Table of Contents

About the Authors vii

Introduction: Systemic PLCs 1

The Challenge of Cultural Change 2

Why We Need Systemic PLCs 4

Why Systemwide Reform Is Best 5

A Roadmap for Going Big 11

1 Clarity Precedes Competence 13

What Is a Professional Learning Community? 14

What Can Go Wrong? 16

The Time Is Now 17

You Are the System 18

2 Creating Coherence and Clarity 21

Barriers to Coherence 23

Strategies for Coherence Making 30

The Payoff of Coherence Making 31

3 The Loose-Tight Dilemma 33

The Too-Tight Problem 34

The Danger of Carrots and Sticks 36

The Too-Loose Problem 37

The Right Balance 39

Clarifying What Is Tight 40

Examples of Too-Loose and Too-Tight Leadership Using the Common Core State Standards 42

4 The Loose-Tight System in Action 47

Building Shared Knowledge and Deep Understanding 48

Creating a Guaranteed Implemented Curriculum 49

Monitoring Progress at the School Site 50

Supporting Improvement Through Reciprocal Accountability 51

Building Ongoing Adult Learning Into the System 54

Celebrating Incremental Progress 61

5 Sustaining the Improvement Process 63

Widespread Commitment to Both Long-Term Goals and Short-Term Action 65

A Collaborative Culture and Collective Responsibility for Achieving Goals 67

Lots of Leaders to Sustain Reform 71

A Relentless Focus on Continuous Improvement 72

Recognition and Celebration of Short-Term Wins 74

Engagement in Continuous Improvement and Focused Innovation 76

Resolute Leadership 77

Fostering Systemness 77

Afterword: Thinking (and Doing) Bigger 79

References and Resources 81

Index 87