A Step-by-Step Change Creation System for Building Innovative Schools and Increasing Student Learning
Build a dynamic system for change! From No Child Left Behind to Common Core standards, we are inundated with directives for improving our schools. How can we really create lasting change? By applying the Change Creation system! The Change Creation system produces a creative, collaborative, nurturing school environment-and you can make it happen. The authors use what they have learned over two decades of working with schools implementing Whole Faculty Study Groups to make improvements and refinements that create a more streamlined and effective grass-roots system for measurable and sustainable student growth. Learning community pioneers Dale Lick, Karl Clauset, and Carlene Murphy show teachers, principals, and schools how to: Develop the right vision, relationships, and culture to create and sustain change Create communication networks for sharing that work Model learning-inquiry cycles for action teams for success Build loyalty, trust, and responsibility within your teams and across the school With a free, comprehensive online collection of practical resources including templates, checklists and action team assessment forms, Schools Can Change will become your keystone for school innovation and improved student learning. "Far too many good initiatives fall short due to lack of planning and exclusion of important stakeholders. The authors tell us how to build a sustainable culture over time. They don't pretend that it is easy, but give the educator confidence that it can be done." -Eddie Ingram, Superintendent Franklin County Schools, Louisburg, NC "This is the most comprehensive book on the topic of school change ever written. The suggested practices and strategies at various stages create a comprehensive, meaningful text. This book helps us gain practical wisdom at all levels in our districts and schools." -Lyne Ssebikindu, Assistant Principal Crump Elementary School, Cordova, TN
Improving Student Learning Through The Whole-Faculty Study Groups Approach
"Clearly shows the success that can occur when a staff learns together. I highly recommend this book to aspiring and beginning principals, as well as those with years of experience." -Paul Young, Executive Director, West After School Center Former President, National Association of Elementary School Principals Foster schoolwide professional learning through a collaborative action research model! Action research is a popular method for individual educators to examine their practices and grow in their profession. In this how-to guide, readers will learn how Whole-Faculty Study Groups (WFSGs) use action research to involve an entire school in advancing staff learning and school performance. The WFSG model is a type of professional learning community (PLC) that catalyzes school change with schoolwide action research as a central component. With over 20 years of experience, the authors draw from hundreds of examples and case studies to describe how implementing WFSGs can help students, teachers, administrators, and other staff members work collaboratively to improve teacher practice and student learning. The authors' empirical data and comprehensive approach help deepen educators' understanding of how to use meaningful action research to strengthen teamwork and realize school reform. Additionally, readers will learn how: The WFSG system compares with other approaches to action research The schoolwide action research process can be applied in a wide variety of school reform efforts Study groups can move from discussion to action Principals and district leaders can support schoolwide action research Discover the ways WFSGs can enhance student learning and result in real school improvement in this highly relevant, must-have guide.
Improving Student Learning Through The Whole-Faculty Study Groups Approach
"Clearly shows the success that can occur when a staff learns together. I highly recommend this book to aspiring and beginning principals, as well as those with years of experience." -Paul Young, Executive Director, West After School Center Former President, National Association of Elementary School Principals Foster schoolwide professional learning through a collaborative action research model! Action research is a popular method for individual educators to examine their practices and grow in their profession. In this how-to guide, readers will learn how Whole-Faculty Study Groups (WFSGs) use action research to involve an entire school in advancing staff learning and school performance. The WFSG model is a type of professional learning community (PLC) that catalyzes school change with schoolwide action research as a central component. With over 20 years of experience, the authors draw from hundreds of examples and case studies to describe how implementing WFSGs can help students, teachers, administrators, and other staff members work collaboratively to improve teacher practice and student learning. The authors' empirical data and comprehensive approach help deepen educators' understanding of how to use meaningful action research to strengthen teamwork and realize school reform. Additionally, readers will learn how: The WFSG system compares with other approaches to action research The schoolwide action research process can be applied in a wide variety of school reform efforts Study groups can move from discussion to action Principals and district leaders can support schoolwide action research Discover the ways WFSGs can enhance student learning and result in real school improvement in this highly relevant, must-have guide.
Lessons Learned and Best Practices From Classrooms, Districts, and Schools
Master one of today's most successful school reform and school improvement strategies! The Whole-Faculty Study Group (WFSG) System is a student-centered, teacher-driven process for facilitating major staff development and schoolwide change. When applied properly, it has produced extraordinary results for thousands of educators and students in schools and school districts across the country. The Whole-Faculty Study Groups Fieldbook is a comprehensive guide to applying the WFSG process. Edited by Dale Lick and Carlene Murphy, this practical manual provides concrete strategies for implementing and sustaining a school improvement process in any environment. Offering extensive experience, each contributor explores a different aspect of Whole-Faculty Study Groups and supplies lessons learned and many first-hand examples of successful school reform and student performance enhancement. Written to complement existing resources or serve as a stand-alone guide, this book will Demonstrate how concepts can be applied in a variety of school improvement efforts Present relevant strategies and activities Illustrate how to use suggestions in real-world situations Highlight critical concepts through extensive case examples Provide helpful tips and lessons learned Explain how findings can be applied to professional learning communities Offering numerous illustrations of the WFSG System in action and a comprehensive collection of tools for initiating and sustaining successful improvement programs, this fieldbook is an essential resource for K-12 administrators, staff developers, and teachers involved with any type of school transformation effort.
Lessons Learned and Best Practices From Classrooms, Districts, and Schools
Master one of today's most successful school reform and school improvement strategies! The Whole-Faculty Study Group (WFSG) System is a student-centered, teacher-driven process for facilitating major staff development and schoolwide change. When applied properly, it has produced extraordinary results for thousands of educators and students in schools and school districts across the country. The Whole-Faculty Study Groups Fieldbook is a comprehensive guide to applying the WFSG process. Edited by Dale Lick and Carlene Murphy, this practical manual provides concrete strategies for implementing and sustaining a school improvement process in any environment. Offering extensive experience, each contributor explores a different aspect of Whole-Faculty Study Groups and supplies lessons learned and many first-hand examples of successful school reform and student performance enhancement. Written to complement existing resources or serve as a stand-alone guide, this book will Demonstrate how concepts can be applied in a variety of school improvement efforts Present relevant strategies and activities Illustrate how to use suggestions in real-world situations Highlight critical concepts through extensive case examples Provide helpful tips and lessons learned Explain how findings can be applied to professional learning communities Offering numerous illustrations of the WFSG System in action and a comprehensive collection of tools for initiating and sustaining successful improvement programs, this fieldbook is an essential resource for K-12 administrators, staff developers, and teachers involved with any type of school transformation effort.
Creating Professional Learning Communities That Target Student Learning
"This third edition from Murphy and Lick is a superb resource and a must read for all educators involved in the improvement of education. It should be in the hands of individuals from the state department of education to the classroom teacher, for it speaks to all layers of the system, and to the role that each person must play to assure successful learning for all students." -From the Foreword by Shirley Hord, Scholar Emerita Southwest Educational Development Laboratory "Planning is an important thing. What Whole-Faculty Study Groups has done for us is to ensure that we never forget that implementation is the only thing." Jack Ernst, Superintendent Springfield Public Schools, Springfield, MO One of the most successful and exciting approaches to staff development, school reform, and systemic change in education today! Used by hundreds of schools and school districts across the country, the Whole-Faculty Study Group (WFSG) System is a student-driven, holistic process for facilitating major staff development and schoolwide change. While providing a step-by-step methodology for the development and implementation of successful WFSGs, this newest edition of Murphy and Lick's groundbreaking bestseller incorporates the most current theoretical concepts on change, the latest refinements to change management procedures, and a wealth of new experiences from more than two thousand individual study groups. Other significant revisions to this edition include: Three additional chapters: the research foundation for WFSGs, how to recognize and understand school culture, and fourteen key findings A reorganization of chapters to make the book even more reader-friendly New material on timely topics such as "learning communities" and "learning teams" An increased focus on assessment of student results Updated sets of resources and illustrations in the appendix WFSGs are a proven way to successfully reform, improve, and transition schools to meet tomorrow's needs. Filled with real-world examples and illustrative cases, this book provides both the practical knowledge and the theoretical foundation necessary to negotiate the societal, organizational, and cultural barriers affecting education. This new edition is essential for administrators, teachers, and staff in K-12 schools, as well as district level administrators, teachers of education, and anyone interested in increasing student learning.
Creating Professional Learning Communities That Target Student Learning
"This third edition from Murphy and Lick is a superb resource and a must read for all educators involved in the improvement of education. It should be in the hands of individuals from the state department of education to the classroom teacher, for it speaks to all layers of the system, and to the role that each person must play to assure successful learning for all students." -From the Foreword by Shirley Hord, Scholar Emerita Southwest Educational Development Laboratory "Planning is an important thing. What Whole-Faculty Study Groups has done for us is to ensure that we never forget that implementation is the only thing." Jack Ernst, Superintendent Springfield Public Schools, Springfield, MO One of the most successful and exciting approaches to staff development, school reform, and systemic change in education today! Used by hundreds of schools and school districts across the country, the Whole-Faculty Study Group (WFSG) System is a student-driven, holistic process for facilitating major staff development and schoolwide change. While providing a step-by-step methodology for the development and implementation of successful WFSGs, this newest edition of Murphy and Lick's groundbreaking bestseller incorporates the most current theoretical concepts on change, the latest refinements to change management procedures, and a wealth of new experiences from more than two thousand individual study groups. Other significant revisions to this edition include: Three additional chapters: the research foundation for WFSGs, how to recognize and understand school culture, and fourteen key findings A reorganization of chapters to make the book even more reader-friendly New material on timely topics such as "learning communities" and "learning teams" An increased focus on assessment of student results Updated sets of resources and illustrations in the appendix WFSGs are a proven way to successfully reform, improve, and transition schools to meet tomorrow's needs. Filled with real-world examples and illustrative cases, this book provides both the practical knowledge and the theoretical foundation necessary to negotiate the societal, organizational, and cultural barriers affecting education. This new edition is essential for administrators, teachers, and staff in K-12 schools, as well as district level administrators, teachers of education, and anyone interested in increasing student learning.
