Standards+Question+2


 * Read the Case Study regarding Learning Communities on page 9 of the NSDC Standards text handed out in class. In your PLC discuss Discussion Questions 1-3. Have a record keeper in your group synthesize your group's responses to these questions. If your group needed more information, describe what you need to know and how you would go about discovering this information.**

1. What is the role of district and school visions, missions, and goals in relation to this standard? The role of the district and school visions, missions, and goals should drive the professional development.

2. What factors and/or structures at the district and school levels support continuous learning and development, collaboration, and shared purpose of learning communities? What inhibits them? The district calendar provides time and opportunity for professional development that may be call staff development days. Sometimes it can be broken down into smaller units based on the size of the district and needs with in the district. This can inhibited by the district based on needs or wanting to develop a type of educators. Also with the transits of teachers yearly, the are coming in with different level of skills.

3. What kinds of teams are administrators and teachers assigned to? What are some of the current strengths and weaknesses of each team? The teachers are assigned to mentoring, vertical alignment, subject teams, and special committees. The strengths are mentoring new teachers to the school or the district to understand the expectation, and roles; plan with other grade levels to close the gap between grade levels; and subject team for each teacher to become comfortable with any subject they are weak teaching. The weaknesses are the size of the team, not establishing the norms, and having to be limited on the number of committees.

Extension Question:

How is the NSDC Learning Communities standard evidenced or not evidenced within your school systems? How did you come to these understandings about your school?

Clayton Coutny: The development of subjects teams is new and the purpose is to have teachers learn and become comfortable in teacher all subjects.