Creating Professional Learning Communities

	Based on a Successful Program at: The Richard J. Murphy School Written by teachers: Anne Marie Brochu, Holly Concannon, Lauren R. Grace, Edna Keefe, Erin Murphy, Angel Petrie, and Lisa Tarentino
Look Inside: Table of Contents Book (110 pp.)

Description
The Richard J. Murphy School in Boston has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Distinguished Title I School, by Mass Insight Education as a Vanguard School, by the Massachusetts Department of Education as an exemplary "Compass School," and by the Boston Public School system as an Effective Practice school. On the state-mandated MCAS exam, the Murphy's average five-year gain in all subject areas-reading, writing, and mathematics-has routinely surpassed state and federal targets.

What is the secret of this success? Murphy teachers attribute much of their success to the collaboration that is built into their daily work. Thanks to an innovative schedule and efficient planning, teachers spend from one to five hours per week learning together, searching for ways to refine and improve their instruction. Their professional development system has an extensive reach, from schoolwide concerns to a narrow focus on an individual student in a particular classroom. More...

Major Topics Covered
Teacher Collaboration
Data Driven Instruction
Professional Development

PSI Can Help You Implement These Strategies:

School Visits
We can coordinate a visit to the Cambridgeport School, so you can see their successful strategies first hand.

Planning Tools
PSI can help you create a personalized step-by-step strategy for implementing successful skill-building practices in your school.