Transforming school culture is some of the hardest work you’ll ever do, but the payoff is a school community where students and adults thrive together. With this book, authors Alexander McNeece and Bo Ryan bridge the gap between theory and practice, offering a practical, comprehensive how-to guide. Learn how to navigate tough conversations, strengthen collaboration, and build a healthy, sustainable school culture.
K–12 school leaders can use this book to: - Gain actionable insights to foster a collaborative and supportive school culture
- Enhance teaching practices through effective professional development strategies
- Create a culture of trust and collaboration, reducing isolation and building community
- Mentor and support new teachers to ensure successful integration into the school culture
- Understand the dynamics of school culture and how to drive meaningful, lasting change
Contents: Introduction
Chapter 1: Developing a Systematic and Schoolwide Focus on Learning
Chapter 2: Celebrating the Success of All Stakeholders
Chapter 3: Creating Systems of Support for Tweeners
Chapter 4: Removing the Walls of Isolation
Chapter 5: Providing Intensive Professional Development
Chapter 6: Implementing Skillful Leadership and Focus
Chapter 7: Navigating From the Status Quo to Action and Hope
Epilogue: The Transformational Promise
References and Resources
Index
Alexander McNeece, PhD, is the director of instructional services and state and federal grants for Garden City School District in Garden City, Michigan. McNeece previously served as a high school football coach, elementary teacher, and middle school English language arts teacher. He is an active member of the Metro Bureau’s Council of Academic Leadership in Michigan, where he has served as a state-level committee liaison. In 2017, with a team of teachers and principals, he presented to the Michigan State Board of Education based on the tremendous early literacy growth the district achieved with the PLC at Work process. As a consultant, McNeece has worked with districts around the United States and Canada to help close the achievement gap, transform school culture, strengthen the school-improvement process, and develop pedagogy to help students love learning.
He holds both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Michigan State University. He earned a doctor of philosophy in educational leadership from Eastern Michigan University. He was an award-winning principal at Douglas Elementary School and has written multiple children’s books. McNeece’s professional books, Launching and Consolidating Unstoppable Learning and Loving What They Learn, help teachers develop strong instructional cultures in their classrooms.
To learn more about Alexander McNeece’s work, visit alexandermcneece.com or follow @AlexMcNeece on X.
Bo Ryan is principal of the Ana Grace Academy of the Arts Middle Magnet School in Bloomfield, Connecticut. He has led two different schools to Model PLC at Work certification: Woodside Intermediate School in 2012 and Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts Middle School in 2016, just four years after it opened in a factory in the middle of a city. In addition, he led Ana Grace Academy to HRS (High Reliability Schools) level 4.
Bo has worked in education since 1994, having served as a teacher, coach, director, adjunct professor, principal, author, and consultant. He is author of The Brilliance in the Building: Effecting Change in Urban Schools With the PLC at Work Process, a collection of all his experience teaching and learning in urban schools over two decades.
