Principals of Professional Principals of Professional Learning CommunitiesLearning Communities

Administrative MeetingAdministrative Meeting

January 8, 2007January 8, 2007

Information gleaned from:Information gleaned from:

• Implementing Professional Learning Community Concepts in K-16 Settings.

-Rick and Becky Dufour-

September 21-22, 2006

Homestead Resort

DefinitionDefinition

• PLC’s operate under the assumption that the key to improved learning for students is continuous, job-embedded learning for educators.

Dufour, DuFour, Eaker, Many, 2006

Clarity of Purpose is CriticalClarity of Purpose is Critical“The ‘one thing’ leaders of any organization must

know to be effective is the importance of clarity-communicating clearly and consistently the purpose of the organization, the primary clients it serves, the future it is creating, the indicators of progress it will track, and the specific actions members can take immediately to achieve its long and short term goals. “

-Marcus Buckingham-

What is our Purpose?What is our Purpose?

K-12 Education exists to ensure high levels of learning for all students

How do we achieve high levels of How do we achieve high levels of learning for all?learning for all?

• We must understand what is critical and important for all students to know and be able to do in a “viable and guaranteed curriculum”?

• We must assure that high quality teaching exists in every classroom.

• We must remediate, and when appropriate, extend for every child who so needs it.

• Teachers must be engaged in ongoing practices to improve their instruction and results.

Knowing what to teach…Knowing what to teach…

• 49 of 50 States have standards documents.

• State standards documents usually identify far more content than time available to teach it.

• To teach all that is required in the documents would require an additional 10 years of schooling.

Marzano & Gaddy, 1999

Viable and Guaranteed CurriculumViable and Guaranteed Curriculum

• Viability refers to the extent that the curriculum can be taught in the instructional time available

• Guaranteed means the curriculum is trimmed to the point where it is viable.

• Our teachers must teach the viable, critical standards that all students must know and be able to do, sometimes called the “power standards.”

Marzano, Waters, McNulty, 2005

Administrators need to assure thatAdministrators need to assure that::

• teachers have identified the content that is supplemental versus essential content

• the essential content can be taught in the allotted time

• teachers actually teach the essential content

• Instructional time is protected

““The main difference between The main difference between effective and ineffective effective and ineffective teachers is that effective teachers is that effective teachers know exactly what teachers know exactly what students must learn.”students must learn.”

-Jere Brophy--Jere Brophy-

Good Teaching MattersGood Teaching Matters

“The most important factor in affecting student learning is the teacher. Low achieving students gain about 14 points each year on the state test when taught by ineffective teachers, but gain more that 53 points when taught by the most effective teachers. Furthermore the results are cumulative. Students who had three highly effective teachers in a row scored more than 50 percentile points higher than the counterparts who had three ineffective teachers in a row, even when they initially had similar scores.”

-William Sanders-

Instructional Strategies that MatterInstructional Strategies that Matter

• Similarities and differences (45%tile gain)• Summarizing and note taking (34%tile gain)• Reinforce and recognition (29%tile gain)• Homework and Practice (28%tile gain)• Nonlinguistic representations (27%tile gain)• Cooperative learning (27%tile gain)• Objectives and feedback (23%tile gain)• Testing hypotheses (23%tile gain)• Questions, cues, organizers (22%tile gain)

Marzano, Pickering, Polluck, 2001

Classroom Management Classroom Management Techniques that MatterTechniques that Matter

• Balance care with discipline.• Develop techniques for handling common problems• Give kids what they need• Establish high expectations and appropriate

accountability• Spread specific praise liberally• Communicate, communicate, communicate • Help kids connect personally to the curriculum• Be boringly consistent• “Zero tolerance” for bullying, disrespectful behaviors

Remediate Teachers when:Remediate Teachers when:• they will not teach the “power standards”• they will not organize remediation sessions for students

who need them• certain sub-populations of students consistently perform

poorly• formal and informal observations reveal instructional

design flaws• classroom management techniques are clearly

inadequate• they are insubordinate to principal and district directions• parents consistently complain about their ineffectiveness• they stretch policies and procedures beyond their intent

Remediation for students include:Remediation for students include:

• Three tiered instructional settings

• Pre and post assessments (formative assesments)

• Different instructional methods

• Sufficient instructional and practice time for mastery to occur

• Flexible scheduling

Extensions for children includeExtensions for children include::

• Additional instructional settings

• Pre and post assessments (formative assesments)

• Different instructional methods

• Sufficient instructional and practice time for mastery to occur

• Flexible scheduling

We must be ever vigilant in being We must be ever vigilant in being able to answer these questions…able to answer these questions…

How well is (child’s name) How well is (child’s name) performing on the power performing on the power standards?standards?

What can we do to ensure What can we do to ensure (child’s (child’s name) success?name) success?

Common AssessmentsCommon Assessments• Teachers with similar grade levels and

courses must have common agreement on what students should know and be able to do

• Classroom activities leading to the assessments may differ

• Consequently, common, collaboratively scored assessments must occur at least quarterly… more often is better

Assessment for learning, when done Assessment for learning, when done well, is one of the most powerful, high-well, is one of the most powerful, high-leverage strategies for improving leverage strategies for improving student learning we know of. Educators student learning we know of. Educators collectively become more skilled and collectively become more skilled and focused at assessing, disaggregating, focused at assessing, disaggregating, and using student achievement as a and using student achievement as a tool for ongoing improvement.tool for ongoing improvement.

-Michael Fullan--Michael Fullan-

Why Common Assessments?Why Common Assessments?

• Efficiency

• Fairness

• Effective Monitoring of Curriculum

• Informs Individual Teacher Practice

• Builds Team Capacity

• Collective Response Interventions

Remediate, Remediate, RemediateRemediate, Remediate, Remediate

• Additional time and support

• Is it timely?

• Is it directive or is it invitational?

• Is it systematic?

The Power of CollaborationThe Power of Collaboration

We have known for nearly a quarter of a century that self-managed teams are far more productive than any other form of organizing. There is a clear correlation between participation and productivity.

-Margaret Wheatley-

Best Practice BibliographyBest Practice Bibliography

• Darling-Hammond, The Right to Learn

• Fullan, Change Forces

• Saphier, John Adams’ Promise

• Marzano, What Works in Schools

• Cawelti, The New Effective Schools

• Schmoker, Results

• Reeves, The Leaders Guide to Standards

Individual Benefits of CollaborationIndividual Benefits of Collaboration

Emotional intelligence is distinct from IQ and academic abilities and plays a far more significant role in determining an individual’s success in the practicalities of life. Emotionally intelligent people are skillful in managing relationships in ways that foster cooperation and teamwork.

- Daniel Goleman-

Individuals Benefit from Individuals Benefit from CollaborationCollaboration

Interpersonal skills is one of five competencies necessary for success in the contemporary workplace. Schools should help students learn to “work on teams, teach others, serve customers, lead, negotiate, and work well with people from diverse backgrounds.”

SCANS Report: What Work Requires of Schools

Key to Collaboration EffectivenessKey to Collaboration Effectiveness

• Interdependence is what organizations are about. The willingness of individuals to cooperate with each other is one of the major determinants of organizational effectiveness and efficiency. People can learn from one another, build shared knowledge, and develop and transfer skill and wisdom only in a sharing culture…

-Pfeffer and Sutton-

Collaborative Team FocusCollaborative Team Focus

• What do we expect them to learn?

• How will we know when they have learned it?

• How will we respond when they don’t learn?

• How can we enrich and extend their learning when they already know it?

Continuous ImprovementContinuous Improvement

The most effective organizations constantly seek better ways to fulfill their primary purpose. They are hungry for evidence regarding their effectiveness and use that evidence to inform the practice of individuals and teams. This constant focus on results is an essential element in the continuous improvement process that drives the daily work of the organization.

-DuFour-

Use SMART GoalsUse SMART Goals

• Strategic (linked to the organizations goals)

• Measurable

• Attainable

• Results-Oriented

• Timebound

SMART GoalsSMART Goals

• Few, key goals to clarify the results desired

• Attainment of short-term goals creates celebration and momentum

• Teams are motivated and committed when they set their own goals

Helping teams translate long-term Helping teams translate long-term purpose into specific, measurable, purpose into specific, measurable, short-term achievement goals, and short-term achievement goals, and then helping members to accomplish then helping members to accomplish those goals is the most important step those goals is the most important step leaders can take in building the leaders can take in building the capacity of a group to function as a capacity of a group to function as a high-performing collaborative team.high-performing collaborative team.

-Katzenbach and Smith--Katzenbach and Smith-

Data to InformationData to Information

Schools are often data rich, but information poor. Data are not information; translating fact to understanding means relating data to something you know and can visualize. This typically requires comparison.

-Waterman-

Data to InformationData to Information

• Timely and frequent feedback for students

• In meeting on a agreed-upon standard

• On a valid assessment

• Using other comparisons

Collecting data is only the first step Collecting data is only the first step toward wisdom, but sharing data is toward wisdom, but sharing data is the first step toward community.the first step toward community.

-Gates--Gates-

Focus on ResultsFocus on Results

• Essential to organizational effectiveness

• Essential to effective, collaborative teams

• Motivates the participants

• Essential to continuous improvement

Results are the ultimate measure of Results are the ultimate measure of a great team.a great team.

-Lencioni--Lencioni-