The Metro Learning Communitiesprojectpartners with a wide range of organizations to promote professional learning communities, and to design the tools and teach the skills and practices the communities need in order to flourish.
Current partners and projects of Metro Learning Communities include the following:
- The Center for Educational Innovation in New York City, a pioneer in the development of charter schools and other innovative small schools. Metro Learning Communities is helping a CEI network of charter schools to build new models of teacher compensation on the basis of collaborative learning and professional trust. See http://www.piccs.org/
- New York University’s network of partner schools in the South Bronx, East Harlem, and the Lower East Side. Metro Learning Communities is helping several of these schools grow strong systems of distributed leadership, and sharpen their capacity for genuine accountability. Projects include coaching a Student Inquiry Team in one school, and helping three others to use protocols that focus on understanding more deeply the school’s ordinary teaching practices and their alignment with students’ learning needs.
- Cambridge Associates, an international leader in school reform. Metro Learning Communities is helping to recruit facilitative leaders to work on CA projects in the New York metropolitan area.
- The School Reform Initiative, an outgrowth of the National School Reform Faculty. Metro Learning Communities works with SRI to network coaches and leaders of professional learning communities in the New York metropolitan area. Its online collection of protocols for professional learning communities is one of the most extensive available. See http://schoolreforminitiative.org/
STAFF
Joseph P. McDonald
Director
Click to read Bio
Marlene Roy
Managing Consultant
Ms. Roy is a former teacher, principal, and school superintendent.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Facilitative Leadership Seminar Part I
BLOG
The project maintains a blog that explores issues related to professional learning communities in school reform. Recent posts appear below.