Forward, Together: Better Schools Through Labor-Management Collaboration

By: Ken Futernick, Sara McClellan, Scott Vince

Collaboration between management and labor unions is a critical precursor to improving student outcomes, yet few school districts have tried to bridge the gap. What do districts need in order to break out of the "us-versus-them" paradigm that is so prevalent in America's schools?

This report argues that if labor-management collaboration is to become the rule rather than the exception for public education in America, every district should have access to useful research on effective labor-management practices.

Labor-management collaboration can affect positive changes in relationships, practices, and policies that currently do not benefit students. This report provides a knowledge base for districts that are ready and willing to adopt a collaborative approach.

Here's what you'll find in the report:

• The response to the 2011 Advancing Student Achievement Through Labor-Management Collaboration conference and the lessons learned from it, reviews what districts have accomplished a year after the event, and participants' perceptions of the conference's strengths and weaknesses
• Factors that promote effective labor-management collaboration
• Factors that impede effective labor-management collaboration
• Types of technical assistance that conference participants said would strengthen their collaboration efforts
• Conclusions about the findings from the conference and recommendations for conference planners, labor and management leaders, and technical assistance providers

This report was produced by the Comprehensive School Assistance Program at WestEd.