National School Reform Faculty

The NSRF program helps schools create what Stanford's Milbrey McLaughlin calls "learning communities," in which practitioners collaborate to deepen their knowledge of subject matter, examine their teaching practice with a critical eye, and consider issues of whole-school change that support improved classroom practice. The program emphasizes making one's practice public, continuously assessing teaching in relation to student learning, and routinely adapting teaching practices and school structures to meet the changing needs of today's students.

NSRF staff works intensively with schools and districts as they establish the habits and practices of a learning community and provides ongoing opportunities to sustain and extend those habits. The program includes the following elements:

Critical Friendship
At the heart of the NSRF program is the development of learning communities and extended networks which incorporate the concept of Critical Friendship. Skilled facilitators/coaches help teachers and administrators create and/or sustain learning communities where they can develop shared norms and values, engage in reflective dialogue, give each other feedback on their work, and hold each other accountable.

NSRF practitioners apply these principles in a variety of ways including: regular faculty meetings, classroom practices, parent conferences, cabinet meetings, strategic planning sessions, inquiry groups, study groups and Critical Friends Groups (CFG’s). A Critical Friends Group, the most common example, generally consists of six to ten teachers and/or administrators who commit to working together on a long-term basis with a focus on improving practice and increasing student learning. CFG members gather for at least one two-to-three-hour meeting each month, at which they establish and publicly state learning goals for students, help each other think about more productive teaching practices, examine curriculum and student work, and identify school-culture and equity issues that affect student achievement. As "critical friends," they observe one another at work regularly to provide feedback in challenging but non-threatening ways.

Facilitators/Coaches
In all of these situations, the work is both supported and challenged by a Facilitative Leader. Some, like the principal of the school, have been placed in that role. Others, as in the case of a CFG coach, have been selected by the school, coming from within the staff or from the ranks of trusted outsiders. These CFG coaches and Facilitative Leaders are critical to the success of NSRF work in a school. They help participants deepen their skills in two areas: classroom practice and whole-school reform. They assist their groups by providing access to resources, and maintaining links with the national and local networks of other NSRF practitioners.

Facilitative Leaders and CFG Coaches begin to learn the skills and information they will need to guide this work in a variety of ways. They generally participate in a multi-day New Facilitator/Coach Institute. During this institute, experienced facilitators and coaches work with emerging facilitator/coaches, creating an experience where participants learn and practice new techniques while building a reflective, mutually supportive culture that is itself an example of the kind of professional learning community NSRF practitioners can create. Sometimes these sessions take place in a concentrated time frame (e.g. 5 days in a row), with follow up during the school year. In other cases, the training may take place in two or three day sessions over the course of 4-5 months, with participants applying new skills between sessions and reporting back. Facilitative Leaders and CFG Coaches can continue to develop and improve their skills at national and regional seminars throughout the year.