Shayla Williams

EAD 513- Shaping School Culture

Establishing a Continuous Professional Learning Culture

Grand Canyon University

August 2023
How will professional learning topics be evaluated for relevance and worthiness prior to

being shared?

Prior to sharing professional learning topics with any additional parties, learning topics

must be evaluated and verified by a team of school and district administrators. The evaluation

should highlight data results from the Needs Based Survey, and include a thorough

examination of the data and feedback from qualified stakeholders. Analyzing this data prior to

sharing any professional learning topics will ensure that all correspondents related to this

professional development are reliable, verifiable, and accurate.

Modifications to the professional learning topics or any part of the document can be

made throughout the school year, after following proper protocol and meeting with the

administration and the development team. Any modification must be measurable and

monitored for efficiency and impactfulness. All stakeholders should be trained and

professionally developed to collect data and analyze the success criteria for each modification

during the professional learning goals.

Professional learning goals and topics are able to be evaluated through use of a detailed

and structured rubric format. A preapproved list of learning topics will be compiled and then

aligned with a series of questions, which can be graded for relevance and worthiness on a scale

of 1 through 10. Final numerical data can be derived, analyzed, and used to present to the

learning community. From this data, new policies can be implemented, and new trends can

form and be monitored for effectiveness and impact on student success.

How will the professional learning be shared?

The finalized and verified professional learning details will be shared with school

faculty and staff through professional development and interdisciplinary meetings. Professional

developments should be both mandatory and optional, depending on the topic and agenda.

Mandatory trainings would explore content that is non-negotiable and effects the school

climate, culture, and academic success. These trainings would require feedback and

interaction. Optional trainings would include skills in which some may be proficient, like

technology and software programming, and others may need additional support. All

professional learning details, resources, and content should be provided at the time of

professional development.

Professional learning content should reflect data trends and test results, which will drive

instruction and guide productive collaboration. When professionals attend training for

development, the content presented should be relevant and meet the needs of those in

attendance. There should be valuable resources and strategies that should align with the

content, just like we provide for students, and should be able to be implemented immediately

and with fidelity at the conclusion of the training.

How will the shared information be applied or implemented into professional practice?

Implementation following professional development should be a clear and concise.

Teachers should be able to review notes and content, focusing on points that are relevant and

useful. They should have access to use resources and materials required to meet any standard

or goal, and should be able to develop a realistic timeline for implementation. Reflection of

efficiency should be ongoing and flexible.

Teachers have the ability and access to submit feedback and suggestions to the

administrative team and committees through various avenues of communication. They may

email, fill out a form and submit to the office mail, or schedule and attend meetings and

discuss it face to face. After acquiring the support of the administration, who will ensure that

all public propositions are aligned with the school vision and mission, then the information will

be shared with greater population. Information will be shared in the form of emails and

correspondence in ClassLink. Mail and phone correspondence are also an option of

communication.

Professional Learning Communities within the school are essential to the success and

growing achievement of the students and for growing student leaders. Effective administrative

leaders are responsible for providing and promoting opportunities that establish professional

learning communities within the school, and opportunities that allow for achievement and

success. Administrators are responsible for doing the same for faculty and staff members, so

that the cycle of academic success and overall growth is ongoing. Opportunities to learn from

each other, collaborate and communicate, and develop best instructional practices are the areas

where maximum student learning is achieved (Goddard, Miller, Larson & Goddard, 2010). The
most effective principals are those who train their teachers and establish avenues of mastery

within the learning community (Wilhelm, 2015).

How will teachers provide reflective feedback on what they implemented as a result of the

professional learning?

Feedback from all teachers is encouraged and a deadline will be set to review and

discuss all feedback. Deadlines will be contingent on the gravity of the topic and information

proposed. The school community is welcome to submit feedback in the same way that teachers

were able to propose topics and information.

What is an appropriate timeline for sharing information, implementing concepts, and

monitoring professional learning outcomes?

An appropriate timeline for sharing information, implementation concepts, and

monitoring professional learning outcomes is subject to change based on each individual topic.

The goal is to meet and update on a week-to-week basis so that any updated information can be

readily discussed and shared with stakeholders. Continued transparency is essential, and in

order for all stakeholders to remain invested in a continuous professional learning culture, then

clear communication is non-negotiable. Weekly meetings will be scheduled with the learning

community, and additional meetings can be held as needed. In no case should more than one

business week go by without new information being communicated to the learning community.
 Rational

Professional learning and professional learning communities are essential factors of a

successful educational institution. Continued professional learning allows teachers to gain

knowledge and master skills that will be necessary to the success level of their students. Learning

communities help teachers and students stay aligned and remain focused on the overall goal of

developing well-rounded global learners who are masterful and skilled in the mediums of the

current age (Training, 2015).

Teachers must also be skilled in the art of technology because they must be able to model

real-world problem-solving as well as provide meaningful opportunities to students which mimic

their role in the world today.

The most common technology medium, and ones that I support the use of in this school

range from laptops, Smart boards, cell phone, Ipads, tablets, drones, codeable robots, social-

emotional robots for SPED, and televisions. Technology enhances the learning in which students

participate daily. Technology allows stakeholders the ability to enhance established relationships,

and to connect beyond the limitations of prehistoric communication. It gives all stakeholders in

the learning community, the ability to collaborate through other applications and to achieve

success through digital engagement (Earp, 2018).

The ultimate decision to use various mediums in the learning community was based on

feedback from teachers within the community. Their feedback and collaboration shed light on

the successes and areas of improvement, based on their first-hand account of the efficacy of the

technology being used Teachers shared that their learning experiences were either enhanced or

diminished by the technology being used, and were able to monitor and adjust their needs from
that data. Other teachers were able to use their feedback and adjust accordingly because of this

collaboration (Hord & Sommers, 2018). Teacher also have to ability to share their thought and

concerns during collaborative meeting. This feedback can be shared using their tech devices and

posted to the virtual wall for other stakeholders to view and provide additional feedback. This

allows to community to meet and collaborate, even when not in person. This type of readily

available communication enhances the inclusion of the group and makes invites more in-depth

collaboration because the technology allows the lines of communication to stay more open

within the collaborative learning community. (Westheimer, 2008).

 References

Earp, J. (2018). Sharing good practice: Gonski and professional collaboration. Teacher

Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/sharing-good-

practice-gonski-and-professional-collaboration

Hord, S. M., & Sommers, W. A. (2008). Leading Professional Learning Communities. Thousand

Oaks: Corwin Press. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?

hl=en&lr=&id=lsZ0AwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=importance+of+sharing+profes

sional+learning+with+colleagues&ots=THsCYsKwJO&sig=YLOsXuIEEZJNO0b19XD

Cp2_i1s#v=onepage&q=importance%20of%20sharing%20professional%20learning

%20with%20c

National Policy Board for Educational Administration (2015). Professional Standards for

Educational Leaders 2015. Reston, VA: Author.

Training, T. D. (2005). Professional Learning in Effective Schools The Seven Principles of

Highly Effective Professional Learning. Department of Education and Training, 1-24.

Retrieved from https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teachers/profdev/

proflearningeffectivesch.pdf
Westheimer, J. (2008). Learning among colleagues:teacher community and the shared

enterprise of education. Retrieved from

http://democraticdialogue.com/DDpdfs/LearningAmong Colleagues.pdf