Leading Impact Teams authors Paul J. Bloomberg, EdD and Barb Pitchford began their work together accidentally. Both Paul and Barb were relatively new to consulting at that time, having spent their careers to date first as faculty members in schools and districts and finally as principals.
As consultants, Paul and Barb occasionally worked with the same schools and districts. They discovered a shared, deep-seated passion for trying to truly make a difference for kids and a bone-deep belief in the extraordinary capacity of teachers. They found themselves trading ideas, experiences, and new knowledge more and more. They both believed that teachers do serious heavy lifting and need ways to lighter their load while simultaneously increasing impact on student learning.
At the same time, John Hattie came up on Paul and Barb’s radars. Professor Hattie’s contributions to what works best in education combined with their knowledge from other education thought leaders and researchers moved Paul and Barb to focus on two distinct and interrelated high-impact practices: teacher collaboration and the formative assessment process. Paul and Barb’s combined focus became a best-selling book, Leading Impact Teams: Building a Culture of Efficacy and formed the basis of their consulting practices. In the fall of 2023, they joined forces again to write and published the second edition, Leading Impact Teams: Building a Culture of Efficacy and Agency, available through Mimi & Todd Press.
