We offer a variety of institutes and webinars designed to foster collective efficacy at all levels in your organization. Besides the descriptors outlined below, we can partner with your organization to customize half-day, full-day or longer-term institutes. We also support professional learning through cost-affordable webinars. Select from one or more of the topics below or contact us to collaborate on a customized session.

Understanding Collective Teacher Efficacy and its Impact on Student Outcomes

Collective efficacy is a significant belief system for improving student outcomes. When educators share the belief that they can influence student achievement, regardless of some of the difficult circumstances faced in schools today, it results in greater student achievement.

Outcomes - Participants will:

• Describe the effect size research and other research findings related to collective efficacy;

• Identify the attributes or characteristics of an efficacious team;

• Know the positive and negative consequences associated with collective teacher efficacy;

• Consider how efficacy beliefs come to fruition in educators’ practice.;

• Identify efficacy shaping sources and understand what influences a team’s interpretation of their effectiveness.

Collective Efficacy: The Key to Quality Implementation in Schools and Districts

Successful educational reforms are defined by deep levels of implementation of what is known to work best in systems, schools, and classrooms. When educators share a sense of collective efficacy, it results in the deeper implementation of high-leverage leadership and instructional practices. System and school leaders’ efforts toward successful change reforms are better served by strategically and intentionally considering how to foster collective efficacy throughout the enactment and assessment of change initiatives. In this session, we will examine ways to tap into mastery as the main source of collective efficacy in support of deeper implementation of evidence-based practices.

Outcomes - Participants will:

• Identify opportunities and challenges in regard to achieving quality implementation in educational settings;

• Distinguish between four interrelated dimensions of scale (in relation to scaling change initiatives in schools);

• Describe a process through which quality implementation occurs in schools;

• Consider three ways in which collective efficacy beliefs serve to either impede or strengthen quality implementation of evidence-based practices in educational settings;

• Name the four sources of collective efficacy;

• Identify key features of mastery environments and four key areas of focus for creating mastery experiences in teams.

Research-Based Leadership Practices for Fostering Collective Efficacy

By strengthening collective efficacy, educators will develop the resolve to persist against challenges and realize increased student results. Research provides guidance on leadership practices that are associated with collective efficacy. During this session, participants will determine a method for measuring collective efficacy and develop a theory of action for fostering collective efficacy in schools.

Outcomes - Participants will:

• Name 3-4 ways in which they can determine/measure a staffs’ level of efficacy;

• Develop a plan for gathering evidence related to collective teacher efficacy in their buildings;

• Identify research-based, efficacy enhancing leadership practices;

• Describe ways to enact specific, effective leadership practices;

• Use a taxonomy to examine teacher collaboration;
  propose ways to meaningfully involve teachers in school improvement;

• Describe the conditions, processes, and consequences of goal setting;

• Determine a structure for helping teams interpret results;

• Develop a theory of action for fostering collective efficacy in schools/districts

Enhancing Collective Efficacy Through Professional Learning

Enriching educators’ professional learning experiences is critical if we are going to realize better outcomes for all students. Collective teacher efficacy can be developed through professional learning and therefore, it’s important to understand the significance of collective efficacy when planning for professional learning. Building on mastery experiences and providing opportunities for vicarious experiences should be part of an on-going and deliberate professional learning plan for schools and school districts. In addition, leaders of professional learning need to be aware of and capitalize on feedback as well as teachers’ affective reactions as part of a high-quality professional learning plan. During this session, participants will develop a professional learning plan that purposefully taps into the sources of efficacy.

Outcomes - Participants will:

• List and describe the characteristics of effective professional learning;

• Examine four processes used by highly successful teams in creating the conditions for mastery (learning together, cause-and-effect relationships, goal directed behavior, and purposeful practice);

• Identify ways to strengthen the six factors that increase the impact of vicarious experiences as efficacy shaping sources for PLCs;

• Critique efficacy enhancing collaborative learning structures;

• Assess efficacy enhancing protocols and determine how they might be revised for use in their school/context.

We offer a number of keynotes (see one example below) designed to address different audiences (administrators, teachers, and/or support staff) and we can work with you to customize messages to suit your purpose and needs. Whether it’s a small gathering or a large conference you’re organizing, we can help by delivering key messages that will motivate the audience to take action and work better as a team in order to realize collective impact. Feel free to select the keynote described below or contact us with any additional requests.

The Power of Teams in Schools

Collective efficacy is about the overwhelming power that school teams have to impact change when they join together to solve problems. When educators share the belief that they can influence student achievement, regardless of some of the difficult circumstances faced in schools today, the results can be very powerful. In addition to knowing the consequences of collective efficacy, participants will understand how collective efficacy beliefs are formed. Most importantly, ideas for fostering efficacy amongst teams will be shared.