The School Leader's Guide to Professional Learning Communities at Work TM. Richard DuFour

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      The School Leader’s Guide to

      Professional

      Learning

      Communities

      at Work^™

      RICHARD DUFOUR

      REBECCA DUFOUR

      A joint publication

      Copyright © 2012 by Solution Tree Press

      All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction of this book in whole or in part in any form.

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      Printed in the United States of America

      16 15 14 13 12 1 2 3 4 5

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      DuFour, Richard, 1947-

      Essentials for principals : the school leader’s guide to professional learning communities at work / Richard

      DuFour, Rebecca DuFour.

      p. cm.

      Includes bibliographical references and index.

      ISBN 978-1-935543-36-7 (perfect bound : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-935543-37-4 (library edition : alk. paper) 1.

      Professional learning communities. 2. School management and organization. 3. School principals--Professional relationships. I. DuFour, Rebecca Burnette. II. Title.

      LB1731.D75 2012

      370.71’1--dc23

      2011044821

       Solution Tree

      Jeffrey C. Jones, CEO

      Edmund M. Ackerman, President

       Solution Tree Press

      President: Douglas M. Rife

      Publisher: Robert D. Clouse

      Vice President of Production: Gretchen Knapp

      Managing Production Editor: Caroline Wise

      Senior Production Editor: Suzanne Kraszewski

      Copy Editor: Sarah Payne-Mills

      Proofreader: Elisabeth Abrams

      Text Designer: Jenn Taylor

      Cover Designer: Amy Shock

      The premise of this book is that the most effective principals define their role as leaders of a professional learning community. This is certainly not a new concept. In fact, the National Association of Elementary School Principals has urged principals to be leaders of learning communities since 2001. NAESP has sponsored this Essentials for Principals series to provide principals both with an understanding of the challenges inherent in this task, and with the knowledge and skills to succeed in meeting those challenges. We are grateful for the leadership of NAESP and its executive director, Gail Connelly, in the ongoing effort to provide principals with the support they need to be effective in this vitally important position.

      We also acknowledge the tremendous support we have received for this project from the Solution Tree family. We could not ask for a more ardent or effective proponent of our work than Jeff Jones, chief executive officer of Solution Tree. Douglas Rife, president of Solution Tree Press, and Gretchen Knapp, vice president of production, were instrumental in bringing the concept of the series to life. Once again, we relied on the skillful editing of Sue Kraszewski to make our ideas more clear and our prose more readable. It is difficult for us to imagine writing a book without her support and guidance. We also remain indebted to Shannon Ritz, the director of professional development for Solution Tree, who has been our envoy and ally for the past ten years.

      We have benefitted from the insights and friendship of some of North America’s leading educational experts—Bob Marzano, Michael Fullan, Larry Lezotte, Rick Stiggins, Doug Reeves, Dennis Sparks, Tom Sergiovanni, and Jonathon Saphier. No one, however, has been more influential in our thinking than our long-standing colleague, coauthor, and friend, Robert Eaker.

      Finally, we acknowledge the educators who have joined forces to demonstrate that “learning for all” can be a collective commitment rather than a catch phrase. Some of our deepest learning has been the result of working with and observing extraordinary principals. We are confident in presenting the recommendations in this book because, thanks to these practitioners, we have witnessed the power of these concepts and practices in the real world of schools.

      Solution Tree Press would like to thank the following reviewers:

Michael D. Bayewitz	Greg O’Connell
Principal	Principal
Broad Acres Elementary School	Coolidge Elementary School
Silver Spring, Maryland	Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Brian Gardner	Bo Ryan
Principal	Principal
A. B. Chandler Elementary School	Woodside Intermediate School
Corydon, Kentucky	Cromwell, Connecticut
Barbara Klocko	Mark Supa
Assistant Professor, Department of	Principal
Educational Leadership	Roosevelt Elementary School
Central Michigan University	Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Mount Pleasant, Michigan	Renee Truncale
Laurie Little	Principal
Principal	Cox Elementary School
Desert Harbor Elementary School	Sachse, Texas
Peoria, Arizona	Dwayne Young
Sara Matis	Principal
Principal	Centreville Elementary School
Westside Elementary School	Centreville, Virginia
Springville, Utah

       Reproducible pages are in italics

      Visit go.solution-tree.com/plcbooks to download materials related to this book.

About the Authors

Introduction

What Is the Role of the Principal?

The Underlying Assumptions of This Book

What Is a Professional Learning Community?

1 Getting Started