The Principal as Professional Learning Community Leader

"This series allows school principals to integrate theory and practice themselves, resulting in highly insightful and practical strategies that will make a difference in schools. Practitioners: lead thyselves!" —Michael Fullan, Professor Emeritus Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto "Avoiding high-flown theory on the one hand and mere bullet points on the other, these books represent the best that highly expert leaders have to offer—intellectually informed ideas about how to deal with the compelling practical issues of principalship." —Andy Hargreaves, Thomas More Brennan Chair in Education Boston College "This series of little volumes provides a valuable resource for new principals who would become accomplished instructional leaders and seasoned principals looking to strengthen their leadership capacity." —Roland S. Barth, Founding Director Harvard Principals' Center "Addresses some of the most important challenges facing school leaders today. The authors bring a remarkable combination of deep, practical experience and academic sophistication to these challenges." —Ken Leithwood, Professor Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto Create a collaborative culture for increased student achievement! Schools with professional learning communities (PLCs) benefit from significantly improved student achievement and a greater sense of shared purpose. This resource, part of the Leading Student Achievement series, provides principals with practical support to lead the development of PLCs in their schools. With step-by-step plans and hands-on strategies, this handbook guides principals through the process of building thriving PLCs by: Defining the key attributes of PLCs  Explaining the principal's role in the process  Laying the foundation for shared mission, vision, values, and goals  Showing how to create a steering team, introduce the concept to staff, and develop teacher learning teams Featuring professional development modules, case studies, and reproducibles that can be adapted to any school context, The Principal as Professional Learning Community Leader is an invaluable companion for school leaders at any level.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Building Professional Learning Communities Why Professional Learning Communities? The PLC Edifice: An Analogy Feature: Reflection and Action Template Summary 2. The Role of Principals in Leading Professional Learning Communities Leadership Practices of the PLC Principal Principal/Vice Principal Learning Teams Feature: Reflection and Action Template Summary 3. Planning for Professional Learning Communities Collaborative Leadership: Creating the PLC Steering Team PLC Snapshot Assessment Setting Up a Tracking System Feature: Recording and Planning for Continuous Learning: PLC Learning Grid Summary 4. Introducing Staff to Professional Learning Communities: Foundations Laying the Foundations of a PLC Feature: Professional Development Modules: Introducing Staff to PLCs Guiding Questions Feature: Recording and Planning for Continuous Learning: PLC Learning Grid Summary 5. Supporting Learning Teams: The Pillars Learning Teams for Improving Student Achievement The Four Pillars Feature: Professional Development Module: PLC Learning Teams Guiding Questions Feature: Recording and Planning for Continuous Learning: PLC Learning Grid Summary 6. The Roof: Continuous Learning and Continuous Improvement Reflection and Action Celebration Guiding Questions Feature: Recording and Planning for Continuous Learning: PLC Learning Grid Summary The Principal′s Tool Kit Professional Development Modules Case Studies Reproducibles Glossary References Index