Nancy Fichtman Dana is professor of education and distinguished teaching scholar at the University of Florida, Gainesville. She began her career in education as an elementary school teacher in Hannibal Central Schools, New York. Since earning her PhD from Florida State University in 1991, she has been a passionate advocate for teacher inquiry and has worked extensively in supporting schools, districts, and universities in implementing powerful programs of job-embedded professional development through inquiry across the United States and in several countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, China, South Korea, Estonia, Slovenia, Spain, and Portugal. She has published 12 books and more than 100 articles in professional journals and edited books focused on her research exploring teacher and principal professional development and practitioner inquiry. Dana has received many honors for her teaching, research, and writing. Among them are the Association of Teacher Educators Mentoring and Distinguished Research in Teacher Education awards, the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate's David G. Imig Distinguished Service Award, the National Staff Development Council (now Learning Forward) Book of the Year Award, and was one of three finalist in Baylor University's prestigious Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching 2020 competition. Before joining the faculty at University of Florida in 2003, she worked at The Pennsylvania State University for 11 years, creating and launching their award-winning inquiry-based Professional Development School program with the State College Area School District. At the University of Florida, she worked to embed inquiry as a signature pedagogy into the undergraduate teacher education program, as well as developed and taught three popular classes on inquiry at the master's and doctoral levels. In partnership with the Lastinger Center for Learning, Dana led the development and implementation of inquiry-based professional development for teachers across the state that included several of the nation's largest school districts. Further, she was instrumental in the development of UF's Teacher Leadership for School Improvement Program and Professional Practice Doctorate in Teachers, Schools, and Society, both national award winning programs that highlight inquiry as a signature program feature and have been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the #1 Online Graduate Education Programs in the nation.

List of Figures
List of Tables
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
1. Facilitating the Professional Development of Others: The Role of Action Research and Professional Learning Communities
What Constitutes Powerful Professional Development?
What Is Action Research?
What Are Professional Learning Communities?
How Can Action Research and Professional Learning Communities Become the Dynamic Duo?
What¿s in a Name?: The Importance of Clarifying Language
What Might an Inquiry-Oriented Professional Learning Community Look Like?
2. Establishing and Maintaining a Healthy Inquiry-Oriented PLC
Ten Essential Elements of Healthy Inquiry-Oriented PLCs
Assessing the Health of Your PLC
Using Action Research to Advance Inquiry-Oriented PLC Work
3. Helping PLC Members Locate a Wondering
The Wondering Playground
The Wondering Litmus Test
Looking Across the Litmus Test Questions and Stories
4. Helping PLC Members Develop an Action Research Plan
Facilitating the Development of an Inquiry Brief: The Inquiry-Planning Meeting
The Inquiry Brief Litmus Test
5. Helping PLC Members Analyze Data
Data Analysis for the Action Researcher: A Review
Coaching Analysis: The Data Analysis Meeting
6. Helping PLC Members Share Their Work With Others
The Importance of Sharing: A Review
Creating a Space and Time for Sharing
Sharing PLC Inquiry Work With a Larger Audience
Four Core Components of Sharing
7. From Good to Great: Lessons Learned in Coaching an Inquiry-Oriented PLC
One Dozen Lessons for Coaching Inquiry-Oriented PLCs
References
Index