Schools as Professional Learning Communities: Collaborative Activities and Strategies for Professional Development

"Schools as Professional Learning Communities is an extraordinary achievement. It brings together what a long-time practitioner can see and sense. It is an illumination of an exciting path to a constantly improving instructional community."
S. David Adler, Superintendent (retired)
Bergen County Schools, Newton, NJ

"This book is a must for those seeking to prepare school leaders as well as those seeking to improve school performance. Roberts and Pruitt have presented us with a scholarly work that provides the nuts and bolts for those seeking to understand school leadership."
Leslie Agard-Jones, Dean, College of Education
William Paterson University

Transform your school into a learning community with this practical, research-based guide!

Well-documented research shows that teaching, learning, and educational outcomes for students greatly improve when a school becomes a community--that is, when everyone works together to collaboratively search for and resolve problems in their schools. So if your ultimate goal is to help all members of the school community assume a leadership role, this one-stop sourcebook is exactly what you need to get started.

Authors Roberts and Pruitt provide the knowledge and skills necessary to work effectively with teachers, parents, administrators, and students to build a learning community. Schools as Professional Learning Communities is full of practical strategies, tips, and activities, and addresses the immediate issues faced by teachers in their classrooms and the work teachers, supervisors, and principals perform daily.

Highlights of this nuts-and-bolts guide include:

• Leading in the role of principal
• Working in groups and effectively using team processes
• Initiating study groups for building a learning community
• Providing learning opportunities for teachers through classroom observation
• Mentoring, providing collaborative assessment of student work, and other cooperative approaches
• Developing professional portfolios
• Sustaining the learning community

For school administrators and teachers focused on student achievement, equity, and teacher leadership, this is a must-have resource.

Sylvia M. Roberts heads programs in educational administration and supervision at the City College of New York, teaching graduate coursework in educational administration and supervision. Roberts has also taught in middle school and served as consultant and facilitator in numerous school districts.

Eunice Z. Pruitt is currently an educational consultant and director of professional development for Corn Associates, helping schools align their curriculum and assessment practices with state core curriculum standards. As well as teaching and serving as principal in elementary schools, Pruitt has also taught graduate courses at the City University of New York in leadership, educational planning, and systems problem solving.