Catherwood LibraryILR School

150 school districts have sent representatives to a conference in Denver sponsored by the Ford Foundation. The conference's purpose is to foster communication and cooperation between labor and management in education, and to focus on efforts that can be made for students. However, not everyone is involved in the effort, with New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington D.C being notable absentees. The president of the New York City teachers' union, Michael Mulgrew said that the conference required a specific state of mind. New York City pulled out of the conference after officials talked about layoffs, and Washington union officials said that they did not want to be 'hypocritical' when talking about cooperation. the Education Department said that the conference is a way for teachers and management to learn different ways in which schools have improved.