School Systems That Learn: Improving Professional Practice, Overcoming Limitations, and Diffusing Innovation

When school systems learn, professional practice improves and student achievement increases

Picture this: Teachers sharing insights and challenges. Principals leading with trust. Central office leaders inspiring and supporting principals. A synergistic learning system that results in all students succeeding.

This practitioner′s guide to creating a system-wide learning organization focuses on professional learning as the stimulus to improving student achievement. Experienced superintendents Paul Ash and John D′Auria provide a blueprint to:

• Improve schools through system-wide professional learning
• Increase student achievement by instilling a deep-rooted culture of curiosity
• Bolster faculty and staff morale with trust-building initiatives
• Align professional development with student-centered district standards

School Systems That Learn shows how professional development in a K-12 district can create synergy between educators and students that results in growth and achievement for all!

"Paul Ash and John D′Auria draw on their deep understanding of school districts to help explain why so many American students are left behind. Their solution―to build the capacity of educators through collaboration and honest reflection―should make their book required reading for anyone who aspires to educational leadership."
―Karin Chenoweth, Co-author of Getting It Done: Leading Academic Success in Unexpected Schools

"This is a carefully developed and immensely practical guide for educators on how to build trust, develop collaborative capacity, and foster leadership at all levels―from the classroom teacher to the superintendent."
―Amy C. Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management, Harvard Business School
Author of Teaming: How Organizations Learn, Innovate and Compete in the Knowledge Economy

Dr. Paul B. Ash has served as Superintendent of the Lexington Public Schools since 2005. Previously, he served as the Superintendent of Schools in the Westwood, Massachusetts Public Schools from 1998 to 2005. He has also held the following positions in the Wellesley, Massachusetts Public Schools - Director of Professional Personnel and Staff Development; Assistant Superintendent for Personnel, Finance and Administration; Assistant Superintendent for Personnel and Planning; and Interim Superintendent of Schools. He started his career in education as a chemistry/physics/earth science teacher at the Dover-Sherborn Regional High School, Dover, Massachusetts.

Dr. Ash received the Doctor of Philosophy degree from Boston College, the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study from Harvard University′s Graduate School of Education, the Master of Arts in Teaching degree from the University of Massachusetts, and the Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He has served Boston College as an adjunct faculty member providing instruction in Finance and Facilities Management to masters and doctoral students. He is currently a member of the National Superintendent′s Roundtable, and has served on the National Board of Governors for the American Association of School Administrators.


JSD Article: BLUEPRINT for a Learning School System

John D’Auria, Ed.D, moved from directing the Canton Public Schools as Superintendent to becoming President of Teachers21, a non-profit organization working to ensure that all school-aged children are given an equal opportunity to succeed by endeavoring to provide them with educators who are eminently knowledgeable and qualified to teach them.

In a career that has spanned four decades as a math teacher, guidance counselor, principal and superintendent, Dr. D’Auria has worked with hundreds of school leaders around sharpening the academic focus of school teams, developing a vibrant school culture, and managing conflict in the workplace.

Dr. D’Auria’s research focuses on the ways in which the assumptions that people hold about intelligence significantly influence their learning. His newest book is Ten Lessons in Leadership and Learning (2010). He is also the author of “The DNA of Leadership”―a curriculum for aspiring school leaders in the state’s Leadership Licensure Program―and co-author with Jon Saphier of How To Bring Vision to School Improvement (Research for Better Teaching, 1993). Numerous other articles include “The Superintendent as Teacher,” Phi Delta Kappan Online Edition, Fall, 2009; “A Principal’s Dilemma,” jointly with Matt King in Schools: Studies in Education, University of Chicago Press, Spring, 2009; and “3 Strands Form Strong School Leadership,” jointly with Jon Saphier and Matt King, National Staff Development Council, Spring, 2006. He is a frequent speaker at national and regional educational conferences and has served on The Middle School Curriculum Project based at Education Development Center.

John D’Auria is a Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude graduate of Boston College, where he majored in mathematics and philosophy; he earned his doctorate in urban educational leadership at the University of Massachusetts.