Dear Commons Community,

The U.S. Department of Education is sponsoring a Labor Management Collaboration conference based on the question: “How can we transform the relationship between labor and management into a strong partnership for improving student learning?”   For two days (February 15-16), school board presidents, superintendents, and union officials from 150 school districts  are meeting in Denver to discuss this question.   This is surely a step in the right direction.  The NY Times is covering this conference and reports that the relationship between  NYC’s school chancellor, Cathleen Black and UFT president, Michael Mulgrew, is such that Mr. Mulgrew decided not to come to the conference.   I am not sure who is at fault here but NYC children and their parents deserve better.

Tony