‘This resource brings together an incredible blend of leading educational thinkers. Their diverse experiences, perspectives, and wisdom will stimulate in leaders the ′deep work′ of the heart, mind, and soul essential for creating schools that continuously improve teaching, learning, and relationships in ways that benefit all members of the school community.’
—Dennis Sparks, Emeritus Executive Director
National Staff Development Council
A concise volume packed with research and innovative ideas from today′s key thinkers!
Professional learning communities have become a significant factor in improving instructional effectiveness and student achievement. In the third volume of The Soul of Educational Leadership series, educators and leaders will discover key concepts and strategies for sustaining the critically important work of these communities. Contributions from Shirley M. Hord, Maurice J. Elias, Karen Seashore Louis, Andy Hargreaves, Stephanie A. Hirsh, and other nationally known educators highlight:
- Leadership teams and a collaborative culture
- The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
- Multiple approaches for supporting social-emotional learning in schools
- Leadership, real-world challenges, and moral choices
A thought-provoking collection from educational visionaries, Sustaining Professional Learning Communities is essential reading for all school leaders committed to strengthening learning environments.
Table of Content
Acknowledgments
About the Editors
About the Contributors
Introduction
1. ‘Communities Committed to Learning’: A Case Story of Building Sustainable Success – Nancy Shin Pascal and Alan M. Blankstein
2. Making the Promise a Reality – Shirley M. Hord and Stephanie A. Hirsh
3. Creating and Sustaining Professional Communities – Karen Seashore Louis
4. From Model Implementation to Sustainability: A Multisite Study of Pathways to Excellence in Social-Emotional Learning and Related School Programs – Maurice J. Elias
5. A Leadership Team Approach to Sustaining Social and Emotional Learning – James B. Vetter
6. Pursuit of Sustainability – Larry Leverett
7. Using National Board for Professional Teaching Standards as a Framework for Learning Communities – Joseph Aguerrebere
8. Compelled to Create Collaborative Learning Communities – Deborah L. Wortham
9. Leading Professional Learning Communities: Moral Choices Amid Murky Realities – Andy Hargreaves
Index
About the author
Robert W. Cole is proprietor and founder of Edu-Data, a firm specializing in writing, research, and publication services. He was a member of the staff of Phi Delta Kappan magazine for 14 years: assistant editor 1974-1976, managing editor 1976-1980, and editor-in-chief 1981-88. During his tenure as editor-in-chief, the Kappan earned more than 40 Distinguished Achievement Awards from the Association of Educational Publishers, three of them for his editorials. Since leaving the Kappan, Cole has served as founding vice president of the Schlechty Center for Leadership in School Reform (1990-1994). At CLSR he managed districtwide and communitywide school reform efforts and led the team that created the Kentucky Superintendents’ Leadership Institute. He formed the Bluegrass Leadership Network, in which superintendents worked together to use current leadership concepts to solve reform-oriented management and leadership problems.As senior consultant to the National Reading Styles Institute (1994-2005), Cole served as editor and lead writer of the Power Reading Program. He and a team of writers and illustrators created a series of hundreds of graded short stories, short novels, and comic books from Primer through Grade 10. Those stories were then recorded by Cole and Marie Carbo; they are being used by schools all across the United States to teach struggling readers.Cole has served as a book development editor for the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), for Corwin Press, and for Writer’s Edge Press. He has been president of the Educational Press Association of America and member of the Ed Press Board of Directors. He has presented workshops, master classes, and lectures at universities nationwide, including Harvard University, Stanford University, Indiana University, Xavier University, Boise State University, and the University of Southern Maine. He has served as a special consultant to college and university deans in working with faculties on writing for professional publication. Recently he began serving as managing editor and senior associate with the Center for Empowered Leadership.