Teachers Union Conference Brings Together Education Stakeholders

Close to 200 people were on hand for the Washington Teachers Union’s Third Annual Community Education Conference on Feb. 20 at Gallaudet University. In addition to hearing from nationally-recognized education expert Linda Darling-Hammon, Leslie Fenwick, dean of the Howard University School of Education, and WTU Local 6 President Elizabeth Davis, participants attended working sessions on the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, the IMPACT teacher evaluation system and Common Core. The conference opened with remarks by Davis, who said it would take the “collective voice” of teachers, parents, administrators, elected leaders and other education stakeholders to reclaim the promise of good public schools for all children...

"We may not always agree on what needs to be done to improve teaching and learning in our schools, but I hope we can agree that using our “collective voices” on behalf of our children and their education is essential."
Calling herself "a great admirer of great teachers,” Darling-Hammond outlined steps that she felt needed to be taken to “create conditions for teacher effectiveness" and develop teacher evaluation systems that are unbiased and support student learning.
A special legislative session held during the conference brought together DC City Council members, members of the State Board of Education, labor leaders, school principals and others to talk about closing the achievement gap and other pressing issues.
Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO President Jos Williams was presented with a trophy during the conference’s luncheon. Williams was recognized for his support of the WTU, educators and public schools in Washington, DC.