The Power of Collective Intelligence: Creating a Paradigm Shift in Collaboration and Compensation for NUSD Teachers

-By Fran Rozoff

The NFT proposes to create a new “three dimensional” salary approach for District teachers who work on curriculum committees. Instead of having a District Office Teacher on Special Assignment position, several full time classroom teachers would have expanded involvement with such things as textbook adoptions, curriculum changes and assessments .

In the past, full time teachers, like myself, have worked with the District Curriculum and Instruction Department to create a District Health and PE Scope and Sequence, the Standards Based Elementary Report Card, and Elementary Benchmarks Assessments. Teachers have analyzed data from instructors who pilot new textbook series, such as SRA Open Court. With this new approach, teachers who have taken on extra duties would be placed on a type of Leadership Salary Schedule, with an extended work year similar to the Poway District in San Diego, and the Jefferson District in Daly City. This innovative pay structure would improve a teacher’s salary and provide significant retirement benefits at no additional cost to the District.

These are the tangible benefits. Additionally, this unique method of compensation is the hallmark of shared decision making. Shared decision making results in more effective learning experiences for all students, staff, administrators, parents and Board members. Shared decision making encourages innovative thinking, supports risk taking and fosters follow through on commitments.

Under the NFT proposal, several full time teachers who take on a curriculum assignment will be compensated through a 191-200 day salary schedule . In this way, NUSD would be harnessing more of the power of “collective intelligence” that already resides in the staff of this school district to solve problems and create innovative solutions. Most teachers are unwilling to accept responsibility for the success or failure of an initiative unless they have had some authority in making key decisions and some discretion in implementing those decisions. This distributive leadership brings learning communities together in a common commitment and shared responsibility for sustaining improvements as in the Professional Learning Communities model. Effective leaders know when to follow.

Having spent a few days this summer with Damon Lopez and Jeff King, co-principals of the Los Penoscitos “No Excuses University” in San Diego, I developed a better understanding of how they aggressively look for ways to help all students succeed and how much they depend upon the “collective intelligence” of their staff. Allowing more District teachers to be fairly compensated for their input into curriculum decisions is a “Whatever It Takes” attitude.

PLC guru, Rick Dafour put it best, “The most extensive and systematic program of research on organizational power and influence has led to one vital lesson that all leaders should take to heart: the more people believe that they can influence and control the organization, the greater organizational effectiveness and member satisfaction will be. In other words, shared power results in higher levels of satisfaction and performance throughout the organization.”

We, the teachers of NUSD, along with parents, administration and Board members, are united in our commitment to help all children learn. By allowing between 10 to 20 classroom teachers an opportunity to be fairly compensated for their important curriculum work is the “stuff’ of excellent, ever-improving organizations.

Togetherness works.