believed in the idea of the self-made man. Each of us has received support in one way or another, and my goal is to put what I’ve learned within the appropriate context of those who helped me, supported me, taught me, and in many cases, became my dearest friends. However, I acknowledge it is impossible to recognize everyone. Any errors of judgment in this regard should not be viewed as a lack of recognition and appreciation.
I have been blessed with a wonderful and fulfilling personal life. That being said, I have chosen to write about my personal life only to the degree that there is a direct connection to what I have learned professionally. I would be remiss, however, if I did not recognize that in a few cases it is impossible for me to separate my personal and professional lives; this is especially true regarding Rick DuFour.
Rick was my professional partner and close friend for nearly four decades. Our friendship and our professional lives became intertwined and inseparable. Readers will quickly discover that a summing up of what I’ve learned and come to believe is, to a great extent, a summing up that includes Rick. There have been both high and low points in my personal and professional journey. Certainly, the death of Rick in 2017, followed by Becky’s passing in 2018, was a staggering loss—not only for me, but also for the countless number of people whose lives they touched. After the losses of Rick and Becky, my journey has continued, but it will never be quite the same. A huge part of me is missing.
A Few Caveats
A few caveats are in order. Since attitudes and beliefs are a result, in part, of experiences, I fully recognize that what follows is based on my own unique history—both personal and professional. Others who have had different experiences may have entirely different views. This is perfectly understandable. While I acknowledge that people have differing views, I also think that one’s beliefs (and the resulting practices) must be measured against the standard of what works. When it comes to improving learning for all students, I have tried to filter my ideas through the prism of Does it work, and is it doable? In retrospect, I think this pragmatism behind an evidence-based way of thinking and ultimately doing explains, to a great extent, the popularity of the Professional Learning Communities at Work® (PLC) approach.
In short, for me, the proof was in the pudding; the value of ideas was found in the impact they would have on school improvement and student learning. Few things influence the attitude and behavior of others as much as evidence of results. Seeing results in actual classrooms and schools certainly had a deep impact on my commitment to action research, especially within a culture reflective of a PLC. While I recognize others have had different experiences and, therefore, see the world of education differently, it comes down to this: everyone has a right to an opinion, but all opinions do not hold an equal promise of effectiveness.
Upon reflection, I realize that, to a great degree, my ideas for improving schools are interconnected. For example, collaboration, a sharp focus on learning, assessment, time and support, passion, commitment, persistence, and a myriad of other best practices must be brought together, maintained, and supported by effective leadership at all levels for long-term, systemic improvement. Each individual aspect of effective schooling is enhanced by its connection to the larger whole. In this sense, we must become students of best practices and understand how each effective practice is connected to and enhanced by other concepts and practices. We can learn much from organizations outside the arena of public education. It is my hope that readers will conclude that my professional career reflects such a record.
Any summing up of what I’ve learned and come to believe about improving student success is deeply influenced by what I learned from research findings during each stretch of my professional journey. As I moved to new and different research interests, my thinking regarding earlier research was never fully erased. Traces of each stage of my professional journey can be seen in each successive step along the way. (Palimpsest!)
I mention this because I believe there is a tendency, particularly in the social sciences, to dismiss any research findings viewed as dated. More than one editor, I’m sure, has encouraged writers to avoid older research and emphasize more current findings. But I’ve found that research findings, like life’s experiences and personal discoveries, are usually built on earlier foundations. All legitimate research, even that which becomes overwritten later, fuels the drive to move forward and keep searching for new and better answers. I’m sure Stephen Hawking did not dismiss Einstein, nor did Einstein dismiss Newton. I make no apologies for referencing research that might seem dated to some but formed the basis for those things I was learning as I moved forward.
A word is also in order about what this book is not. Although the concepts and practices that I have come to value are research based, this book is not intended to be a synthesis or meta-analysis of research findings regarding effective teaching, effective schools, or organizational development. As a professor for over four decades, I have certainly valued research and have learned a great deal from it. That said, what follows is grounded in my experiences—the result of my attempts at using research findings to improve student learning.
Last, I want to recognize up front that I do not claim these ideas as my own. Obviously, my thinking has been influenced greatly by several people, and many are included in this summing up. And as I pointed out earlier, it is impossible to separate my ideas from those of Rick DuFour. During our decades of working and writing together, it was a rare week when we did not communicate by phone, text, or email. (At times, I felt we communicated simply by thinking about the same things, usually in the same way!) We viewed the world of education through the same lens. Many of our ideas about teaching and learning, school improvement, and ultimately the PLC at Work process were serendipitous.
The Professional Learning Communities at Work Movement
The ideas that form the framework for the PLC at Work concept and practices were not the result of a sudden flash of insight. In many ways, the PLC at Work process was an umbrella under which best practices that were found in highly successful organizations, both within and outside the arena of public education, were connected—especially proven strategies that had a positive impact on learning, school and district improvement, organizational culture, and leadership. Rick and I viewed our thinking as more than a synthesis of what works. The PLC at Work process was also the result of our personal and professional relationships with others.
The Birth of a Friendship
Each summer, Jerry Bellon—who in the late 1960s served as chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville (and my major professor for my doctoral studies)—led a leadership conference for educators from across the United States. Most participants were from the suburban areas of Chicago or Long Island since Jerry was consulting with many school districts in those areas.
In 1979, I was making a presentation at one of Jerry’s leadership conferences and in the audience was a young principal from Chicago—Rick DuFour. After my session, Rick introduced himself to me, and we agreed to have dinner together. I have often thought about how different my life would have been had Rick decided he was simply too busy to spend three days in Knoxville that summer. Both of our lives were changed by Rick’s decision to attend that conference.
The topic of my presentation that day was linking the clinical supervision model that Jerry Bellon had helped pioneer with the emerging findings from the research on effective teaching being undertaken primarily at Michigan State University and the University of Texas. As improbable as it might seem today, in the late 1970s, research on the topic of specific teacher behaviors that impact student learning and behavior was relatively new. Rick immediately saw the importance of this research and asked me if I would present these early findings to his faculty at West Chicago High School.
I can’t recall the exact date I visited West Chicago, but I do remember that it was a cold and rainy Friday afternoon. Rick had offered to take me to dinner in Chicago
