PDK International | Publications | Leading Through Learning

		Leading Through Learning by Dennis Sparks
		The final issue of Leading Through Learning was published on May 25. Back issues will continue to be available on this page, and they will be available in the PDK publication archives after July 1.		Photo by Pam LeBlanc

Dennis Sparks is an “itinerant teacher” who assists leadership teams in developing their capacity to continuously improve teaching and learning in all classrooms. He is emeritus executive director of the National Staff Development Council, where he served as executive director from 1984-2007. He can be reached at thinkingpartner@comcast.net.

Current Issue
Leaders Promote Gratitude and Appreciation
Vol. 2, No. 18, May 25, 2009 — View PDF
Civil school cultures are places which genuine expressions of gratitude, appreciation, and celebration replace complaint and blame, or what Emerson terms pollution through "corruption and groans."

Past Issues
Leaders Exemplify Positive Attitudes and Mutual Respect — Vol. 2, No. 17, May 11, 2009
Leaders Listen With Empathy — Vol. 2, No. 16, April 27, 2009
Leaders Cultivate Civility —Vol. 2, No. 15, April 13, 2009
Leaders Reinvent Themselves —Vol. 2, No. 14, March 23, 2009
Leaders Choose "Deep Change" or "Slow Death" — Vol. 2, No. 13, March 9, 2009
Leaders Cultivate Solitude and Community — Vol. 2, No. 12, February 23, 2009
Leaders Nurture the Soul — Vol. 2, No. 11, February 9, 2009
Leaders Develop Clarity Regarding Professional Learning — Vol. 2, No. 10, January 26, 2009
Leaders Use Every Opportunity to Promote Learning-Oriented Conversations — Vol. 2, No. 9, January 12, 2009
Leaders Tell Stories That Motivate and Guide — Vol. 2, No. 8, December 22, 2008
Leaders Speak From the Heart — Vol. 2, No. 7, December 8, 2008
Cultivating Professional Literacy — Vol. 2, No. 6, November 24, 2008
Ways Leaders Can Affect "Frames" — Vol. 2, No. 5, November 10, 2008
The Importance of Reframing — Vol. 2, No. 4, October 27, 2008
Acquiring New Habits of Mind and Practice — Vol. 2, No. 3, October 13, 2008
Not All Relationships Are Created Equal — Vol. 2, No. 2, September 22, 2008
Leaders Relate, Repeat, and Reframe — Vol. 2, No. 1, September 8, 2008
Cultivate the Problem-Solving Abilities of Others — Vol. 1, No. 16, May 27, 2008
Focus Attention on High-Impact Activities — Vol. 1, No. 15, May 12, 2008
Setting Goals at Which You Cannot Fail — Vol. 1, No. 14, April 28, 2008
Managing "Next Actions" — Vol. 1, No. 13, April 14, 2008
Creating Cultures of Interpersonal Accountability — Vol. 1, No. 12, March 24, 2008
Match Words With Deeds to Establish Trust — Vol. 1, No. 11, March 10, 2008
Leaders’ Energy Essential to Organizational Motivation — Vol. 1, No. 10, February 25, 2008
The Leader’s Role in Cultivating Positive Emotions — Vol. 1, No. 9, February 11, 2008
Serving Students Through Values-Guided Leadership — Vol. 1, No. 8, January 28, 2008
When Leaders Speak Their Truth — Vol. 1, No. 7, January 14, 2008
Cultivating Clarity of Purpose — Vol. 1, No. 6, December 17, 2007
The Power of Leaders’ Authentic Voice — Vol. 1, No. 5, December 10, 2007
Find the Core of an Idea — Vol. 1, No. 4, November 26, 2007
What It Really Means to Learn — Vol. 1, No. 3, November 12, 2007
Leaders Write to Learn — Vol. 1, No. 2, October 29, 2007
Leaders First Change Themselves — Vol. 1, No. 1, October 15, 2007

Other PDK Publications by Dennis Sparks

Changing Organizations Begins with Changing Ourselves
EDge Magazine: September/October 2007

Leaders' thoughts and actions shape the culture of their organizations and set the tone for the professional learning that will improve the performance of the organization.

Read the Executive Summary
Members log in for free PDF
Purchase the print version

The Looming Danger of a Two-Tiered Professional Development System
Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 86, No. 04 (December 2004): 304-306.

A two-tiered system of professional development threatens the quality of teaching and learning in schools, particularly those schools that serve this nation's most vulnerable students. It is essential that all students receive the benefits of quality teaching supported by sustained, intellectually demanding professional learning within a collaborative culture that promotes teachers' professional judgment, deepens their understanding of the subjects they teach, expands the number of strategies available to successfully teach a diverse classroom of students, and creates nourishing connections among staff members.

Members log in to search Archives for free PDF