The Communities for Learning ARCS Framework for sustainable school improvement is the breakthrough and elegant infrastructure at the heart of Communities for Learning’s work.
Grounded in many years of research and practice, this framework is a simple and profound set of principles and practices for thinking and acting as an individual, a group and an organization.
Alignment, Representation, Culture, and Sustainability (ARCS) - which generate the ongoing cycles of individual and group aspiration, dissonance, struggle and resolution necessary for continued improvement. It is flexible, comprehensive in scope, strengths-focused, momentum-building and inspiring in the heads of any and all stakeholders. It enhances those structures, norms, and behaviors that contribute to lasting improvement while limiting or removing those that do not. Organizations that implement ARCS become robust, responsible and resilient.
Alignment Processes for making explicit and seamless connections between organizational and individual vision, expertise, and action.
Representation The expectation of cross-role inclusion, actively engaging the perspectives of students, administrators, teachers, parents, university, community and business partners, etc., in the learning and work of the community.
Sustainability A three-tier learning-leading-lasting structure that promotes and develops the expertise, leadership and sustainability of the community.
The Community that Learns includes individuals whose primary focus is learning to increase their understanding about an issue or topic or area of interest related to teaching and learning.
**The Community that Leads ** comprises participants who are committed to leading the learning of others. They remain learners, but their learning is focused on deepening their own leadership and facilitation skills.
The Community that Lasts focuses on sustaining the learning and work of the community and organization. Its learning revolves around systems dynamics, strategic planning and organizational development.
Dispositions Six Dispositions of Practice whose development support and deepen the community’s ongoing learning and work
The dispositions of practice are abiding tendencies that reflect the values, commitments, practices, and professional ethics that influence behaviors and actions.
Communities for Learning promotes six dispositions, each of which represents, assesses and guides the work of the individual who participates in learning communities and the organizational contexts that support that work. These dispositions influence how these individuals and communities see themselves, approach their work, and define their roles and responsibilities. They inform the kinds of interventions that can be designed to create learning communities in schools and other organizations. Finally, the dispositions provide the foundation for the norms and processes that learning communities engage in and support.
Commitment to Understanding Pursing questions and developing ideas related to teaching and learning, accessing multiple perspectives, and using research and evidence.
Intellectual Perseverance Considering ideas or questions for a period of time to improve our work; revising and revisiting our practices and thinking to improve them and to reach high standards; and withholding the need to finish work before it is the best that it can be.
Courage & Initiative Discussing uncomfortable topics or issues, including our own values and questions; accepting the discomfort that stems from the need to change; seeking or accepting new or unfamiliar roles, responsibilities or challenges.
Commitment to Expertise Refining and expanding our current professional knowledge and skills; disseminating knowledge and expertise within and outside our own organization; engaging in learning and work that addresses organizational or professional needs.
Commitment to Reflection Sharing our thinking to develop and evaluate it; thinking about our thinking and learning to set goals, assess and understand ourselves, our work and our organization; producing work that results from goals, actions and strategies that are grounded in the analysis of past learning.
Collegiality Learning with and from others; acting on the belief that learning and working with others increases our expertise; producing work that results from engaging in collaborative learning and problem solving.
