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In an unprecedented show of collaboration, nearly 250 teachers and administrators gave two hours on a beautiful Saturday morning to meet at the Stoklosa School today. The meeting was to talk about how the groups could work better together to improve student achievement. In these tough fiscal times, it was a welcome ray of hope to see so many staff—central office folks, teachers, social workers, instructional specialists, principals, and assistant principals—interested in learning about a new labor-management partnership in the Lowell Public Schools.  Joan Devlin, senior associate director from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), spoke briefly about the many courses and professional development programs they offer, but the speakers from ABC School District, 20 miles southeast of Los Angeles, were the highlight as they demonstrated what this partnership can mean to a district. ABC Union President Laura Rico explained that after a teachers’ strike in 1993, she decided there had to be a better way and that it made no sense to “demonize” the administration. “I realized principals don’t want students to fail, and that we must keep our eye on the prize—student achievement.” ABC Superintendent Gary Smuts affirmed how useful the collaboration has been for the district: “Imagine how liberating it is to be able to say, ‘I don’t know. What do you think we should do?’” Some examples of the collaboration include teachers participating in the principal hiring process, using AFT programs to expand teacher-trainer models, holding union reps accountable for school improvement, empowering and consulting with teachers about curriculum, etc. (More information on ABC district’s partnership can be found in this article published in American Educator.)

For Lowell, today’s kick off collaboration will continue with four days of training in August. And in the great New England tradition, there was a compact to sign that states: “In the best interest of our students, we will build a mutually respectful and authentically collaborative culture, rooted in open, inclusive decision making and shared leadership.” With the Lowellian penchant for partnership, this collaboration just may shine a beacon of light on otherwise dark and difficult times.