New CBA in New Haven

Major kudos to the city of New Haven and the New Haven Federation of Teachers for arriving at a new teachers contract that should be a national model for how to best support turnaround schools.  Read it yourself, but a few key points are that the contract:

1) Allows for Lead Partners, outside organizations that manage the turnaround process;

2) Makes working in a turnaround school voluntary for teachers; and,

3) Allows for flexible operating conditions, particularly around the length of school day and year.

David Brooks has some comments here.  New Haven has always had a strong charter presence – the remarkable Amistad Academy is the birthplace of high performing CMO Achievement First - and bringing some of the best practices learned there to the rest of district is crucial.  And, you all thought New Haven was just Yale and pizza …