Focus on Leadership

Three Publications Hot Off the Press

Assisting School Leaders To Implement Professional Learning Teams

While extensive research exists regarding the valuable impact of professional learning communities on improving teaching and learning, resources and strategies for developing these collaborative communities are few and far between. A new publication by NWREL's Center for School and District Improvement goes beyond the "what" and the "why." It provides a rich research base and concrete advice from practitioners in the field on how to plan, implement, and sustain Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) as a schoolwide strategy in coordination with school improvement plans.

Improving Instruction Through Professional Learning Teams: A Guide for School Leaders assists building administrators and teacher leaders in developing and supporting teams of four to six teachers who come together to help each other improve student learning by changing classroom instruction. PLTs are a research-based approach to schoolwide professional development targeted at supporting teachers to effectively change their practices in line with research, data, and their own professional inquiry.

The PLT process detailed in the guide responds to national reform efforts, demands set by the NCLB Act, and specific needs of low-performing schools. During a five-year partnership between NWREL and five high-need schools, the PLT process addressed the following needs: stability and breadth in the school’s instructional leadership; staff collaboration for strengthening teachers’ knowledge and skills; and professional development aligned with the school's improvement plan.

To order, see our online product catalog at www.nwrel.org/comm/catalog/ or call 1-800-547-6339, ext. 519. Also available are services ranging from a one-day introductory workshop to yearlong service, including various trainings and technical assistance on developing PLTs. Contact Jerian Abel at (800) 547-6339, ext. 620, to learn about bringing PLT assistance to your school or district.

By Request Examines Impact of Principal Leadership on Student Achievement

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Considering the number of managerial and administrative tasks associated with running a school, it's hard to imagine a principal could wear any more hats. But given the clear evidence linking instructional leadership to student performance; a federal mandate requiring principals to serve first and foremost as "instructional leaders"; and increasingly tougher sanctions on schools that do not meet adequate yearly progress, principals are finding it critical to center leadership priorities on issues of teaching and learning. According to the latest edition of the By Request booklet, Leadership Practices of Successful Principals, "principals who approach the heightened expectations of NCLB as an opportunity to focus more time and attention on galvanizing staff members around school improvement will be several steps ahead of the game."

The November 2005 edition looks at the research, best practices, and lessons learned. The booklet highlights two particularly well-known models—instructional and transformational leadership—that provide effective frameworks for reprioritizing principal tasks. Central to the booklet are profiles of five Northwest principals whose schools have made significant and lasting gains in student achievement. The booklet wraps up with recommendations for teachers, superintendents, and policymakers to support and retain effective principals.

This issue is available online at www.nwrel.org/free/.

Handbook Guides Leadership Teams Through Change Process

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In a climate where time is at a premium and resources limited, Leadership in a Collaborative School is designed for teachers, principals, professional developers, parents, and others in the school community who want a practical, research-based handbook for school improvement. Leadership identifies six essential steps for a leadership team to take in facilitating their school's improvement process, with six accompanying toolboxes of short research syntheses, discussion questions, sample agendas, consensus- and team-building materials, tips for data use, Web addresses to simplify searches for additional information, lists of top-quality books for reading, and more.

Each toolbox also includes a variety of sample activities that can be used with members of a school leadership team or with a full staff to build their understanding of ways to read and apply research to classroom and school practice. These activities can also be adapted for use as instructional strategies and practices with students, enabling educators to build their professional knowledge base and depth of understanding in ways that have an impact on instruction even as it helps to create a culture that supports all stakeholders in the school community.

Coming from a background of 35+ years in education and recalling vividly the experiences she herself had as chair of a school leadership team, author Deanna Woods has reviewed the research of leadership in education, business, and the classroom to construct a handbook that will foster the kinds of dialogues on key educational issues characteristic of some of the most effective schools in a global society. To help ensure a focus on students in the change process, she has also examined research findings in the social context of the classroom and school, collaborative behaviors, brain studies, conflict resolution, classroom management, instructional strategies, professional learning communities, and the change process itself in order to fill the toolboxes with items most useful to members of a school community.

Leadership in a Collaborative School is a valuable resource based on the understanding that it takes time, trust, shared learning, shared action, and an entire collaborative community to make the kind of lasting difference that our students need to succeed in a global and diverse society.

To order, see our online product catalog at www.nwrel.org/comm/catalog/ or call 1-800-547-6339, ext. 519.

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