Schools as Professional Learning Communities: Collaborative Activities and Strategies for Professional Development

Much has been written about professional learning communities as part of the change and restructuring process, but Sylvia M Roberts and Eunice Z Pruitt manage to move the discussion from theory to practice. School as Professional Learning Communities features such practitioner-friendly items as learning activities (more than 25), short cases and scenarios, tips for teachers and administrators, information about online resources, reproducible forms, and worksheets. Sylvia M Roberts and Eunice Z Pruitt cover professional development strategies that build community such as classroom observation, mentoring, collaborative assessment of student work, professional portfolios, peer coaching, team teaching, and teacher leadership. For teachers and administrators focused on improved student achievement, school change, equity, and teacher leadership, this is a must-have resource.

Table of Contents:
Foreword - Susan Sullivan Preface About the Authors 1. The Professional Learning Community: An Overview 2. Learning Through Shared Leadership 3. Learning Through Ongoing Professional Development 4. Learning Through Teamwork 5. Learning Through Study Groups 6. Learning Through Classroom Observation 7. Learning Through Collaborative Approaches: Assessment of Student Work, Mentoring, Diversity, and Parental Involvement 8. Learning Through Professional Portfolios 9. Sustaining the Professional Learning Community References Index

About the Author :
Sylvia M. Roberts heads programs in educational administration and supervision at the City College of New York, teaching graduate coursework in educational administration and supervision. Roberts has also taught in middle school and served as consultant and facilitator in numerous school districts. Eunice Z. Pruitt is currently an educational consultant and director of professional development for Corn Associates, helping schools align their curriculum and assessment practices with state core curriculum standards. As well as teaching and serving as principal in elementary schools, Pruitt has also taught graduate courses at the City University of New York in leadership, educational planning, and systems problem solving.

Review :
Transforming schools into communities of learners is one of the most promising approaches to school reform to surface in the last decade. As educators begin the process of change, they will find the insights, guidance, and suggested activities provided in this text to be of great value when working with staff members. Roberts and Pruitt′s work is enormously helpful to those working at sustaining learning communities. The ideas are presented in a reader friendly way that will engage teachers and educational leaders as well. This book is a must for those seeking to prepare school leaders as well as those seeking to improve school performance. Roberts and Pruitt have presented us with a scholarly work that provides the nuts and bolts for those seeking to understand school leadership. Schools as Professional Learning Communities is an extraordinary achievement. It brings together what a long-time practitioner can see and sense. It is an illumination of an exciting path to a constantly improving instructional community.