Revisiting Professional Learning Communitis at Work: New Insights for Improving Schools - Softcover

Dufour, Richard; DuFour, Rebecca; Eaker, Robert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1934009326 ISBN 13: 9781934009321

Publisher: Solution Tree, 2008

Synopsis

This 10th-anniversary sequel to the author's best-selling book, Professional Learning Communities at Work™: Best Practices for Enhancing Student Achievement (DuFour & Eaker, 1998), merges research, practice, and passion. The most extensive, practical, and authoritative PLC resource to date, it goes further than ever before into best practices for deep implementation, explores the commitment/consensus issue, and celebrates successes of educators who are making the journey.

Benefits:

• Discover specific, practical recommendations for transforming schools into PLCs so that students learn at higher levels.
• Connect descriptions of the PLC framework with real-life examples from educators who have implemented the concept.
• Reinforce core beliefs of the PLC concept while tackling the misconceptions and common problems educators face during the transition to a PLC.
• Examine organizational development, change processes, leadership, and successful practices outside education for different perspectives.
• Understand the roles of the principal, central office, parents, and community in a PLC.

Contents:
About the Authors: The 3Rs of Professional Learning Communities
Introduction: Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work
Chapter 1: New Insights Into Professional Learning Communities at Work
Chapter 2: The Rise and Fall of School Reform
Chapter 3: Making the Case for Professional Learning Communities
Chapter 4: The Challenge of Cultural Change
Chapter 5: Clear Mission and Shared Vision
Chapter 6: Shared Values (Collective Commitments) and Common Goals
Chapter 7: Teaching in a Professional Learning Community
Chapter 8: Assessment in a Professional Learning Community
Chapter 9: A Tale of Excellence in Assessment
Chapter 10: Intervention and Enrichment in a Professional Learning Community
Chapter 11: The Classroom as a Learning Community
Chapter 12: The Role of the Principal in a Professional Learning Community
Chapter 13: The Role of the Central Office in a Professional Learning Community
Chapter 14: The Role of Parents and the Community in a Professional Learning Community
Chapter 15: Sustaining the Professional Learning Community Journey

About this title

About the Author

Richard DuFour, EdD, in a distinguished career spanning four decades, was a public-school educator, serving as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. A prolific author and consultant, he was recognized as one of the leading authorities on helping school practitioners implement the Professional Learning Communities at Work™ process in their schools and districts. Over the course of his career, he was the author of numerous books, including the best-selling Professional Learning Communities at Work™, Learning by Doing, and In Praise of American Educators.

During his 19-year tenure as a leader at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, Stevenson was one of only three schools in the nation to win the United States Department of Education Blue Ribbon Award on four occasions and the first comprehensive high school designated a New American High School as a model of successful school reform.

Rebecca DuFour, MEd, served as a teacher, school administrator, and central office coordinator. As a former elementary principal, she helped her school earn state and national recognition as a model Professional Learning Community at Work™ and as a National Blue Ribbon School. She coauthored twelve books, numerous articles, and several video resources on the topic of PLCs.

Serving as a consultant for more than sixteen years, Becky brought over thirty-six years of professional experience to her work with educators around the world who are implementing the PLC process in their own organizations. Becky was the recipient of the Evelyn P. Bickham Award, Outstanding Undergraduate Alumni Award of Lynchburg College. She consulted with professional organizations, schools, districts, universities, and departments of education.

To learn more about Becky's work, visit AllThingsPLC.info.

Robert Eaker, EdD, is professor emeritus at Middle Tennessee State University, where he also served as dean of the College of Education and interim vice president and provost. Dr. Eaker is a former fellow with the National Center for Effective Schools Research and Development. He has written widely on the issues of effective teaching, effective schools, helping teachers use research findings, and high expectations for student achievement. Dr. Eaker was instrumental in the founding of the Tennessee Teachers Hall of Fame and was a regular contributor to the Effective Schools Research Abstracts series.

Review

"Everything you want to know about professional learning communities can be found in [this book.] The authors, sometimes known as the 3Rs of professional learning, are among the nation's foremost authorities on applying PLC principles in the real world of schools. The book not only reviews the concepts and practices of a PLC, it also explores in detail deeper learning by educators. The case studies and charts clarify the study of components of implementing a PLC. The book takes you into classrooms and districts to stress how this can make a difference in the improvement of student achievement. The latest work merges research and practices in a way that offers educators practical recommendations for transforming schools. This is presented in a way that educators can see how students may learn at higher levels, and at the same time their profession becomes more rewarding, satisfying, and fulfilling. This book would be useful for a study group of administrators as well as an excellent resource for an educational leadership class."

--Janiece T. Buck, director, Transition to Teaching Project, Stephen F. Austin University, Texas, for The School Administrator, June 2009

Edition details

• Publisher: Solution Tree
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1934009326
• ISBN 13: 9781934009321
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 520