1.Describe the role David Cicarella fills for the New Haven Public Schools.
He is the president of New Haven Federation of Teachers and is the reason behind the new collaborative education reform in the New Haven Public Schools. He wanted to change the status quo of the educational system.
2.What circumstances occurring in or around the year 2009 affected the New Haven Federation of Teachers’ contract negotiations in that year?
Educational expectations have changed due to the charter school movement and the Obama Administration. They were determined to create a better educational system with their no-excuse attitude. The Obama administration wanted to change the productivity among teacher, students, faculty and staff through work force rules and regulations on how to evaluate teachers. There new an improved system will enhance academic performance of children. There was a lot of conflict around the country with these issues and they had an opportunity to undertake a collaborative approach.
3.What aspects of the 2009 contract negotiations made this collective bargaining process different than that with other bargaining units in the city?
The bargaining process were not the usual economic issues but were issues dealing with productivity and workforce. They recognized that they needed teachers and faculty needed to organize themselves around this concept. Online research showed changes in progressive teacher evaluation system that provided continuous assistance to struggling teachers and removed chronically ineffective teachers. Teacher inputs and flexibilities were also increased at school in order to adopt changes that educators, staff teachers, principals believed to be necessary to help students succeed.
4. Which of the following issues did the city of New Haven want to see resolved through the 2009 contract negotiations with the New Haven Federation of Teachers?
Need for evaluation systems for teachers and students. Teacher tenure was found to be a big problem is some schools because it removed the incentives for teachers to improve their performance. Improve academic performance of kids through no excuse academic policies and new evaluation systems. The AFT (American Federation of Teachers) recognized that they needed their members (teachers, principals, vice principals and superintendents) to organize themselves and be evaluated around this concept.
5.Which of the following issues affected the circumstances surrounding the 2009 contract negotiations?
These issues varied from police, blue color, white color, certified personnel (teachers). However, the AFT and Obama Administration felt that union members were using their tenure as an excuse for poor performance. Therefore, the big issues surrounding 2009 negotiations were productivity, teacher evaluations and workforce rules.
6. What made the collective bargaining process between the city of New Haven and the New Haven Federation of Teachers different than other bargaining processes that had taken place in the city? They did not want unwanted disputes between them like other cities. They made it a Collaborative approach. They knew each other and were willing to take the risk to change because they knew and trusted each other and they wanted to create a fair evaluation system.
7.Based on his portrayal in this video, which of the following adjectives do you feel best describes David Cicarella? David Cicarella is fierce, adamant, and knowledgeable; but, most of all determined to give students the chances and changes they need to succeed.
8.Which of the following changes occurred in the New Haven Public Schools as a result of the 2009 contract negotiations?
Top to bottom accountability was put into place. You start the sweeping changes from the administration to management to students then teachers then principals etc. This included In the lowest performing schools the unions allowed for sweeping changes which included changing any staff, hiring management companies to achieve objectives, etc. The new contracts are not about the city or teachers it is about young people.
