Meriden Educators Taking Part in National Conference

teachers and administrators will participate this week in a national conference that focus on collaborations among educators to improve teaching and student performance.

Public Schools’ new peer coaching and leadership academy to improve teacher quality and student learning will be showcased May 23-24 in Cincinnati at the second annual labor-management conference sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, the American Federation of Teachers and other education organizations.

, president of the ; , superintendent of Meriden Public Schools; and Mark Hughes, president of the are among more than 100 labor-management teams invited to participate at the Cincinnati conference, which will  focus on collaborating to transform the teaching profession.

During the 2011-12 school year, the Meriden teachers' union and the school district implemented a peer coaching program and a leadership academy for teachers, and provided additional time for teachers to collaborate to discuss student data.

The conference’s sponsoring organizations will sign a joint statement laying out the elements of a transformed teaching profession, including an embedded culture of shared responsibility and leadership, high-quality teacher preparation, continuous growth and professional development, evaluations based on multiple measures, competitive compensation, providing the conditions for successful teaching and learning, and engaging with community leaders and groups.