Education Week (11/16, Cavanagh) reports that despite traditional animosity between districts and local unions, "a number of observers today are arguing that states can, and should, play a more active role in bridging those long-standing divides. They believe that state officials-school chiefs, governors, lawmakers, and others-cannot only use the bully pulpit to encourage cooperation on issues that can improve student achievement, but that they can also use the resources of their offices to bring complicated and controversial policy changes to scale across many districts. Others are more skeptical, saying state efforts to meet union concerns result in watered-down policy." The piece notes that such cooperation is encouraged through Race to the Top, noting that applicants "could boost their scores by showing that their plans had buy-in from local chapters of teachers' unions." The piece notes that ED's Joanne Weiss has recently called on states to increase their support for such relationships.
Education Week (11/16, Sawchuk) continues this theme by focusing on former Springfield, Massachusetts Superintendent Joseph P. Burke and Timothy T. Collins, the president of the local teachers' union, noting that in past years, they "often seemed to be at odds with each other. ... Out of the public eye, however, the two men had begun meeting regularly, with help from the Cambridge, Mass.-based Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy. Gradually, they put new initiatives jointly into motion, including efforts to use surveys to improve school climate. When Mr. Burke left the district, the work continued under his successor, Alan J. Ingram, who appointed Mr. Collins to the district's senior leadership team and budget-advisory committee. Both bodies provide advice to the superintendent." The piece notes that their collaboration has been encouraged through funding from a National Education Association Foundation grant.
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