Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work®: Proven Insights for Sustained, Substantive School Improvement, Second Edition
432
Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work®: Proven Insights for Sustained, Substantive School Improvement, Second Edition
432eBook
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Overview
This new edition of a classic work is written for educators invested in the moral imperative to do what's right for all students. The authors work from the mindset that PLC at Work® is a continuous process of school improvement. The result is a revelation of best practices affirmed by the latest research and a confirmation of the power of the three big ideas and four critical questions of this proven process.
Learn how to sustain the work of collaborative teams to ensure best practices in instruction, assessment, intervention, and more.
- Discover new ideas and perspectives on school leadership and school culture.
- Delve into greater specificity on what issues Professional Learning Communities at Work® can positively impact.
- Learn how to effectively provide extra time and support for students who struggle and extensions for those who have already reached their learning goals.
- Understand what research shows is ineffective for student success and why such practices should be discontinued.
Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1: Proven Insights Into Professional Learning Communities at Work
Chapter 2: The Case for Professional Learning Communities at Work
Chapter 3: The Challenge of Cultural Change
Chapter 4: The Four Pillars of a Professional Learning Community--Shared Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals
Chapter 5: Teaching in a Collaborative Culture
Chapter 6: Essential Learning and Assessment in a PLC
Chapter 7: Interventions and Extensions in a PLC
Chapter 8: The Role of the Principal in a PLC
Chapter 9: The Role of the Superintendent and the Central Office in a PLC
Chapter 10: How to Sustain the PLC Process
Appendix
References and Resources
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781952812583 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Solution Tree Press |
| Publication date: | 04/09/2021 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 432 |
| Sales rank: | 726,765 |
| File size: | 3 MB |
Table of Contents
About the Authors xv
Introduction 1
About This Book 2
Chapter 1 Proven Insights Into Professional Learning Communities at Work 9
What Is a Professional Learning Community? 10
The Three Big Ideas That Drive Professional Learning Communities 12
The Four Pillars and the Building Blocks of a PLC 13
What Has Stayed the Same? 16
What Has Become Clearer? 24
Significant improvement Doesn't Take as Long as Previously Thought 25
An Ongoing Process 36
Chapter 2 The Case for Professional Learning Communities at Work 37
The Educational Assembly Line 39
A Monumental Shift 41
Decades of Failed Reform Efforts 44
The Application of Professional Practice to Improve Learning 48
The Evidence for PLCs 50
Greater Clarity and Confidence 52
Tight Elements in a PLC 54
Engines of Hope 59
Chapter 3 The Challenge of Cultural Change 61
The Importance of Cultural Change 62
A Complex and Challenging Task 64
How to Lead the Improvement Process 68
Common Mistakes in the Change Process 70
Leadership Strategies for Changing Culture 75
First Steps in Reculturing 78
A Different Metaphor 79
Reason for Hope 80
Chapter 4 The Four Pillars of a Professional Learning Community: Shared Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals 83
Shared Mission: Why Do We Exist? 85
Shared Vision: What Do We Hope to Become? 92
How to Build Consensus in a PLC 95
The Struggle of Consensus 100
A Story of Shared Vision 102
A District- or School-Level Vision? 104
Shared Values: What Commitments Must We Make to Create the School or District That Will Improve Our Ability to Fulfill Our Purpose? 105
The importance of Being Explicit and Direct Rather Than Vague and Ethereal 111
Shared Goals: What Goals Will We Use to Monitor Our Progress? 113
Other Keys to Effective Goals 117
The Pursuit of Nonmeasurable Goals 118
A Solid Foundation is Just the Start 120
Chapter 5 Teaching in a Collaborative Culture 123
Teaching in a Collaborative Culture 123
Collective Efficacy 124
Collective Efficacy and a Culture of Hope 125
The Knowing-Doing Gap at Work 127
A New Image for the Profession 134
Time for a New Story 137
Converting a Hard Fact Into Dangerous Half-Truths 137
Building Shared Knowledge Rather Than Pooling Opinions 139
A Collaborative Team at Work 141
The New Professionalism 149
Chapter 6 Essential Learning and Assessment in a PLC 151
Too Many Standards, Too Little Time 152
Identifying What Proficiency Looks Like 157
Engaging in a Continuous Process 161
Assessment in a PLC 162
Building Shared Knowledge 186
Chapter 7 Interventions and Extension in a PLC 193
Traditional Responses When Students Struggle 195
The Success and Failure of Special Education 197
The Unrealized Promise of Response to Intervention 200
The Essential Elements of Highly Effective, Systematic Interventions and Extensions 202
The Moment of Truth for a PLC 229
Chapter 8 The Role of the Principal in a PLC 231
The Principal in a PLC 236
A New Image of Leadership 251
Clarity and Coherence 258
Chapter 9 The Role of the Superintendent and the Central Office in a PLC 259
Is There a Place for Top-Down Leadership? 263
Tight About What? 265
Advice on Being Tight 269
The Role of Pressure and Support in Districtwide Improvement 295
Introspection 296
The "Must Dos" for Getting Started 298
Leading the Journey 303
Chapter 10 How to Sustain the PLC Process 305
Dangerous Detour 1: We Need More Training Before We Can Begin 306
Dangerous Detour 2: Let's Find a Way to Shortcut Key Processes 308
Dangerous Detour 3: Someone Else Needs to Do It 310
Dangerous Detour 4: We Pick and Choose Programs Rather Than Work at Comprehensive Cultural Change 312
Dangerous Detour 5: We Quit When the Going Gets Tough 314
Sustained Effort Requires Creating Short-Term Wins 317
Sustained Effort Requires Celebrating Short-Term Wins 321
Sustained Effort Requires Consistent, Effective Leadership 323
Final Thoughts 324
Appendix A Support for Professional Learning Communities 327
Research Supporting PLCs 328
Organizations That Endorse PLCs 337
Artifacts 345
Adlai Stevenson High School Vision Statement 346
Stevenson High School Board and Administrative Leadership Team Collective Commitments 350
Stevenson High School Faculty Collective Commitments 352
Stevenson High School Support Staff Collective Commitments 354
Collective Commitments for Stevenson Students 355
Collective Commitments for Stevenson Parents 355
Reference and Resources 359
Index 393
What People are Saying About This
"The PLC process is the bedrock of our efforts in Arkansas to lead the United States in student-focused education. With this second edition of Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work, Dr. Eaker and his colleagues have modeled the vital concept of continuous improvement to make this essential work even more relevant and powerful for our educators and their students."
—Johnny Key, secretary, Arkansas Department of Education
"Written and revisited by those who have taken the journey before us, this book has saved me and my schools many missteps and false starts along the way to becoming true PLCs."
—Timothy S. Stuart, head of school, International Community School of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
"This second edition provides a detailed—and doable—blueprint for creating the kind of schools all students deserve."
—Janel Keating, superintendent, White River School District, Buckley, Washington
"Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work, Second Edition is the cornerstone canon for all things PLC. Mike Mattos and Anthony Muhammad join PLC at Work architect Bob Eaker to lend their wisdom and voices to ensure the vision of the PLC process remains true to its origins, yet responds to the modern-day realities for creating the deep schoolwide structures and the culture necessary for successful student learning."
—Timothy D. Kanold, educational consultant and author
"Educational challenges around the world have never been greater, and the case for PLCs at Work has never been more compelling. The central question of educational transformation now is whether we are serious about meeting the needs of every student, or if we will settle for merely surviving. The latter course is the path of structural inequity and mediocrity, while the transformational opportunities in the pages of this book offer hope for a rebirth of the collaborative spirit and commitment to excellence and equity that is at the heart of PLCs. In this important update to a foundational text, the authors not only continue the pioneering work of Rick DuFour and his colleagues, but also make essential contributions to sustaining the work in the future. This book is a call to action that sweeps away the dangerous detours that substitute talk for action. Don't just read this book. Study it, scribble in it, and most importantly, use it to achieve great things in your schools for every student."
—Douglas Reeves, educational consultant and author
"With this second edition of Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work, the authors did something that is extremely difficult to do: they took an outstanding book and they made it even better. This edition is a must-read for teachers and leaders who are engaged in the PLC at Work process. With new insights and current research, this book provides essential information to help any school reach high levels of learning for all students."
—Eric Twadell, superintendent, Atwood Heights School District 125, Illinois