RSA #1: Texas District Moving from Good to Great

RSA 1: Texas District Moving from Good to Great

Texas District Moving from Good to Great | What's Working in Schools

            Chapter three of Learning by Doing (DuFour, et al., 2010) is titled “Creating a Focus on Learning.”  Within this chapter, the authors examine many questions a Professional Learning Community (PLC) team must ask in order to effectively fulfill the school’s mission and vision.  The reading details the initial questions as to the objectives that schools want to set and ways they will assess if the students have fulfilled the objectives.  Furthermore, discussion included what the actual student work would look like and if the assessment addresses the standards.    Two such questions from the chapter are “What is it we want our student to learn?” and “What is the evidence we expect students to generate in order to demonstrate proficiency?” (p 66).  When the previous two questions are clearly laid out, the instructors are more effective at helping the students learn the necessary information.  To answer the two questions, teachers must work collaboratively “to study, to clarify, and most importantly, to commit to teaching the curriculum” (p 70).  Collaboration and commitment are essential to the success of a PLC. 

            Chapter five discusses what to do when students do not learn.  The authors conclude that a “systematic process of intervention” (p 97) is necessary.  This process would ensure that all students receive the necessary interventions with a specific plan to ensure its implementation is consistent, guaranteed, and successful.  Moreover, the interventions would involve a variety of resources and staff members within the school rather than falling solely on the shoulders of an individual teacher.

            Chapter six explains effective collaboration.  Effective collaboration is created when teachers address the following questions;

·        What is it we want our students to learn?

·        How will we know if each student has learned it?

·        How will we respond when some students do not learn it?

·        How can we extend and enrich the learning for students who have demonstrated proficiency? (p 119)

The authors take much care to clarify the true intent of a PLC collaborative group; “to help more students achieve at higher levels” (p 119).

            The HOPE (Harnessing Optimism and Potential through Education) Foundation publishes an online professional education development blog titled, “What’s Working in Schools.”  La Grange Independent School District in Texas is highlighted in a blog titled, “Texas District Moving from Good to Great.”  This blog details how a district in Texas went about improving the student learning by developing a strong and effective PLC.  Many of the steps taken at La Grange mimic what is detailed in Learning by Doing.

            The goal of the changes in La Grange included finding a “way to strengthen teacher capacity and leadership, as well as improving communication and maintaining consistency and alignment throughout the district.”  All of these elements were discussed within the Learning by Doing text.  Consistency and alignment are discussed in chapter three.  The authors state that, “one of the most powerful, high-leverage strategies for improving student learning available to schools is the creation of frequent, high-quality, common formative assessments by teachers who are working collaboratively to help a group of students acquire agreed-upon knowledge and skills” (p 75).  Developing strong leadership was also spoken about in chapter two of Learning by Doing; “the creation of a guiding coalition or leadership team is a critical first step in the complex task of leading a school” (p 22).  Melanie Castellow, the curriculum director in La Grange says, “Building and sustaining teacher leadership is a key development piece. Teachers better understand that they can help move the system and become even better leaders.”  Another step that La Grange Independent School District did was to develop a “common mission, values, vision and goals.” These four items are the exact same “pillars” that DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, and Many speak about in chapter two in regards to establishing a strong foundation for a PLC. 

            La Grange has also adopted a HOPE technique called “learning walks.”  In these learning walks, a small group of teachers visits other classrooms “to note positive teaching and learning, as well as making suggestions for improvements.”  This step is mirrored in the Learning by Doing book in chapter five. “Individuals on effective teams learn to acknowledge mistakes, weaknesses, failures, and the need for help.  They also learn to recognize and value the strengths of other members of the team and are willing to learn from one another” (p 132).

            The blog finishes with a strong summary quote from their curriculum director that echoes much of what DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, and Many promote, “We know where we want to go and what we are supposed to do to get there. We have a better understanding of what it means to be collaborative. We’re excited about the possibilities and are ready to move from good to great.”

 

References:

DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & Many, T. (2010). Learning by doing: a handbook for professional learning communities at work (2nd ed.). Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Kisch, M. (2012, October 22). Texas District Moving from Good to Great | What's Working in Schools. The HOPE Foundation | Because failure is not an option. Retrieved November 4, 2012, from http://www.hopefoundation.org/blog/2012/10/22/texas-district-moving-from-good-to-great/