Leading by Design: An Action Framework for PLC at Work Leaders

By focusing on what students learn rather than what they are taught, schools can redefine their mission and begin the transition to a professional learning community. After interviewing and observing principals, administrators, and teachers, the authors identify seven leadership practices that effective PLC leaders share, along with the techniques that have led them to sustainable success.

Benefits:

• Examine the seven leadership practices of highly effective PLC leaders.
• Build a clear and effective leadership framework.
• Gain insight from teachers, principals, and administrators.
• Face the challenges of unhealthy and unproductive collaborative teams.
• Pinpoint the specific strengths and strategies of successful leaders and teams.
• Learn not only how to develop your own leadership, but also how to promote a culture of leadership.

Contents:
Chapter 1: Leading to Learn and Learning to Lead
Chapter 2: Creating and Sustaining Collaborative Relationships
Chapter 3: Aligning Systems
Chapter 4: Facilitating Shared Responsibility
Chapter 5: Building Coherence and Clarity
Chapter 6: Modeling Practices and Expectations
Chapter 7: Reflecting on Leadership Effectiveness of Self and Others
Chapter 8: Developing Leadership Capacity in Self and Others
Epilogue

Cassandra Erkens is a presenter, facilitator, coach, trainer of trainers, keynote speaker, author, and above all, a teacher. She presents nationally and internationally on a wide variety of educational topics, including assessment, instruction, leadership, school improvement, and collaboration. She also provides facilitation services for meetings and retreats. Cassandra strives to customize her sessions to target the exact needs of the clientele with whom she is working.

As an educator and recognized leader, Cassandra has served as a senior high school English teacher, a director of staff development at the district level, a regional school improvement facilitator at the state level, a director of staff and organization development in the private sector, and an adjunct faculty member at Hamline University. She is the author of seven books and a contributing author to four anthologies. She has also authored and coauthored a wide array of published trainings and has designed and delivered the training-of-trainers programs for two major education-based companies.

Eric Twadell, PhD, is the superintendent of Adlai E. Stevenson District 125 in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Prior to his role as superintendent, Dr. Twadell served Stevenson as a social studies teacher, curriculum director, and assistant superintendent for leadership and organizational development.

Stevenson High School recently received its fifth National Blue Ribbon Award and is one of only six schools to win the United States Department of Education (USD) National Blue Ribbon Award on five different occasions. Stevenson was also one of the first comprehensive schools designated as a New American High School by USDE as a model of successful school reform. Stevenson has been described by the United States Department of Education as "the most recognized and celebrated school in America." In the popular press, Stevenson High School has been repeatedly cited as one of America's top high schools and the "birthplace" of Professional Learning Communities at Work®.

In addition to his teaching and leadership roles, Dr. Twadell has been involved in coaching numerous athletic teams and facilitating outdoor education and adventure travel programs. He is a member of many professional organizations, including Learning Forward and ASCD, and he earned a master's degree in curriculum and instruction and a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies from Loyola University Chicago.