IMAGINE: the best schools in the world for every student in Delaware.

Teachers: Career Paths, Compensation and Collective Bargaining in the 21st Century

On November 9 and 10, 2007, the Delaware State Education Association, Delaware Public Policy Institute, and Vision 2015 co-sponsored Teachers: Career Paths, Compensation and Collective Bargaining in the 21st Century, a first-of-its-kind forum in Delaware on evolving practices in the teaching profession.

As the issues of teacher compensation, career ladders, and collective bargaining are being debated and developed across the country, this conference brought together leaders—from New York City, Colorado, Montana, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C.—representing the very latest both in the practice and theory of innovation in teacher compensation. Delaware proved to be a leader in this field when it began offering incentives for board certification and skill/knowledge clusters in 2000. The conference presented an opportunity to ensure its continued leadership; it resulted in a dialogue on the most progressive approaches to transforming traditional compensation methods for teachers in Delaware and a better understanding of how such innovations could be applied in the state.

The exploration of these issues attracted an audience of more than 100 to Delaware’s capitol. Most of the participants were educators from around the state, representing a broad range of grade-levels and subject areas. Several key government offices also joined the conversation, including representatives of the Office of Management and Budget, the Controller General’s Office, and the Department of Education.

Read the full Executive Summary

Friday, November 9
Keynote Address by Christopher D. Cerf—Deputy Chancellor, New York City Department of Education (Video available; please contact info@vision2015delaware.org for more information.)

Saturday, November 10
Opening Address by Allan R. Odden—Wisconsin Center for Education Research

Panel: Teacher Compensation

Panel: Collective Bargaining/Negotiating Change

Lunch Presentation: Teacher Comparable Worth by Lawrence Mishel - President, Economic Policy Institute (Washington, DC)

Workshops:

• Wisconsin: James R. Carlson—UniServ Director, Kettle Moraine UniServ Council (Wisconsin) and Clark Reinke—Superintendent, Plymouth School District (Wisconsin)
• Montana: Larry Nielsen—President, Helena Education Association (Helena, MT)
• Denver: Kim Ursetta—President, Denver Classroom Teachers Association (Denver, CO) and John Stocks—Deputy Executive Director, National Education Association (Washington, DC)

Missing Link in the Teacher Quality Debate, Education Sector event, January 8, 2008

"Collective Bargaining in Public Education: A New Dialogue" conference website

Performance-Pay for Teachers: Designing a Systems that Students Deserve, Center for Teaching Quality, April 2007

Leading the Local: Teachers Union Presidents Speak on Change, Challenges, Education Sector, June 2007

Teacher Compensation Database, The Education Commission of the States

"Conference of teachers enabled them to learn from others in country"
(News Journal, November 13, 2007)

"Educators debate teacher merit pay"
(News Journal, November 11, 2007)

"NYC schools leader challenges educators"
(News Journal, November 10, 2007)

"Delaware Educators, Business Leaders to Meet"
(News Journal, November 9, 2007)

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