Reviewed by Donna C. White
Teacher Literacy Coach
Fayetteville, North Carolina

For many of us in the teaching profession who have accepted the
call to be a "teacher leader," our first question is often
"Now what do I do?" Creating Dynamic Schools Through Mentoring,
Coaching, and Collaboration provides an easy to follow
step-by-step guide for several leadership options, including
mentoring, forming study groups, coaching, and collaborating
with peers.

Imagine a school where all students, teachers, and staff members are
actively engaged in learning. The focus is on improving each
teacher's practice so that every student can learn even more.
The school environment supports the needs of the beginning
teachers as well as the emerging teacher leaders. Carr, Herman,
and Harris outline ways to develop such a culture within a
school.

Recognizing the role of professional relationships, the book begins with
an examination of the operating styles and issues surrounding
collaboration and shared decision making. Many strategies
and tools are offered to support groups and teams as they
work toward improved student learning.

I implemented the Agenda Template and the Action Minutes Template
in my work with a grade level team. Our current focus is on
the infusion of rigor in literacy centers. The Agenda template
served as a reminder of the meeting as well as the expectation
that each member would bring something tangible to contribute
to the discussion. Likewise, the Action Minutes allowed us
to focus on what we had accomplished, what our next steps
would be, and who would be responsible.

The chapter on mentoring beginning teachers is an excellent resource
for schools that are starting a mentoring program, as well
as those schools that have an established program that might
benefit from some fine-tuning. A timeline that outlines practical
strategies for planning and reflecting with the beginning
teacher on a month by month basis ensures that the beginning
teacher and the mentor do not become overwhelmed. The Monthly
Focus Chart includes questions that guide the reflective practice
and self-assessment of the beginning teacher.

Reflection is at the heart of improving our teaching practice and accelerating
student learning. In an effort to promote continuous improvement
and to move from "sit and get" to job embedded professional
development, many schools are moving toward models that
include study groups and/or coaching. Study groups that
focus on professional literature, solving problems, student
work, and action research can provide leadership opportunities
for staff members and maximize the use of resources within
the school.

Carr, Herman, and Harris describe six types of study groups. Each
type is defined and information is provided about how to
organize and facilitate each group according to purpose.
Creating Dynamic Schools Through Mentoring, Coaching,
and Collaboration also examines several frameworks for
coaching and provides the strategies and tools to strengthen
the professional development capabilities of the staff members
in a supportive manner.

Carr, Herman, and Harris conclude with a chapter that focuses on
developing a plan for successful collaboration beginning with
the use of data to determine the "current reality." It proceeds
to identify ways to use the data to build learning communities
that are focused on the examination of our impact on the achievement
of our students. The authors even give specific tools to address
the difficulty in "finding the time" for data analysis and
collaboration.

The book is well organized and can be read cover to cover or by
selecting topics that are of particular interest to the reader.
While grounded in research-based practices (an extensive reference
and resource list is provided), Creating Dynamic Schools
Through Mentoring, Coaching, and Collaboration is quite
"user-friendly."

An online study guide, written by Judy Carr, can be used
by an individual, but would be a powerful tool for use by
a small group of teacher leaders who want to get started by
participating in a book study group!