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1 ld &By Stphi Hish d Shily M. Hod pviw Picipls bfit fom schoolwid pofssiol lig commuitis (PLCs) with thi tchs so tht vyo is lig d wokig towd th sm gol. Picipls lso fid vlu i joiig dmiistto PLCs to wok o thi ldship d lig skills. Timly topics, such s ivstigtig studt pfomc dt, powful ogizig lmts. 26 Picipl Ldship dcmb 2008

2 O of th most powful wys fo picipls to xtd thi lig is to pticipt i pofssiol lig commuitis (PLCs), foums tht xplicitly dsigd to cov ductos fo lig so tht studts pfom t high lvls. Picipls c us PLCs to thi pofssiol dvtg i two sigifict wys: by pticiptig with tchs i PLCs tht dsigd fo schoolwid lig d by wokig with oth picipls to l spcificlly bout school ldship d oth topics. Schoolwid PLCs Picipl ldship d pticiptio ky to stblishig schoolwid PLCs. To suppot lig fo dmiisttos, tchs, d studts, PLCs sh fiv sch-bsd dimsios: shd d suppotiv ldship; shd visio; suppotiv stuctul d ltiol coditios; ittiol, collgil lig; d shd pctic. Although th picipl is sposibl fo luchig PLC, succssful picipls pl how thy will sh guidc d ldship with th stff fom its icptio. Ultimtly, th PLC should b slf-govig tity i which dmoctic pticiptio is th om d th picipl fls comfotbl shig ldship bcus th PLC flcts th shd blifs tht costitut th school s visio, th scod sch-bsd lmt. Tht visio icluds th pupos fo which th school xists, how its mmbs fit withi tht pupos, d th vlus upo which it is foudd. Wokig with pts d stff mmbs to dvlop shd visio fo dcisio mkig d fcig tht visio oft is th picipl s sposibility. Th thid sch-bsd dimsio is stblishig suppotiv stuctul d ltiol coditios. At th iititio of th PLC, th picipl, with stff mmbs cooptio, must idtify th tim d loctio wh th commuity will mt to do its wok. Fidig tim to mt is l chllg, d schools d disticts f d wid hv foud ctiv wys to chg schduls o tim usg. Aoth suppotiv coditio ddsss ltioships succssful PLCs opt withi schools wh dmiisttos, tchs, pts, d studts spct, positivly stm, d tust o oth. Th picipl hs th pow to solv logisticl poblms d povid stuctus to build ltioships. Estblishig ths stuctus d coditios positios th picipl d stff mmbs to focus o th wok of th commuity. Tht wok is just wht th PLC lbl idicts th pofssiols t th cmpus com togth i goup, commuity, fo ittiol, collgil lig, th fouth schbsd dimsio. Th commuity must bgi its wok by dtmiig wht it will l togth. Th stff xmis multipl soucs of studt d stff mmb dt to dtmi wh thy c clbt high studt pfomc d wh ustisfctoy pfomc bgs tttio. Th commuity of pofssiol ls dtmis wh thy d to giv tim d ffot to thi lig, which might iclud w Picipl ldship d pticiptio ky to stblishig schoolwid PLCs. dcmb 2008 Picipl Ldship 27

3 &ld Th picipl plys stog dictig ol t th iititio of th PLC, th stps bck to suppot ldship oppotuitis d ldship dvlopmt of th stff. cuicul, istuctiol sttgis, d ppochs to studt motivtio, d thy lso dtmi how thy will cqui d implmt thi w lig. Shig psol pctic though follow up d cochig is th fifth dimsio of ffctiv PLC. Th stff mmbs visit o oth to obsv. A picipl o visitig tch might obsv th pctics tht hv b idtifid by host tch, cfully scipt ots, d follow up with th tch lt i th dy. I this wy, idividul stff mmbs d th school ogiztio s whol impov. Picipls Rols i th PLC Th picipl plys stog dictig ol t th iititio of th PLC, th stps bck to suppot ldship oppotuitis d ldship dvlopmt of th stff. Shig th pow, uthoity, d dcisio mkig with th stff c b chllgig fo som picipls. But thos who hv ccomplishd this tsitio hv foud it highly stisfyig to hv collgus who sh i th sposibilitis of d ccoutbility fo impovig istuctio fo th studts of th school. O dos ot, of cous, just tu ov w ols to stff mmbs without ppig thm. Fom th icptio of PLCs, th picipl ochstts how stff mmbs will b ppd fo w ldship ols. Th picipl might tk full sposibility fo PLC dvlopmt o sh it with oth distict dmiisttos. Picipls lvls of pticiptio i PLC vy. Tchs tk otic of th difft lvls. Thy obsv th picipl who cmoiously luchs lig commuitis but fils to ivst y idividul tim i th ffot, thy obsv th picipl who ttds th mtigs but whos ctios do ot dmostt idividul ivstmt, d thy obsv th picipl who ggs s qul mmb of th commuity d sus th full ffct of th PLC o stff mmbs d studts. Wh th PLC picipl shifts fom svig s th dicto d uthoity souc to idividul who olls up his o h slvs d pticipts with th tchig stff, th picipl hs th oppotuity to bcom l s opposd to solly fcilitto. Wh picipls l i this viomt, th dditiol bfits. Th picipl is viwd s th hd l who is ggd i lig d cougig oths to do likwis. H o sh gis vlud collgus whil discussig istuctiol issus tht focus o studts. I dditio, stff ivolvmt i school dcisios d ctios povids th picipl with pts who hlp i mgig d ldig th school. Picipls PLCs Picipls hv oth oppotuitis to gg i PLCs byod thi ow schools. Som of ths oppotuitis my b offd by th school systm, d oths offd by xtl ogiztios. Wh ctl offic stff mmbs dsig pofssiol lig fo picipls, thy cosid th cotxt, pocss, d cott tht most likly to ddss th distict d idividul school pioitis d chiv th dsid outcoms of th pticipts. Som disticts my choos to ogiz picipls by school dmogphics o xpic lvls. Oth disticts my ogiz PLCs by cott ds o itsts. Th most powful ogiz fo PLCs is studt pfomc. Picipls xmi dt to dtmi spcific studt pfomc gols. Simultig th pocss thy fcilitt withi thi ow schools, thy idtify wht thy must l to ddss pfomc chllgs. Thy dtmi pocss fo lig tht will bl thm to pply w kowldg d skills bck i thi schools. Thy ct sttgis fo suig o-th-job suppot wh dd. Thy idtify how thy will b ccoutbl fo thi ctios d how thy will hlp oths b ccoutbl s wll. Thy ssss whth mmbs gttig wht thy d fom o oth. Filly, thy tk tim to clbt thi sults d to cotiu cycl of flctiv plig tht lds to costt impovmt. O of th btt kow xmpls of PLCs fo picipls focusd o impovd istuctiol pctic d studt lig ws implmtd by Athoy Alvdo i Nw Yok City (Elmo, 1997). Alvdo ogizd picipls ito PLCs to dvlop xptis i 28 Picipl Ldship dcmb 2008

4 tchig litcy d hlp tchs impov thi istuctiol skills, which ld to stdy climb i studt chivmt ov 10 ys (Hycock, 1998). Th pocss bld th picipls to fcilitt istuctiol impovmt i clssooms. Alvdo movd o to S Digo, CA, d i study of tht distict, Hightow (2002) wot: Alvdo s blif i th cucil ol of picipls s lichpis fo chg withi schools ld lmost immditly to th dismtlig of th supitdt gmt d th ctio of sv htogous wokig goups of bout 25 picipls ch, kow s Lig Commuitis. Ths w hdd by picipls slctd fo thi stog istuctiol ldship. Ths istuctiol lds wokd closly togth to dsig thi w ols d pl thi cochig wok with picipls. Thy civd tiig fom th Lig Rsch d Dvlopmt Ct (LRDC) t th Uivsity of Pittsbugh, likig thm with ffots i oth ub disticts oud th couty. (p. 3) Extl ssistc gcis lso off picipls PLC optios. Som ct s fcilittos fo o school systm, d oths ivit picipls fom svl school systms. Extl ssistc fcilittos hlp pticipts dfi thi ow gds. Although th most compllig pupos is lwys studt lig, how ch goup ogizs dult lig c diff. Som goups my opt fo book studis. Oth goups my dtmi lig gd, such s litcy; dvlop ctio pl; coduct ogoig ssssmts; d discuss th impct of lig o pctic. I ith cs, th xtl fcilitto hs sposibility to s tht goud uls stblishd, to su tht ll mmbs fl tht th goup is svig thi ds, to hlp hold idividul mmbs ccoutbl fo th commitmts thy mk to th oth mmbs, to povid th soucs th goup quis to cotiu its wok, d to clbt th pogss of idividul mmbs with th goup. Wh No Child Lft Bhid (NCLB) ws itoducd i 2002, th Ntiol Stff Dvlopmt Coucil (NSDC) luchd twok of school ldship tms tht w fd to ffctiotly s 12 ud 12. Twlv schools (4 lmty, 4 middl lvl, d 4 high schools) covd to tk pldg to clos th chivmt gp i thi schools i fct, to xcd th xpcttios of NCLB i lss th 12 ys (hc 12 schools ud 12 ys). Twlv picipls d slctd tch lds commit to suppot o oth i this ffot. NSDC s ol is ot to stblish th lig gd o stuctu impovmt pocss, but to gg th pticipts i fcilittd pocss of mutul ccoutbility. Th fcilitto guids thm though pocss of dtmiig thi schools ds, witig msubl studt gols, stblishig thi lig gd, hostig smi-ul psttios o thi pogss, fcilittig coss-school visits, d potig sults to thi systms. Eight of th oigil schools still pt of th twok. Dptig schools hv b plcd by oths. It is otwothy tht two picipls who lft thi schools hv joid th twok s th picipls of w schools. Two picipls who w pomotd i thi systms hv suppotd w picipls i th twok. Oly two picipls fom th oigil 12 mi t thi schools, yt pticiptio hs b sustid by th ldship tms. Wh skd wht cotibuts to th high ttio of thos twok mmbs, th mmbs pot tht it s th ccoutbility d sposibility thy fl towd th oth mmbs who hv tk th pldg with thm: kowig tht thi sist schools fcig simil chllgs d committd to simil sults; kowig tht ch moth thy hv th oppotuity to sh thi succss s wll s thi chllgs with thi collgus i sf cofc clls; d kowig thy ot i th bot lo, but lig fom tltd goup of collgus. Holdig o oth mutully ccoutbl fo sults d lig hs b th l ky to this succss. Dict d Idict Bfits PLC stuctus off tmdous bfits to Extl ssistc gcis lso off picipls PLC optios. Som ct s covs d fcilittos fo o school systm, d oths ivit picipls fom svl school systms. dcmb 2008 Picipl Ldship 29

5 &ld picipls. Wh picipls cov PLCs, th typicl isoltio of stff mmbs is ducd d thy gi collgility d th hlp d suppot of oth ductos i solvig th hd poblms of chllgd ls. Most impott, schools with PLCs pot sigifict bfits fo studts, icludig low ts of bstism d dcsd dop-out ts. I schools with PLCs, studts hv xhibitd gt cdmic gis i mth, scic, histoy, d dig th i tditiol schools. Ad, fo studts of ll ductos who stivig to duc th gp btw studts fom difft lgug, cultul, d sociocoomic bckgouds, studt chivmt gps owd. Picipls c fid imms stisfctio i hvig ll stff mmbs ssum collctiv sposibility fo th succss of ll studts. Evyo bcoms w of th sigifict ifluc thy hv o th lig outcoms of studts d th ols thy ply i hlpig ll studts chiv xpcttios. Whth th picipl pticipts i school-bsd, distict-bsd, o commuity-bsd PLC, th bfits will iclud icsd stisfctio, high fficcy, pofssiol wl, d suppot fo studt impovmt. PL Rfcs Elmo, R. (with Buy, D.). (1997). Ivstig i tch lig: Stff dvlopmt d istuctiol impovmt i commuity school distict #2, Nw Yok City. Rtivd fom documts/chiv_ivstig-i-tch-lig.pdf Hycock, K. (1998). Good tchig mtts... lot: How wll-qulifid tchs c clos th gp. Thikig K 16, 3(2), 3 14 Hightow, A. (2002). S Digo City schools: Comphsiv fom sttgis t wok [Elctoic vsio]. Tchig Qulity Policy Bifs, 5, 1 6. Stphi Hish (stphi.hish@sdc.og) is th xcutiv dicto of th Ntiol Stff Dvlopmt Coucil i Oxfod, OH. Shily M. Hod (shily.hod@sdc.og) is schol lut fo th Ntiol Stff Dvlopmt Coucil. 30 Picipl Ldship dcmb 2008