Article Analysis: "Moving Up From Mediocre"

          In Schaumburg, Illinois, School District 54 was struggling.  The students had no desire to learning; therefore, their academic achievement was extremely low.  School leadership and teachers noticed the negative decline of student morale and grades, and they wanted to reverse that decline.  The teachers asked the district administration for specific guidance on how to successfully teach the students in their classrooms.  At this time, the accountability movement began, and parents could now see schools’ overall performance.  Parents requested a change because of the low performance of School District 54.   After reading through and conducting research, the district administration decided that professional learning communities will reverse the negative decline and improve student morale and grades.
          Several strategies were put in place to ensure the success of professional learning communities.  First, the district implemented three ambitious goals in all the schools.  The first goal required all students to be at their reading grade level after attending one of the district’s schools for a year.  The second goal required schools to close the achievement gap for all students in math and reading per state and district measurements.  The third goal desired 90% of students to meet or exceed standards in reading and math per state and district measurements.  The second strategy that was executed is called “Shared Knowledge”.  Some teachers and school leadership attended a two-day conference to learn how to be active and resourceful members of a professional learning community.  The attendees would meet to ask questions, discuss concerns, and receiving training on various topics.  The teachers and school leadership took what they learned and assessed their schools to see blind spots and areas of needed improvement.  The third strategy is called “Support Structures”.  The district administration required school leadership teams to meet with the superintendent and cabinet every 90 days.  During the meetings, the team would review the students’ progress, receive support from the superintendent, and discuss ways to add methods for continued improvement.
          The fourth strategy is called “Scheduled Dialogue”. School leadership will visit other district schools to observe their professional learning communities.  During these visits, the school leadership teams from both schools with meet to brainstorm about effective learning strategies, techniques, and solutions.  They will also discuss critical topics related to the students’ progress and success.  Brown (2016) conducted a case study which examined how a professional learning community was implemented in a school.  Brown realized that collaboration among teachers and school leadership is vital for a learning community to be successful.  Lastly, “Fixed Focus” is a strategy that is required in a professional learning community.  Communication between teachers, school leadership, and district administration is needed for unity and single-mindedness to grow and flourish.  Staff development sessions and teacher training will ensure that all are focused on similar goals that need to be implemented in their school. 
          Elementary school leadership needs to create professional learning communities among the teachers of their schools for successful learning to take place.  Elementary school teachers must actively collaborate with fellow coworkers to improve their own classroom atmosphere and teaching methods.  Elementary school teachers should also be active members of online professional learning communities.  Booth (2012) conducted a study which examined various online professional learning communities.  The study’s results revealed that online professional learning communities are an excellent source to receive content, resources, statistics, and information from fellow teachers about various educational strategies.  Booth did point out that trust is needed among the online communities for them to be successful.  Professional learning communities will greatly benefit school districts, schools, classrooms, students, and teachers.       

References

Booth, S. E. (2012). Cultivating knowledge sharing and trust in online communities for 

          educators. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 47 (1), 1-31.

Brown, G. (2016). Leadership’s influence: A case study for an elementary principal’s 

          indirect impact on student achievement.  Education, 137 (1), 101-115.

Myers, N., & Rafferty, E. (2012). Moving up from mediocre. School Administration, 

          69 (1), 21-26.