Effective personal learning communities (PLCs)

What are the characteristics of effective K-12 teachers' personal learning communities (PLCs), and can PLCs be digital?

I think that for PLCs to be effective, they need 3 things:  focus, responsibility, and authority.  The careful balance of these three results in teachers who are engaged, who have a sense of purpose, and who can influence the school's culture.  Most importantly, the PLCs need to cultivate individual's and/or the school's social capital.

PLCs will be more effective if they have a particular focus, whether its departmental (science or history teams), pedagogical (instructional or assessment strategies), operational (grant$ review or school culture), or interest-based (shared readings or other).

Effective PLCs need to have specific responsibilities such as completing a project, reporting back to the larger faculty and/or making policy recommendations.  Responsibility implies accountability, and the interaction between PLCs fosters accountability.  Schools need a deep leadership bench, and teachers can contribute to a school's strengths (and their own strengths) via PLCs.

A PLC's sense of authority is a tricky one.  Some teachers or administrators dispense authority to groups or individuals without proper and gradual experience with cost-benefit analysis, diplomacy, or communications etiquette.  If this is true, one solution is to have clear organizational goals and to understand how a specific PLC's aims fit into or advance the larger goals.  PLC members also need to develop 6, 12 and 18 months goals (more or less depending on the project) so that they can gradually raise the general social capital of the school overall.  The PLC's authority needs to be honored, and administrators, in particular, need to make sure they have provided enough context so that the PLCs understand the implications of their choices and recommendations.

On a side note, PLCs are more likely to be effective when administrators are participants.

Worthwhile education - Part 2

The program description from the RTTT includes four goals, one of which references competing in a "global economy" (see 4 goals below).  I commend Secretary Duncan and his OESE team for crafting an educational plan that includes an orientation to economy - we all need to eat and we all need energy:

• "Through Race to the Top, we are asking States to advance reforms around four specific areas: 
• Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy ;[emphasis added]
• Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction;
• Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most; and
• Turning around our lowest-achieving schools.

I have to ask if the first goal is worthwhile.  Is this really what we want for our children?

There is nothing in the program description about a "sustainable" economy, which is much more egalitarian.  In fact, I would prefer "...participate in a global democracy" rather than "...complete in the global economy."  After all, the purpose of public education is to cultivate an engaged democracy that can make critical and creative decisions about the economy --- not the other way around.

I bring it up because I think the emphasis on economy (rather than democracy) reflects 1) an interest in privatizing public education, and/or 2) a technocratic mindset where education has a utilitarian, measurable function.  The assumptions of RTTT (and  Nation at Risk before it) have permeated our social discourse to the point where we are deliberating obediency & compliance (re.: accountability) and how and where to build prisons -- rather than liberty, equality and creativity.

As Chris Lehmann says in Practical Theory, we've got to dream about and create what we want for public education.  Worthwhile education is built on those dreams.

What are your dreams?  What has to be in place for the dreams to be realized?

"Worthwhile education..."

With all of recent emphasis on standardized tests as a means to identify ineffective teachers, I realized that this is really a distraction form the real challenges we face. Of course there are bad teachers, but what percentage of our profession qualifies?

I think the real challenge is looking at the context of education; students come to school un-rested, under-fed and under-stimulated (with regard to measuring and reading). The onus is on families to take care of their children. This is not to suggest that we can simply blame families; it's hard being poor in America.

I think we have to look even broader. What are the conditions that are creating and maintaining a class of poor people in the first place? And who benefits? (It's like a blame game re: the Deep Horizon oil leak; everyone---including the media---is pointing fingers without asking the important question of energy sustainability).

Having teachers focus on managing ineffective teachers is a distraction. I'd rather work closely with faculty/admin/students & community to cultivate the characteristics of worthwhile public education*:

• Well-rested, well-nourished and engaged students
• alongside a political economy that provides meaningful & flexible employment, access to healthcare, safe neighborhoods
• Equitable building resources (playing fields, books, science equipment, travel/experience budget)
• 2 year-long co-teaching/internships for new teachers (at a respectable salary)
• Teacher-led professional development
• Democratic distributed leadership
• curricular and instructional flexibility in alignment with content area concepts/principles and developmentally-appropriate learning
• site-based budgeting & site-based hiring

What do you think are the characteristics of worthwhile public education?

What are liberal values?

Although I cannot speak for all liberals, there are several values that we often share.  For example, liberals value universal healthcare.  All Americans should be able to afford medical and dental regardless of income.  Right now, over 40 million Americans do not have healthcare.  And roughly 18,000 Americans die every year because of lack of health insurance (Institute for Medicine; Jan 14, 2004; http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3809/4660/17632.aspx).  And how many of our neighbors, whether liberal or conservative, think that getting a routine check-up should be easy and affordable? 

Another liberal value is energy conservation.  You can be certain that liberals appreciate our high standard of living.  Many Americans have warm, comfortable homes that use natural gas, oil, and/or electricity to cook food, clean clothes and run lamps.  Liberals also understand that there is a finite amount of energy available to support our way of life.  In order to sustain our fortunate wealth in the long-term, we will have to be a lot smarter about how we use energy.  At the very least, the words “reduce,” “re-use” and “recycle” have an important place in our lives---as liberals and as Americans.

The value of efficient transportation is closely linked with energy conservation.  We need local, regional, state and federal transportation planning that makes it easier to get around.   Are daily traffic jams on I-95 good for our economy?  Liberals also understand that communities should be walkable and bikeable.  Right now, there are a smattering of disconnected sidewalks near schools---and no bike lanes.  How many of our neighbors, whether conservative or liberal, would like their children to be able to walk or bike more safely to school?

Liberals value public education.  Public education exists to cultivate individual freedoms that are attuned to social responsibility.  A rich civic life is possible through direct experience with arts, athletics, humanities, math, sciences and vocations.  The possibility of a rich civic life may be compromised when you have disparate funding of public education.  In the 2006-2007 school year, Radnor, PA spent $17,105 per student while Upper Darby,PA spent $9,727 (Report Card on the School-2007; Philadelphia Inquirer: http://inquirer.philly.com/specials/2007/report_card/.  What can we do, as a society, to maintain Radnor’s excellent educational programming while providing comparable funding to less wealthy districts?

America is a rich and beautiful country because of the myriad of people who have been coming here over the last 500 years.  Although parts of our history are not pretty, we’ve had so many wonderful accomplishments because of religious and cultural exchange.  The Constitution of the United States was designed to foster this exchange in that the majority is expected to act to protect the minority.  Anytime a person or group acts to oppress another individual or group, the majority has the responsibility to act judiciously to protect the rights of the minority.   Liberals seek to hear and understand differences so that we may be better informed and thereby make better decisions in the common good.  Liberals value diversity. 

These are five values that liberals often agree on.  Sometimes, conservatives may agree with the value but not on liberal policies that support the value---and that’s okay.  It is rich and informed discussion about these values that will help America to be a tremendous place to live, work and raise families.  Interestingly, some of these secular values have their roots in Jewish, Christian, Islamic or other religious texts that emphasize compassion, caring, and civic engagement.  America’s great tradition of secular values will ensure that we will continue to grow and prosper as a vibrant, diverse, and healthy democracy.

Reciprocal Accountability

I think the idea of "reciprocal accountability" is a breath of fresh air.

I think educators should go further and set up reciprocal accountability at a local, state and national level.  For example,  teacher effectiveness should be correlated to a range of factors that are informed by students' SES.  What is society doing (via a local, state or national infrastructures) to foster the conditions that will help teachers be more effective?  Suggestions include:

1. Children are well-rested and well-fed.
2. Children have opportunities for quiet-time to reflect about their learning and/or do homework.
3. Children have safe and numerous opportunities to play/participate in recreation outside of the school environment.
4. Children have access to fully-funded libraries with fully-supported technology.
5. Children have access to school facilities and programs, via public funding, that reflect those in wealthy independent schools.
6. Teacher:student ratios reflect those of highly successful independent schools (after all, if it's good enough for wealthy kids, it should be good enough for poor kids).
7. Children have access to full healthcare.
8. Children's families have access to home ownership and job counseling.

Susan Moore Johnson, John Papay, Randi Weingarten and W. James Popham all refer to the acute impact of SES on effective teaching.  Give urban or very rural teachers these pre-conditions and we will reciprocate!

"Teacher Effectiveness" & Self-Assessment

I don't think you can assess teacher effectiveness through students' test scores.  Standardized state tests  assess student effectiveness --- at taking tests. 

Alternatively, I would like "teacher effectiveness" to be a reflection of my ability to:

• Cultivate safe classrooms (physically, emotionally, intellectually)
• Advise and mentor individual and groups of students
• [Re-]organize curricula to meet students' interests
• Vary instruction and assessment to address students' needs
• Communicate with colleagues, families, school partners
• Design professional development that enriches the above criteria
  

  If you could design the criteria for your own "teacher effectiveness," what would it look like?

Teacher Effectiveness and Reciprocal Accountability

According to an article in the Washington Post (Mar 2, 2010), President Barack Obama has condoned the mass firing of teachers at Central Falls High School, one of RI's poorest high schools:

"If a school continues to fail its students year after year after year, if it doesn't show signs of improvement, then there's got to be a sense of accountability," he said. "And that's what happened in Rhode Island last week at a chronically troubled school, when just 7 percent of 11th-graders passed state math tests -- 7 percent." 

-Barack Obama

Of course such low scores on the state's math tests are sad.  However, before we conclude that the teachers are accountable for such low scores, we should consider the issue of reciprocal accountability.  Specifically, we can ask what kinds of supports were in place to make sure that teachers could be effective.  If teachers are going to be accountable for student achievement, then teachers can require that schools, LEAs and state education departments provide the context for student achievement.*

Within schools, reciprocal accountability can mean many things.  Most importantly, teachers need to have the time to co-plan and influence school-wide policies.  I wonder if Central Falls had any reciprocal accountability in place?

Questions to consider with regard to reciprocal accountability:

• Professional development (PD):  Are teachers involved in creating and facilitating their own PD?  Teachers are in a perfect position to align district priorities with the interests and needs of their students.  Why not create working groups in which teachers run PD alongside school and district administrators?
• School Climate: Are teachers examining the research on school climate and then developing policy that matches their school's needs?
• Assessment:  Arguably sub-set of PD, teachers could be looking at a variety of assessments that help them know how students are growing academically - - - and socially.  Everything from state-level standardized tests, district-mandated tests, formal and informal assessment, portfolios, rubrics and project-based learning should be up for discussion.  Each of these has a profound impact on how teachers organize their curricula and how students experience their learning.  

By providing time for teachers to reflect and co-plan,  schools and districts will be providing one aspect of reciprocal accountability. What does reciprocal accountability look like to you?

* Up next: considering society's reciprocal accountability to teachers.