The School Leader's Guide to Professional Learning Communities at Work TM. Richard DuFour

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      The premise of this book is that the most effective principals define their role as leaders of a professional learning community. This is certainly not a new concept. In fact, the National Association of Elementary School Principals has urged principals to be leaders of learning communities since 2001. NAESP has sponsored this Essentials for Principals series to provide principals both with an understanding of the challenges inherent in this task, and with the knowledge and skills to succeed in meeting those challenges. We are grateful for the leadership of NAESP and its executive director, Gail Connelly, in the ongoing effort to provide principals with the support they need to be effective in this vitally important position.

      We also acknowledge the tremendous support we have received for this project from the Solution Tree family. We could not ask for a more ardent or effective proponent of our work than Jeff Jones, chief executive officer of Solution Tree. Douglas Rife, president of Solution Tree Press, and Gretchen Knapp, vice president of production, were instrumental in bringing the concept of the series to life. Once again, we relied on the skillful editing of Sue Kraszewski to make our ideas more clear and our prose more readable. It is difficult for us to imagine writing a book without her support and guidance. We also remain indebted to Shannon Ritz, the director of professional development for Solution Tree, who has been our envoy and ally for the past ten years.

      We have benefitted from the insights and friendship of some of North America’s leading educational experts—Bob Marzano, Michael Fullan, Larry Lezotte, Rick Stiggins, Doug Reeves, Dennis Sparks, Tom Sergiovanni, and Jonathon Saphier. No one, however, has been more influential in our thinking than our long-standing colleague, coauthor, and friend, Robert Eaker.

      Finally, we acknowledge the educators who have joined forces to demonstrate that “learning for all” can be a collective commitment rather than a catch phrase. Some of our deepest learning has been the result of working with and observing extraordinary principals. We are confident in presenting the recommendations in this book because, thanks to these practitioners, we have witnessed the power of these concepts and practices in the real world of schools.

      Solution Tree Press would like to thank the following reviewers: