NJASA as a Learning Community 

The word community has many uses and contexts in our work as professional educators. We talk about parents, civic groups, and business resources in terms of community engagement. We develop and support professional learning communities to ensure broad voice as we design policy and practice. We view school and classroom communities as places for student learning aimed to encourage connections with others to support mutual learning, belonging, and safety. When these conditions are in place, kids are more likely and motivated to learn. 

Building community is fraught with challenges in our traditional school organizations. Social and educational researchers distinguish between organizations and communities. In the literature, organizations are typically driven by formal, prescribed roles and expectations related to those roles. The roles of teachers, principals, and central office leaders are delineated in job descriptions, union contracts, and policy manuals. These traditional bureaucratic structures can get in the way of building and sustaining community as a foundation to engage. 

When community takes hold, different forces drive relationships, making independent work less valued as members of the community focus more on the mission, goals, and the collective greater good. The connections among people are based on mutual commitments, interdependencies, shared beliefs and values.

NJASA as a Learning Community
These interdependencies, shared beliefs and values ground our professional learning experiences at NJASA. Many of our members are introduced to NJASA through the NJ School Administrator Residency Program and the New Superintendents Academy. They experience firsthand the generous spirit of association members who facilitate professional learning experiences and serve as mentors, often leading to career-long professional relationships.

Deep experiences in particular domains of administrative practice result in deep learning (and sometimes scars). Sharing those experiences and insights learned among colleagues has resulted in a community of learners within NJASA.

The range of professional learning experiences for our members also extends through partnerships with New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association/FEA and the New Jersey School Boards Association. Our offerings and services continue to grow through our community of leader learners. We rely on each other to succeed.