INTRODUCTION

Community as a Force for Change

Today we want to look at what Sergiovanni and Starrat (1998) say is the most important purpose of supervision. They assert that "the purpose of supervision is to connect teachers to each other by building collegial relationships characterized by caring, inquiry, and shared practice" (p. 53). Supervision is indeed designed to bring about a change which they say results in "a better developmental life for teachers and students and improved teaching and learning" (p. 53). This change and community focus will be the ingredients for this week's class.

A great deal of evidence now exists which suggests that a strong sense of community in schools has benefits for both staff members and students and provides a necessary foundation for school improvement.

Sergiovanni and Starrat (1998) believe that "schools should be understood as learning communities." They believe that at the heart of any community are values, sentiments and beliefs which bond people in a common cause. What is a "learning community"?

There are many suggested definitions but this site gives some very significant characteristics of learning communities. http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed405641.html

Research suggests that a strong sense of community can facilitate staff members' instructional efforts and enhance their personal well-being. Bryk and Driscoll, for instance, have found that in communally organized schools staff morale is higher, teacher absenteeism is lower, and teachers are more satisfied with their work.

In addition, evidence is that staff members experiencing a strong sense of community tend to be clearer about the expectations others at school have for them and tend to report feeling burned out, overwhelmed, or confronted with conflicting demands less often at school (Royal and Rossi 1996). Here are some other observations.

• Supportive and Shared Leadership Administrators, along with teachers, are learners too, "questioning, investigating, and seeking solutions" for school improvement.
• Collective Creativity Educators learn to apply new ideas and information to problem solving so they can create new conditions for students.
• Shared Values and Vision Sharing vision is more than a group agreeing with a good idea; this group holds firm to a particular mental image of what is important for individuals and for the organization.
• Supportive Condition The learning community finds resources, creates schedules and generates structures that reduce isolation for its members; it runs on policies that encourage greater autonomy, foster collaboration, enhance effective communication, and provide for staff development.
• Shared Personal Practice Teachers find help, support and trust as a result of developing warm relationships with each other. Teachers tolerate (even encourage) debate, discussion and disagreement. They are comfortable sharing both their successes and their failures. They praise and recognize one another’s triumphs, and offer empathy and support for each others' troubles. (http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/natspec/charactr.htm)