Building on extensive evidence that school-based teacher learning communities improve student outcomes, this book lays out an agenda to develop and sustain collaborative professional cultures. McLaughlin and Talbert—foremost scholars of school change and teaching contexts—provide an inside look at the processes, resources, and system strategies that are necessary to build vibrant school-based teacher learning communities. Offering a compelling, straightforward blueprint for action, this book: Takes a comprehensive look at the problem of improving the quality of teaching across the United States, based on evidence and examples from the authors’ nearly two decades of research.Demonstrates how and why school-based teacher learning communities are bottom-line requirements for improved instruction. Outlines the resources and supports needed to build and sustain a long-term school-based teacher professional community. Discusses the nature of high-quality professional development to support learning and changes in teaching.Details the roles and responsibilities of policymakers at all levels of the school system. “This book offers vivid examples of how teacher learning communities are formed and sustained. A must-read for educators at all levels who are serious about enacting change.” —Amy M. Hightower, Assistant Director, American Federation of Teachers
You Can't Be What You Can't See presents a rare longitudinal account of the benefits of a high-quality, out-of-school program on the life trajectories of hundreds of poor, African American youth who grew up in Chicago's notorious Cabrini-Green housing project in the 1980s and early '90s. The book documents what happened to more than 700 youth two decades after they attended the Community Youth Creative Learning Experience (CYCLE), a comprehensive after-school program offering tutoring, enrichment, scholarships, summer camps, and more. Milbrey W. McLaughlin offers critical lessons for policy makers, educators, community activists, funders, and others interested in learning what makes a youth organization effective for low-income, marginalized children. "This engaging volume provides an inside-out account of an effective youth development program, delineating and describing the key ingredients that led to success: exposure, mentoring, and true community. McLaughlin offers her seasoned and insightful analysis while allowing readers to hear the authentic voices of the program's staff, volunteers, participants, and donors--a true epiphany." --Jane Quinn, vice president for community schools and director, National Center for Community Schools, Children's Aid, New York City "Based on a thirty-year follow-up of an exemplary program serving youth living in poverty, McLaughlin reveals how program practices led to eye-opening outcomes in education and employment. The book provides a compelling argument for the value of positive youth development programs targeted at adolescents." --Barton J. Hirsch, professor of human development and social policy, Northwestern University "What does is it take to change the odds? You Can't Be What You Can't See shows us the dramatic difference a high-quality youth organization can make. As a movement is taking hold across the country to promote the quality of environments for learning and engagement, the life stories of CYCLE's alums illuminate and inspire." --Merita Irby, cofounder, The Forum for Youth Investment Milbrey W. McLaughlin is the David Jacks Professor Emeritus of Education and Public Policy at Stanford University, and the founding director of the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities.
The contributors and editors draw on insights of both practitioner researchers and academics. Individual chapters examine the challenges and nature of professional development by exploring specific contexts, such as those involving school/university partnerships, secondary/higher education collaborations, and inner-city settings. Contributors include Edwin Bridges, Marilyn Cochran-Smith, Myrna D. Cohen, Linda Darling-Hammond, Pamela Grossman, Philip Hallinger, Charles Taylor Kerchner, Ann Lieberman, Susan L. Lytle, Lynne Miller, and Margaret Szabo.
This report presents an analysis of the relationship between educational policymaking and educational practice in schools and classrooms. It is designed to contribute to the debate on reform by drawing lessons from recent attempts to reform schools with policy. The authors' central message is that the connection between policymakers and practitioners should be strengthened. Changes in education are composites of practice, structure, and rules. Federal experience indicates that educational reform must be grounded in an understanding of how teachers learn to teach, how school organization affects practice, and how these factors affect children's performance. The authors suggest that, to be effective, current reforms must (1) close the gap between policy and practice, in part by charging practitioners with developing solutions; (2) accommodate variability, through policies that lead to better understanding of effective practice; (3) recognize that rules only set standards of fairness and don't prescribe solutions to practical problems; and (4) create organizations that foster reforms.
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