Center for School Improvement Leadership Institute January 26, 2013 ABC Partnership Valencia Mayfield, Assistant Superintendent, ABCUSD Ray Gaer, President, ABCFT

Overview of ABC Unified School District Southeast region of Los Angeles County Serves Cities of Artesia, Cerritos, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood, Norwalk, Long Beach 20,976 K-12 students 92% ethnic minority students 45.5% low income 22% limited English language speakers 37 different home languages 30 schools (19 ES; 5 MS; 5 HS; 1 Adult School) 14 Title I schools

3 Academic Performance Index (API) State Comparison State Target 800 ABC Exceeds the State Target of 800

4 API Status 2012 School Year 6 schools API totals exceed schools API totals exceed schools API totals exceed School Year 6 schools API totals exceed schools API totals exceed schools API totals exceed school API total exceeds 600 In 2012, twenty schools exceed the State ’ s target.

5 SchoolClass of 2009Class of 2010Class of 2011Class of 2012 Artesia93%97%98%100% Cerritos98%99% Gahr97%100%99% Whitney100% Tracy78%88%82%84% ABC Secondary 62%68%61%62% District Total94%96% 97% California High School Exit Exam Results Classes of 2009 – 2012

Looking Back  Conditions for change From strife to stability (1993) New leadership direction under Superintendent Dr. Ron Barnes (1999) working with ABC Union President Laura Rico  Creating a new partnership between labor and management  Establishing common beliefs, new structures and systems for collaboration

Partnership Structures Superintendent : Weekly meetings Establish norms and beliefs Joint projects focused on student achievement ABCFT President: Weekly meetings Establish norms and beliefs Joint projects focused on student achievement 7

The Partnership’s Behaviors  We work hard to understand the core of each other’s job.  We respect each other.  We are honest with each other.  We do not “sugar coat” difficult issues.  We disagree without being disagreeable.  We reflect on each others’ comments, suggestions, and concerns.

The Partnership’s Behaviors  We seek clarification until we understand.  We maintain confidentiality.  We both “own the contract.”  We solve problems rather than win arguments.  We laugh at ourselves and with each other.

1. All students can succeed and we will not accept any excuse that prevents that from happening in ABC. We will work together to promote student success. 2. All needed support will be made available to schools to ensure every student succeeds. We will work together to ensure that happens. The top 5% of teachers in our profession should teach our students. We will work together to hire, train, and retain these professionals. 3. All employees contribute to student success. 4. All negotiations support conditions that sustain successful teaching and student learning. This is the MAIN THING! 5. We won’t let each other fail! The Partnership’s Guiding Principles

Mission Statement The ABC Partnership is a collaborative effort to improve student achievement and to enhance the teaching and working environment for faculty, staff, and administration through the institutional partnering of colleagues in the ABC Unified School District and the ABC Federation of Teachers. Faculty and administration should have a voice in those decisions that reflect the collaborative efforts and goals of the partnership emphasizing a common understanding of the issues, joint research, sharing of information, mutual respect, and working together to ensure each others’ success.

EXPAND PARTNERSHIP CAPACITY 12

13 Academic Services Monthly Meetings Curriculum Professional Development Special Education Information Technology Competitive Grants Human Resources Negotiations Regular Meetings Personnel Issues Recruitment and Retirement Fair SIG School Teacher Evaluation Business Department Budget Workshops Health and Benefits Committee Finance and Audit Committee District and ABCFT Collaboration School Services Principal Liaison P.A.L. Survey AFT Innovative Fund Superintendent’s Office Weekly Meetings P.A.L Retreat West Coast Institute

Partnership Standing Meetings 1. Superintendent Union President 2. Chief Financial OfficerChief Negotiator 3. Asst HRUnion President and Chief Negotiator 4. Asst. Academic PASS Coordinator and VP ES 5. Curriculum and PDVP HS and VP MS 6. Special Education DirectorsUnion President 7. Special Education AdmVP Special Education, Co-Chair Special Ed Advisory Committee 8. Information Technology Union President 9. Coordinator of Child DevVP of Child Development 10. ABC ManagementAll Labor Unions 14

15 Curriculum and Professional Development CCSS Professional Development and Implementation Timeline Committee Member Selection Secondary Math Coaches Textbook Adoption Process Report Card Special Education: P.R.O.P.S iCARE (AFT Innovative Funds) Information Technology Pilot Elementary Grade Book District Technology Plan Child Development: Thematic Unit Projects (AFT Innovative Funds) Academic Services and ABCFT Collaboration

Human Resources and ABCFT Partnership Impact  100 % Credential Teachers  Large Applicant Pool  No “Hard to Staff schools”  District Average Teaching Experience is 16 years  Proactive Approach to Resolve Personnel Problems  Few Grievances (no arbitration)  No Lay-Offs of Permanent Teachers

Administrators and Union Representatives Attend Joint Training  P.A.L. Retreat Read Common Books (e.g. Fierce Conversation: Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time by Susan Scott) Review Assessment and Attendance Data Rutger’s University Research Project (Dr. Saul Rubinstein and John McCarthy, PHD student) Write Action Plans  Center for School Improvement Leadership Institute School and District Teams in NY All Schools in California Special Education and Child Development in California  Union Representative Meetings Program Improvement District and Monitoring Tools Common Core State Standards  QUEST District and Site Teams 17

PARTNERSHIP IN ACTION: FIND A PROJECT 18

School Site and ABCFT Collaboration AFT Innovation Funds:  Teams received $7500 for two years ($15,000) to support their innovation project  All funds provide direct services to students, teachers and/or parents  Principal/District and union representative plan and implement innovation project  School and district teams present at Innovation Project Celebration

Cohort I  Aloha ES – Physical “Mathucation”  Furgeson ES – Peer Coaching; Parent Training  Hawaiian ES – Family Education Nights  Juarez ES – CONNECT Program for Families  Kennedy ES – AIM Program- Healthy Bodies-Healthy Minds  Melbourne ES – Corrective Reading Program  Niemes ES – STAR Early Literacy Program  Fedde MS – RISING STARS Program  Ross MS – ELD Village  Special Education –“I CARE” Teams 20

Cohort II  Bragg ES – Project FORE-C  Burbank ES – iMATH Program  Elliott ES – F.A.C.T.S. Program  Leal ES – “Art of Stagecraft” Program  Palms ES – Comprehensive Wellness Program  Carmenita MS – GEAR UP  Tetzlaff MS – Get in the Zone  Cerritos HS – Freshmen Transition Plan  Tracy HS – Early College Program  ABC Secondary School – Senior “COPE”  Child Development – Thematic Unit Project 21

Getting Started  Superintendent and Union President Meet Regularly  Develop Guiding Principles  Talk and Model Partnership Behaviors  Take Calculated Risk  Pick a Project  Joint Meetings with Superintendent Cabinet and Union Executive Boards  Celebrate and Share Success Stories  “Spot Light” Productive Partnership Teams  Expand Leadership Capacity  Union Representative paired with District Representatives  Union Representative paired with Principals

23 Professional Growth For All Employees Effective Resource & Facilities Management Academic Excellence For All Parent & Community Involvement Healthy Students - Healthy Adults Student Achievement Student Achievement Strategic Plan Directions Student Achievement – Our Main Thing

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