This book discusses distinctive features of the professional learning community concept, practices and processes across six different education systems in the Asia-Pacific region, namely Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and the United States. It provides a platform for an exchange of different perspectives and offers alternative possibilities of theorizing professional learning communities across different socio-cultural contexts. Contributors provide valuable insights for policy makers, education researchers and educators in the Asia-Pacific region and elsewhere to deal with critical questions about the improvement of teaching and learning and school improvement in a globalizing world. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Asia Pacific Journal of Education.

Transform your school into a high-performing, student-centered PLC. Tailored specifically to international schools, this resource will guide you through every aspect of PLC implementation. The book's contributors are all international-school educators with firsthand experience successfully reculturing their schools into PLCs. They offer real-world examples, strategies, and techniques to bring unparalleled professional growth to international teachers. Each chapter includes research-based recommendations for and authentic examples of systemic PLC implementation. Benefits Define the professional learning community process and understand how third culture kids can particularly benefit from PLCs. Shift from a teacher-focused school to a learning-focused culture. Understand the strengths and challenges of implementing PLCs in already high-performing schools. Learn to work in collaborative teams across grade levels, departments, and courses. Create a guaranteed, viable curriculum for the unique characteristics of international school students. Contents Introduction Making the Case for Professional Learning Communities in International Schools 1 Building a PLC Culture in International Schools--A Superintendent's Perspective 2 Understanding the International School Student 3 Understanding the International School Teacher 4 Creating a Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum in International Schools 5 Creating a Learning-Focused International School 6 Creating an Inclusive International School 7 Harnessing the Potential of Singleton Teachers in International Schools 8 Building a Progressive International School 9 Learning from the Jakarta Intercultural School Story 10 Transforming the Singapore American School Index

In-service teacher professional development is central to most empirical conceptions of educational quality. As the techniques and strategies for educational reform have spread rapidly throughout the world, teacher professional development practices have been borrowed across borders. It is important to study the global sharing of information on teacher professional development. Global Perspectives on Teacher Performance Improvement examines the implementation of proven, high quality teacher professional development practices in unique environments around the world. It further explains the power of a globally connected community of teacher quality improvement. Covering topics such as mentoring programs, education technology, and education workforce, this book is an essential resource for educational administration and faculty, pre-service teachers, the public education sector, government officials, educators of both K-12 and higher education, researchers, and academicians.

“All who are interested and concerned about educational reform and the improvement of schools will find this book a must read. It stimulates, it challenges, and it informs, such that the reader is most surely enriched by its plenitude.” Dr Shirley Hord, Scholar Emerita “At last we have a book of international cases to add to the literature on networks! Policymakers and practitioners alike will find the reasons why networks are fast becoming the reform organizations of choice. The book elevates network understanding to a new level.” Ann Lieberman, Senior Scholar at the Carnegie Foundationfor the Advancement of Teaching What is a professional learning community? What are the key challenges facing these communities and how might they be resolved? Is it time to extend our thinking about professional learning communities? There is great interest internationally in the potential of professional learning communities for enhancing educational reform efforts and sustaining improvement. This international collection expands perceptions and understanding of professional learning communities, as well as highlighting frequently neglected complexities and challenges. Drawing on research, each chapter offers a deeper understanding of topics such as distributed leadership, dialogue, organisational memory, trust, self-assessment and inquiry, and purpose linked to learning. The last section of the book focuses upon three of the most challenging dilemmas that face developing professional learning communities - developing professional learning communities in secondary school, building social capital, and sustaining professional learning communities. The authors provide pointers on why these challenges exist, offering rays of hope for ways forward. Professional Learning Communities is key international reading for education professionals, school practitioners, policymakers, academics and research students. It is a must-read for anyone interested in building capacity for sustainable learning and the ability to harness your community as a resource for change.

Provides specific information on how to transform schools into results-oriented professional learning communities, describing the best practices that have been used by schools nationwide.

Imagine all professionals in all schools engaged in continuous professional learning! Education experts Shirley M. Hord and William A. Sommers explore the school-based learning opportunities offered to school professionals and the principal's critical role in the creation, development, and support of an effective professional learning community (PLC). This book provides school leaders with readily accessible information to guide them in initiating and developing a PLC that supports teachers and students. Using field-tested examples, the text illustrates how this research-based school improvement model can help educators: Increase leadership capacity Embed professional development into daily work Create a positive school culture Develop accountability Boost student achievement

Reeducating the Educator focuses on community building within teacher education programs in Canada, Israel, Australia, and the United States. Maintaining that communities have to be built and sustained, the contributors discuss possible theoretical frameworks underlying community building and change and suggest that there is a need for teacher educators to go beyond localized experiences and reach out to one another in a global discussion. Because of the impact of local cultures and histories, key questions and issues vary from one country to another, and even from one faculty to another, but the resulting global conversation provides a greater understanding of the professional development of teachers and teacher educators.