Schools as Learning Centers for Teachers & Administrators As Well as Students.

Faculty Meeting is an interesting place to develop teacher growth. In an ideal School Community, teachers should grow to become Teacher/Leaders (Terry, P. M. 2010). (Harrison, Killion, 2007) Increasing teachers’ responsibilities in Faculty Meeting is a way to begin that process. Teachers can take a moment to present a “what works” minute as a method of collaboration. Or teachers who desire and who are in charge of segments of the school’s activities could take charge of announcements, information and promotion concerning their segment when appropriate. Getting up in front of a group of colleagues is a daunting task for many teachers, but a milestone in growth for the Teacher/Leader we hope our teachers will become.
Professional Development Programs are, of course, structured opportunities for learning by both administrators and teachers alike. Susan Louks-Horsley reflected, “We recognize that young people learn in different ways, but often don’t acknowledge that this applies to teachers as well when we plan learning experiences for them.” (Robbins, Alvy, 2009. p. 123)

SCHOOLS AS LEARNING CENTERS FOR ALL
There is an organization called the “National Staff Development Council (Killion, J. 2010) dedicated to improving Professional Development Programs where this subject can be explored further.
Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s) where teachers can collaborate and learn from one another, are a developing and exciting concept. The research has been compelling. The Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools conducted a 5year study that incorporated study of data from more than 1,500 elementary, middle, and high schools within the United States. The Center also conducted field research in 16 states in 44 schools. This study concluded that schools with successful initiatives, in terms of student achievement were,
“…Schools that function as professional learning communities in which teachers . . .
· Are guided by a clear shared purpose for student learning
· Feel a sense of collective responsibility for student learning
· Collaborate with one another to promote student learning
· Enjoy increased autonomy at the school site.“ (Newmann & Wehlage, 1995):
Kruse, Seashore Louis, did another analysis of this same data and Bryck (1994) came to similar conclusions.
“The single most important factor for successful school restructuring and the first order of business for those interested in increasing the capacity of their schools is building a collaborative internal environment that fosters cooperative problem solving and conflict resolution.” (Eastwood & Seashore Louis, 1992, p. 215)
WestEd, a research and development agency studying the data to improve schools, concluded, “Our key finding—the central importance of a professional community to adult and student learning—will be no surprise to those familiar with other educational research.” (WestEd, 2000, p. 11)
The research often categorizes the most important components for the success of the PLC into three. These “big three” are: a focus on learning, a culture of collaboration, and a focus on results, (Dufour, R, et al 2006) including a plea to share the research or ideas with others, so that all researchers and perhaps schools can ultimately become part of a sort of meta-PLC.
The importance of schools being learning centers for teachers and school leaders and staff as well as students cannot be overstated. Using the supervision, evaluation and feedback system, usually given to teachers by administrators, as learning opportunities for both the teacher and the administrator. Also Faculty Meeting and the Professional Development Programs, which are currently part of most school systems can be used in new and interesting ways. However, the research indicates that the formation of Professional Learning Communities, where teachers can collaborate, focus on learning and focus on results and learn from one another, is probably foremost in effectiveness and provides an interesting new model moving forward.