Learning Communities at the Crossroads: Toward the Best Schools We've Ever Had

Abstract

In his response to William Cook and Bruce Joyce, Mr. Schmoker acknowledges common ground but sticks to his position that the best way to improve instruction is to develop true learning communities in which teachers together examine and adjust their practices. BY MIKE SCHMOKER I N HIS generous response to my February 2004 Kappan article, William Cook agrees that "strategic planning," as the concept has actually been implemented, has undeniably hurt schools and that, in fact, "the situation may be even worse" than I described. While we agree on this point, I'm not as sure, as Cook avers, that the harm has resulted solely from poor implementation or bastardization of the concept; Henry Mintzberg, Tom Peters, and others convince me that the notion itself is the problem. Cook argues that what I am criticizing is not real "strategic planning" but then admits that authentic strategic planning is emphatically future-oriented; this is the very element that makes At Odds Strategic Planning

An English department transformation : an interpretative phenomenological case study of a high school English department turnaround

“…Most studies conducted on PLCs focus on the fact that it is an opportunity for teacher teams to meet and hold meaningful, intellectual, and collegial discussions regarding student work and assessment data (DuFour, 2007;Hargreaves, 2003;Livesay, Moore, Stankay, Waters, Waff, & Gentile, 2005;Schmoker, 2004;Thessin & Starr, 2011). During these meetings, the teachers can establish expectations of not only their students, but also of themselves.…”

“…Moreover, the PLC develops the content of the course/courses and distinguishes between effective and ineffective teaching practices. As a team, the teachers collaboratively analyze data to increase student capacity and success rates (DuFour, 2007;Hargreaves, 2003;Livesay et al, 2005;Schmoker, 2004;Thessin & Starr, 2011). PLCs are considered one of the most favorable professional development opportunities that a school can undertake because they provide opportunities for educators to work together in a collaborative and student-centered learning environment (Talbert & McLaughlin, 2002).…”

“…This research showed that not all teachers are accustomed to sharing information, and teaching as a profession can be very isolating. Through professional development on PLCs, teachers can begin to learn the process of opening their doors to hold meaningful, intellectual, and collegial discussions regarding student work and assessment data while also learning how to function in a productive team (DuFour, 2007;Hargreaves, 2003;Livesay et al, 2005;Schmoker, 2004;Thessin & Starr, 2011). It is recommended that school systems take on a PLC initiative and embark on the process with professional development sessions on how to be a functioning member of a PLC, how to establish meeting norms so that everyone is a valued member of the team and their thoughts and ideas are heard, and, most importantly, how to share not only their lessons and ideas, but also the work of their students.…”

School improvement from the central office: A view of the five year school system strategic planning process in selected West Virginia counties

“…The superficial changes in the structure and management of school systems and the sometimes significant changes in educational policy have rarely resulted in fundamental changes in the conditions of teaching and learning (Supovitz, 2006). Recognizing the ineffectiveness of traditional and even more current reform approaches, several authors have promoted the process of organizational learning (Fullan, 2008;Honig, 2007;Resnick, 1998;Schmoker, 2004;Supovitz, 2006). Learning organizations have the potential to take advantage of the human relations and group interaction aspects of a systems theory approach to school improvement.…”

“…More recently the professional literature (Fullan, 2008;Honig, 2007;Resnick & Hall, 1998;Schmoker, 2004;Supovitz, 2006) has promoted organizational learning as the key ingredient for successful systemic reform. The use of learning organizations to build capacity will be addressed in a later section.…”