Policy Across The Pond

Policy Across the Pond

British researcher talks about professional learning’s impact in the United Kingdom and beyond

By Tracy Crow

Categories: Collaboration, Continuous improvement, International perspectives, Leadership

Louise Stoll, professor at the London Centre forLeadership in Learning, Institute of education, university of London, offers a different view on policy in these excerpts from a conversation with Tracy Crow, Learning forward’s associate director of publications. Stoll lives and works in England, and her research and consulting work has taken her all over the world. In her professional learning work, Stoll emphasizes networks, learning communities, and leadership.

Policy’s role in professional learning

I’m particularly interested in helping create capacity for learning, leaders learning, developing learning communities, and finding different ways to take my work and other people’s work and help practitioners engage with it in away that supports them in improving learning for all students. I’ve worked with many policy makers over the years, but my sense is that the real change comes through practice. Policy can unquestionably enable. But it can also inhibit.

We’ve been experiencing a policy shift in England. We’rewaiting for the publication soon of an education white paper, amajor policy document, from the new coalition governmentthat came into power in May this year (2010).

About Louise Stoll

Louise Stoll is former president of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and School Improvement, professor at the London Centre for Leadership in Learning, Institute of Education, University of London, and freelance researcher and international consultant. Her research and development activity in England and internationally has focused on how schools, local authorities, and national systems create capacity for learning and improvement, with particular emphasis on leadership, learning communities, and learning networks. She co-edits an Open University Press/McGraw-Hill book series on Expanding Educational Horizons and presented a series of Hot Research on Teachers’ TV in England. Stoll presents and consults in many countries.

Stoll is author and editor of many publications including:

Stoll, L. & Seashore Louis, K. (2007). Professional learning communities: Divergence, depth and dilemmas. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Stoll, L., Fink, D., & Earl, L. (2003). It’s about learning (and it’s about time). London, England: RoutledgeFalmer/Taylor Francis.

Stoll, L. & Fink, D. (1996). Changing our schools: Linking school effectiveness and school improvement. Philadelphia, PA: Open University Press.

Stoll, L., Bolam, R., McMahon, A., Thomas, S., Wallace, M., Greenwood, A., & Hawkey, K. (2006). Professional learning communities: Source materials for school leaders and otherleaders of professional learning. London, England: Innovation Unit, DfES, NCSL, and GTCe. Available at www.innovation-unit.co.uk/about-us/publications/professional-learning-communities.html.

Stoll, L. & Temperley, J. (2010). The toolkit: Improving school leadership. Paris, France: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Available at www.oecd.org/dataoecd/63/37/44339174.pdf.