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PLC M A G A Z I N E Summer 2018
F I N D YO U R S U N S H I N E
all things
PLC M A G A Z I N E
Summer 2018
Features Celebrating in a PLC
Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker, Thomas W. Many, and Mike Mattos Celebrating is a critical step.
Building Systems and Structures to Support Your PLC Regina Stephens Owens
Connectivity and interdependence in a PLC.
Is Your Community Part of Your Professional Learning Community? Nathaniel Provencia and Deborah Ellis Engaging parents and communities.
Introducing the 2018 DuFour Award Winner Greg Grana
The envelope, please!
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To o l s & R e s o u rc e s fo r I n s p i ra t i o n a n d E xce l l e n ce
First thing
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Step up!
ICYMI
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Short bits you might have missed.
FAQs about PLCs
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How long does it take to become a PLC?
Learning champion
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Sarah Schuhl: Together we can do more.
PLC clinic
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Motivating reluctant teachers.
Words matter
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Crossword puzzle.
Data quest
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A data discussion tool for assessment results.
The recommender
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The what, why, how, and now what of assessment.
Skill shop
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Recording observations.
Classic R&D
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Impacting student learning.
Contemporary R&D
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Investigating students as assessment-capable learners.
Why I love PLCs The PLC game plan.
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SOLUTION TREE: CEO Jeffrey C. Jones
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PRESIDENT Edmund M. Ackerman SOLUTION TREE PRESS:
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PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER Douglas M. Rife ART DIRECTOR Rian Anderson PAGE DESIGNERS Abigail Bowen, Laura Cox, Rian Anderson
AllThingsPLC (ISSN 2476-2571 [print], 2476-258X [Online]) is published four times a year by Solution Tree Press. 555 North Morton Street Bloomington, IN 47404 800.733.6786 (toll free) / 812.336.7700 FAX: 812.336.7790 email: info@SolutionTree.com SolutionTree.com POSTMASTER Send address changes to Solution Tree, 555 North Morton Street, Bloomington, IN, 47404 Copyright © 2018 by Solution Tree Press
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R
ecently, there have been many impressive, galvanizing movements calling people to action: the Parkland students marching for gun control, the #MeToo movement sounding the clarion call for women’s rights, the I Am activists echoing MLK’s appeal for social justice in the 50th year celebration of his life, and the recent statewide teachers’ marches on state capitols in search of equitable pay and improved school funding. It seems people of all ages, races, and beliefs are finding their voices and stepping up for justice. It’s inspiring to watch the emboldened take action when it is in the service of a greater good. It reminds me of the moral imperative brave educators must invoke daily in schools as they challenge the status quo in favor of serving students and maximizing learning. The collective commitments educators make to each other when agreeing to function as a Professional Learning Community at WorkTM are more than pretty words on a page; those commitments are the bedrock of how educators become mutually responsible for ensuring all students are successful. Collective commitments, a feature of the Values pillar in the PLC foundation, outline the pledges staff members make to one another regarding how they will think and act as they commit to improve their school collaboratively. Statements such as “I will be a positive and contributing member
to all team work” and “I commit to implement team decisions in good faith, even when I may have disagreed with the decision initially” provide team members with clear and actionable guidelines as to how they will bring the vision and mission to life in their school. Equally, if not more, important, such statements offer team members the language required to positively influence or productively challenge any colleagues who are not supporting the work at hand. Leadership is a shared responsibility in a collaborative school. For team members to be empowered, however, individual teachers require the tools and language necessary to allow them to step up! Too often a silent majority allows a vocal and sometimes negative minority to dictate what does and doesn’t get done at the team and school levels. Frequently, I am asked by well-intentioned but frustrated teachers how they can best deal with professional bullying
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within their teams. This is always a sign that shared values are not in place, or if the statements have been written, they are not shared commitments and they are not being leveraged to create the positive social pressure required to prohibit the off-task (at best) or unprofessional (at worst) behaviors of a few who are blocking their progress. Living our mission to ensure all students succeed at high levels requires renovating educational practices and rethinking time-honored structures. Everyone on this journey will need courage and commitment. Like the energizing movements forming about us today, educators too must step up daily.
Cassandra Erkens Cassandra Erkens is a presenter, facilitator, coach, trainer of trainers, keynote speaker, author, and above all, a teacher.
The third edition has more depth, more immediacy, more attention to common mistakes, more tools, and more focus on impact.” —Michael Fullan, professor emeritus, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
Achieve Better Results Discover how to close the knowing-doing gap and transform your school or district into a high-performing PLC. The powerful third edition of this comprehensive action guide updates and expands on new and significant PLC topics. Ideal for: Collaborative Study | Enrichment | Onboarding New Staff
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SolutionTree.com/LearningbyDoing | 855.804.8541
WHERE ARE YOU ON YOUR PLC JOURNEY? The PLC at Work™ process is increasingly recognized as the most powerful strategy for sustained, substantive school improvement. Whether you’re just beginning to develop your school’s mission, vision, values, and goals, or want to deepen your existing PLC practices, our PLC Navigator Quiz can help. Take the quiz to pinpoint your PLC’s progress and get customized recommendations for next steps based on the results. The mission, vision, values, and goals are the building blocks of a PLC, and the navigator can shed light on where you are on the journey.
MISSION
WHY?
VISION
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HOW?
GOALS
HOW?
Why do we exist?
What must our school become to accomplish our purpose?
How must we behave to achieve our vision?
How will we mark our progress?
FUNDAMENTAL PURPOSE
COMPELLING FUTURE
COLLECTIVE COMMITMENTS
TARGETS & TIMELINES
GUIDES
ESTABLISHES
CLARIFIES
PRIORITIES AND SHARPENS FOCUS
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Talking to Kids About School Shootings With the widespread media response to the Parkland school shooting, kids across the nation are struggling with fear and confusion and have questions, many of which are difficult to answer. NPR and Melissa Reeves, former president of the National Association of School Psychologists, have put together a primer to help teachers and parents talk to children about the recent tragedies.
haven’t caught up are a handful of Hispanic groups and they’re sizeable. But it’s not all Hispanic groups.” Read more: “In Education, Most Immigrants Outpace Americans,” by Jill Barshay of The Hechinger Report. US News & World Report. https://goo.gl /XSdKve
Four-Day School Week
Read more: “How to Talk With Kids About Terrible Things,” by Cory Turner. NPR Ed. https://goo.gl/nU2qkN
Immigrants Outpace Americans In a paper distributed by the National Bureau of Economic Research, two economists indicate that the majority of present-day immigrants are achieving their American dreams. According to one of the coauthors, “there’s not really a problem with immigrant integration. By the second generation, the children of immigrants have more education than a typical American. The only groups that
Districts are turning to the four-day school week for a number of reasons— attracting teachers foremost on the list. Many rural districts have done this for decades, but now urban districts are considering the switch as well. To accomplish this, the state must pass legislation that allows instructional time to be counted by the hour rather than by the week. So, students aren’t missing out on instructional time, but does such a compressed schedule benefit all stakeholders? This article looks at the pros, cons, and data referencing a four-day school week.
Read more: “Why More School Districts Are Holding Class Just Four Days A Week,” by Sophie Quinton. Huffington Post. https://goo.gl/YrC56i
Discipline Report The United States Government Accountability Office has released a new report finding widespread disparities in discipline among K–12 schools. In particular, black students, boys, and students with disabilities were disproportionately disciplined. The report examines “(1) patterns in disciplinary actions among public schools, (2) challenges selected school districts reported with student behavior and how they are approaching school discipline, and (3) actions Education and Justice have taken to identify and address disparities or discrimination in school discipline.”
Read more: "K–12 Education: Discipline Disparities for Black Students, Boys, and Students with Disabilities," by US Government Accountability Office. https://goo.gl/JpYwpp
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Across 2. protocols 3. attainable 6. enrichment 7. culture 9. collaboration 11. norms 13. extension 14. consensus 17. team 18. vision 19. endurance
Words Matter
Down 1. community 4. intervention 5. learning 8. professional 10. mindset 12. mission 15. values 16. goals
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2. Agreed-on guidelines that promote efficient and effective conversations about teaching and learning 3. Goals perceived as achievable by those who set them 6. The subjects traditionally taught by specials or elective teachers (for example, music, art, drama, applied technology, and physical education) and the activities often used to enrich learning (for example, field trips and assemblies) 7. The assumptions, beliefs, values, expectations, and habits that constitute the norm for the school and guide the work of the educators within it 9. A systematic process in which people work together, interdependently, to analyze and impact professional practice in order to improve individual and collective results 11. Collective commitments developed by each team to guide members in working together 13. When students are stretched beyond essential grade-level curriculum or levels of proficiency 14. Achieved when (1) all points of view have not only been heard but also solicited, and (2) the will of the group is evident even to those who most oppose it
common goal for which members are mutually accountable 18. A realistic, credible, attractive future for an organization 19. The quality that defines knowledge, skills, and dispositions students are expected to retain over time as opposed to those they merely learn for a test
DOWN 1. A group linked by common interests 4. Anything a school does, above and beyond what all students receive, that helps a student succeed in school 5. The acquisition of new knowledge or skills through ongoing action and perpetual curiosity 8. Someone with expertise in a specialized field 10. A theory Carol S. Dweck presented regarding assumptions dealing with intelligence and success 12. The fundamental purpose of an organization 15. The specific attitudes, behaviors, and collective commitments that must be demonstrated in order to advance the organization’s vision 16. Measurable milestones that can be used to assess progress in advancing toward a vision
Created with TheTeachersCorner.net Crossword Puzzle Generator Summer 2018/AllThingsPLC Magazine
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CING THE 2 U D O 018 R T N I
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BY GREG GRANA
he journey is the reward. We have all heard that saying, but what is our journey in education? Is it a journey of personal success? Or, is it a journey to ensure the success of every student in the building? When I walk into the sunset at the end of my career, I want to be someone who was not recognized as an individual but one who contributed to a much larger purpose: to be a member of a school team that worked together to make our learning environment the best place to be for all children.
On February 22 of this year, as the leader of Woodlawn Middle School in Long Grove, Illinois, a part of School District 96, I accepted the DuFour Award with the utmost pride and gratitude. Our PLC journey had a moment of pause and celebration. We were able to take a breath, reflect on our accomplishment, and enjoy that very special moment of our journey. As you read this article, my goal is to paint the picture of how Woodlawn and District 96 were able to succeed in our journey of building and sustaining a
Ensure every child reaches his or her maximum potential To become the premier elementary school district in the nation • Model for others what we expect from others • Every child, every school, every day • Best practice, not first practice • Learning has no boundaries • Celebrate success
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high-performing school using the PLC model. It is important to note that each and every PLC has unique qualities that define who they are as a school or district. When I meet with and discuss systematic work with other school professionals who truly live the PLC model, I learn the way they approach challenging areas and then take those outstanding ideas back to my staff. In my journey as a PLC principal, this has been one of my favorite experiences. I am always learning from others because there are no secrets in the work that any of us do within the PLC model. Teachers, administrators, and all professionals love to share their success stories. Woodlawn has lived the PLC model, and we want to share with the world how the journey began and how our success has been sustainable.
Our school district, Kildeer Countryside School District 96, embarked on the PLC journey as an entire district. This meant that all seven schools—one early childhood / kindergarten center, four elementary schools, and two middle schools—along with the entire district office administrative team and the board of education committed to the process. We examined and reevaluated our district mission to
include our vision and values for everyone to see. Clarity to each of these areas provided a focus as we entered our new era. Our mission looked very familiar to every other mission statement across the country. Early on in our journey, we believed that every child could reach his or her maximum potential; now we live it on a daily basis. District 96 values are referred to all of the time in our current work, and as you read through our journey, you will be able to see how and where we continue to use them today. Our vision was something different and much stronger. Proclaiming that we were going to be the best elementary school district in the nation was a bold statement. The bar was now set at being the best, and anything less than that wasn’t what we were aiming for. It also opened the door for criticism when people didn’t get what they wanted. “My child isn’t offered a gifted program; how can we be premier?” “We don’t have a weight room for PE; how can we be premier?” “The teachers’ lounge fridge is broken; how can we be premier?” Eventually, after many discussions, noting that we were committed to the model and experiencing PLC systems in action, district staff began to understand our direction and where we were heading. Currently, all seven of our district schools are model PLCs. Every child, every school, every day. Our administrative team meetings are focused. Building-level administrators are not in competition with each other as schools; instead, we are a cohesive team looking to gain a concentrated focus on where we can improve in each building. Examining our process from a Woodlawn point of view, our journey has been special. We were a brand-new school in 1999. Teachers from around
our district were brought together into our new environment, acknowledging that we all had different experiences and educational philosophies. Although we had a positive and dedicated group of professionals working together, there was no curriculum map or pacing guides available to our teachers. Teachers taught what they liked to teach, not what students needed to learn. There was time to meet and discuss as interdisciplinary teams but no guidance in what was being discussed. Items like field trips, treat days, pep assemblies, and students who had disciplinary issues were the hottest and most revisited topics. None of our teams were meeting as content teams, and each teacher gave his or her own assessments. Once we began our journey and started looking at the three big ideas of a collaborative culture, results orientation, and a focus on student learning, we knew that changes had to be made. As the purpose of our meetings
“We went from dealing with issues to finding ways to get results for students as a team.” —Kim Miller, social studies teacher became clear based on the needs of our students, we implemented agendas for all meetings, ensuring that we were focused on those three big ideas of a PLC. As collaboration among colleagues improved, we focused on moving all students forward in their learning. We created common formative assessments, analyzed data, and had meaningful discussions around next instructional steps. All content areas
Summer 2018/AllThingsPLC Magazine
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were able to see positive results in student data from a variety of sources, including our standardized test results. We continued to refine our PLC practices, and our culture of depending on each other continued to grow. Staff members came to meetings prepared to talk about data and our instructional practices that made a difference in students’ learning. By examining our district values, we modeled for others what we expected from others. We realized that in order to have meaningful discussions, we had to be prepared for the discussions when we entered the meeting, not try to figure it out during the meeting. Noting that we were making very positive strides, it became apparent to the staff that our work as a PLC was never going to be done. As a staff, we began to understand and embrace what the PLC model had to offer. We learned to unpack learning standards, create pacing guides, write assessments, and analyze student data to make our instructional decisions. Through the years, we continued to improve our systems. We currently go through in minutes processes that used to take days to accomplish. Improving in this way has allowed us to focus deeper on our data and instructional practices, ensuring that we are meeting the needs of every child.
In Getting Started, Bob Eaker, Rick DuFour, and Becky DuFour (2002) state, “Leadership is the dynamic that pulls together all the various elements of a professional learning community and maintains and supports them” (p. 84). My experience as principal says that this is 100 percent essential for the success of your PLC. Before you think that I am patting myself on the back, please note that our leadership comes from a variety of sources. At Woodlawn, we have created a system where all faculty members have an opportunity to share leadership 38
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both inside our building and at our district level. Whether you are a teacher in a team meeting, a team leader, an instructional coach, a committee member, an assistant principal, or even the principal, you are going to be counted on to share your strengths. Woodlawn teachers have the shared goal of serving as positive, problem-solving team members who are student-focused on solutions, enhancing student performance. Our teachers are exposed to many types of leadership opportunities, regardless of their experience. For example, once a new teacher joins our staff
“When you work with wonderful colleagues who always do their best, you want to be the best as well.” —Erin Cooper, seventh-grade language arts teacher
and is in the building, she begins working with colleagues, teams, and administration to build on her craft, learning how our systems work for the academic improvement of all students, or as we call it, the Woodlawn way. Our weekly faculty meetings focus on staff members modeling their best educational practices, showing staff ways to further engage their students and become the best teachers possible. Every teacher on our staff knows the district expectation that continued learning and growth for every professional is the best way to meet the needs of our students. Within our PLC, our instructional coaches consistently meet with teachers, co-teach and observe lessons, give feedback, and encourage staff members to present for their
colleagues. As a building and district, we believe that our best staff development comes from within our walls. Our teaching and coaching staff share their personal classroom knowledge and experience, ensuring the highestquality lessons for all students. When we talk about our values as a district, “best practice, not first practice” is what we believe. We continually refine our teaching practices, so it is not uncommon to have many colleagues visit a teacher in another classroom to see a new strategy in action. Woodlawn and District 96 staff members are also given opportunities to lead or present at district job-alike meetings based on what is happening in their classrooms. Working within our consortium of six school districts that feed into one high school, Stevenson High School, Woodlawn teachers are often asked to present the learning to teachers in grades 6–12. From my administrative point of view, “the leader’s role in a professional learning community is to promote, protect, and defend the school’s vision and values and to confront behavior that is inconsistent with the school’s vision and values” (Eaker, DuFour, & DuFour, 2002, p. 27). Through the years, we have been able to have honest, difficult conversations when things aren’t going well or start to slip, which keeps our focus on student learning. Every individual in our building has to be on board with our purpose at all times. This was especially apparent in our early years as a PLC. The work we were doing as a staff wasn’t optional participation; it couldn’t be if we wanted to see success. The overall leadership and strength of all teachers as a professional learning community define our staff. I rely on one person from each team to be a leadership team member. This team leader is part of our guiding coalition, which introduces important items to teams and makes decisions that impact the
whole school. These leaders have to ask the right questions, facilitate dialogue, and build on our shared knowledge as a staff. Their experience in the classroom is crucial to the direction of our school. Regardless of the role, whether a teacher in a team meeting, a team leader, or an instructional coach, the Woodlawn staff have known for years that they were accomplishing great things because of the work that they were doing together.
The culture of Woodlawn is amazing. During our first years as a building, there was always a “whatever it takes” kind of attitude. We worked well together, but it wasn’t until we became a PLC that our success skyrocketed. As a district administrative team, we did a book study on Professional Learning Communities at Work (DuFour & Eaker, 1998). As we discussed the future direction of our work, one quote stood out to me that helped guide my thinking: “Learning organizations are not content merely to describe the future they seek; they also articulate and promote the attitudes, behaviors, and collective commitments that must exist to create that future” (p. 89). Through the years, we have refined our cultural focus and continue to respect the work that needs to be done. Within our PLC, we believe that our strong collaborative culture has grown and allows our students to achieve at exceptionally high levels. Through the years, our staff has learned that they will never be in isolation, trying to figure out a problem by themselves. When referring to the Woodlawn way, we discuss what we value within our school, ensuring that everyone is accountable for his or her interactions within our PLC. We expect all stakeholders to embrace the Woodlawn virtues of empathy, kindness, and respect, improving on the golden rule by treating others how they want to be treated.
Our ongoing culture of collaboration and teamwork makes for a positive work environment. We have had great consistency as a staff. However, over time, more than half of the Woodlawn staff has either retired, moved on to another school, or taken a district-level position in either coaching or administration. Through all of this, the constant in our building has been our PLC model and, simply put, our results and our work continue to improve. One of our most powerful moments as a faculty came a number of years ago when something special happened at our beginning-of-the-year meeting. I began talking about a new initiative that was going to challenge our staff. Instead of questions like “Why are we doing this?” and “Where is this coming from?” staff members began discussing how this was going to get accomplished within our PLC. I honestly felt that we had arrived as a high-functioning PLC. Woodlawn has always been a staff that appreciates each other and points out the wonderful stories that colleagues are accomplishing. Although a district value, celebrating success is something the Woodlawn staff does naturally.
“From the first day that you arrive at Woodlawn, you immediately get the sense that everyone is there for you and wants you to succeed. But it is deeper than that. Staff members push your thinking and want you to challenge the work they are doing.” —Meghan Bird, assistant principal
We are an ever-evolving system, depending on what our needs dictate. Through our time as a PLC, we have experienced numerous changes in curriculum, shifts in cultural backgrounds of students, and changes in grading systems, just to name a few adjustments. Each time, we have worked with staff members throughout our district collaboratively to ensure that all stakeholders have a voice. Most recently, we needed to examine our middle school schedule, considering the inclusion of an intervention during our school day. Learning by Doing (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, Many, & Summer 2018/AllThingsPLC Magazine
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Why I Love PLCs The PLC Game Plan
BY PAULA MAEKER
I love college football, and admittedly, I’m a hot mess during games. When my team is losing (or not winning by the margin I feel is comfortable enough), I find myself screaming things like, “What is wrong with you?” and “A toddler could’ve caught that ball!” My husband, in the spirit of building shared knowledge, tries to explain, “They should have rolled the QB out of the pocket; the defense’s rush is too strong up the middle,” and “The receivers have got to run a quicker route. If the coach will adjust the plays for the strengths of this offense, they’ll have opportunities.” While I’m reacting to the game in anticipation of a win or loss, my husband is actively engaged in creating a plan to move the team down the field. He sees a path. He has a deep understanding of the foundation of the game, analyzes possible outcomes, outlines an informed plan, trusts that the coach has given the players the strategies and skills they need, and relies on the collaboration of the team to execute. Meanwhile, I’m just yelling at people who can’t hear me and hoping for better results. In many of the schools I’ve served on this journey, the work of the PLC process looks a lot like my husband’s systematic approach to the role of armchair quarterback. We have to create a path to the goal. 1. Have a deep understanding of the game.
When campuses mobilized teams to begin the PLC process, it was essential to start by establishing the school’s guiding mission, vision, values, and goals. When the why of the work was clear, we started with the first question in the PLC process: What do we want students to learn? We identified and dissected essential learning targets for each unit. Teams broke down each standard to develop models of mastery at every level of the learning continuum, so students knew their next best steps to reaching their goals.
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Teams analyzed possible misconceptions and created their own playbook of strategies to overcome them. The deeper our understanding of the learning, the better we were able to respond with a personalized and differentiated approach. 2. Analyze the outcomes.
As teams began to tackle the second question of the PLC process—How will we know if they’ve learned it?—we often had to shift how we approached assessment. Teams worked to build shared knowledge and change their mindset from using data to sort and rank students to focusing on how formative assessments could provide feedback on our teaching practices. We utilized systems and protocols to analyze our evidence of effectiveness and develop a plan to ensure mastery for every student.
ways to build capacity in our players and created a guiding coalition to share leadership in our work. We also celebrated every win along the way, no matter how small. There is always something going right. 5. Trust the team to execute the plan.
Nick Saban, a pretty famous football guy, said, “Know what you want to accomplish, and focus on the process rather than the outcome.” Teams that are working interdependently for a common goal and holding each other mutually accountable for that success are seeing significant gains in student achievement. If we are willing to create a game plan around the four guiding questions of the PLC process, kids win! And this is why I love PLCs (and college football)!
3. Create a plan of action.
Although teams wanted to reengage or extend learning for students to answer the question, What will we do when they do and do not learn?, we found that we lacked the structures for a systemwide response. We had to create a plan that would provide the opportunity for every student to have the additional time, supports, and resources he or she would need to master essential learning targets. An additional instructional block was carved out within our school day to ensure targeted and personalized instruction would be provided for every child without any loss of core instruction.
4.Support teams with the skills and strategies they need.
Rick DuFour stated, “Teams don’t need to be supervised. They need to be supported.” Leadership should continually evaluate what tools and resources teams need to be successful. Do they have the time to do this work effectively? What barriers can we break down to cultivate this culture? We sought
PAULA MAEKER is an educator,
consultant, and advocate for learnercentered education. She has more than 17 years’ experience as an elementary teacher, literacy specialist, instructional coach, program coordinator, and administrator.
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Discussion Questions
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Use this convenient tear-out card to go over and reinforce the topics discussed in this issue with the members of your team.
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Celebrating in a PLC (p. 10) 1. 2. 3.
What gets publicly celebrated in our school? Do our public celebrations reinforce our purpose and priorities? Have we created opportunities for lots of people in our organization to be recognized and celebrated?
Building Systems and Structures to Support Your PLC (p. 15) 1. 2. 3. 4.
5.
Parts: Do we have a system that works? Have we considered all the systems and data they produce? Structures: Do we have an efficient and effective way to capture and communicate the data? Have we articulated to each team the data points for which they are responsible? Do their agendas or SMART goals reflect the priorities? Behaviors: Do we have protocols that govern our behavior regarding data and continuous improvement? Timing: Have we considered a campuswide calendar of when data are reported? Have we considered the interconnectivity of all meetings and if the information shared is causing our system to produce the desired results? Are the meetings aligned for a quality instructional response? Efficiency and effectiveness: Is our system efficient and effective?
Is Your Community Part of Your Professional Learning Community? (p. 28) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
What data do we have that show us where we are with family involvement? What is our current reality when it comes to family involvement? What reasons exist that relate to our current reality? What actions as a school community do we have control over that may be holding us back? Based on our current reality with family engagement, what would our SMART goal be to address our need? What data will we use to monitor this goal, and how often will we monitor it? Who will be a part of our guiding coalition to monitor this goal? What resources and materials will we need to assist us with this goal? How do we currently define parent engagement and volunteering? What businesses and community partnerships do we currently utilize to assist our staff, students, and families? How customer friendly is our current school environment? What perceptions does our greater community have about our school?
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Refresher Course Because everyone needs a reminder now and again.
The 3 Big Ideas of a PLC 1. FOCUS ON LEARNING 2. BUILD A COLLABORATIVE CULTURE 3. FOCUS ON RESULTS
1
The fundamental purpose of the school is to ensure high levels of learning for all students. This focus on learning translates into four critical questions that drive the daily work of the school. In PLCs, educators demonstrate their commitment to helping all students learn by working collaboratively to address the following critical questions: 1. What do we want students to learn? What should each student know and be able to do as a result of each unit, grade level, and/or course? 2. How will we know if they have learned? Are we monitoring each student’s learning on a timely basis? 3. What will we do if they don’t learn? What systematic process is in place to provide additional time and support for students who are experiencing difficulty?
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4. What will we do if they already know it?
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