Learning Communities

Working Together to Improve Schools

Insert copy of School Instrument cover here

Evolution of PLCs in New Brunswick2002 – Andy Hargreaves introduces school/district/Department leaders to learning focused community model.

2003 – Districts begin to prepare district and school leaders.

2005 – Tranquilla & Morehouse report on leadership (school review).

2006 – Principals’ meeting showcases school-based PLC successes – PLC School Instrument developed and used to assess 55 schools

2007 – PLC Academy held in Fredericton

2008 – PLC Summit in Moncton

2009 – School Review Instrument redesigned to reflect more PLC criteria

Professional Learning Communities

A Journey – Not a Destination

A Process – Not a Product

FrenchImmersion Inclusion Universal

DesignPLC Express

Attempts to tinker with the industrial model of schooling have failed to produce the increase in

student learning that we all seek. The reason why student learning cannot be improved lies

in the systemic structure and operations of schools more so than in any deficiency

regarding curriculum or instructional practices.

Williams 2007 monograph sent to all Superintendents and Department Leadership

Seismic Shifts in School Culture

FROM:• a focus on teaching to a focus on learning • a hierarchical top down management to a sharing of

leadership • roles and responsibilities to relationships and

accountability• working as individuals to working as teams• teachers working in isolation to teacher modeling

practices with each other.• a focus on inputs (resources) to a focus on outputs

(student results)

Schools have gone from dealing with: Simplicity → Complexity Predictable future → Unknown future

with a shift in focus on: Knowledge retention → Critical thinking & Problem solving Working in isolation → Teaming & Sharing an approach that must change from Standardization → Individualization Teacher-Centered → Student-Centered

Professionals who Yes No Unsure

a) Share a common vision and values

b) Work in collaborative teams

c) Focus on learning (teacher or student or both)

d) Establish goals that are specific, measurable, attainable and time-bound

e) Collectively inquire into ‘best practice’ and ‘current reality’

f) Are action/experimentation oriented

g) Collect and analyze data

h) Are committed to continuous improvement, and

i) Are results oriented

Checklist Activity for a Professional Learning Community

“It is easier to act yourself into a new way of thinking, than

it is to think yourself into a new way

of acting.”

― Millard Fuller