Professional Learning Communities at Work

School Administrator, Nov, 1998 by William J. Leary

The concept of a professional learning community appeals to most educators concerned about how, as well as what, children learn. Authors Richard DuFour, a superintendent in Lincolnshire, Ill., and Robert Eaker, dean of the College of Education at Middle Tennessee State University, have advocated a school improvement process for years.

They credit a variety of sources, including Terry Deal, Linda Darling-Hammond, Peter Senge and Ted Sizer, to support their concepts of community. The authors suggest schools can benefit from the experiences of the private sector, though they acknowledge some educators will disagree with this view.

DuFour and Eaker emphasize that too many schools concentrate on structure for their improvement efforts, such as policies, procedures and rules, rather than attending to changes in the school's culture. They liken the school culture to a garden requiring constant cultivation.

No one formula or recipe exists for creating a professional learning community, but the participants in that community must see their roles as "passionate endeavors." This requires efforts toward continuous improvement that result in a "community of caring and mutual concern."

These are certainly worthy goals. The authors provide hope to all who believe in public education and what it can become.

(Professional Learning Communities at Work, by Richard DuFour and Robert Eaker, National Education Service, P.O. Box 8, Bloomington, Ind. 47402-0008, 1998, 338 pp., $24.95 softcover)