2012 Labor Management Conference to Showcase Local Work on Strengthening Teaching Profession

EDITOR’S NOTE: Updates list of participating school districts, states and presenters.

State and district school chiefs, union leaders, and school board leaders from 41 states and more than 100 school districts will meet in Cincinnati from May 23 to 24 to share innovative ideas and successful policies that strengthen the teaching profession, from recruiting new candidates to retaining talent already in the classroom.

“The quality of any school relies on the strength of its educators at the front of the classroom,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “Across the country, there are remarkable success stories shaping the next generation of teaching. The goal of this year’s conference is to help their colleagues learn from one another and take this work to the next level.”

The U.S. Department of Education in partnership with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association, National School Boards Association, American Association of School Administrators, Council of the Great City Schools, Council of Chief State School Officers, and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service will co-sponsor the event. The 2012 conference marks the second such convening, following the February 2011 conference in Denver.

Last year’s event gathered superintendents, union leaders, and school board presidents committed to building collaborative labor-management relationships, policies, and agreements centered on improving student achievement. This year, state leadership teams will join participating districts to share stories and discuss policies for creating deeper and broader collaboration among education leaders.

The May 2012 conference, titled Collaborating to Transform the Teaching Profession, is focused on highlighting innovative approaches—at both the state and district levels—to improving student achievement by dramatically increasing the stature of the teaching profession and the number of highly effective teachers in our nation’s schools. The conference will showcase work from over a dozen districts and states, invite leaders within the same state to convene on ideas and lessons learned, and encourage all participants to take on similar efforts when they return home.

Funding support for this year’s conference is provided by the Ford Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the GE Foundation. Lists noting participating districts, states, and presenters follow. Background highlighting presenters’ work will be shared during the conference, and posted online at www.ed.gov.

• Aromas-San Juan USD, Calif.
• Poway Unified School District, Calif.
• Sacramento City Unified School District, Calif.
• San Juan Unified School District, Calif.
• Weld Re-8 School District, Colo.
• Meriden Public Schools, Conn.
• New Haven Public Schools, Conn.
• Caesar Rodney School District, Del.
• Colonial School District, Del.
• Charlotte County Public Schools, Fla.
• District School Board of Pasco County, Fla.
• Duval County Public Schools, Fla.
• Lake County Schools, Fla.
• Miami- Dade County Public Schools, Fla.
• Seminole County Public Schools, Fla.
• Glenview Public School District # 34 , Ill.
• Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123, Ill.
• Schaumburg Community Consolidated School District 54, Ill.
• East Allen County Schools, Ind.
• Fort Wayne Community Schools, Ind.
• Oregon-Davis School Corp., Ind.
• Olathe Public School District #233, Kansas
• Topeka Public Schools, Kan.
• USD 259 Wichita Public Schools, Kan.
• USD 333Concordia, Kan.
• Boone County Schools, Ky.
• St. Helena Parish School System, La.
• Berkshire Hill Regional School District, Mass.
• Brockton Public Schools, Mass.
• Lowell Public Schools, Mass.
• Plymouth Public Schools, Mass.
• Quaboag Regional School District, Mass.
• Springfield Public Schools, Mass.
• West Springfield Public Schools, Mass.
• MSAD/RSU #74, Maine
• Portland Public Schools, Maine
• Sheepscot Valley RSU #12, Maine
• Baltimore City Public Schools, Md.
• Montgomery County Public Schools, Md.
• Prince George's County Public Schools, Md.
• Farmington Public Schools, Mich.
• Huron School District, Mich.
• Mount Clemens Community District, Mich.
• Romulus Community Schools, Mich.
• Brooklyn Center Schools ISD#286, Minn.
• ISD 625 Saint Paul Public Schools, Minn.
• Minneapolis Public Schools, Minn.
• Pine River-Backus School District, Minn.
• St. Louis Public Schools, Mo.
• Jackson Public Schools, Miss.
• Lincoln Public Schools, Neb.
• Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional School District, N.J.
• Albuquerque Public Schools, N.M.
• Washoe County School District, Nev.
• Beaver River Central Schools , N.Y.
• Byron Bergen Central Schools, N.Y.
• Chittenango Central School District, N.Y.
• Elmira Heights Central School District, N.Y.
• Geneseo Central School District, N.Y.
• Grand Island Central School District, N.Y.
• Greece Central School District, N.Y.
• Hauppauge School District, N.Y.
• Hilton Central School District, N.Y.
• Ithaca City School District, N.Y.
• Lyme Central School District, N.Y.
• Lyncourt Union Free School District, N.Y.
• Marlboro Central School District, N.Y.
• New Paltz Central School District, N.Y.
• Olean City School District, N.Y.
• Otego-Unadilla Central School District (Unatego), N.Y.
• Plattsburgh City Schools, N.Y.
• Rochester City School District, N.Y.
• Sackets Harbor Central School District, N.Y.
• Solvay Union Free School District, N.Y.
• Syracuse City School District, N.Y.
• Union-Endicott Central School District, N.Y.
• Valley Central School District, N.Y.
• Watkins Glen Central School District, N.Y.
• Webster Central School District, N.Y.
• West Fargo Public Schools, N.D.
• Ada Exempted Village School District, Ohio
• Cincinnati Public Schools, Ohio
• Coventry Local Schools, Ohio
• Ohio Appalachian Collaborative, Ohio
• Pickerington Local School District, Ohio
• Ridgemont Local Schools, Ohio
• Sandusky City Schools, Ohio
• Springfield City School District, Ohio
• Toledo Public Schools, Ohio
• Oklahoma City Public Schools, Okla.
• Salem-Keizer School District, Ore.
• Penn Hills School District, Penn.
• Pittsburgh Public Schools, Penn.
• Quakertown School District, Penn.
• Providence Public School District, R.I.
• Woonsocket Education Department, R.I.
• Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, Tenn.
• Sullivan County School District, Tenn.
• Somerset Independent School District, Texas
• Fairfax County Public Schools, Va.
• Richmond Public Schools, Va.
• Westmoreland County Public Schools, Va.
• Bellows Free Academy UHSD #48, Vt.
• Lamoille North Supervisory Union, Vt.
• St. Johnsbury School District, Vt.
• Marysville School District #25, Wash.
• Seattle School District, Wash.
• Tahoma School District, Wash.
• Hampshire County Schools, W.Va.

• Alaska State Team
• Hawaii State Team
• Iowa State Team
• Kansas State Team
• Massachusetts State Team
• Nebraska State Team
• North Carolina State Team
• Ohio State Team
• Oregon State Team
• Rhode Island State Team
• Utah State Team
• Vermont State Team

• Baltimore City Public Schools, Md.
  
• Chalkboard Project, Ore.
  
• Cincinnati Public Schools, Ohio
  
• Delaware State Team
  
• Kentucky State Team
  
• Massachusetts State Team
  
• Montgomery County Public Schools, Md.
  
• New Haven Public Schools, Conn.
  
• Ohio Appalachian Collaborative, Ohio
  
• Olathe Public School District #233, Kansas
  
• Pittsburgh Public Schools, Penn.
  
• Springfield Public Schools, Mass.
  
• Syracuse City School District, N.Y.