About AIM > Research > Theory and Research Supporting AIM > Element 3
THEORY AND RESEARCH SUPPORTING
AIM AT MIDDLE-GRADES RESULTS
DESIGN ELEMENT THREE
ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT RESULTS IN AN INCLUSIVE AND POWERFUL
LEARNING COMMUNITY
A Culture of Innovation and Change
School culture is a critical factor in school improvement efforts and
affects the behavior and achievement of students (Deal and Kennedy, 1982;
Sarason, 1982; Patterson, Purkey, and Parker, 1986). Researchers have
found that particular cultural norms facilitate school improvement, including
norms of critical inquiry, continuous improvement, a widely shared sense
of purpose, and shared decision making (Barth, 1991: Louis and Miles,
1990; Saphier and King, 1985). Successful change efforts do not suppress
criticism, but rather look carefully at the school's strengths and weaknesses
as well as the beliefs, actions, and underlying assumptions that affect
teaching and administration (Fine, 1991; Dreyfuss, Cistone, and Divita,
1992). AIM schools create a culture that supports innovation and change.
A Learning Community
According to Senge (1990), learning organizations are characterized by
an inclusive and powerful learning community where people see themselves
as connected to each other and the world. Such organizations nurture creative
thinking, and their people are engaged in learning how to learn together.
According to Sergiovanni (1992), in a school learning community, members
experience a sense of connectedness that "resembles what is found in a
family, a neighborhood, or some other closely knit group…" (p. 47). Louis
and Kruse (1995) define a "school-based professional community" as one
where teachers engage in reflective dialogue; where teachers share their
practice openly with others (i.e., they "de-privatize" practice); and
there is a collective focus on student learning, collaboration, and shared
norms and values. Having a professional learning community has been found
to be a significant factor in promoting student achievement. In an extensive
review of the literature on school reform, Boyd (1992) identified a number
of indicators that facilitate school improvement, seventeen of which focus
on the school as a learning community (Boyd & Hord, 1994).
Additional research on novice teachers also supports AIM's focus on building
a learning community. Johnson and Kardos (2001) assert that: "Research
from the Project on the Next Generation of Teachers reveals the importance
of site-based, ongoing, rich teacher collaboration across experience levels
for new teacher induction" (p. 12). These researchers recommend creating
"integrated professional cultures" that encourage ongoing professional
exchange, sustained support, and development for all teachers, including
both veterans and novices. New teachers in such cultures seem to be better
served and thus better able to serve their students. In addition, preliminary
evidence suggests that new teachers working in such settings are more
likely to remain in their schools and in public school settings. According
to the researchers, "Neither conventional in-service training, with its
intermittent after-school sessions…, nor the periodic visits of the school
district's curriculum coordinators or academic coaches to new teachers'
classrooms are enough to meet teachers' ongoing needs" (p. 16). What are
needed are structures that enable new and veteran teachers to plan lessons
and discuss students, to visit one another's classes, and to hone their
teaching skills together.
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Element 4.
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