Learning by Doing; A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities At Work

Discover how to close the knowing-doing gap and transform your school or district into a high-performing professional learning community (PLC). The powerful third edition of this comprehensive action guide from experts Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker, Thomas W. Many, and Mike Mattos updates and expands on new and significant PLC topics. Explore fresh strategies, tools, and tips for hiring and retaining new staff, creating team-developed common formative assessment, implementing systematic interventions, and more.

Learn how to establish professional learning communities in schools:

• Build a shared knowledge of critical vocabulary and the concepts underlying the PLC process.
• Equip yourself with the knowledge and tools necessary to model effective reciprocal accountability and collective teacher efficacy.
• Make honest assessments of your school and teaching methods by examining conventional practices from a fresh, critical perspective.
• Take immediate and specific steps to close the knowing-doing gap.
• Move beyond creating an action plan for school improvement, and start doing.

Changes for the third edition:

1. Two new chapters: One on team-developed common formative assessment strategies and the second on hiring, orienting, and retaining staff members for your PLC
2. A stronger focus on districtwide PLC implementation and avoiding common mistakes related to the PLC process
3. New insight into clarifying the essential standards necessary in a guaranteed and viable curriculum by establishing a collective understanding of best practices in teaching
4. Suggestions for incorporating a focus on learning and deeper knowledge, as opposed to simple recall of information, into curriculum development and teacher-made assessments
5. A deeper and more thorough examination of RTI (MTSS) interventions by coauthor Mike Mattos, a leading expert on intervention
6. Explicit PLC tools and templates that high-performing districts have used
7. An updated research base, including more than one hundred new references and professional learning community examples
8. A shift in focus from why educators should implement the PLC process to steps to take immediately in the implementation process

Contents:
Introduction to the Third Edition
Chapter 1: A Guide to Action for Professional Learning Communities at Work™
Chapter 2: Defining a Clear and Compelling Purpose
Chapter 3: Building the Collaborative Culture of a PLC at Work™
Chapter 4: Creating a Results Orientation in a PLC at Work™
Chapter 5: Creating a Focus on Learning
Chapter 6: Creating Team-Developed Common Formative Assessments
Chapter 7: Responding When Some Students Don't Learn
Chapter 8: Hiring, Orienting, and Retaining New Staff
Chapter 9: Resolving Conflict and Celebrating in a PLC at Work™
Chapter 10: Implementing the PLC Process Districtwide
References and Resources
Index

See also, the companion book, Concise Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Professional Learning Communities at Work™, that provides readers with quick answers to help them move beyond specific problems in PLC implementation.

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 brought over thirty-six years of professional experience to her work as an educational consultant, having served as a teacher, school administrator, and central office coordinator. She co-authored twelve books and numerous articles on the topic of Professional Learning Communities at Work™.

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.

Thomas W. Many, EdD, works with teachers, administrators, school boards, parents, and other education stakeholders on organizational leadership, implementation and change, and PLC at Work strategies and concepts.

Dr. Many's long and distinguished career includes twenty years of experience as a superintendent. He has also served as a classroom teacher, learning center director, curriculum supervisor, principal, and assistant superintendent.

Mike Mattos is an internationally recognized author, presenter, and practitioner who specializes in uniting teachers, administrators, and support staff to transform schools by implementing the response to intervention (RTI) and PLC processes. Mike co-created the RTI at Work™ model, which builds on the foundation of the PLC at Work process to successfully create systematic, multitiered systems of support to ensure high levels of learning for all students.

He is former principal of Marjorie Veeh Elementary School and Pioneer Middle School in California. At both schools, Mike helped create powerful PLCs, improving learning for all students. In 2004, Marjorie Veeh, an elementary school with a large population of youth at risk, won the California Distinguished School and National Title I Achieving School awards.