CTA's Summer Institute, scheduled for the week of July 30-Aug. 4 at UCLA's conference center, is designed to build leadership skills among members interested in making their chapters stronger and more effective.
CTA Camp Wellstone (Advanced Campaign Management Strand) is the newest addition to this year's lineup. It will provide training for experienced political campaigners who want to learn the "Wellstone Way" of winning elections.
When Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone died in a plane crash 12 days before his expected re-election, his family and supporters established Wellstone Action to teach effective political action skills to those who believe in civic activism and grassroots power.
This summer, Wellstone trainers from the University of Minnesota will join CTA political organizers and field staff in presenting a program designed to take advocacy to the next level. Participants will practice targeting voters, building a candidate's voter base, organizing communities of color, creating a persuasive message, getting media exposure and building coalitions.
[CTA Camp Wellstone admission is by recommendation only. If you wish to be considered, contact your CTA Board member or primary contact staff. Space is limited to 20 participants per region.]
Negotiations and Organizational Development Strand — The newest addition to this strand is the Health Benefits Track. Lasting 2.5 days, it's aimed at members of chapter insurance committees and bargaining teams. It will focus on understanding the complexities of the current health care crisis and developing strategies to contain the rising cost of health benefits.
Other tracks include:
Emerging Leaders — Designed to arm members with the information, resources and skills needed to become effective organizers and future leaders in their local chapter, it includes the basic concepts of unionism and advocacy, association history and structure, and effective organizing techniques.
Essential Bargaining Skills — Designed to guide participants in the use of a 10-step process to ensure a successful bargaining experience, it involves teaming up to bargain a mock agreement and working with coaches to determine what strategies work best.
Advanced Bargaining Skills — This track focuses on the skills and knowledge needed to improve the contract settlement. It covers effective bargaining strategies and techniques, identifying key elements of the district budget, defining and negotiating issues, composing effective bargaining communiques, balancing the bargaining goals of complex constituencies, and expanding the scope of bargaining to include school improvement issues. [Participants must have completed the Essential Bargaining Skills track or have at least three years' experience on a local bargaining team.]
School Finance — Designed for leaders and bargaining team members who want to become more knowledgeable about school finance and school district budgets, this session includes tracking the trends of budget priorities, calculating the cost of a bargaining proposal, determining a district's ability to pay, and developing comparability data to support bargaining objectives.
Advanced School Finance — Participants will learn to explore the intricacies of their own school district budget, as well as other financial documents and resources necessary to assess a district's fiscal health and priorities. This track will make extensive use of computers and CTA budget analysis software. [This track requires two participants from a chapter, at least one of whom must have participated in the basic School Finance track within the last three years. Participants will need copies of their district's budget reports.]
Organizing Track — This 2.5-day session will strengthen participants' ability to organize at the local level, provide the tools and skills to implement the "constant organizing goals," and show participants how to raise the level of involvement in chapter activities.
Member Benefits Strand — This 2.5-day strand focuses on promoting the benefits of membership as a key to successful membership recruitment, retention and organizing efforts at the local level. The workshop will provide participants with a better understanding of the value of CTA membership, update information on the products and services offered through CTA Member Benefits, review eligibility requirements and timelines, and provide local organizing strategies that can be utilized to recruit and retain members.
The Instruction and Professional Development Strand — The purpose of this strand is to provide participants with practical process, tools and guidance to work together in the school community to improve student learning. It will cover the following topics:
School Site Councils/Teams — This session will address the roles and responsibilities of school site councils, the association's role in the process, legislation on "The Single Plan for Student Achievement" (SB 374), dealing with the SIP budget and funding sources, developing a school site plan, and how collaboration and teamwork can help.
Program Improvement/Leadership - This session is designed to provide skills for effective leadership and demonstrate ways teachers can participate in the continuous school improvement process.
Bargaining — This session will address the bargaining implications for schools with Program Improvement status. It will show step-by-step how to bargain language for success in Program Improvement schools.
There will also be sessions on "Strategies for Closing the Achievement Gap," "Classroom Strategies for English Language Learners," and "School Site Leadership in a Program Improvement School."
[For more information on the IPD Strand, contact Martha Buenrostro at (650) 577-5181.]
Communications Strand — This strand includes three separate two-day tracks. Participants can choose two.
Chapter Newsletters from A to Z — Participants learn to create and produce local association newsletters, from writing articles and selecting stories to laying out pages with digital photos. The session includes a tutorial in desktop publishing. Participants will get practical experience producing the official Summer Institute newsletter.
Chapter Websites: Organizing Online — This session includes the nuts and bolts of organizing a website, writing for the Web and using the website as a tool to reach members. There's also a hands-on tutorial on constructing a website. Participants will get a start on designing a local website.
It's News to Me: Effective Communications — This session covers the essential elements of communicating with members, the media and the general public. Participants will learn the basics of speech writing and the skills necessary to be a confident spokesperson for the chapter. Also covered are message discipline, speaking to outside groups, handling media interviews, working in crisis situations, writing media advisories, and creating media relations programs.
CTA is offering online registration for the Summer Institute. Hotel accommodation, meals and fees can be handled via credit card on CTA's secure website. To start the process, just click on CTA Conferences and Events and follow the instructions. Members who do not have access to a computer or who have questions can call the CTA Conference Center at (650) 552-5355.
