The Power of Collective Commitments

In the current issue of the Journal of Staff Development there is an article by Robert Eaker and Janel Keating titled A Shift In School Culture. Eaker is a coauthor with the Dufours on books and articles on professional learning communities. In the article they identify three cultural shifts that are necessary for schools to function as PLC's.

1. A shift in fundamental purpose from teaching to learning
2. A shift in the work of teachers - isolation to collaboration
3. A shift in focus - a fixation on outcomes and results

The focus of the article is on the need for changing people's behavior and the importance of collective commitments in this work . . ."Engaging staff in a collaborative process to develop shared values, or "collective commitments," is one of the most powerful tools for changing behaviors that can, ultimately, transform the culture of a school or district."

This focus affirms what we teach in our leadership classes about the importance of what we call core commitments, those statements that we hold ourselves accountable to as individuals and as a staff. They speak of them as if then statements; if we commit to x related to students then we must do y as adults to ensure that it happens. These statements provide that third point that is sometimes necessary when we need to confront the behavior of colleagues that is not aligned with our stated commitments. I have seen these commitments used effectively in buildings to assist staff in reflecting on practice at the individual and team level.

In the absence of these commitments what can you point to when witnessing behavior you believe is not supportive of students and other adults in the building? That third point can be very valuable and can result in reflection while the absence of that point can more often result in debate and bad feelings. Unfortunately, in the absence of collaboratively developed core commitments the behavior is usually not confronted resulting in no change in behavior. Having them doesn't guarantee monitoring of behavior, but the absence of them makes it more unlikely.

Change is an interesting dynamic, difficult to understand, and even more difficult to experience as a leader responsible for supporting those engaged in the change initiative. We need all the help we can get. Core commitments can be a significant contributor to our ability to refocus during difficult times and to assist us in monitoring our own behavior and that of our colleagues.

The bad news is that not all schools on this PLC journey have seen the need for core commitments. They are often ignored or treated like mission and vision statements that trigger the "gag" sensation. We think we don't need them because we are all committed adults who care about kids. That is true, but what are we each willing to do to demonstrate that commitment with our individual and collective behavior? That is the essence of these commitments and they require time and commitment to reach. If only it were easy.

Is behavior in your building driven by a set of collaboratively developed core commitments or is each person driven by what he/she believes is important? Is the norm in your building to hold each other accountable to a set of commonly held behaviors or is the norm to avert one's eyes and ears when witnessing questionable behavior by colleagues toward students or other adults? The answers to questions such as these go a long way towards measuring a building's placement on the PLC development continuum. Where are you?