From reflection to engagement: utilizing book studies to foster teacher growth and leadership

Located seventeen miles from downtown Columbia, South Carolina, DFHS has been a member of the PDS Network since the 2016–2017 school year. Driving from the university to DFHS, one passes through the suburbs – marked by malls, box stores and chain restaurants – before exiting the interstate and winding through a mix of new housing developments and generational farms. DFHS’s rural and suburban features are observable and quantifiable. The National Center for Education Statistics (2024) categorizes DFHS as a “Rural: Fringe” setting, meaning the school is in a rural area within five miles of an urban area. The school itself is nestled among a stand of southern pines and oak trees dotted with individual homes. Entering the parking lot, one sees a school building constructed in 1993, a large student parking lot and a new football stadium.

Walking through the halls of DFHS, the minority–majority student body is evident to guests. This is a contrast to the local perception of DFHS as a white, suburban, middle-class school. Indeed, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (2024), of the 1,726 students attending DFHS, 45% identify as white, 39% as Black, 7% as multiracial, 5% as Hispanic and 5% as Asian. Additionally, student body data indicates that DFHS is in a socioeconomically diverse area. Based on data provided to the National Center for Education Statistics (2024), 52% of the student body qualifies for free and/or reduced lunch.

A review of the school’s website (Dutch Fork High School, 2024a) at the time of this writing revealed that DFHS is home to award-winning academic and athletic programs. The website boasts, rightfully, of the students who are National Merit Scholars. Additionally, the DFHS website highlights that in 2022–2023 the school administered a total of 1,034 AP exams, and students achieved a cumulative 79% pass rate. Finally, since 2017, the athletic program has won a state championship in baseball, two state championships in cheerleading, and seven state championships in football. Because of this, US News & World Report (Education Rankings, 2024) recently ranked DFHS as the 27th best high school in South Carolina, seventh best in the Columbia area and third best in Lexington County.

In 2005, DFHS established a STEM program. This magnet program attracts students from around the district through a local school choice initiative. The DFHS STEM program is certified by Cognia and has been named a National Magnet School of Distinction by Magnet Schools of America (Dutch Fork High School, 2024a). Additionally, in 2020, Newsweek ranked the STEM program the 25th best program in the county (Cooper, 2020). When the PDS partnership began between DFHS and USC, the goal was to support the continued success of the STEM program. The result was that the PDS liaison – a USC faculty member – worked with five or six STEM teachers. However, in June 2017, the principal retired. This resulted in a new administration at DFHS in 2017–2018 and, with the new administration’s vision, a reevaluation of the PDS partnership’s goals occurred.

As leaders in the PDS partnership between DFHS and USC, we collaborate on setting and implementing the PDS goals at DFHS and on teaching embedded preservice education courses at DFHS. Additionally, we are involved in the PDS-FG at DFHS. I (Brittany) am the instructional coach at DFHS, serve as the PDS clinical adjunct for our partnership and lead the PDS-FG. I (Jeffrey) am a faculty member at USC, serve as the PDS liaison to DFHS and offer Brittany and the PDS-FG varied support.

In February 2018, USC and DFHS agreed to the establishment of new goals and, as a result, a new PDS liaison (Jeffrey) was selected to expand the reach of the PDS partnership beyond the five or six STEM teachers to the 119 teachers in the school. I (Jeffrey) worked with the administration to consider the question: How can we use teacher leadership to expand the PDS relationship throughout the school?

Our answer was to have teachers create the PDS partnership’s goals. To do this, I (Jeffrey) and two assistant principals first surveyed the faculty to gain data on what type of support they were interested in receiving. Next, a group of teacher leaders representing all departments was created. The teachers were selected because of their leadership potential, not because of the leadership positions they held. At the time, the group was referred to as the PDS steering committee. The committee was convened in the summer of 2018 to review school achievement data and the results of the teacher survey. From this, they determined that the focus should be on engagement, resulting in the question: How can committee members lead their peers in professional development?

We began with Fessler and Ungaretti’s (1994) observation that “sustained change can not be accomplished without tapping into the rich reservoir of leadership residing at the grassroots of every school – classroom teachers” (p. 211). The committee was given time to meet during monthly focus group meetings so that PDS was not an additional component to their work. Thus, the PDS steering committee became the PDS-FG. For the 2018–2019 school year, the administration agreed to dedicate portions of faculty meetings for professional development led by the PDS-FG. We began by bringing in guest speakers for the first two meetings. Then, the committee guided the faculty through a reflection on the learning during the previous two meetings.

As the 2019–2020 school year began, the PDS-FG began to consider the next steps. On October 08, 2019, a discussion occurred that became a turning point for the PDS-FG. The PDS-FG was reviewing publicly available (Table 1) and internal data for the 2018–2019 school year. It was evident that the DFHS student body had become more diverse over the past decade. Looking at internal data, the PDS-FG observed that an achievement gap among the student body was evident. The PDS-FG then observed that the graduation rate for Black males and Hispanic males and females was lower than other demographics at a time when the student body was becoming more diverse. We then turned our attention to the DFHS Mission Statement:

The subsequent discussion revolved around the mission statement’s use of the word “all” in light of the observed achievement gap. Teachers noted that, despite the many achievements of the school, not all students were experiencing success. From that, we posed the question: Are we aligned with our mission statement and serving all students?

Following the discussion around the graduate rate and the DFHS mission statement, the PDS-FG decided to pursue a book study. This has, as we will detail, become a series of book studies over the course of six years (Table 2). Following the book study, the PDS-FG would then facilitate professional development for the faculty. Flood and Lapp (1994) described book studies as “an intellectual social forum where people can share ideas, thoughts, feelings and reactions” to issues (p. 574). This approach, organically selected by the teachers, was appropriate for the task of considering instructional changes. The teachers in the PDS-FG sought – and continue to seek – a space in which they can engage deeply with pedagogy with like-minded peers.

In this section, we provide a detailed overview of each book study conducted by the PDS-FG at DFHS over six years (Table 2). First, we demonstrate how the book studies align with the PDS Nine Essentials (National Association of Professional Development Schools, 2021). Following the alignment, we discuss four aspects of the book studies. For each book study, we explain how and why the PDS-FG selected each book, how the PDS-FG engaged in the book study and how the PDS-FG promoted the strategies from books within the school. Additionally, we reflect on outcomes related to improved practice for each book study.

In utilizing book studies as professional development at DFHS, we aligned the work with the PDS Nine Essentials (National Association of Professional Development Schools, 2021). Bass and Olson (2023) concluded that “book studies provide opportunities for teachers to take a general concept or educational practice and find contextualized connections” (p. 62). To this, the PDS Nine Essentials concludes that innovation occurs when PDS partners “look for ways to refine practice by examining their current context and the needs and desires of PDS participants” (National Association of Professional Development Schools, 2021, p. 12.).

When the book study series was initiated in 2019, we aligned with PDS Essential 3 as the PDS-FG represented a “community of learners” determining “the focus of the professional development of those involved in the PDS” (National Association of Professional Development Schools, 2008, p. 5). Additionally, we aligned book study to PDS Essential 4’s emphasis on “a shared commitment to innovative and reflective practice” that focuses “on providing improved and enhanced educational opportunities for all P-12 students” (National Association of Professional Development Schools, 2008, p. 5). As the PDS Nine Essentials were updated and the book studies continued, we continued to align with PDS Essentials 3 and 4. Because of the structure of the book studies, we aligned with the revised Essential 3 in that the teachers “collaborate to identify areas for personal and collective growth, and they collaboratively determine the manner in which professional learning occurs” (National Association of Professional Development Schools, 2021, p. 16). Additionally, we aligned the work to revised Essential 4 because the PDS-FG focused on “creating, implementing, refining, and sharing innovative approaches to teaching and learning” (National Association of Professional Development Schools, 2021, p. 15) to address the achievement gap evident in DFHS’s internal data related to graduation rates and standardized test scores.

When analyzing the school’s mission statement, the PDS-FG began to examine data related to student success by looking at the graduation rate (Table 1). After disaggregating internal graduation rate data based on demographics, the PDS-FG decided to focus on strategies to help support all of our students as stated in our mission statement by focusing on the question: How do we get all students engaged? As a team, we then looked at a variety of texts related to engagement and identity and agreed on investigating strategies for diverse learners. Initially, the team narrowed the list down to two books and finally decided on Hollie’s (2011) Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching and Learning due to the emphasis on presenting practical strategies in a teacher-friendly style. Following this decision, the team created a plan for the book study.

The beginning of each chapter included an anticipation guide that allowed teachers to critically think about their own perceptions on each of the topics in the chapter. As a team, we combined the anticipation guides into one to collect data both before and after the book study. This allowed us to determine if there was an impact on our own understanding as we progressed through the book study. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, much of our work moved online during the 2020–2021 school year. Thus, our plan for the book study was to create subgroups within the PDS-FG and jigsaw each chapter. After reading our chapters, meetings would take place on Google Meet, and the subgroups would create a presentation for the rest of the team based on the findings in the chapter. The group would also include plans for how we could integrate or implement the strategies from the book at DFHS.

The jigsaw of the book allowed for conversations about each chapter during the PDS-FG meetings. After completing the book study, the PDS-FG compiled a list of strategies from each chapter that we could implement that current school year. We then created a survey for our group to complete that listed all the strategies in order to determine the group’s specific strategies so we could try them in the classrooms. The top three strategies chosen were fostering respectful relationships with students that provide two-way communication, representing diverse cultures as academic material is presented, and infusing writing activities into all content areas. All teachers then implemented one or more of the strategies from Hollie (2011) for the remainder of the 2020–2021 school year (Table 2) and debriefed on their own implementation. However, as the PDS-FG engaged in this work and prepared to work with the faculty, discussions around the sociopolitical landscape of 2020 and 2021 emerged with the PDS-FG. Thus, the PDS-FG decided to create their own strategies based on their discussions of Hollie (2011), such as using Vocabagrams, diversifying texts, providing more time to process the language in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and using read-alouds. This was an important and deliberate shift by the PDS-FG because, as Stoicovy et al. (2023) explained, having a shared commitment to reflection and innovation in a PDS must include understanding the context and culture in which the work is taking place.

Based on the anticipation guide’s informal survey questions, there were increases in the level of engagement in the classroom and the comfort level of teachers implementing the strategies into their classrooms. Furthermore, to share the findings, the PDS-FG then decided to first do the anticipation survey with the entire faculty before bringing the strategies from the book study to share. After reviewing the survey data from the faculty meeting, we recognized the importance of revisiting the foundational steps of our process to ensure the strategies could be more effectively understood and implemented by all teachers. By positioning the PDS-FG as leaders in their peers’ professional growth, we were demonstrating a commitment to ensuring that “all are capable of leading and taking the initiative for these efforts” (Polly et al., 2023, p. 116). However, given the data and the context of 2020 and 2021, we recognized the need for additional support.

At the time, a consultant from the Elam Leadership Institute was working with another PDS school in the district. Based on the data collected, we invited the consultant to work with our PDS-FG to determine what was best for our school (Table 2). This was important because, following the summer of 2020, input from experts was critical for transforming book study discussions into a curriculum that supports and values all learners (Szech, 2023). As a team, we decided to initiate school-wide “I Believe…” statements in order for all teachers to share with our students and coworkers what we believe of our students. During a faculty meeting, members of the PDS-FG shared how the book study evolved from analyzing student achievement data to experimenting with new strategies in their classrooms. The team shared that the overarching theme they discovered from the book was focused on building relationships with students, and it starts with what we, as educators, believe students are capable of. As a result, each teacher used a form publisher to create a sign for their door that completed the sentence, “This I believe…” These signs served as daily reminders of the power of belief in shaping meaningful connections and fostering student success. This also started a school-wide conversation that was essential to supporting faculty, staff and students.

At the time, Biery (2021) observed that this book study empowered teachers in the PDS-FG as “change agents and problem solvers” by discussing and implementing instructional practices focused on “awakening the most disengaged students” (p. 54). Looking back, we see how this book study provided DFHS with a school-wide PD support system and established an overarching theme of fostering relationships. Additionally, as a sense of normalcy returned following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, building and rebuilding relationships with students accustomed to remote learning and social distancing became important to the PDS-FG. This observation by the teachers was not surprising as Eberlin (2023) found that the COVID-19 pandemic simultaneously strengthened the sense of school community as stakeholders rallied to adapt to the pandemic and weakened student–teacher relationships as classes were taught online. Additionally, the PDS-FG observed a post-pandemic decline in overall student performance on four state-administered End-of-Course Examinations (Table 1), a trend seen nationwide (Kuhfeld et al., 2021; Billings Dopewell, Ipesa-Balogun, & Rahaman, 2023). This led to our next PDS-FG question: How can we further support our faculty with fostering relationships and engaging our students?

The shift toward fostering relationships and engagement in 2022–2023 led to the PDS-FG’s next book study focused on Kieschnick’s (2022) The Educator’s ATLAS. This choice not only aligned with the PDS-FG’s objectives but also supported the district’s mission to enhance instructional practices through its partnership with Weston Kieschnick. As with the previous book study on Hollie (2011), the PDS-FG determined a selection of books from which to choose and, thus, an opportunity to guide the direction of the group’s learning. When the teachers explored the book choices, they found that Kieschnick’s (2022) book had strategies that could be directly implemented into the classroom and provided practical examples. As before, the teachers considered their own learning needs in conjunction with the needs of the DFHS students when selecting the Kieschnick book. As such, the PDS-FG was engaged in the “reflective activities related to their own development of knowledge and skills and their beliefs about teaching and learning” that are a hallmark of a PDS (National Association of Professional Development Schools, 2021, p. 13).

The book study plan was different for this book due to time constraints and how the book was divided (Table 2). Initially, we all read the introduction and had a group discussion on some of the quotes in the book. The team overall discussed our thoughts on prioritizing student engagement and what our hopes are for this book study. For the next meeting, we read chapters one and two, shared a quote from the reading, and described what the quote meant to us as an educator and learner. During this meeting, our PDS-FG divided into groups to read each corresponding chapter of Kieschnick’s (2022) ATLAS acronym – attention, transition, lesson, activity and summary – and present them at the next meeting. The next meeting was focused on exemplars from the book, providing our own exemplars of the ATLAS template and sharing it with our PDS-FG team. After this meeting, our team discussed how the exemplars were helpful, but we wanted to figure out a way to adapt the ATLAS structure from the book and share this with the faculty. Instead of simply sharing the presentations at a faculty meeting, the PDS-FG decided that we needed to create material and examples for our faculty first, which led to determining how to effectively implement this model and create lessons that we could share with the faculty. This led to a discussion on how we could implement peer coaching to support one another through the PDS-FG when creating exemplars of the ATLAS model in our classrooms.

In the 2023–2024 school year, the first meeting began with leveraging peer coaching to implement and practice the ATLAS structure in our classrooms. The strong culture of observation that once thrived in our school had diminished during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the PDS-FG wanted a way to revive and revise it. During our meeting, we addressed key questions such as: What do we want peer coaching to look like? What barriers do we want to overcome? To guide the development of our peer observation framework, we utilized resources from the University of South Carolina’s Center for Teaching Excellence and Cambridge Assessment International Education regarding peer observation (University of South Carolina Center for Teaching Excellence, n.d.; Cambridge Assessment International Education, n.d.). Additionally, the PDS-FG took a pre-survey before the peer coaching with questions centered on a five-point Likert scale regarding our thoughts on student engagement and implementation of the ATLAS model’s components.

Based on conversations during PDS-FG meetings, it was difficult initially to coordinate the observation piece of the peer coaching. Therefore, we leaned on pre- and post-conferencing with each of the components of the ATLAS acronym. We created pre-conference questions and post-conference questions for each peer coaching meeting that were research-based and collaboratively discussed. For each stage of the process, we established questions to guide reflection (Table 3). During each meeting, the PDS-FG was teamed up with one or two other teachers and completed the peer coaching cycle for each letter of the ATLAS acronym. This process allowed for a deeper reflection on the lesson planning and implementation, the integrated instructional strategy and the sharing of ideas. Although not planned, the teachers who were part of this PDS-FG began observing each other teach the ATLAS-structured lessons and other lessons discussed in the coaching conversations. The book study created the support system for an open-door policy within the PDS-FG.

After all the peer coaching sessions, teachers on the PDS-FG completed a post-survey regarding student engagement and the implementation of the ATLAS model. Both areas showed an increase in student engagement and an increase in the confidence of PDS-FG members in implementing the ATLAS model. As teachers collaborated in this book study, other teachers started gaining interest in the peer coaching model and started asking for any extra copies of the books from our PDS-FG. At the end of this book study, the PDS-FG decided to continue working on engagement and creating resources to help support other faculty members in the school. By this point, the PDS-FG was normally engaged in the type of responsive innovation Stoicovy et al. (2023) described as critical to reflective practice, professional growth and supporting peers. Thus, the PDS-FG was not deterred when the next topic needed to align with the school-wide focus on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) practices to help reach all of our students due to student achievement data (Table 1). This led to the PDS-FG’s next question: How can we further support our faculty in engaging all of our students utilizing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) strategies?

In 2024, the PDS-FG identified the need to shift its priorities to address the evolving needs of students as the school had started to see the impacts of COVID-19. Reviewing publicly available post-pandemic data, the PDS-FG observed an overall rebound in end-of-course exam performance following COVID-19 and an increase in the graduation rate (Table 1). However, internal data indicated that the achievement gap, which widened at the height of the pandemic in 2021 and narrowed by 2024, remained a concern for the PDS-FG. The data highlighted the importance of reaching all learners, which prompted a renewed emphasis on engagement in combination with a focus on UDL.

The PDS-FG aimed to continue to prioritize student engagement while incorporating book studies to support the implementation of UDL and evidence-based strategies in the classroom (Table 2). As an Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) school, the adoption of UDL became a central strategy to strengthen Tier 1 instruction and ensure all students were supported. Teachers received UDL training through Novak Education and additional resources from the district office. One key resource utilized was Tucker and Novak’s (2022) The Shift to Student-Led, which detailed shifts in the classroom to help support teachers and students as they integrate UDL strategies, along with the research-based practices and practical templates. When selecting a book, the PDS-FG recognized the immediate applicability of The Shift to Student-Led and its alignment with both school and district goals. To further support faculty, the group emphasized the importance of fostering a system of collaboration and guidance that could empower teachers throughout our school to engage all students effectively using UDL strategies.

Currently, the plan for this book study is that we will divide the book up into the different workflow shifts. Each chapter in the book is set up where there is one traditional teacher-led workflow, and then there is a way to shift the workflow so it is student-led and aligns with UDL strategies (Tucker & Novak, 2022). The PDS-FG will divide into groups and present the shift they are interested in sharing utilizing the ATLAS model approach that we learned in the previous book study. This way we can tie together the instructional strategies and create school-based PD designed by PDS-FG that we could use to lead school-wide professional development and develop resources for our peers. Polly et al. (2023) noted innovative PDS partnerships are able to shift over time based on student and teacher needs. Through the six years of book studies, the PDS-FG has shifted approaches and topics while maintaining a focus on fostering relationships with students and each other, engaging students for academic and social growth and supporting teachers throughout DFHS.

Polly et al. (2023) observed that professional development in a PDS becomes effective when decisions are data-based and occur within a culture of flexibility and collaboration. At Dutch Fork High School, we have embodied this through the PDS-FG, a unique model of continuous improvement and teacher-driven growth. In documenting the story of this work, we underscore the belief that “PDS should look for opportunities to develop educators’ leadership capacity” (National Association of Professional Development Schools, 2021, p. 16). Additionally, because the PDS-FG was designed to give teachers “the opportunity to serve in the role of leader and learner” (National Association of Professional Development Schools, 2021, p. 16), the PDS-FG is able to model for the DFHS faculty both instructional theory and practice. What sets the PDS-FG apart is its commitment to sustainability and professional development, where professional learning goes beyond one-off book studies or isolated activities. Instead, it thrives as a process directly informed by school data, teacher inquiry and shared leadership.

A distinctive feature of the PDS-FG is the use of book studies as a springboard for actionable changes. Unlike conventional book studies that often include theoretical discussions, our approach emphasizes practical implementation and has further progressed to peer coaching. These book studies have continued to impact the school through fostering a culture of observation, collaboration and shared accountability. The results of this PDS-FG are teachers that consistently implement innovative strategies in their classrooms and create faculty-wide professional development, which has strengthened pedagogical practices and student outcomes.

Understanding and adapting to the context has been pivotal throughout the three book studies conducted by the PDS-FG. These studies are layered, addressing and understanding the needs of the DFHS student body, the community beyond DFHS, the dynamics of the PDS-FG itself and the alignment with broader school and district initiatives. By grounding each book study in relevant challenges driven by data (Table 1), the PDS-FG has ensured that professional learning is responsive and impactful for all. Additionally, the teachers in the PDS-FG have become leaders in integrating research-based practices, which then the PDS-FG helps to provide professional development tailored to the needs of the faculty. The PDS-FG distinguishes itself by magnifying teacher voice and agency, which allows for teachers to have an influence on school-wide practices. Furthermore, the PDS-FG allows teacher leaders to engage in deep discussions around practice in a PDS partnership. This has created a cycle of inquiry, practice and feedback to occur through critical reflection from the book studies and peer coaching model.

In summation, the PDS-FG is unique as it is both teacher- and data-driven with an emphasis on contextual relevance, actionable outcomes and the ability to provide teacher leadership opportunities. Both PDS Essentials 3 and 4 are an important component of the PDS-FG and have continued to support the school-wide professional development practices. Through the PDS partnership, all the book studies have tethered fostering relationships and engagement to help support students and teachers.