Whatever It Takes: How Professional Learning Communities Respond When Kids Don't Learn

by Robert E. Eaker, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker, et al.

Book Overview

Whatever It Takes: How Professional Learning Communities Respond When Kids Don't Learn examines the question, What happens when, despite our best efforts in the classroom, a student does not learn?A... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1932127283
• ISBN13: 9781932127287
• Release Date: June 2004
• Publisher: National Educational Service
• Length: 263 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Professional Learning Communities at Work

DuFour and associates' (2004) Whatever it Takes: How Professionals Respond When Kids Don't Learn offered a comprehensive collection of definitions relating to teacher leadership and professional learning communities. The authors challenged the utopian concept of "learning for all" and suggested collaborative remedies when typical student interventions did not work. The authors suggested to the reader that support for remediation should not be left up to the individual teachers. Examples of schools demonstrating PLC's framework and new methods of administrative leadership are presented in the text. The strengths in DuFour and associates' (2004) book included the emphasis on finding solutions from the "collective intelligence" within the campus. The four schools described in the writings illustrated interdependency among the staff. Extra effort was included to define collaboration and the need to create a team vision to guide further group decision making. The text offered solutions on what to do when students are not learning. The book would be a valuable tool for a new principal. DuFour and associates (2004) definition of PLC's would help in understanding the purpose for aligning the school mission with the school structure.

Whatever It Takes

This is a fantastic book that demonstrates what a committed community of learners can accomplish to improve learning for all students. The ideas are testimonials of ways to bring about change through Professional Learning Communities (PLC's). The most interesting findings in this book are that lots of money was not available to bring about these changes, in fact, most of the strategies involved taking what already existed and using time or professionals in a different manner. I am spellbound by the changes shared in the schools featured in this book. I applaud the commitment of each staff member that embraced the clarity of purpose, the collaborative culture, the collective inquiry into best practice and current reality, the action orientation, the commitment to continuous improvement, the focus on results, the support of strong principals who empower teachers, and those that remained committed to face adversity, conflict, and anxiety. BRAVO!!!

Well presented

Good ideas, well presented with real life examples and explanations for some of the easy criticisms. As stated in the book, this is not a new math or reading program, it is a strategy for reaching all students.

This is the book that people interested in PLCs need!

The heart of the entire idea of Professional Learning Communities is that they respond to the needs of the students in a more directed, individualized way than before. The other books on PLCs ("Professional Learning Communities at Work" and "On Common Ground", for example) talk in passing about the intervention part of a PLC, but this is the book that finally tells you what that intervention model can look like. There's something in here for every school. The most convincing chapters are probably 3 and 4 wherein we hear how one high school evolved into a responsive learning environment that really did manage to be all things to all people. Chapter 5 (on a middle school) didn't really add much to the book, but chapters 6 and 7 talk about two different elementary schools that adopted the PLC framework and the great results they achieved. The content that makes this PLC book stand above the rest is the focus on details. At times the other books on PLCs fell into platitudes and back-patting about how nice PLCs are; you don't find that here. There are lots of specifics, lots of details, and after reading it I felt really good about the direction that my school could go. In short--highest recommendations, and must-read material for anyone working with PLCs!

Good thoughts in layman's language

The author documents an intervention for severe student apathy towards studies. The book is a quick read, appropriate for general readers as well as school staffs.