Antioch Center for School Renewal

Professional Learning Communities/Critical Friends Group Coaches Training - Educational Ventures - Antioch Center for School Renewal - Antioch University New England

Professional Learning Communities/
Critical Friends Group Coaches Training

Critical Friends Training | Faculty | Become a PLC/CFG Coach | Events

The Heart of NSRF is the Professional Learning Communities/Critical Friends Group (PLC/CFG). A CFG is a type of learning community developed by NSRF in 1995. PLC/CFGs generally consist of 6 to 10 teachers and administrators who commit themselves to learning together. They hold each other accountable for continuously adapting their practice to meet the needs of all learners, share resources and ideas, and support each other in implementing new practices.

Whether they call themselves critical friends, facilitative leaders, or simply members of a professional learning community, the commitments they hold are the same:

To be reflective;
To make their practice public to one another;
To frame meaningful questions and ask for substantive feedback from their colleagues;
To hold each other accountable for meeting the needs of students who struggle most;
To ask the kinds of questions that provoke and challenge their assumptions and habits;
To believe that together they are more capable of knowing what they need to know, and learning what they need to learn, than they are alone.

ACSR is a Center of Activity of the National School Reform Faculty

The National School Reform Faculty (NSRF) is a network of people, schools, and organizations pursuing significant change in schools. The work of NSRF is characterized by the concepts of Critical Friendship and Facilitative Leadership and the development of Learning Communities.

NSRF’s mission is “to foster educational and social equity by empowering all people involved with schools to work collaboratively in reflective democratic communities that create and support powerful learning experiences for everyone.”

NSRF’s work is organized nationally through its Centers of Activity, which are individuals, schools, and affiliated organizations engaged in the work of NSRF. They convene NSRF related meetings and seminars, offer PLC/CFG coaches and administrators institutes and act as conduits for local, regional, and national communication and learning.

For more information about the National School Reform Faculty, visit their website.

Last Updated: 4/21/08

Professional Learning Communities/ Critical Friends Group Coaches Training

ACSR is a Center of Activity of the National School Reform Faculty

Professional Learning Communities/
Critical Friends Group Coaches Training