There Is No Magic Dust: Building a PLC From the Ground Up

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There Is No Magic DustBuilding a PLC From the
Ground Up

• Anthony Muhammad

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Magic Dust?

• Instant Results with.
• No Personal Commitment to Change
• No Threat to Tradition
• No Inconvenience
• No Accountability

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• Success does not permit shortcuts. It makes you
  pay all that is due, and it only rears its head
  after all fees are paid.
• Napolean Hill, Think and Grow Rich

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Are we Serious?!

• If we are serious about closing the Achievement
  Gap and creating schools where each child is
  guaranteed a quality education at a chance at
  living their dreams
• We must abandon the Magic Dust mentality!

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The Task at Hand

• If schools are to be transformed into learning
  communities, educators must be prepared first of
  all to acknowledge that the traditional guiding
  model of education is no longer relevant in a
  post-industrial, knowledge-based society.
  Second, they must embrace ideas and assumptions
  that are radically different than those that
  have guided schools in the past.
• Richard DuFour and Robert Eaker
• Professional Learning Communities at Work (1998)

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Big Ideas/New Ideas

• Ensuring that Students Learn
• Collaborative School Culture
• Focus on Results

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My RealityLevey Middle School

• 97 African-American student population Student
  population of 800
• School-wide Title 1 eligible
• Over 80 of students live in single female headed
  households
• 30 of students proficient in reading
• 31 of students proficient in math
• 25 40 annual student mobility rate
• 2000-2001 school over 3000 disciplinary
  suspensions
• 2000-2001 school year over 150 students failed
  two or more classes and were required to attend
  summer school
• 65 of staff in their first, second, or third
  year of teaching
• 2001-2002 school year, I was the third principal
  in three years

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• Technical and Cultural Changes

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Technical Change

• Technical changes are changes in learning
  tools/structure
• Collaborative time
• Common assessments
• Data
• Educational Technology
• Support Classes

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Common Misconceptions about Technical Changes

• Changing the structure will lead to higher levels
  of learning (Rearranging the seats on the
  Titanic)
• Technical changes make up for poor instruction or
  unprofessionalism
• Technical changes will fix kids or fix
  schools which are broken (i.e. dress codes,
  longer school day)

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Cultural Change

• Shared Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals

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Importance of Culture

• Structural change that is not supported by
  cultural change will eventually be overwhelmed by
  the culture, for it is in the culture that any
  organization finds meaning
• and stability.
• Phil Schlechty

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Two Underlying Assumptions in a PLC

• All Children Can Learn
• All Children Will Learn Because of What We Do
• (All children DO learn, they just do not always
  learn what we want them to learn)

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Cultural Wars(School Crusades)

• The Believers
• The Tweeners
• The Fundamentalists

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The Believers

• Very intrinsically motivated
• Flexible with kids
• Mission driven/connection to school or community
• Willing to confront negative talk and attitudes
  towards children
• Varied levels of pedagogical skill
• Carries the banner of learning for all whether
  students are learning or not.

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The Tweeners

• Loosely-coupled with the school mission
• Enthusiastic about the idealistic nature of
  school, but have not quite hit the tipping
  point
• Not quite convinced that all children can
  learn, but not Darwinistic in their approach
• Follows instructions as given by administration
  (considered good teachers)
• They try to avoid school and district politics
• One bad/good experience can swing them to be a
  believer or a fundamentalist.

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Fundamentalist

• Firmly believe that all children cannot learn
  (Darwinists)
• Firmly believe that school reform is a waste of
  time (Lortie Apprenticeship of Observation)
• Socialization plays a major role in paradigm
• Believe in autonomy and academic freedom
• Organize to resist any change
• Firmly believe that gaps in learning are due to
  outside forces (students, parents,
  administration)
• Varied levels of pedagogical skills

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Old Contract

• Teacher
• Teach content
• Complete tasks and paper work as assigned by
  administration
• Honor contractual obligations
• Autonomy of pedagogy and evaluation
• Maintain acceptable classroom management
• Accountability is restricted to an annual or
  semi-annual contractually approved evaluation
• Teacher is encouraged and free to work in
  isolation

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Old Contract

• Administrator ..
• Complete tasks as determined by central office
• Ensure that each employee adheres to contractual
  obligation
• Maintain attractive building and grounds
• Punish students who do not follow code of conduct
  (Maintain order)
• Respond to parent concerns within the scope of
  contractual limitations

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Old Contract

• Parents..
• Send students to school properly fed, clothed,
  and rested
• Assure that child completes all out-of-school
  academic obligations
• Support teacher by punishing child when they do
  not comply with school rules, and make sure that
  their child does not break that rule again
• Participate in parent/school events

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Old Contract

• Child
• Follow the code of conduct
• Follow all school rules
• Complete in-school and out-of-school academic
  obligations
• Pay attention to the teacher and all of his/her
  instruction

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New Contract

• Teacher.
• All of the requirements of the old contract
• Ensure that each student can demonstrate
  proficiency in all content areas
• Develop engaging activities which reinforce state
  academic standards and capture the interest of a
  student body with and ever-shrinking attention
  span
• Semi-autonomy with pedagogy
• No autonomy in teaching content and expected
  outcomes
• Communicate behavior and academic expectations to
  familys with a 57 nation-wide rate of divorce
  and hope for help/cooperation
• Working in teams becomes necessary in order to
  successfully complete all of the requirements

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New Contract

• Administration.
• All of the requirements of the old contract
• Ensure that students learn state mandated
  curriculum or face termination and school
  restructuring
• Assume the role of lead-learner and provide
  assistance to teachers in the areas of pedagogy,
  classroom management, assessment, parental
  relations, and school procedures
• Provide visionary leadership so that each staff
  member understands their role in the
  state/federally mandated ascent of the schools
  achievement in multiple areas

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New Contract

• Parents..
• Send their child to school

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New Contract

• Students.
• Come to school

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FundamentalistChange is Not Easy

• Drop Your Tools Research
• People persist when they are given no clear
  reason to change
• People persist when they do not trust the person
  who tells them to change
• People persist when they view the alternative as
  more frightening
• To change may mean admitting failure
• Norman Macleans, Young Men and Fire

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The Clash

• Believers
• Tweeners
• Fundamentalists
• Parents Students

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Transformations

• Leadership
• Teachers

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Compliance vs. Vision

• Compliance
• Maintaining status quo
• Obsession with management tasks
• Appearances are more important than effectiveness
• Survival of the organization is the goal

• Vision
• Goals are clear, reasonable, and lofty
• Everyone is clear about their role in the
  ascension
• Leader models the behavior he/she wants to see in
  others
• Excelling in the only option

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The Role of Vision

• Leadership has a responsibility to clearly
  provide a direction for his/her institution
• That direction must be well known and well
  publicized
• Leadership must closely consider the role of each
  individual within the framework of the vision
• Role definition leads to responsibility which
  leads to accountability

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Organized and Strong Vision

• Leads to ..
• Clarity of purpose
• Explicit identification of roles,
  responsibilities, and expectations of each member
  of the learning community
• Changes in activity/technical tools are connected
  to a strong/shared vision

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Levey Mission

• We will work collaboratively to ensure that each
  student will be prepared for post-secondary
  education.

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Nine Core Beliefs

• Schools are places built for the education of
  children, not for adult employment.
• Schools play a major role in the future life
  success of students and their community.
• Education is a profession, and educators should
  conduct themselves as professionals.
• Education is a mission, and educators should
  conduct themselves as missionaries.
• Schools are a communities most precious
  institution, and they have the power to transform
  a community.
• Children are at the center of everything that we
  do, and our practice should reflect their best
  interest.
• We believe that schools must partner with other
  members of the community in order for the
  educational experience to be optimal.
• We believe that character is important and that
  schools can help shape a childs character.
• We believe that service to the community is
  important and that it is essential in a
  democratic society.

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New Frontier 21 SchoolA Fresh Approach
Professional Learning Community
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PLCs are like a vehicle

• They are only useful if you are trying to go
  somewhere!!!

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Political vs. Principled

• Political
• Concerned with self-interest
• Lobbying
• Alliances with special interest groups

• Principled
• Dedication to the mission of the school
• Service orientation
• Holds self and others accountable for
  contribution toward organizational goals

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Professional Learning Community

• Community A group linked by common interest

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Dictator vs. Motivator

• Dictator
• Seeks control
• Catalyst for motion is coercion and manipulation
• Rarely shows appreciation

• Motivator
• Seeks cooperation
• Catalyst for motion is inspiration
• Consistently celebrates behavior that moves the
  community closer to its goals

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Leading in a PLC

• They (leaders) recognize that one of the most
  significant responsibilities of a leader is to
  help others believe in their own capacity to
  lead, and their goal is to ensure that every
  classroom is directed by a confident and capable
  teacher-leader.
• Bob Eaker and Deborah Gonzalez

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Change

• Leadership
• Teachers

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Vague vs. Precise

• Vague
• General descriptions
• Emphasis on averages
• Comfortable with stereotypes

• Precise
• Diagnostic approach
• Concerned with the student as an individual
• Believes that every student problem has a solution

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Student Intervention

• Why arent they learning?

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Descriptive vs. Prescriptive

• Descriptive
• Restating the obvious
• Reinforces current level of thinking
• Rooted in frustration
• Solving problem is not important

• Prescriptive
• Information is used for diagnosis
• Challenges current level of thinking
• Rooted in mission
• Solving the problem is the only acceptable outcome

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• In School Tutoring

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Certification vs. Professionalism

• Certification
• Minimal requirement to enter a field
• Allows a person to operate at a basic level
• Requires little to no ongoing commitment

• Professionalism
• Requires a commitment to scholarship
• Consistently develops skills in an evolving field
• Requires an ongoing commitment

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Inside Teaching, 2005Mary Kennedy

• Why is reform so difficult?
• Teachers need more knowledge or guidance in order
  to alter their practice
• Teachers hold beliefs and values that differ from
  reformers and that justify their current
  practices
• Teachers have dispositions that interfere with
  their ability to implement reforms
• The circumstances of teaching prevent teachers
  from altering their practices

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Teacher Curriculum

• Review Critical Data
• Choose Goals (No more than four/five)
• Identify best literature/research that helps
  increase staff ability to meet goals
• Develop study questions that applies the research
  to schools current reality
• Prepare study guide for teachers and pace their
  curriculum for the entire school year

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Levey Results

• Reading
• 2000 30 Proficient (State Avg. 68)
• 2005 88 Proficient (State Avg. 62)
• Math
• 2000 31 Proficient (State Avg. 54)
• 2005 76 Proficient (State Avg. 62)

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Other Levey Victories

• Honored as a National Blue Ribbon School
• 2004-2005 school year, 6 students failed one or
  more academic classes, down from 150 in 2001
• 2004-2005 school year, 148 student suspensions,
  down from over 3000 during the 2000-2001 school
  year
• 52 of Levey students are on the honor roll
• 18 charitable student service learning projects
  completed during the 2004-2005 school year
• Trailblazing Hip-Hop class that links literacy
  to pop culture
• Business course and student run store offered for
  students in grades 6, 7, and 8 The Levey
  Dollar Store

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No Magic Dust

• Where do you go from here?
• Will you sit on your hands and wait for change?
• Or
• Will you go to work and make a difference in the
  lives of your children and community?

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Contact Information

• E-mail
• newfrontier21_at_comcast.net