About the Authors
Introduction
Remodeling Your School： The Unexpected
Obstacles
A Sequential， Nonlinear， and Cyclical Process
Your Guide on the Side
How This Book Is Organized．
PLCs 101
What is a PLC?
What is the PLC——the entire district， the school， or the individual
teams within the school?
What is collective inquiry?
What is action research?
What are the three big ideas?
What is a focus on learning?
What is a collaborative culture?
What is a results orientation?
What is a culture that is simultaneously loose and tight?
We have had meetings at our school for years， so are we a PLC?
Why are the three big ideas so important to the PLC process?
A Word of Caution

Chapter 1
Laying the Foundation： Mission， Vision，
Values， and Goals
Mission
What is a school's mission?
Are the mission and a school's mission statement the
same thing?
How long should a mission statement be?
What is a learning-focused mission?
What does high levels of learning mean?
Does all really mean all?
Isn't it unrealistic to expect all students to learn at high levels?
If we make our mission high levels of learning for every child， what
about students in special education?
Isn't it a school's job to give students the opportunity to learn——not
to ensure they learn?
What is the student's responsibility in his or her learning?
What is the parents' responsibility for their children's success
in school?
Does everyone have to agree on the school's mission?
What is consensus?
What is school culture?
What does a school's mission have to do with school culture?
If our school does not have a learning-focused mission and culture，
what do we do to change that?
What is a guiding coalition?
What happens after we agree to a new learning-focused
mission statement?
Vision
What is a vision statement， and how does it differ from a mission
statement?
Why is a vision statement important to being a PLC?
How long and detailed should a vision statement be?
How do we begin the process of writing a vision statement?
Who should be involved in writing the vision statement?
Does everyone have to agree on the school's vision?
What happens after we have agreed on a new learning-focused
vision statement?
……

Chapter 2
Fostering a Collaborative Culture
Chapter 3
What Do We Want Our Students to Learn?
Chapter 4
How Will We Know When Our Students
Have Learned It?
Chapter 5
How Will We Respond When Some
Students Don't Learn and When Some Do?
Chapter 6
Defining the District's Role in the
PLC Process
Chapter 7
Addressing Consensus and Conflict in
a PLC
Afterword
It's Journey， Not a Destination
References and Resources
Index