Building and Connecting Learning Communities: The Power of Networks for School Improvement

Drawing on their work with schools in North America and England, the authors demonstrate how linking professional learning communities across school or district boundaries creates networked learning communities (NLCs) that can share professional knowledge. Through a sample school narrative, the book illustrates how NLCs can significantly improve instruction, increase student performance, and promote deep and sustained change. This resource examines: • Collaborative inquiry as a process that challenges teachers’ thinking, generates new learning, and fosters trusting relationships • Formal and informal leadership roles in NLCs • How NLCs support systematic data analysis and accountability