Douglas County School District (DCSD) is one of 10 school districts in the nation chosen by the U.S. Department of Education to present at a federally sponsored conference in Denver on Feb. 15 and 16. DCSD was chosen because of its leadership and innovative efforts involving focused labor-management collaboration resulting in student achievement.

“We have seen how good labor-management relations can create the conditions that drive student success, so we want to bring together leaders in labor and management who are committed to collaboration around bold reforms,” said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

The presenting school districts will share best practices with the 500 attendees representing school districts and labor leaders from across the country.

“We are honored to co-host and present at this conference,” DCSD Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Celania-Fagen said. “We look forward to sharing the work we have done with our partner, the Douglas County Federation. Douglas County School District's collaborative approach is seen in the development of our Continuous Improvement of Teacher Effectiveness (CITE) initiative. It was also critical in creating the only waiver/candidate program in Colorado that allows us to certify our own teachers in hard-to-fill positions. We are excited that our tradition of innovation and collaboration will be showcased for a national audience.”