Jeanne Spiller & Karen Power LEADING BEYOND INTENTION 6 Areas to Deepen Reflection and Planning in Your PLC at Work
A few years back, my sister-in-law came for a visit to our beautiful new school. Admiring the light-infused windows and open shared spaces were a few of the highlights of our tour, but the real excitement occurred in our conversation. During her visit, teachers were on sight and working in clusters throughout the school. It was a non-student day, and she wanted to know what they were all working on so intentionally.
It was then I began our ongoing Professional Learning Community conversation. I outlined the four essential questions of a PLC our teachers meticulously navigated to measure and monitor the impact of their instruction on student learning. What they did was critical to the process, but more importantly, how they navigated each step together was enthusiastically changing our school culture.
I remember the excitement of learning about the PLC cycle as a school leader and going through the process with teachers. I made more than a few missteps in my enthusiasm. The book I wish I had in hand was Leading Beyond Intention, 6 Areas to Deepen Reflection and Planning in Your PLC at Work by Jeanne Spiler and Karen Power. Following their recommended approach would have greatly benefited my understanding and implementation of a PLC.
Spiller and Power remind the reader to; “Carefully consider how aligned your efforts are to what you truly believe and want to accomplish,” starting with bravely leading from within. “Brave leaders pay attention to what is happening in their schools and address it directly and honestly,“ “encourage constructive dissent and healthy debate,” and “listen more effectively and truly make connections.” Brave leaders,“Reflect carefully on the conversations and decisions you make throughout the day” and understand “you will not make everyone happy.” Still, the need to “get comfortable with leading change and getting messy” is instrumental to your school's growth as leaders and implementers of the PLC process.
Asking strategic questions as a leader can unlock greater understanding and underutilized pathways. “The right question can be a catalyst for powerful reflection, problem-solving, and ultimately change. Learning to ask questions that will elicit self-exploration and unlock potential will help strengthen your practice as a leader and help set up others for success. Using questions demonstrates you are curious and want to know more about the situation and that you, the leader, seek to understand the teacher’s challenge, problem, or concern.” Coaching through inquiry as a leader with those you serve and support is an intentional practice of leaders implementing change effectively.
The authors share how using data to guide these conversations holds us all accountable for the equitable outcomes needed for each student. We can collectively have the best intentions, and cycle through the essential questions, but if there is no evidence of student learning, we have lost our way. “Understanding your staff’s current level of knowledge skill and will provide opportunities to develop, share, and empower expertise within your system.” Diving into what authors Spiller and Power refer to as “ the continuous change cycle for results-focused culture” is foundational the a highly effective PLC.
What makes Leading Beyond Intention meaningful to school leaders is the multiple caveats of experiences and lessons learned from schools and districts who continue to navigate their school improvement journey. Each of these school stories highlights the value of,’ leading from within to build strong accountability practices, deepening the PLC process as you take the time to build a shared understanding of the purpose of the work, and intentionally create opportunities for both skill and will to develop.”
The story of my sister-in-law continues. Shortly after she left my state to travel back home to her family and school community she enthusiastically shared what she had seen and heard. It was at that time they began their own PLC story and slowly over time built great momentum to facilitate the change that needed to occur in their school and classrooms for a “result-focused culture.” Just recently I received a text from her where she excitedly shared their school was recently recognized as a Model PLC School. My heart soars! I was thrilled for her, the teachers, the principal and most importantly their students!
“Leadership is hard, Really hard. Grueling, exhausting, bewildering, and complicated, just to name a few of the descriptive words that come to mind. On the flip side, it is also rewarding, worthwhile, necessary, and valuable.” Leading Beyond Intention is a recommend read for leaders who want to enrich their reflections for planning as you develop and refine your own Professional Learning Community practices.
