Dr. Anthony Muhammad - Professional Learning Communities

Anthony Muhammad, Ph.D., is a much sought-after consultant who for nearly 20 years has served as a middle school teacher, assistant principal, and principal, and as a high school principal. Dr. Muhammad has earned awards as both a teacher and a principal. His most notable accomplishment came as principal of Levey Middle School in Southfield, Michigan, a National School of Excellence, where student proficiency on state assessments more than doubled in five years. Dr. Muhammad and the staff at Levey used the Professional Learning Communities at Work^™ process for school improvement, and they have been recognized in several videos and articles as a model high-performing PLC. Dr. Muhammad has published articles in publications in both the United States and Canada, and he will address the following in his presentation:

Overcoming the Achievement Gap Trap: Liberating Mindsets to Effect Change – This session explores the connection among personal and institutional mindsets and academic achievement gaps. The issue of inequality in student learning outcomes has been studied and debated for years and commonly hold that the primary culprit in the fight to overcome the achievement gap is our individual and collective thinking.

Building Culture, Creating Purpose and Overcoming Frustration on Your PLC Journey – This session address two vital strategies in the process of creating a PLC culture: 1) establishing philosophical agreement and building shared purpose and, 2) addressing staff frustration and reluctance to change. Dr. Muhammad leads an exploration of the theories linking school culture and student learning and participants leave with practical strategies to start the process of transforming the culture of their schools and districts.

Getting Started: Building Consensus and Responding to Resistors – Privatizing practice, isolation, and individual autonomy that have traditionally characterized teaching are the most significant barriers to building a school culture focused on continuous improvement. Dr. Muhammad addresses the questions: How can a faculty build consensus to effect significant change? And, What are the most effective ways to respond to the concerns of those who resist even when the staff has decided to move forward?

Keep the momentum going back in your school or district! Your investment in PLC’s is an important one, and now you can ensure that PLC’s are implemented and sustained with fidelity. Register now for the CESA 7 PLC Train the Trainer Academy to strengthen your knowledge of Professional Learning Communities and strengthen your organizational capacity to meet the needs of all learners.  Deepen your understanding of the Professional Learning Communities model and learn tools and strategies that facilitate a collaborative culture based on best practices. Grow your knowledge of how PLCs and RtI are connected, and learn how to create a school culture that has a focus on learning and a focus on results.

Lunch is on your own from 12:00 - 1:30 p.m.