Las Vegas, NV (June 9-10, 2011) ~ 30 Representatives from NEA and AFT local leaders in five states (CO, NM, TX, KS, NE, and NV) met for continuing work on two strands of inquiry (multiple measures of teacher effectiveness & the use of learning time) and to develop skills to frame their message with the public and policy-makers.

As is the norm with TURN meetings, this one began with local leaders sharing challenges and successes around contract negotiations, teacher professional development, school board elections, mill levy passage and political action. But, the agenda was designed to move quickly into reform topics, beginning with a review of the national unions' positions on teacher development and evaluation:

• AFT's Teacher Development and Evaluation 
• NEA's Proposed Policy Statement on Teacher Evaluation and Accountability
  (Delegates to the 2011 Representative Assembly, NEA’s highest policy-making body, will vote on this statement in July.) 

Bill Lopez, Boulder/Westminster UniServ Director, talked with SW TURN leaders about the Standards-based Education model being implemented in Adams 50 School District.

Katie Hofmann of the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers summarized and discussed the features of their recently-negotiated contract which provides for student achievement to be a factor in evalutions and compensation. She focused on the aspect multiple measures and credited an AFT resource: The Appropriate Use of Student Assessments.

Roy Chan, National Center for Time and Learning, presented an update on their work with extended learning time. Follow-up conversation centered on changes under consideration in District 12 (Thornton, CO), and the implications for budget and staffing.

The heart of the meeting was continuing work on the Better Way Plan and how to frame the message. Thursday's session included a summary of the statement-in-progress followed by a presentation by Larry Spotts, Jefferson County UniServ Director, using materials from the FrameWorks Institute. Friday's session blocked time for a feedback session on the details of the plan. Feedback will be incorporated into the plan. Continuing feedback and revisions will be facilitated online.

The work of Southwest TURN is facilitated by APA Consulting (http://www.apaconsulting.net/index.php) and supported in part through a grant from the Rose Community Foundation and the Ford Foundation.