Powerful tools for facilitating teachers' professional development and optimizing school improvement efforts!
Combining professional learning communities (PLCs) and action research, this step-by-step guide provides coaches, workshop leaders, and staff developers with strategies, activities, and tools to develop inquiry-oriented PLCs. The authors present essential elements of a healthy PLC, case studies of inquiry-based PLCs, and lessons learned for improving coaching practices. Sample projects and reflection prompts will help readers: Organize, assess, and maintain high-functioning, inquiry-oriented PLCs
Facilitate the development of study questions
Enable PLC members to develop, analyze, and share research results
Lead successful renewal and reform efforts

List of Figures
List of Tables
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
1. Facilitating the Professional Development of Others: The Role of Action Research and Professional Learning Communities
What Constitutes Powerful Professional Development?
What Is Action Research?
What Are Professional Learning Communities?
How Can Action Research and Professional Learning Communities Become the Dynamic Duo?
What¿s in a Name?: The Importance of Clarifying Language
What Might an Inquiry-Oriented Professional Learning Community Look Like?
2. Establishing and Maintaining a Healthy Inquiry-Oriented PLC
Ten Essential Elements of Healthy Inquiry-Oriented PLCs
Assessing the Health of Your PLC
Using Action Research to Advance Inquiry-Oriented PLC Work
3. Helping PLC Members Locate a Wondering
The Wondering Playground
The Wondering Litmus Test
Looking Across the Litmus Test Questions and Stories
4. Helping PLC Members Develop an Action Research Plan
Facilitating the Development of an Inquiry Brief: The Inquiry-Planning Meeting
The Inquiry Brief Litmus Test
5. Helping PLC Members Analyze Data
Data Analysis for the Action Researcher: A Review
Coaching Analysis: The Data Analysis Meeting
6. Helping PLC Members Share Their Work With Others
The Importance of Sharing: A Review
Creating a Space and Time for Sharing
Sharing PLC Inquiry Work With a Larger Audience
Four Core Components of Sharing
7. From Good to Great: Lessons Learned in Coaching an Inquiry-Oriented PLC
One Dozen Lessons for Coaching Inquiry-Oriented PLCs
References
Index

Nancy Fichtman Dana is currently professor of education in the School of Teaching and Learning at the University of Florida, Gainesville. She began her career in education as an elementary school teacher in Hannibal Central Schools, New York. Since earning her PhD from Florida State University in 1991, she has been a passionate advocate for teacher inquiry and has worked >extensively in supporting schools, districts and universities in implementing powerful programs of job-embedded professional development through inquiry across the United States and in several countries, including China, South Korea, Belgium, Portugal, The Netherlands, Slovenia, and Estonia. She has published ten books and over 100 articles in professional journals and edited books focused on her research exploring teacher and principal professional development and practitioner inquiry. Dana has received many honors, including the Association of Teacher Educator's Distinguished Research in Teacher Education Award and the National Staff Development Council (now Learning Forward) Book of the Year Award, both honoring Dana and Yendol-Hoppey's work related to practitioner inquiry.