The Power of Two
by William L. Sterrett and Matthew Haas
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Overview
In this short and engaging article from Educational Leadership two principals describe how they developed their own professional learning community. Taking Richard DuFour’s ideas about learning communities Bill Sterrett and Matt Haas - a primary and a secondary school principal respectively - developed their own successful professional learning community of two. The authors use this article to reflect on how they set it up their learning community three years ago, the agreed practices that have made it work, and the outcomes they have each achieved.
In spite of the differences between their schools the principals have learned a lot from each other. Their collaboration helps to improve transitions between the schools as one of the schools is a contributing school for the other. They have found that their different contexts provides distance from each other which enables them to be critical friends. They have also developed practices by doing them together, such as sharing class observations in each other’s school.
The article describes the processes and guidelines they developed to make the most of the time commitment they made to each other. In particular they focus on positive outcomes and problem solving, not griping! They also agreed that their focus would be on improving teaching and learning in their schools.
From first-time principals to the most experienced of principals this article provides inspiration and practical steps for getting together to enrich, improve and challenge your professional experiences.
Reflective questions
These reflective questions might guide you in your reading of this article:
- Consider the quality of your current professional relationships with other school leaders. To what extent are they providing you with critical relationships and challenge to develop, share and improve your leadership practices? In what ways could this article help to improve the focus of your professional learning community?
- Consider ways in which you could use this article to make others, such as your board of trustees, or your senior leadership team, aware of the importance of professional learning communities in developing and sustaining the effectiveness of school leaders. If they are not already part of an effective professional community you could use this article for a session in which you promote their importance.
Further reading
DuFour, R. (2004). What is a "professional learning community?" Educational Leadership, 61(8) 6–11.
Robinson, V. M. J., Hohepa, M., & Lloyd, C. (2009). School leadership and student outcomes: Identifying what works and why. Best Evidence Synthesis Iteration (BES). Wellington: Ministry of Education. 120–128.
Timperley, H. Wilson, A. Barrar, H. and Fung, I. (2007). Teacher Professional Learning and Development. Best Evidence Synthesis Iteration (BES). Wellington: Ministry of Education. 201–205.
Reference
Sterrett, W. & Haas, M. (2009). The Power of Two. Educational Leadership, 67(1) 78–80.
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