Starting a Movement: Building Culture from the Inside Out in Professional Learning Communities

Infuse energy back into the practices of your PLC. Explore the authors' four-stage authentic alignment model, which will take you through the Why, Eye, How, and Now of transforming your school's culture. Through this inspiring guide, you'll discover how to bridge the gulf between principles and practice to cultivate an empowering environment that is committed to a cycle of continuous improvement.

Benefits:

• Use the authentic alignment model to align your schools' guiding principles and staff actions.
• Learn to express, clarify, and align beliefs so they are meaningful to teachers, staff, and other stakeholders.
• Create maximum buy-in among all members of the school community.
• Update practices to 21st century expectations to ensure learning for all students.
• Support PLC implementation in your school.

Contents:
Introduction: Ready, Set, Stall . . .
Chapter 1: Wanted: Leaders at Every Level
Chapter 2: What Is Authentic Alignment?
Chapter 3: Exploring: The Why
Chapter 4: Envisioning: The Eye
Chapter 5: Connecting: The How
Chapter 6: Integrating: The Now
Chapter 7: Communication: Stories and Celebrations
Epilogue: Moving From Posters to Practice

Kenneth C. Williams began his career in education in 1992 and has been a classroom teacher, assistant principal, and school principal in both Maryland and Georgia. Kenneth successfully led two schools through the professional learning communities transformation. He began speaking, training, and consulting full time in 2008 and has worked with schools at all levels across North America. Known for combining equal parts heart, humor, and hammer, Ken delivers proven, practical solutions in a very relatable style. He is passionate about strengthening the cultural core of schools so improved learning for students and staff can emerge. His work with schools is about moving from pockets of excellence to building a culture of learning for all. He's helped hundreds of schools see past their current circumstances and chart a course to become the embodiment of their ideal school.

His leadership was crucial to creating a successful professional learning community at Damascus Elementary School in Maryland, a challenged school that needed a new direction. The results of his efforts can be seen across all grade levels. Over a two-year period, the school's state standardized test scores revealed a significant increase in the percentage of students performing at proficient and advanced levels. The process of building a PLC at E. J. Swint in Jonesboro, Georgia, continues thanks to Kenneth's work in laying a solid foundation in this underserved community.

He is the author of Creating Physical & Emotional Security in Schools (2nd edition), and is a contributor to The Collaborative Administrator.

Kenneth earned a bachelor of arts from Morehouse College, a master of science from the University of Bridgeport, and an administration and supervision certificate from Bowie State University.

Tom Hierck has been an experienced educator since 1983, serving as assistant superintendent of School District Number 46 (Sunshine Coast) in Gibsons, British Columbia, and principal in the Kootenay Lake School District in British Columbia. He also served with the Ministry of Education. Tom is a compelling presenter, infusing his message of hope with strategies culled from the real world. He has presented to schools and districts across North America with a message of celebration for educators seeking to make a difference in the lives of students. Tom's dynamic presentations explore the importance of positive learning environments and the role of assessment to improve student learning. His belief that every student is a success story waiting to be told has led him to work with teachers and administrators to create positive school cultures and build effective relationships that facilitate learning for all students. Tom was a recipient of the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medallion, presented by the premier and lieutenant-governor of British Columbia, for being a recognized leader in the field of public education. Tom earned his master's degree at Gonzaga University and his bachelor's degree and teacher certification at the University of British Columbia.

This book is Tom's sixth publication for Solution Tree. He started his writing career with chapters in The Teacher as Assessment Leader and The Principal as Assessment Leader. The best-selling Pyramid of Behavior Interventions: Seven Keys to a Positive Learning Environment was followed by Uniting Academic and Behavior Interventions: Solving the Skill or Will Dilemma and Strategies for Mathematics Instruction and Intervention, 6-8.