Professional Capital is a great book for school leaders, union officials, politicians and community leaders. Hargreaves and Fullan again provide an honest look at what we know should be emphasized to make our schools better. It isn't common core standards, more assessment, data-driven decision-making. Instead, it's about building professional capital in our teachers and systems so that we focus on the right things.
Other countries and provinces, such as Finland, England, Alberta, are recognizing that mandated, annual assessments are not the key driving force to improving schools. What matters is building the professional capital, connections among teachers, and connections of teachers with our communities. The achievement gap and school success are not only school issues; they are a community issues.
In this country we have treated education too often as though it is a business and we should build "business capital" by investing in schools as for-profit enterprises, in technology as though that is THE answer to the learning gaps, and in testing as though tests make schools more accountable and more successful. However, there is a difference between being data driven and evidence-informed. We need to do the latter.
However, the business capital approach is not working but we are not speaking out for what we know does work--investing in professional capital, which is a synergy of human, social, and decisional capital.
The book provides a lot of interesting ideas for discussion and implementation. There are steps for teachers, school leaders, and state, national, and international organizations. Check it out!
Buy the book!!
http://kubitzeducationalservices.com
Huffington Post has a post that is talking about Professional Capital too.
Download C. M. Rubin: The Global Search for Education: In Search of Professionals - Part 1
Download C. M. Rubin: The Global Search for Education: In Search of Professionals - Part 2
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