of Teacher Learning and Leading Survey (TeLLS)
Maura Banta, Corporate Manager of Community Relations, IBM; Chair, Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Presentations from the Field
TeLLS Team from Everett Public Schools
TeLLS Team from Lowell Public Schools

Moderator
Kathie Skinner, Director, Center for Education Policy and Practice, Massachusetts Teachers Association

Closing Remarks
Thomas Scott, Executive Director, Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents
Glenn Koocher, Executive Director, Massachusetts Association of School Committees

REGISTRATION

Call the Rennie Center reservation line at 617-354-0002, ext. 13 or register online by completing the registration form below. Registration is free, however space is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.