Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work®: Proven Insights for Sustained, Substantive School Improvement, Second Edition

by Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker, Mike Mattos, Anthony Muhammad

Overview

This new edition of a classic work is written for educators invested in the moral imperative to do what's right for all students. The authors work from the mindset that PLC at Work® is a continuous process of school improvement. The result is a revelation of best practices affirmed by the latest research and a confirmation of the power of the three big ideas and four critical questions of this proven process.

Learn how to sustain the work of collaborative teams to ensure best practices in instruction, assessment, intervention, and more.

• Discover new ideas and perspectives on school leadership and school culture.
• Delve into greater specificity on what issues Professional Learning Communities at Work® can positively impact.
• Learn how to effectively provide extra time and support for students who struggle and extensions for those who have already reached their learning goals.
• Understand what research shows is ineffective for student success and why such practices should be discontinued.

Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1: New Insights Into Professional Learning Communities at Work
Chapter 2: The Case for Professional Learning Communities at Work
Chapter 3: The Challenge of Cultural Change
Chapter 4: The Four Pillars of a Professional Learning Community—Shared Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals
Chapter 5: Teaching in a Collaborative Culture
Chapter 6: Essential Learning and Assessment in a PLC
Chapter 7: Interventions and Extensions in a PLC
Chapter 8: The Role of the Principal in a PLC
Chapter 9: The Role of the Superintendent and the Central Office in a PLC
Chapter 10: How to Sustain the PLC Journey
Appendix
References and Resources

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781952812576
Publisher:	Solution Tree Press
Publication date:	04/02/2021
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

Table of Contents

About the Authors xv

Introduction 1

About This Book 2

Chapter 1 Proven Insights Into Professional Learning Communities at Work 9

What Is a Professional Learning Community? 10

The Three Big Ideas That Drive Professional Learning Communities 12

The Four Pillars and the Building Blocks of a PLC 13

What Has Stayed the Same? 16

What Has Become Clearer? 24

Significant improvement Doesn't Take as Long as Previously Thought 25

An Ongoing Process 36

Chapter 2 The Case for Professional Learning Communities at Work 37

The Educational Assembly Line 39

A Monumental Shift 41

Decades of Failed Reform Efforts 44

The Application of Professional Practice to Improve Learning 48

The Evidence for PLCs 50

Greater Clarity and Confidence 52

Tight Elements in a PLC 54

Engines of Hope 59

Chapter 3 The Challenge of Cultural Change 61

The Importance of Cultural Change 62

A Complex and Challenging Task 64

How to Lead the Improvement Process 68

Common Mistakes in the Change Process 70

Leadership Strategies for Changing Culture 75

First Steps in Reculturing 78

A Different Metaphor 79

Reason for Hope 80

Chapter 4 The Four Pillars of a Professional Learning Community: Shared Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals 83

Shared Mission: Why Do We Exist? 85

Shared Vision: What Do We Hope to Become? 92

How to Build Consensus in a PLC 95

The Struggle of Consensus 100

A Story of Shared Vision 102

A District- or School-Level Vision? 104

Shared Values: What Commitments Must We Make to Create the School or District That Will Improve Our Ability to Fulfill Our Purpose? 105

The importance of Being Explicit and Direct Rather Than Vague and Ethereal 111

Shared Goals: What Goals Will We Use to Monitor Our Progress? 113

Other Keys to Effective Goals 117

The Pursuit of Nonmeasurable Goals 118

A Solid Foundation is Just the Start 120

Chapter 5 Teaching in a Collaborative Culture 123

Teaching in a Collaborative Culture 123

Collective Efficacy 124

Collective Efficacy and a Culture of Hope 125

The Knowing-Doing Gap at Work 127

A New Image for the Profession 134

Time for a New Story 137

Converting a Hard Fact Into Dangerous Half-Truths 137

Building Shared Knowledge Rather Than Pooling Opinions 139

A Collaborative Team at Work 141

The New Professionalism 149

Chapter 6 Essential Learning and Assessment in a PLC 151

Too Many Standards, Too Little Time 152

Identifying What Proficiency Looks Like 157

Engaging in a Continuous Process 161

Assessment in a PLC 162

Building Shared Knowledge 186

Chapter 7 Interventions and Extension in a PLC 193

Traditional Responses When Students Struggle 195

The Success and Failure of Special Education 197

The Unrealized Promise of Response to Intervention 200

The Essential Elements of Highly Effective, Systematic Interventions and Extensions 202

The Moment of Truth for a PLC 229

Chapter 8 The Role of the Principal in a PLC 231

The Principal in a PLC 236

A New Image of Leadership 251

Clarity and Coherence 258

Chapter 9 The Role of the Superintendent and the Central Office in a PLC 259

Is There a Place for Top-Down Leadership? 263

Tight About What? 265

Advice on Being Tight 269

The Role of Pressure and Support in Districtwide Improvement 295

Introspection 296

The "Must Dos" for Getting Started 298

Leading the Journey 303

Chapter 10 How to Sustain the PLC Process 305

Dangerous Detour 1: We Need More Training Before We Can Begin 306

Dangerous Detour 2: Let's Find a Way to Shortcut Key Processes 308

Dangerous Detour 3: Someone Else Needs to Do It 310

Dangerous Detour 4: We Pick and Choose Programs Rather Than Work at Comprehensive Cultural Change 312

Dangerous Detour 5: We Quit When the Going Gets Tough 314

Sustained Effort Requires Creating Short-Term Wins 317

Sustained Effort Requires Celebrating Short-Term Wins 321

Sustained Effort Requires Consistent, Effective Leadership 323

Final Thoughts 324

Appendix A Support for Professional Learning Communities 327

Research Supporting PLCs 328

Organizations That Endorse PLCs 337

Artifacts 345

Adlai Stevenson High School Vision Statement 346

Stevenson High School Board and Administrative Leadership Team Collective Commitments 350

Stevenson High School Faculty Collective Commitments 352

Stevenson High School Support Staff Collective Commitments 354

Collective Commitments for Stevenson Students 355

Collective Commitments for Stevenson Parents 355

Reference and Resources 359

Index 393

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The PLC process is the bedrock of our efforts in Arkansas to lead the United States in student-focused education. With this second edition of Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work, Dr. Eaker and his colleagues have modeled the vital concept of continuous improvement to make this essential work even more relevant and powerful for our educators and their students."

—Johnny Key, secretary, Arkansas Department of Education

"Written and revisited by those who have taken the journey before us, this book has saved me and my schools many missteps and false starts along the way to becoming true PLCs."

—Timothy S. Stuart, head of school, International Community School of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

"This second edition provides a detailed—and doable—blueprint for creating the kind of schools all students deserve."

—Janel Keating, superintendent, White River School District, Buckley, Washington

"Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work, Second Edition is the cornerstone canon for all things PLC. Mike Mattos and Anthony Muhammad join PLC at Work architect Bob Eaker to lend their wisdom and voices to ensure the vision of the PLC process remains true to its origins, yet responds to the modern-day realities for creating the deep schoolwide structures and the culture necessary for successful student learning."

—Timothy D. Kanold, educational consultant and author

"Educational challenges around the world have never been greater, and the case for PLCs at Work has never been more compelling. The central question of educational transformation now is whether we are serious about meeting the needs of every student, or if we will settle for merely surviving. The latter course is the path of structural inequity and mediocrity, while the transformational opportunities in the pages of this book offer hope for a rebirth of the collaborative spirit and commitment to excellence and equity that is at the heart of PLCs. In this important update to a foundational text, the authors not only continue the pioneering work of Rick DuFour and his colleagues, but also make essential contributions to sustaining the work in the future. This book is a call to action that sweeps away the dangerous detours that substitute talk for action. Don't just read this book. Study it, scribble in it, and most importantly, use it to achieve great things in your schools for every student."

—Douglas Reeves, educational consultant and author

"With this second edition of Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work, the authors did something that is extremely difficult to do: they took an outstanding book and they made it even better. This edition is a must-read for teachers and leaders who are engaged in the PLC at Work process. With new insights and current research, this book provides essential information to help any school reach high levels of learning for all students."

—Eric Twadell, superintendent, Atwood Heights School District 125, Illinois