Creating a Culture for Learning

A Multiple-Day Workshop Series

It is time to revisit the constructs of school culture and collegial collaboration. Current discussions around the power of professional learning communities extend and enhance the work we have done for years around building positive school cultures; professional learning communities are defined as communities of learners in which the teachers and the administrators in a school continuously seek and share learning and then act on what they learn (Astiuto, 1993). This definition sets the stage for building a 21^st Century standards-based version of a positive and productive school culture in the interest of student learning.

Essential Questions

What goes on in schools that are truly organized around the commitment to the achievement of high standards by ALL students?

• What would students, teachers, and leaders be doing?
• What would teachers and leadership do when students don't learn or already know what they are supposed to learn? (DuFour)
• What structures would need to be in place to support this work?

Areas of Focus

Concrete measures that can impact student achievement include:

• A shift from a focus on teaching to a focus on student learning
• Establishing and protecting times to meet and confer
• Identification and use of available resources
• Practices that foster collaboration
• Data-driven discussions and decisions
• Job-embedded professional development
• Clearly articulated and followed norms of behavior
• Well-developed communication structures

In a one-day overview, groundwork is laid for examining what is already in place to support your vision of increased student achievement and what needs to happen in order to build on current successes to establish an even stronger culture for learning for both adults and students. Information presented include practical strategies used by educators in today's standards-based environment. In the multiple-day series participants return after implementing the plans designed during the first day(s) to share data and plan next steps. Participation in a follow-up sessions is strongly encouraged.

Resources

Leading the Learning: A Field Guide for Supervision and Evaluation by Paula Rutherford plus an addendum of Workshop Tools for Creating a Culture for Learning.