The Bill Page Award for Excellence in Teaching
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES GRANT
It has been stated in a variety of ways by numerous education researchers that professional learning communities are the most effective and practical method for changing and improving day-to-day classroom practice. We share this belief, and we will award school grants in August 2009 for the planning and implementation of school-based learning teams.
The core principles of Professional Learning Communities are as follows:
- Commitment to results focused on improved student achievement
- Commitment to continuous improvement
- The development of shared understandings and common values
- Collaborative teams that share a common purpose
- Collective inquiry
- Commitment to action and experimentation
Professional learning communities are teams of teachers that work together to improve their professional learning and integrate research-based practices into their classrooms. Teams can consist of teachers from the same grade level or discipline, or they can provide opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and work across grade levels. Professional learning communities provide the kind of professional development that research shows is most effective: ongoing, collaborative, and responsive to the unique needs of individual schools and teachers. In a professional learning community, each teacher has access to the ideas, materials, strategies, and talents of the entire team.
The Alliance for Quality Education (AFQE) has designated up to $50,000 to fund the continuation and development of Professional Learning Communities. We hope school teams will take advantage of an opportunity to improve or create structured conversations among classroom teachers - clearly our most valued resource.
Click here for The Bill Page Award for Excellence in Teaching grant guidelines and application. Deadline: June 14, 2010