A Leader's Companion: Inspiration for Professional Learning Communities at Work (Classroom Strategies)

This collection of inspirational quotes provides daily motivation for teachers and administrators. Collected from a decade of work by renowned experts Robert Eaker, Rebecca DuFour, and Richard DuFour, this book will keep educators focused on the daily work that drives a PLC, recommit them to their chosen profession (and remind them why they chose it), and sustain their enthusiasm for the journey.

Benefits:

• Find inspiration and motivation within daily reminders on the importance of education.
• Stay focused on the critical work involved in maintaining a successful PLC.
• Renew your enthusiasm for teaching.
• Reference a convenient collection of the big ideas for teachers and administrators.
• Discover forward-thinking ideas that cover every aspect of a PLC, from meeting in collaborative teams to closing the knowing-doing gap.

Contents:
The Power of Professional Learning Communities
Creating the Foundation of a Professional Learning Community
Leadership
A Focus on Learning
Clarifying and Assessing the Essential Curriculum
Additional Time, Support, and Enrichment
Collaborative Teams
Collective Inquiry and Action Orientation
Continuous Improvement
A Focus on Results
Appealing to the Heart
Closing the Knowing-Doing Gap

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.

Rebecca (Becky) 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.

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.