Professional Learning Communities: An Agent for Change in School Turnaround

It is no mystery that a key to a solid school structure is dependent upon a strong leader. For the past seven years, I have been a member of a school that has experienced a change in leadership both in its Superintendent as well as its Principal. Throughout this journey, it has been evident that when a leader is willing to empower their staff, treat them as professionals, and provide them with the opportunity to plan for change, change can and will happen.

One year ago we were faced with a challenge, a challenge that had taken life many years in the past yet hadn’t received the attention it demanded. However, with a new Superintendent willing to take a risk, and a school principal willing to advocate for the needs of her school, stakeholders began to stand face to face with the elephant in the room and no longer look beyond it. How did this all begin to unfold? The principal. Beginning with the first day of school, she began to treat her staff as professionals, ask them questions, engage them in discussions that had purpose, help them believe that they were partners in the leadership process. She built capacity. Collectively we all knew that we needed to raise student achievement. We sat through data meetings, book talks, staff meetings, grade level meetings, the lunchroom and always came to consensus with the means. We needed to ensure and require a high level of learning for ALL individuals within our community. Not just the learning for our students but the learning of those educating them. But it was a means without an end, because without the right resources and support from the decision makers, we were never going to have the means to support the end. What was the agent of change?

It all began with the adoption of a practice known as Professional Learning Communities. Richard Dufour and Robert Eaker’s work focused on reculturing a school to function like that of the business world. Professional Learning Communities is a mindset that must be taught. The structure, culture and structure of a school building need to be redefined. These three norms must apply:
1. Developing and Applying a Shared Knowledge
2. Sustaining the Hard Work of Change
3. Transforming School Culture.
More simply stated the school Structure, Culture, and Instructional Practices must be developed. A promise to believe that learning is for all vs. teaching for all. Educators must work towards a collective capacity vs. individual development.
The community must embrace a collaborative culture vs. that of teaching in isolation. The principal must relinquish control and conform to the practice of sharing leadership vs. that of charismatic leadership and work to develop a collective capacity vs. that of individual development, build self-efficacy vs. dependency. Instruction should be focused on results vs. a focus on activities and Assessment for vs. Assessment of.

Again, in theory, this all sounded great, but would it take shape? Having a leader that made a valiant effort to adopt a promising practice that would transform the culture of her school building was the lynchpin that began this change. By building capacity, empowering her staff, and believing in this important work, we are now one year into a Redesign Effort that was built on the belief of a PLC. The plan for redesign came from the voices of the teachers in the trenches and their recommendations and plans for change placed the student and instruction at the center. It is my belief that developing a professional learning community is the key to redefining the role of the educator in the decision making process for school turnaround and student achievement.

Economic Stimulus and Advocacy: A message from Don Knezek

The following message was sent to members of ISTE RE: Economic Stimulus and Advocacy

Don Knezek is the CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education. His message to members is copied and pasted below!

Dear Members,

 

As you can imagine with a new U.S. President being sworn in, a new Congress seated and the passage of an historic economic stimulus bill, it has been a busy few months for ISTE and our advocacy efforts. The coming months, however, will become increasingly important at the state and local levels as the stimulus funds are disbursed. I’m writing to make sure you have the information you need to participate in state and local deliberations and make wise spending decisions.

 

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that was signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009, directs more than $100 billion to education. This is the largest one-time federal infusion of funds for education ever and it is up to us as a community to spend these funds wisely. Collectively, we will be accountable to show that these dollars were spent quickly to meet short-term economic goals with long-term school improvement and reform benefits in mind. 

 

To quote Secretary Duncan, “Our goals are to save jobs and improve education… balancing the need for a speedy release of funds with the need for aggressive and thoughtful school improvements and reform to improve results for our children.”

 

ISTE worked closely with the Obama Administration and the U.S. Congress to ensure that the ARRA included a dedicated funding stream for classroom technology and professional development through the Enhancing Education Through Technology program (EETT, Title II Part D of NCLB). In addition to the EETT program funds, ARRA also includes opportunities to invest in classroom technology and technology professional development via the State Stabilization Fund, Title I and IDEA. ISTE encourages all members to collaborate and work closely with your district and state leaders to leverage these dollars to ensure our students are educated in 21st century classrooms by teachers who have the skill and training to teach well in them. 

 

Below is a short description and timing information as we know it now on the major K-12 education programs in the ARRA. Be sure to regularly check the Department of Education’s website as this information is continually updated: www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/. (Our upcoming webinar, “So the Stimulus Passed, Now What?” will provide additional information about ARRA as well; find details about the webinar in the bulleted list below.)

 

State Stabilization Fund: The Department of Education is preparing to disburse State Stabilization Funds within two weeks of receiving a state’s approvable application. The application should be up on the Department of Education’s web site by April.

 

Title I and IDEA: Fifty percent (50%) of Title I Part A funds and fifty percent (50%) of IDEA Part B funds will be released to the states by the end of March. States will not need to complete a new application to receive the funds released in March.

 

Enhancing Education Through Technology: All of the EETT funds are now slated to be dispersed in the fall of 2009.

 

State Incentive Grants or “Race to the Top” fund: States will submit an application to the Secretary of Education to receive these funds. More guidance from the Department of Education will be forthcoming. These grants will help states to drive significant improvement in student achievement.

Innovation Fund: Local partnerships will submit applications to the Secretary of Education to receive these funds. More guidance from the Department of Education will be forthcoming. These applications will reward partnerships that have made significant gains in closing achievement gaps to serve as models for best practices.

 

As you develop your plans for investing the stimulus dollars, do make use of ISTE’s resources.

• Check out L&L and its unparalleled archive of best practices. Visit the ISTE bookstore, browse the titles and excerpts. And be sure to peruse the digital age stories posted on ISTE’s 30th anniversary pages. You’ll find phenomenal creativity, optimism and efficiency at work in classrooms all over the world and shared through numerous ISTE channels. Be inspired by your peers!

•  Reach out to your colleagues coordinating IDEA and Title I programs. Take them to lunch. Understand their priorities and constraints. Perhaps a program you had in mind could really enhance learning opportunities in a special ed or high-need classroom. Check out ISTE’s Special Interest Group for special ed, SETSIG, or search on NECC program content for sessions and workshops that expand your familiarity with these issues.

• Team with ISTE in providing professional development to your teachers and administrators. ISTE’s offerings include a breadth and depth of services, from books and webinars to the rich offerings at NECC, June 28 – July 1. We’ll also work with your school or district to customize professional development.

• As you’re developing plans and proposals for ARRA funding, be sure to keep ISTE’s widely adopted educational technology standards in mind. Learn more about the NETS for students, teachers and administrators.

• Meanwhile, we’re also working with U.S. policy-makers on the FY10 budget and various pieces of legislation aimed at innovations in student learning and teacher preparation. Our board of directors recently authorized our policy agenda for the start of the Obama Administration and the new Congress.

• You might also want to bookmark our policy forum on ISTE’s community ning where Hilary Goldmann, ISTE’s director of government affairs, has been posting updates several times a week.

• Join Hilary Goldmann and me on Thursday April 2nd for a free webinar exclusively for ISTE members titled “So The Stimulus Passed…Now What?” We’ll be featuring guest panelists David Byer of Apple and the Chair of ISTE’s Public Policy and Advocacy Committee, Deborah Rigsby of the National School Boards Association, and Davis Brock of Elmore County Public Schools in Alabama. Sign up for the free webinar here.

• Let us know how we can help! There are lots of venues for feedback and discussion – from submitting questions for the webinar panelists, to calling or writing us, to commenting on our new blog, ISTE Connects. 

• And finally, keep us posted on how your school and district are using the ARRA dollars. Complete the short survey here. This information will be a great resource for ISTE members and also for policy makers as we learn from each other and are accountable for this investment in education. Watch our website and blogs for feedback channels, and please contribute to this important and evolving conversation.

 

Thank you, as always, for your incredible expertise and commitment.

 

Respectfully,

 

Don Knezek, CEO
The International Society for Technology in Education

---

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
1710 Rhode Island Ave. NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20036
180 West 8th Ave., Suite 300, Eugene, OR 97401-2916
1.800.336.5191 (US & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l)
iste@iste.org, http://www.iste.orgISTE® is a registered trademark of the International Society for Technology in Education.

TGIF: Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act

There is a vital need for advocacy in the area of Geography Education. A poll conducted in 2006, National Geographic-Roper ASW poll (PDF) , identified a ”lack of basic geographic knowledge among 18-24 year-old Americans—the most recent members of our educational system: 37% of young Americans can’t find Iraq on a map. One in three young Americans can’t place the state of Louisiana on a U.S. map…after Hurricane Katrina. Three in four Americans think English is the most commonly spoken native language in the world…it’s Mandarin Chinese by a landslide.”  (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/foundation/policy_initiative.html) 

Despite the fact that the NCLB Act names Geography as a core academic subject, the federal budget does not currently appropriate funding towards Geography Education.  In response to this issue, National Geographic, Geography professionals,  and congressional leaders, have established an alliance and grassroots campaign, The Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act, to notify lawmakers of the need for funding for Geography Education.  The Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act was introduced to Congress on March 1st, 2007.  It has remained at that stage of policy making.  Please take a moment to make your mark and let policymakers know that this is an important issue in education:

1.         Visit http://MyWonderfulWorld.org

2.         On the Web site’s left-hand index, select the link to “Notify Your Lawmakers”

3.         When prompted, just enter your Zip code and the Web site will walk you through the rest!

(Please customize your email by noting how long you have been teaching, why geography is important to you, and how workshops and institutes have helped you and your students, etc.)

To learn more about TGIF initiatives visit:

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/foundation/policy_initiative.html

National Geographic’s Advice on how to get involved:

What You Can Do To Help

1. Support the TGIF legislation.

a. Write to your Senators and Representatives and tell them that teaching geography is fundamental. Ask them to support reintroduction of TGIF and to co-sponsor the bill, and to support the inclusion of TGIF in the No Child Left Behind reauthorization.

b. Check this page frequently for the latest updates on the bill.

2. Get active in your schools.

a. Download My Wonderful World’s self-assessment tool (PDF) to find out if your school is ‘geography ready.’

b. Download My Wonderful World’s PTA Action Kit (PDF) to approach school administrators, teachers, and parents and ask them to make teaching geography a priority.

3. Bring the world into your home and community. Incorporate geographic learning into your life every day. Download My Wonderful World’s Family Activities (PDF) and Top 10 Tips (PDF) for more ideas.

4. Visit MyWonderfulWorld.org for more geography resources and information, and join this National Geographic-led campaign.

5. Tell your friends and community members to support geography education and refer them to this site.

 

Myanmar and students

I think it is truly important to expose students to the happenings in the world around them.  A great way to inform students of current events is through the use of CNN Student News, http://www.cnn.com/studentnews/  This is a free tool that teachers may sign-up for.  Each night, an e-mail is sent in that you may preview the content.  For the most part, the content is appropriate for my fourth grade students.  About three times a week, we watch the 10 minute segment and then discuss the content.  The reals focused on the Presidential Election have proven to be a great resource.  This past week we focused on the tragedy of the cyclone that hit Myanmar.  My students have been motivated to write their own news stories to inform their fellow school mates about the tragedy.  Discovery Atlas has provided to be a great resource as well.  We used Atlas to locate Myanmar and learn about the people, government, customs, and history using the short video segments.  I used the Writing Prompts Teacher Tool to create the News Story Assignment.  Our class wrote great news stories to demonstrate their understanding of the event and share their feelings about the tragedy.  I am impressed with the caliber of work produced by these fourth graders.  Their enthusiasm and motivation was enhanced through the use of the technology and tools provided by Discovery Streaming!