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

"Roberts and Pruitt offer practical advice to educators who seek to address one of the greatest obstacles to creating effective schools: how to get school staff to collaborate and learn from each other. Their insights and suggestions are smart, useful, and demonstrate a genuine understanding of how schools work."
―Pedro A. Noguera, Executive Director
Metropolitan Center for Urban Education, New York University

Your one-stop sourcebook for building a professional learning community in your school!

More and more educational leaders are turning to the collaborative learning community model to create school change and improvement. This practical resource offers research-based activities and strategies for providing professional learning opportunities that lead to the building of community in schools as well as improved learning outcomes for both teachers and students.

Ideal for school leaders and staff developers, this updated bestseller examines the knowledge and skills needed to become a successful leader of learners and provides helpful tips, real-life classroom vignettes, and insights into effective teamwork. The authors help administrators lead staff in:

• Learning through study groups, shared leadership, and professional portfolios
• Performing collaborative student assessments and classroom observation
• Reexamining their beliefs and assumptions through reflective activities

With the latest information on e-portfolios, coaching, emotional intelligence, and more, this proven professional development approach gives leaders the tools they need to implement a culture of collaboration that can transform entire schools!

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.