Demystifying Professional Learning Communities: School Leadership at Its Best
Education as a profession is and always has been in a constant state of change. The establishment of communities of learning within our schools is essential if we are to meet the demands and challenges of an ever changing educational landscape. Yet, to establish communities of learning is not enough. We must learn to maintain organizational learning in our schools. InDemystifying Professional Learning Communities, Huffman and Hipp provide educational leaders with the knowledge and tools to not only successfully implement Professional Learning Communities, but to sustain them. (Mike Waldrip, principal of Liberty High School, Frisco, TX)Demystifying Professional Learning Communitiesarticulates a clear approach from start to sustainability for building a system that ensures high levels of learning for all. This book is a priceless resource for leaders who wish to transform the culture of their school to one where adults work together in order to ensure student engagement and academic success. (Carolyn Powers, director of elemtentary administration, Fort Wayne Community Schools, IN)In this book, Hipp and Huffman present not only the research but also the means to investigate professional learning communities at work. This book offers informal tools for assessing, analyzing, and diagnosing the effectiveness of professional learning communities as well as case studies that provide insight into what is working in public schools throughout the country. Both campus and central office administrators alike will find this to be a practical and useful resource in the pursuit of sustaining professional learning communities. This book provides the hope that educators need as they struggle to meet the current educational challenges and the tools required to develop cultures of collaborative inquiry. (John Doughney, executive director of curriculum and instruction, Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District,)If you can read only one book about professional learning communities, read this one! Hipp, Huffman, and colleagues cut through the rhetoric, misconceptions, buzzwords, and catch phrases that have become associated with professional learning communities, truly demystifying the concept and process of developing one. Hipp and Huffman articulate the meanings and relationships of the concept's three key words—professional,learning, andcommunity—and walk readers through the process of developing a professional learning community, providing helpful instruments to assist with the process. The book includes three richly descriptive cases of schools involved in the ongoing journey of becoming and being a professional learning community. The writing is clear, practical, and highly readable. Kudos on a great volume! I intend to use this book the next time I teach my graduate-level course, Leadership for Teaching and Learning. (Ulrich C. Reitzug, professor, University of North Carolina at Greensboro)The expectations about what schools are suppose to do shifts and changes constantly. School leadership is no longer seen as the sole responsibility of one person. It must be embedded in the school community as a whole. This book clearly defines and illustrates the powerful results that can be attained and sustained through the effective work of a professional learning community (PLC) The tools included help schools assess and analyze the school as a PLC. They help identify what it means to truly operationalize a culture of professional learning from the principal?s office to the classroom. The authors address such issues as leadership succession, teacher efficacy, and the effects of racism and classism on the culture of an organization. Those areas are often overlooked or glossed over, yet they go to the very heart of healthy communities. The case studies personalized the challenges and possibilities for me. As a former principal, I found myself identifying with many of the same experiences captured ineach school setting. Changing demographics, low expectations, and toxic cultures have been part of the litany of challenges in too many of our schools. Yet, these case studies reflected a refreshing approach to these challenges; a relentless drive toward (Jacqueline Patterson, director of district and school improvement, State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction)Demystifying Professional Learning Communitiesdelivers on its promise. This book is a must read for those interested in approaching the creation or further development of a professional learning community using a systematic, research-based approach. (Robert J. Marzano, cofounder and CEO, Marzano Research Laboratory)The expectations about what schools are suppose to do shifts and changes constantly. School leadership is no longer seen as the sole responsibility of one person. It must be embedded in the school community as a whole. This book clearly defines and illustrates the powerful results that can be attained and sustained through the effective work of a professional learning community (PLC)The tools included help schools assess and analyze the school as a PLC. They help identify what it means to truly operationalize a culture of professional learning from the principal’s office to the classroom. The authors address such issues as leadership succession, teacher efficacy, and the effects of racism and classism on the culture of an organization. Those areas are often overlooked or glossed over, yet they go to the very heart of healthy communities.The case studies personalized the challenges and possibilities for me. As a former principal, I found myself identifying with many of the same experiences captured in each school setting. Changing demographics, low expectations, and toxic cultures have been part of the litany of challenges in too many of our schools. Yet, these case studies reflected a refreshing approach to these challenges; a relentless drive toward increased student learning, the principal’s ability to foster a sense of hope and belief in the students as well as the teachers, the focus on school priorities, and the identification and celebration of small gains or beacons of hope. At the end of each case study, I found myself using the Analyzing PLC Practices tool to reflect on the circumstances and actions taken.This is a “must read” for anyone who cares about education and wants to know how to develop professional learning communities that result in dynamic schools. (Jacqueline Patterson, director of district and school improvement, State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction)Editors Hipp (leadership studies, Cardinal Stritch U.), Huffman (educational administration, U. of North Texas), and six co-authors define and outline the concept of professional learning communities (PLC), which they consider the best context for educators to continue improving their teaching skills. They also address how to establish PLCs, diagnostic and planning tools, the professional teaching and learning cycle, and a series of case studies. (Book News, Inc.)It reads like an introductory textbook for students or an accessible social policy book for the politically interested....By introducing the reader to the fundamental political conceptions and main social policy areas, th book provides a helpful introduction for those not familiar with social policy thinking and development.(Journal Of Educational Research)