The idea of Collaborative Decision-Making (CDM) in Denver Public Schools is 10 years old now and the council that oversees site-based management in the district begins distribution today of a survey that seeks to find how the process is working.

The CDM Improvement Council (CIC) will be sending out a three-page survey to all CDM members as background for the upcoming teacher contract negotiations. A one-page version of the survey is also available for all non-CDM members for their ideas about the effectiveness of the "CDM" approach to school management.

The surveys are due to be returned by March 4, 2002, in time for the CIC to develop ideas to help improve the effectiveness of CDM teams.

The Denver Board of Education and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association are beginning negotiations on a new contract -- and it's the teachers' contract that contains the provisions for establishing CDM teams at each school.

The CDM concept was born in 1991, shortly after then-Governor Roy Romer intervened to avert a threatened teachers strike. Gov. Romer ordered the creation of CDM teams at every school in order to draw more parents and community members to the decision-making table and give sites more flexibility to develop schools that best meet the needs of their individual students and neighborhoods.

Those CDM teams – including teachers, principals, non-teaching school staff, parents, community representatives, and students (in high schools) – are charged broadly with a wide variety of school management issues, including budget, school improvement planning, and teacher hiring.

The CIC is sending each CDM member a copy of the longer version of the survey. Schools will also have copies to distribute of the short version for any interested teacher, parent, other school staff and community member who are not members of CDMs to complete and return. This short version will also be sent to a variety of parent-teacher organizations and members of the various education advisory councils and Bilingual Parent Advisory Councils.

Also, a short version of the survey – again, for non-CDM members – is available through the district's web site. This version can be printed out and mailed back to: Board of Education Office, Denver Public Schools, 900 Grant St., Denver, CO 80203.

You may also call and request that a copy of the short version via mail. Please call 720-423-3210.

All surveys need to be returned by March 4. Individual responses will be kept confidential.

The long version of the survey covers the purpose, composition, and participation rates of CDM teams; the training of CDM members; how well CDM's communicate their work; how the CDM conducts its business; and how well the teacher hiring process works. The survey also asks respondents for their thoughts on whether the scope of decision-making should be expanded or more narrowly focused. Finally, the survey asks for an overall evaluation of the process.

This survey was initially sent to some teachers in the district; the CDM Improvement Council is now reaching out to the entire CDM membership.