For over two decades Elisa MacDonald has worked and led others in education to lead with purpose, achieve high impact and shape school culture. Elisa created national networks of training and support for teachers who led teams in underperforming schools in five cities, where she worked as National Director of Teacher Leadership for the T3 initiative at Teach Plus. When working at Teachers21, a non-profit founded by Jon Saphier, Elisa consulted with superintendents, principals, teacher leaders and school faculties in over twenty school districts in Massachusetts. She planned and delivered professional development on topics such as: leadership, professional learning communities, teaming, literacy and behavior management. Elisa served a fourteen-year tenure in the Boston public schools as a secondary drama/English teacher, lead mentor, literacy coach and assistant principal of instruction. Today, she is an author and international independent consultant offering in-person and virtual consulting.

Elisa is the recipient of the Calderwood Writing Fellowship, the English Speaking Union Treadwell Scholarship, and was a Steppingstone finalist for a middle school curriculum unit she wrote. She has presented at national conferences and delivered international leadership webinars.

Elisa is interested in student achievement by means of team leadership. She is the author of the best-selling Corwin book, The Skillful Team Leader: Overcoming Hurdles to Professional Learning for Student Achievement, honored as 1 of 4 books selected by Learning Forward for their 2013 Book Club. Elisa has authored numerous articles. Please visit her website to learn more. [...]

Part 1: Foundations
Chapter 1: Skillful and Intentional Leadership
Chapter 2: Don't Settle for High-Functioning Teams
Chapter 3: The Real Work of Collaborative Inquiry
Part 2: Essential Understandings
Chapter 4: The Psychology of Groups
Chapter 5: Five Must-knows About Adult Learners
Chapter 6: The Upsides (and Downsides) of Being a Peer Leader
Part 3: Ten Primary Intentions with Moves
Primary Intention #1: Optimize Learning Conditions: Time, Space and Accommodations
Primary Intention #2: Establish Expectations and Responsibilities: Norms and Roles
Primary Intention #3: Nurture Group Culture: Community and Trust
Primary Intention #4: Design and Plan Learning: Work Plans, Agendas and Protocols
Primary Intention #5: Engage and Interact: Participation, Conflict-Resolution and Decision-Making.
Primary Intention #6: Set Purpose and Direction: Priorities, Inquiry Questions and Goals.
Primary Intention #7: Use Data to Advance Learning: Assessments and Data Talk
Primary Intention #8: Cultivate Diverse Perspectives in Problem Solving: Assumptions and Bias
Primary Intention #9: Implement New Learning: Peer Observations, Resistance and Change.
Primary Intention #10: Assess: Feedback, Reflection and Growth for Teams and Leaders.