Collective Efficacy Center

Schools know collective efficacy matters. The challenge is knowing how to build it.

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Cut Through the Confusion Stop Leaving Efficacy to Chance Build Confident School Leaders Turn Belief into Action

FIRST Education Collective Efficacy Center

Cut Through the Confusion

Get clear on what collective efficacy actually is—and what it takes to build it.
Collective efficacy is one of the most powerful influences on student learning, but it is also one of the most misunderstood. We help schools move beyond buzzwords and misconceptions to develop a shared understanding of what collective efficacy is, what it isn’t, and the conditions that allow it to grow.

From there, we help teams identify where they are now and determine the next steps for strengthening collective efficacy across their school or district.

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Stop Leaving Efficacy to Chance

Collective efficacy doesn’t happen by accident. Build the conditions that allow it to grow.
We help schools strengthen the conditions that fuel collective efficacy, from shared goals and cohesive teacher knowledge to reflective practices, teacher empowerment, and supportive leadership. Rather than adding another initiative, we help leaders examine the systems and practices already in place and make them more conducive to collective success.

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Build Confident School Leaders

Before principals can build belief in others, they need confidence in their own ability to lead.
We help principals strengthen their individual and collective efficacy as instructional leaders, building the confidence, knowledge, and shared practices needed to navigate challenges, influence teaching and learning, and lead meaningful improvement.

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Turn Belief into Action

Move collective efficacy from something your staff understands to something they experience.
Collective efficacy is built through what educators repeatedly do together. We help schools translate the research into practical structures, routines, and collaborative practices that strengthen teachers’ belief in their collective ability to make a difference for students.

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Our Story

Collective Teacher Efficacy has received a lot of attention in education, and for good reason. It sits at the top of John Hattie’s list of influences that can positively impact student achievement. Because of that, more and more schools are talking about CTE and looking for ways to build it.

The challenge is that talking about Collective Teacher Efficacy and actually developing it are two very different things.

There is still a lot of confusion about what CTE really is, what it looks like in a school, and what leaders and teachers can actually do to strengthen it. As a result, many schools are putting time and energy into Collective Teacher Efficacy without seeing the impact on student learning they had hoped for.

Our work has been shaped through our partnership and collaboration with Dr. Jenni Donohoo, one of the leading voices in the world on Collective Teacher Efficacy. Jenni has spent years studying the research, writing about it, and working alongside schools to better understand what actually builds collective efficacy. Her work continues to play an important role in the work of the Collective Efficacy Center.

Together, we help schools move beyond CTE as another educational buzzword. We help educators develop a common understanding of what Collective Teacher Efficacy really means, identify the conditions that help it grow, and put practices in place that allow teachers to see the impact of their collective work.

Ultimately, we want schools to do more than believe Collective Teacher Efficacy is important. We want them to understand it, build it, and see the difference it can make for student learning.

Don Smith is the Director of the Collective Efficacy Center. He brings over two decades of hands-on experience in public education to his work as a consultant, author, and speaker. Starting his teaching career in 2003, Don spent 20 years serving in various capacities within schools. His leadership background includes roles as Director of Teaching and Learning for the Winneconne Community and Waupaca school districts, Principal at the Fond du Lac STEM Academy and Institute, and District Assessment Coordinator for the Fond du Lac Area School District.

Today, Don focuses his consulting efforts on Leader and Collective Teacher Efficacy, Standards-Based Learning, and School Schedule Reform. He frequently presents on leadership efficacy, drawing directly from his extensive background in school administration to support current school leaders. Don is the author of The Confidence to Lead: Building Principal and Collective Efficacy in Schools with Jenni Donohoo, and the co-author of Extinguishing the Fires of Assessment and Grading Reform and the guide Leveraging the Block Schedule for Student Learning Growth. He also co-hosts the popular show Fires in Grading. Through his writing, speaking, and consulting, Don works alongside educators to implement practical, research-based strategies that support student learning.