Constructing and Supporting a Collaborative Learning Culture Essay

Introduction In our public school system, it is important for leaders to act as guides of change and transformation that leads an institution through the constant and ever changing society. By guiding the school through the process, a leader becomes a servant of the institution, rather than a dictatorial figurehead. It is important that school leaders gain the approval and support of their staffs while implementing any changes that need to occur. This is best achieved by using a collaborative method of leadership that results in a delegation of authority to members of the staff, who normally might not be in a leadership capacity. By giving giving the teachers and other stakeholders the opportunity to make decisions about the general direction of the school, a leader creates a situation where these collaborators become supporters and they will work to make the changes necessary. (Kohm, 2009) This is a development of trust and helps to create an atmosphere of respect that can be very v aluable as the leader sometimes needs to use that respect, like currency, to move the staff into areas of discomfort revolving around the ideas of sharing their educational practices, including both successes and failures, with the rest of the professional staff. Discussion There are many models of collaboration that can be effective at reforming a school and are highly effective. The Professional learning Community (PLC) model is very popular and has become nearly a brand name to describe collaborative models used in education. This model allows the school to be broken into many different PLC groups along many different lines of data, and then reformed as necessary. Most excellent PLC programs look at student data on a regul... ...es. Educational Leadership, 67(2), 67-72. Lath, S. (2010). A study of the occupational stress among teachers. International Journal Of Educational Administration, 2(2), 421-432. Stanley, A. (2011). Professional development within collaborative teacher study groups: pitfalls and promises. Arts Education Policy Review, 112(2), 71-78. Taylor, T., Martin, B. N., Hutchinson, S., & Jinks, M. (2007). Examination of leadership practices of principals identified as servant leaders. International Journal Of Leadership In Education, 10(4), 401-419. Waldron, N. L., & McLeskey, J. (2010). Establishing a collaborative school culture through comprehensive school reform. Journal Of Educational & Psychological Consultation, 20(1), 58-74. Wayne, D. (2008). Alive and well: Optimizing the fitness of an organization. Performance Improvement, 47(5), 21-26.