How Union Contracts Block School Reform: A Denver Case Study
Teacher contracts function virtually as the constitution for a district, yet their provisions are little known to the public. Unpleasant surprises emerge when the Denver Public Schools contract is read from the viewpoint of frustrated education consumers. Article 44 bars community accountability committees from monitoring classroom work (although required by state law).
Quality Checklist for Education Consumers
Public education in Colorado is ripe for change. The legislature has enacted a new funding formula and a grassroots accountability process. The Governor has made school creativity a priority issue.
The final months of 1989 brought to the state three major conferences on improving the schools: a business-education summit in August, a Gates Foundation national symposium of reform experts in September, and a regional strategy meeting on parental choice hosted by U. S. Secretary of Education Lauro Cavazos in November.
