Module 6 :: Professional Learning Communities

The Centre for Authentic PLCs

http://www.authenticplcs.com

I first came across Daniel Venables work when I was given a copy of The Practice of Authentic PLCs: A Guide to Effective Teacher Teams. His emphasis is squarely on looking at student and teacher work in the original model of professional learning communities as set out by duFour a decade ago (has it been that long?) That the adjective "authentic" is necessary in front of the acronym PLC is a sad reflection of how many distorted, bogus, non-PLCs are out there. Or maybe I'm just reading too much into this title. The crux of the derailment seems to lay in the practise of calling any group of teachers working on something together a PLC. This watering down of the PLC model has led, rightly, to a movement to restore and revitalize this important work in schools. The Centre for Authentic PLCs website has resources for doing just that.

5 Dysfunctions of a Professional Learning Community

http://edge.ascd.org/_Five-Dysfunctions-of-a-Professional-Learning-Community/blog/2965471/127586.html

Great ideas don't always work. For example, the goal might be collaboration but we can end up with a lack of clear norms that can create isolation and frustration. This timely and insightful article can assist principals in getting derailed PLC initiative back on track. Do any of these five issues sound familiar?

1. lack of norms
2. lack of team goals
3. lack of trust
4. lack of communication
5. lack of essential learning outcomes

If so, this article contains examples and solutions to get PLC teacher teams focussing on the task at hand, improving student learning.

What is a Professional Learning Community?

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may04/vol61/num08/What-Is-a-Professional-Learning-Community%C2%A2.aspx

This seminal article by Richard duFour (the godfather if PLCs if educational reform ideas can be said to have godfathers...) was published in Educational Leadership in 2004. A decade on it bears revisiting if only to see how much potential good was in the original idea that hasn't always been captured in its implementation in schools. Looking at SolutionTree, the current duFour PLC juggernaut I'm somewhat disheartened by how expensive accessing their resources has become.

Module 5 :: Dealing with Conflict

Conflict and the School Leader: Novice or Expert

http://www2.education.uiowa.edu/archives/jrel/spring03/Johnson_0204.htm

This article contains valuable insights into how principals can look at their own behavior and determine whether they are unwittingly adding fuel to the fire of conflict. From the abstract: "School principals devote a significant portion of their time to dealing with conflict. Principals who look for the sources of these conflicts may find that many of them reside in the principal’s own interpersonal behaviors, which may be products of their leadership skills. Four important leadership variables related to the amount of conflict are conflict response styles, problem solving, communicator styles, and bases of social power."

5 Keys to Dealing with Workplace Conflict

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2012/02/22/5-keys-to-dealing-with-workplace-conflict/
Right off the bat I'm not sure I agree with the author's statement: "Here's the thing: leadership and conflict go hand-in-hand." Initially I dismissed his ideas as overly confrontational and aggressive (he starts with the sports metaphor  leadership is a "full contact sport" egad...) But then he goes on to make some very valid points about the necessity of dealing with conflict rather than ignoring it. I wonder if there is a very different slant to this article because it's a Forbes piece written primarily for private sector managers? Still, much to mull over here for principals. The next article by Ken Leithwood and Michael Fullan couldn't be more different...

In Conversation: 21st Century Leadership Moving Forward

http://www.michaelfullan.ca/media/13557615570.pdf
"When it comes to deep divisions, resolution and empathy must be combined if change is to occur.” Fullan 2011
This article is lengthy and covers a great deal of ground, but a considerable portion deals with relationships and learning through conflict. Fullan and Leithwood purport that impressive empathy is having compassion for people who disagree with you. They might be angry or obstructionist but your ability as a leader to understand where their point of view is coming from is truly impressive. It’s easy to empathize with those who agree with us. It’s difficult (hence the “impressive” part) to really acknowledge and understand (but not necessarily agree) with those whose views differ from our own. An angry parent isn’t likely angry just to make my day as a principal miserable. They have a concern about their child. They might be experiencing anxiety, guilt, frustration etc and by empathizing with them through the conflict I can learn about them and their student and build trust.

Module 4 :: Resource Management

Aligning Resources with Priorities

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/leadership/IdeasIntoAction12.pdf
Is it too reductionist to say "follow the money" when it comes to school resources management? Maybe, but if leaders aren't choosing to spend scarce funds on what they identify as priorities in their school improvement plan, then something is amiss. It's all about alignment. This article form the Ontario Ministry of Education's Ideas into Action series is peppered with common sense, solid research and clear action steps. Simply throwing money at school problems doesn't solve them, but carefully allocating resources to maximize student learning bears fruit. A significant section of the article is devoted to unpacking the Public Education Leadership Framework (PELP) model with its goal of "connecting the instructional core with a district-wide strategy for improvement."

Improving School Leadership: The Toolkit

http://www.oecd.org/education/school/44339174.pdf
The OECD developed an international multi-year school leadership improvement initiative. This toolkit is a practical guide that stakeholders can use to assess school needs and goals. There are helpful activities (with suggested timelines) that staff at the school, FOS or board level can use to align resources with priorities. The section on Strategic Resources Management (human and financial) provides opportunities for conversations about key resource management questions:

Edutopia Blog Beat - Administrators

http://www.edutopia.org/blogs/beat/administrators
This collection of blog posts for principals contains lots of support and inspiration on how to manage a school's most important resource, its teachers. 10 Steps for Avoiding Teacher Burnout and Don't be Afraid to Give Direct Feedback are among the dozens of insightful articles by principals in the field. A great resource to subscribe to for a fresh infusion of inspiration in your inbox. All in?

Module 3 : : Principal as Curriculum Leader

"Curriculum development is the essential function of school leadership.
Whether this role is carried out by a principal, an assistant principal for
curriculum, a team leader, a department head, or by leading classroom
teachers, the curriculum defines all other roles in a school."  Wiles 2009

Leadership Development: Principals Want to Know

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/leadership/principalsWanttoKnow.html

This Ontario Ministry of Education website is actually a series of practical tip sheets that support instructional leadership practice. Each tip sheet highlights a particular question or dilemma faced by principals and provides simple, clear strategies for addressing the problem. An agony aunt for principals? Sort of. In responding to the question experts provide links and resources (many from other sections of the MoE's website).  For an example of just how pithy and practical these "cheat sheets" for time-starved principals are, check out Making Time for Instructional Leadership.

The Institute for Education Leadership

http://www.education-leadership-ontario.ca/content/home

This umbrella organization's goal is to support "leadership excellence in Ontario schools." To that end there are many useful resources, research papers and links. Perhaps but most important is the revised Putting Ontario's Leadership Framework into Action guide. The "From Purpose to Practice" is essential reading for principals as they align their leadership practice to the "Curriculum, Teaching and Learning"section of the School Effectiveness Framework.

EduGains 

http://www.edugains.ca/newsite/curriculum/index.html
EduGains the complete gamut of Ontario K-12 Ministry of Education curriculum resources. This recently redesigned website has a "for School Leaders" tab in each area (for example literacy, numeracy, differentiated instruction or 21st century learning) that support principals in their curriculum leadership role. All of the Ministry's  policy, strategy and initiative documents are also available here. The diagram below comes from the Promoting a positive school climate resource:

Module 2 : : Communication

TDSB principals make the Communications and Public Affairs pages on TDSBweb their first stop for comprehensive school communication resources. But here are a few additional resources that administrators (or potential administrators) will find useful when honing their communication skills:

National School Public Relations Association

http://www.nspra.org/
This American education website really requires a membership for maximum benefit. There are many enticing sounding resources to assist principals with school - community communication, but they come with a price. Professional development resources are available for purchase. Even their webinars aren't free; you can purchase packages for $59 dollars. They might consider offering samples of their wares for the wary. I wonder if TDSB has a district subscriptions. I'm not inclined to shell out as an individual... Still worth checking out their website to see the range of what they offer.

The Glossary of Education Reform

http://edglossary.org/school-communications/
This online glossary for "journalists, parents and community members"created by the Great Schools Partnership has a great deal of potential. Educators can sometimes fail to communicate with their target audience because of obfuscating edujargon. Links from your own school newsletters or website to entries in this glossary can quickly clarify unfamiliar educational terms for members of your community (and maybe even, dare we say it, for some staff members?).

Mind Tools 

http://www.mindtools.com
The Communication Skills page of this career/business website curates a wide range of highly accessible tools for assessing and meeting communication needs. While not specifically developed for educators, the resources here can readily be adapted to a school/community context. It feels like it was developed by and for educators as it starts with a diagnostic quizzes such as "how good are your communication skills" and moves on to group resources in categories like "planning and structuring" and "feedback." You can even use Mind Tools to develop your own communication learning plan. As with any commercial site you're encouraged to purchase a premium corporate package, but there is plenty of value available for free on the basic site.

Module 1 :: Leadership

Websites that help administrators continue their professional growth:

Canadian Education Association

http:www.cea-ace.ca/
The research and publications produced by this association inform and inspire educators across Canada. Through various initiatives and regional workshops educators connect and are urged to: "Get inspired to influence a change mindset in our schools." Stephen Hurley's blog posts stimulate lively dialogue on issues that matter to school leaders across the country.

Ontario Public School Boards' Association

http://www.opsba.org/
"Leading Education's Advocates" is the tagline for this very active Ontario educational leadership organization. Their wide-ranging publications are timely and practical. For example, their recent A Vision for Learning and Teaching in the Digital Age has the merit of passion, eloquence and brevity. What's not to love?

Educational Leadership 

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership.aspx
The online version of this perennial print favorite is available by subscription only for the current issue, but their archive is a treasure trove of applied research. The ASCD  iTunesU site is also dynamic and richly resourced. The Topics link takes readers to an excellent selection of current educational subjects and helps the busy administrator quickly get up to speed on the latest research in a given area.

Edutopia

http://www.edutopia.org
This website has "evidence-based K-12 learning strategies that inspire you to improve education." This site might be American, but the inspiration that administrators can glean from Schools That Work knows no geographical boundaries. Edutopia's blogs run the gamut from Social and Emotional Learning to Parent Partnerships. Entries are brief, practical (usually in the form of 8 tips... 6 reasons...) and research-based. Subscribe to an RSS feed on a topic of interest and get a regular dose of new learning.