Teachers and other members cannot presume that all worthwhile
knowledge can be developed within the school itself. Fullan (1993)
notes that the isolation of a teacher within a classroom limits
insights to the experiences of that individual, similarly this can
happen for schools. In professional learning community schools teachers
and others are regularly exposed to ideas and knowledge from sources
external to the school. These schools are constantly participating in
individual or collective staff development efforts (O’Hair, Retizug
& McLaughlin, 2000). Research is reviewed, critical friends are
invited to observe and the community is invited to provide feedback.
Inviting critical friends to review practices within the school can
shed light on "hidden curriculum and practices". Ideas and knowledge
brought in from external sources are not simply "adopted" and put into
practice, but rather discussed, debated, and subjected to inquiry and
discourse.
One principal of a partner school describes what he
hopes to gain through the use of external expertise as follows: "In
order for any innovation to be sustained it must become a part of the
culture of the site or district. For professional development to
continue it must rise out of individual teachers and site needs. These
must in turn be nurtured and supported by site, district, state, and
federal resources. With this in place, mechanisms can then be developed
for continuous examination and adjustment of practices. We will utilize
action research, site plan and action teams, networking with other
support groups, to develop a culture of learning, that includes those
directly impacted in the decision making processes to support the
renewal process."