Continuous school improvement only happens when teachers and administrators collectively center their powers on ensuring student success within a professional learning community. With this practical guide, K-12 educators will discover how to target their school's specific needs with an immediate course of action to improve and measure student achievement. Each chapter includes space for teams to determine actions steps and a list of questions to help bring greater focus to your school improvement process.
A how-to guide for implementing Professional Learning Community at Work™ practices:
- Learn how to drive increased academic achievement for all students.
- Consider anecdotes from the authors' experiences working with schools that illustrate best practices in action.
- Contemplate your school's reality, and determine what actions you can take to improve student achievement.
- Prepare a school improvement plan for the structural changes needed to create a positive school culture.
- Use helpful protocols, rubrics, and action and assessment plans found throughout the book to design your continuous improvement plan.
Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1: Charting a Course Focused on Learning
Chapter 2: Transforming Culture and Structures
Chapter 3: Focusing on 21st Century Learners
Chapter 4: Establishing a Common Curriculum
Chapter 5: Creating and Using Common Assessments
Chapter 6: Planning Meaningful and Effective Instruction
Chapter 7: Embracing Accountability
Epilogue
References and Resources
Sharon V. Kramer, PhD, knows firsthand the demands and rewards of working in a professional learning community. As a leader in the field, she emphasizes the importance of creating and using quality assessments as a continual part of the learning process. Dr. Kramer served as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction of Kildeer Countryside School District 96 in Illinois. In this position, she ensured all students were prepared to enter Adlai E. Stevenson High School, a model PLC created by Dr. Richard DuFour. A seasoned educator, Dr. Kramer has taught in elementary and middle school classrooms and served as principal, director of elementary education, and university professor.
In addition to her PLC experience, Dr. Kramer has completed assessment training by Rick Stiggins, Steve Chappuis, Larry Ainsworth, and the Center for Performance Assessment (now the Leadership and Learning Center). She has presented a variety of assessment workshops at institutes and summits and for state departments of education. Dr. Kramer has also worked with school districts across the country to determine their power standards and develop assessments. She has been a Comprehensive School Reform consultant to schools that have received grant funding to implement PLCs as their Whole School Reform model, and her customized PLC coaching academies have empowered school and district leadership teams across the nation.
Dr. Kramer has presented at state and national conferences sponsored by National Staff Development Council, National Association for Gifted Children, American Federation of Teachers, and California State University. She has been instrumental in facilitating professional development initiatives focused on standards-based learning and teaching, improved understanding and utilization of assessment data, interventions and differentiation that meets the needs of all learners, and strengthened efforts to ensure K-12 literacy.
Sarah Schuhl is a consultant specializing in professional learning communities, common formative and summative assessment, school improvement, and mathematics. She has been a secondary mathematics teacher, high school instructional coach, and K-12 mathematics specialist for more than 20 years.
Sarah was instrumental in the creation of a PLC in the Centennial School District in Oregon, helping teachers make large gains in student achievement. She earned the Centennial School District Triple C Award in 2012.
In addition to her work in Oregon, Sarah has worked with other districts throughout the United States to implement PLCs and create common assessments. Her practical approach includes working with teachers and administrators to implement assessments for learning, analyze data, collectively respond to student learning, and map to standards. She is a consultant and coach in many schools, including those targeted in school improvement.
Sarah also works with districts as a consultant and coach to implement the Common Core State Standards for mathematics or independent state mathematics standards K-12. Her work includes short- and long-term professional development focused on implementation of the content standards, standards for mathematical practice or state process standards, and assessment, including formative assessment and an understanding of current state assessment practices. Her book, Engage in the Mathematical Practices: Strategies to Build Numeracy and Literacy with K-5 Learners, focuses on strategies to use when designing lessons that develop the habits of mind in students necessary for them to effectively learn mathematics.
