Goal 1. Promoting the Academic Success of Each Child 

Goal 2. Cultivating Resilience in Each Child

 

For the purpose of my narrative, I’ll focus on Goal 1 and the District’s intention to promote SUCCESS for each child.  Although what defines SUCCESS is not stated.

 

To ensure accomplishment, the authors state that:

Each content area has an approved curriculum overview that outlines what will be taught in the class broken down into goals and objectives, but it does not state what materials or activities will be included in the units. Those decisions would be designed and implemented by the grade level team and or individual teachers.

 

In reviewing the P21 white paper on “21^st Century Learning Environments,”

Experts say 21st century learning must take place in contexts that“ promote interaction and a sense of community [that] enable formal and informal learning.” 

 

It is equally important to consider the relationship of physical spaces and technological systems to learning, and how those resources support the positive human relationships that matter most to learning.

 

As the assignment asks if there are any areas that could be added to the next Comprehensive Plan, I like the framework offered by P21 and would consider the structure of considering the TIME, TOOLS and COMMUNITIES for learning.

 

Based on my reflections and submissions to previous activities, I was most intrigued however by the P21 focus on communities of learners.  The white paper reads,

“Professional Learning Communities As the president of the National Commission for Teaching and America‟s Future, Tom Carroll writes, “Closing the education gap so that every child has an opportunity to successfully participate in a flat world is a demanding challenge. No teacher should be expected to do this job alone.”

 

He and many other leading experts are advocates for learning teams in which school members collectively pursue professional knowledge and skills and take on shared responsibility for the success of all students. Learning teams, also known as professional learning communities or PLCs, engage in the reflective practice, collegial inquiry, collaborative work, and continuous innovation on which 21st century learning environments thrive.”

 

To break through, schools need to foster new forms of professional relationships

that build organizational capacity and enhance personal growth.

Leading associations such as the National Staff Development Council and National Commission for Teaching and America‟s Future, have found strong evidence that PLCs promote effective schools. These learning teams enable educators to refine their knowledge and skills in supportive ways and help overcome the isolation that has characterized teaching for too long.

 

Not surprisingly, when it comes to learning, adults benefit from many of the same supports that children do, including access to up-to-date technology, and well-designed space and time for reflection, collaboration, and decision-making. Adults, too, benefit from school cultures that promote shared goals and accountability, productive interaction, and reliable measures of effectiveness. As Tom Carroll, NCTAF‟s director notes, in earlier eras, schools saw themselves as organizations focused on maximizing teaching effectiveness. In the 21st century, schools must be communities that maximize learning effectiveness.