Collaborating to Transform the Teaching Profession

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 KPBSD Assistant Superintendent Sean Dusek, and LaDawn Druce at the Alaska presentation board. Special thank you to SMS teacher John Harro for printing materials.

 

In his invitation to attend the 2012 Labor-Management Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, Collaborating to Transform the Teaching Profession, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan wrote:  

“In order to prepare our young people for an increasingly competitive global economy, the United States must do more to ensure that teaching is highly respected and supported as a profession; that accomplished, effective teachers are guiding students’ learning in every classroom; and that schools are dynamic and innovative workplaces in which all employees are working toward the goal of improving student outcomes and closing achievement gaps. Teachers possess the same intrinsic motivation and enthusiasm for sharing knowledge and facilitating learning as generations past, but should have new, modern advantages to support their success. Despite the tight budgets which we find ourselves working with, we need innovative and reform-oriented districts to lead the way when it comes to transforming the teaching profession.” 

During the May 23-24, 2012, conference, KPBSD Assistant Superintendent Sean Dusek co-presented with Ms. LaDawn Druce, KPEA President. Mr. Dusek said, “We discussed the development of the KPBSD effective instruction evaluation system, and worked with people at the state level to help guide the conversation.” The new KPSBD evaluation system went into effect in August, 2011. 

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 The Alaska Team (L-R) Ron Fuhrer, NEA-AK Vice President and President Elect; Mike Hanley, Alaska Commissioner of Education; Sean Dusek, KPBSD Asst. Superintendent; LaDawn Druce, KPEA President, and Carl Rose, Executive Director AK School Board Association.

 

The United States Department of Education reported that U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined seven fellow national education leaders to sign a shared vision for the future of the teaching profession during the opening 2012 Labor Management Conference in Cincinnati. 

"Lessons and best practices from talented teachers is the driving force behind this shared vision for transforming the teaching profession," said Duncan. "The principles outlined in the document represent ways to strengthen and elevate teaching as one of our nation's most valued and respected professions."

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LaDawn Druce; U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan; and Sean Dusek.

 

In addition to Duncan, co-signers of the document include Labor Management Conference hosts: American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel, National School Boards Association Executive Director Anne L. Bryant, American Association of School Administrators Executive Director Daniel A. Domenech, Council of Chief State School Officers Executive Director Gene Wilhoit, Council of the Great City Schools Executive Director Michael Casserly, and Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Director George Cohen. 

The shared vision focuses on three main goals, which include ensuring all students are challenged to meet a high bar that prepares them for college, career, and citizenship; narrowing the opportunity and access gap between more and less privileged populations of students; and, preparing all students to be globally competitive. Seven core principles make up the elements of achieving these goals. They include:

  • A culture of shared responsibility and leadership;
  • Recruiting top talent into schools prepared for success;
  • Continuous growth and professional development;
  • Effective teachers and principals;
  • A professional career continuum with competitive compensation;
  • Conditions that support successful teaching and learning; and
  • Engaged communities

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 LaDawn Druce; NEA President Dennis VanRokel 

 

U.S. education leaders developed the shared vision following the 2012 International Summit on the Teaching Profession held in New York City in March. The event gathered teachers, union leaders, and education ministers from 23 high performing and rapidly improving countries and regions to share ideas and best practices for elevating teaching and improving student performance.” 

Dan Sewell, reporting for the Associated Press wrote: “’It's collaboration, not confrontation, that is essential to building strong public schools and ensuring that teachers have the time, tools and trust they need to improve teaching and learning," Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said in a statement to The Associated Press. "School districts across the country are demonstrating that when adults engage in the hard work of working together to solve problems, rather than winning arguments, our children, our teachers and our communities benefit."