Question: I lead a study group once a month for interested colleagues after school, and attendance is pathetic. What am I doing wrong?

Answer: There may be many reasons why you're having trouble attracting teachers to your study group. Whenever we've faced the same problem, we begin by making sure we have the basics in place:

• We start and end group meetings on time. One hour is plenty-if the format is any longer, in our experience attendance drops off dramatically. If we show up late, or meander past the scheduled end time, colleagues won't be able to plan professional responsibilities, not to mention day care and doctors' appointments, around the group.
• We try not to cancel unless there is a true need, and then only rarely. If participants have juggled their schedules to attend, they will be frustrated and less invested in the future if they find the meeting has been cancelled at the last minute.
• We don't change the meeting schedule. We get our study group plans and dates in the school's master schedule at the earliest possible date, and do everything we can to ensure administrators and colleagues put a bubble around those dates.
• We try always to be prepared. No matter how frazzled we are from the inevitable distractions of the day, we want the study group to feel like a calm, safe haven-with any materials laid out for participants at the center of the table, and us greeting everyone as they come in.
• We serve light refreshments. It's certain at least one group member had to skip lunch because of a meeting or minor class emergency, and a cool drink or hot coffee goes a long way in reviving the interest of a tired colleague who is thinking of skipping a session.
• We prime the pump. In the day or two before the group meeting, we check in with group members informally through email, or even better, a quick stop at their classroom to remind them of the meeting. It helps if we encourage them to share something specific at the meeting (i.e., "You know how we were talking about that interesting comment Jared made in your Tiger Rising book discussion last week? Make sure you share that with the study group tomorrow. I know they will enjoy it as much as I did...").

If we've got the basics down, and attendance is still poor, we consider other possibilities for boosting attendance:

• Is the topic or material boring? Even if the topic was selected by participants, it may be that the discussion has run its course. Nothing kills a group faster than support materials like books, essays or videos that are full of jargon or too removed from the classroom. Maybe it's time for an honest chat about the relevance of the topic, with suggestions of alternative topics if the group wants to change course.
• Does the topic have a clear focus? Our challenge is to make sure study group sessions don't degenerate into desultory discussions of the latest administrative decision that has the staff buzzing. There will always be issues of the day at school that need discussion-just not at study groups, which are a place for focused learning, inquiry and support for innovative teaching.
• Are we providing extras at each session that encourage participation? It's the personal touches that keep some study group members engaged-new journals or cool post-its for trying out a strategy discussed, a one-page description of an activity linked to the topic photocopied and distributed at the end of the session, even a different snack for the group. Teachers are never pampered professionally. Our thoughtfulness in thinking of basic needs will go a long way towards building support and a sense of community.
• Is it the wrong time or format for our school community? Teachers do face unique challenges at different points in their careers when it comes to attending sessions before or after school. They may be breastfeeding an infant, caring for an infirm parent, or juggling graduate courses for a new certification. For creative suggestions of ways to involve teachers who can't attend many study group meetings, click here.
• Is one group member killing the community? This is the toughest challenge to address, and perhaps the most important. If one group member dominates, or closes off discussion in nonverbal ways, colleagues will opt out. For more advice on dealing with the difficult group member, check out the article [link here ].

We get discouraged when our study group attendance drops, too. One thing we've discovered is that groups evolve and change as the needs of our colleagues change. Sometimes low attendance is just the catalyst we need for discovering new topics, structures, and formats which better serve our school community.

©Choice Literacy. All rights reserved.

Literacy Coach Confidential answers the toughest questions posed by literacy coaches, study group leaders, and teacher mentors.

Do you have advice for boosting study group attendance? Email us with your suggestion using our handy contact form. We'll include member suggestions as a postscript to this article at a future date.

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