The Practice of Authentic PLCs : A Guide to Effective Teacher Teams

"This text illustrates the essence of what it really means to be a teacher―to care deeply and to think and act collectively about student and teacher learning."
―Barrie Bennet, Professor
OISE/University of Toronto, Ontario

"Daniel Venables has made a terrific contribution to the growing effort of teachers to educate ourselves in professional learning communities through protocols that focus our attention on the right stuff. Happily his writing is as accessible as his material is useful and his insights fresh."
―Joseph P. McDonald, Professor of Teaching and Learning and author of The Power of Protocols
New York University

Discover the keys to building effective, authentic PLCs

Creating an authentic professional learning community requires breaking down the walls of isolation and collaborating to improve student learning, because collectively we are more than the sum of our parts. Grounded in the award-winning author′s foundational work with the Coalition of Essential Schools, this book enables educators to hit the ground running with a research-based process that includes:

• Setting the foundation for collaboration and team building
• Facilitating protocols
• Examining student and teacher work
• Implementing teacher-designed common formative assessments
• Analyzing and responding to data

Educators will find numerous strategies, activities, exercises, and guidance for PLC leaders, including FAQs and a troubleshooting guide to common obstacles. When teachers are given the time, tools, and power to improve instruction, everyone benefits.

Daniel R. Venables is founder and executive director of the Center for Authentic PLCs, a research and consulting firm dedicated to assisting schools build and sustain authentic Professional Learning Communities. He is a Math/Science Fellow with the Coalition of Essential Schools and an award-winning classroom teacher of 24 years. He currently resides on a horse farm in South Carolina with his wife Brady, their therapy dogs, Blue and Flo, and a cat named Fahrney.