New Haven Public Schools: When Adults Work Together, Children Succeed

School districts and teachers unions often clash over education policy, but in New Haven Public Schools, collaboration and engagement are the norm. “Engagement is a core part of NNPS’ theory of action,” explained Superintendent Garth Harries. The district has learned that collaboration leads to good policy and better outcomes for students. District and union leaders came together to co-create TEVAL, the school system’s new teacher evaluation and support system, and the district is graduating more students ready for college and careers by collaborating with local colleges and universities.

This brief is part of the Districts Rising series. Each brief in the series tells the story of a school district and its efforts to raise student achievement and prepare students for college and career. The briefs describe the strategies that districts have employed to raise academic standards for students, improve educator effectiveness, and engage stakeholders in the design and implementation of new policies. Chad Rubalcaba was the lead author of this brief.