Schools are being held to higher levels of accountability for student
learning. That's not a bad thing. We should accept responsibility for
the learning of our students. But what's emerged is a trend to
micromanage teachers and their work. That's not such a good thing. One
example is the nationwide trend toward more intense supervision and more
complex evaluation systems. Again, evaluation is not bad, but it should
be part of a system that promotes growth and engages teachers in
thoughtful analysis of their work and implementation of strategies to
continue strengthening their performance.
There's lot of evidence that simply telling people what to do doesn't get the required results. You may get short-term compliance. But rarely do you get long-term change. While many of the mandates may be well-intentioned, they are often imposed on educators without engaging those affected in a discussion of the problem and possible solutions.
A recent article by Rick DeFour and Mike Mattos discussed this paradox. They suggest some common-sense strategies that principals can use to positively impact student learning in their school. They also share the results from a comprehensive study of school reform that found an increase in student learning when teachers participated in professional learning communities (Vescio, Ross, & Adams, 2008).
I'd enjoy hearing from you about your experience with PLC's and their impact on student learning.
There's lot of evidence that simply telling people what to do doesn't get the required results. You may get short-term compliance. But rarely do you get long-term change. While many of the mandates may be well-intentioned, they are often imposed on educators without engaging those affected in a discussion of the problem and possible solutions.
A recent article by Rick DeFour and Mike Mattos discussed this paradox. They suggest some common-sense strategies that principals can use to positively impact student learning in their school. They also share the results from a comprehensive study of school reform that found an increase in student learning when teachers participated in professional learning communities (Vescio, Ross, & Adams, 2008).
I'd enjoy hearing from you about your experience with PLC's and their impact on student learning.
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