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The power of professional learning communities and other professional resources.

Article Excerpt
ON THE COMMON GROUND: THE POWER OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Richard DuFour, Robert Eaker, and Rebecca DuFour, eds.

Teacher-librarians complain frequently about the lack of time to interact and collaborate with faculty on substantive issues related to the curriculum, working together on units of instruction, and the general low-level expectations that teachers have of library services. Yet for many years, this reviewer has been aware that some faculties get together regularly at times other than faculty meetings to read a professional book together, talk about substantive issues, and to do the things that general support groups do. Recently, the lack of communication within the school has become a major issue because of the emphasis on accountability and the need to build collaboration across a faculty if any real progress is to be made. Thus, here is my suggestion for one professional title to read personally and to read as a faculty.

This is a book that is easily read--even if you just skim the various headings--but its topic is vital. Professional learning communities are common in schools and districts where a major push is being made on quality and on building a cohesive effort to meet standards, to work through tough assessment issues, or to push school-wide initiatives. On Common Ground describes these communities in enough detail that the book can be used not only to form such a community, but also to monitor its activities and keep it focused. A professional learning community is not a gripe faculty meeting and certainly not a lunchroom casual conversation. For the teacher-librarian, a professional learning community provides an opportunity to talk about issues in depth, to work with other leaders on solutions, to participate in school-wide initiatives, and to take the leadership role our literature has demanded. Therefore, the mandate is that every teacher-librarian read this one professional book this year and push for the development or refinement of a professional learning community in every school. Yes, there are union issues. Yes, there are time issues. However, no organization can survive, grow, evolve, or remain healthy if group reflection and improvement are not center posts of their organizational structure. Professional learning communities can be structured in an individual school, at the district level, and--via the miracle of technology--can exist rather well in virtual space where they might be titled "collaboratives."

The chapter titles of this volume provide a good overview of the contents: "On Common Ground: The Power of Professional Learning Communities"; "Recurring Themes of Professional Learning Communities and the Assumptions They Challenge"; "What Is a Professional Learning Community?"; "Putting It All Together: Standards, Assessment, and Accountability in Successful Professional Learning Communities"; "Assessment for Learning: Building a Culture of...