School Improvement for All: A How-To Guide for Doing the Right Work (Drive Continuous Improvement and Student Success Using the PLC Process) - Softcover

Sharon V. Kramer, PhD, knows firsthand the demands and rewards of working in a professional learning community. As a leader in the field, she emphasizes the importance of creating and using quality assessments as a continual part of the learning process. Dr. Kramer served as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction of Kildeer Countryside School District 96 in Illinois. In this position, she ensured all students were prepared to enter Adlai E. Stevenson High School, a model PLC created by Dr. Richard DuFour. A seasoned educator, Dr. Kramer has taught in elementary and middle school classrooms and served as principal, director of elementary education, and university professor.

In addition to her PLC experience, Dr. Kramer has completed assessment training by Rick Stiggins, Steve Chappuis, Larry Ainsworth, and the Center for Performance Assessment (now the Leadership and Learning Center). She has presented a variety of assessment workshops at institutes and summits and for state departments of education. Dr. Kramer has also worked with school districts across the country to determine their power standards and develop assessments. She has been a Comprehensive School Reform consultant to schools that have received grant funding to implement PLCs as their Whole School Reform model, and her customized PLC coaching academies have empowered school and district leadership teams across the nation.

Dr. Kramer has presented at state and national conferences sponsored by National Staff Development Council, National Association for Gifted Children, American Federation of Teachers, and California State University. She has been instrumental in facilitating professional development initiatives focused on standards-based learning and teaching, improved understanding and utilization of assessment data, interventions and differentiation that meets the needs of all learners, and strengthened efforts to ensure K-12 literacy.

Sarah Schuhl is a consultant specializing in professional learning communities, common formative and summative assessment, school improvement, and mathematics. She has been a secondary mathematics teacher, high school instructional coach, and K-12 mathematics specialist for more than 20 years.

Sarah was instrumental in the creation of a PLC in the Centennial School District in Oregon, helping teachers make large gains in student achievement. She earned the Centennial School District Triple C Award in 2012.

In addition to her work in Oregon, Sarah has worked with other districts throughout the United States to implement PLCs and create common assessments. Her practical approach includes working with teachers and administrators to implement assessments for learning, analyze data, collectively respond to student learning, and map to standards. She is a consultant and coach in many schools, including those targeted in school improvement.

Sarah also works with districts as a consultant and coach to implement the Common Core State Standards for mathematics or independent state mathematics standards K-12. Her work includes short- and long-term professional development focused on implementation of the content standards, standards for mathematical practice or state process standards, and assessment, including formative assessment and an understanding of current state assessment practices. Her book, Engage in the Mathematical Practices: Strategies to Build Numeracy and Literacy with K-5 Learners, focuses on strategies to use when designing lessons that develop the habits of mind in students necessary for them to effectively learn mathematics.

"This book provides concrete steps, time-saving tools, and real stories school leaders can use to get their schools moving in the right direction for PLC transformation."

--Barbara Phillips, director of data, accountability, and continuous improvement, Windsor Central School District, Windsor, New York

"The authors effectively transition between the big picture and detailed how-tos. I love all the rubrics, proficiency scales, protocols, reproducibles, and reflection questions. Any practitioner could pick up this text and immediately take action."

--Megann Tresemer, curriculum PD leader, Cedar Falls Community School District, Cedar Falls, Iowa

"The authors present very practical advice on how to approach leading and transforming schools and school systems. A principal or district leader can use this step-by-step guide immediately. This book addresses in a very practical way important PLC ideas and concepts with many how-to strategies."

--Jeanne Spiller, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning, Kildeer Countryside Community Consolidated School District 96, Buffalo Grove, Illinois

"This book is a perfect tool to support school leaders and teachers during PLC transformation. It provides reflection tools and guidance for any school or system that would like to break the status quo, focus on the right work, and move forward to improve student learning."

--Mona Toncheff, educational consultant, Phoenix, Arizona