Principals foster more powerful faculty and student learning by focusing on their own learning. To lead requires that principals be learners. While we honor principals' thinking and voices, we want to push principals to move beyond their assumptions. It is important to build into the professional development experience many opportunities and ways to reflect. It takes strong leadership in order to have truly democratic learning.
Leaders are most truly democratic when they listen carefully and then design the work for the group.
Rigorous planning is necessary for flexible and responsive implementation. During each session, we spend time creating shared understandings, engaging in intellectual dialogue and debate, and planning specific applications of learning. New learning depends on protected dissonance. Providing a safe setting in which to stretch makes all the difference.