PLC things all First Thing

Answering the How

Hector Garcia

SOLUTION TREE:

CEO

Jeffrey C. Jones

PRESIDENT

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Edmund M. Ackerman

SOLUTION TREE PRESS: PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER

Douglas M. Rife

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ART DIRECTOR

Rian Anderson

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Laura Cox, Abigail Bowen, Kelsey Hergül, Fabiana Cochran, Julie Csizmadia, Rian Anderson

Overthe years, compounding evidence has proven the power of implementing the Professional Learning Community at Work process. There are now hundreds of schools, in virtually every state and around the world, that have transformed their culture and improved student performance using the PLC process. (Please visit the AllThingsPLC locator at www.allthingsplc.info/plc-locator/us to learn more about specific schools near you.) Yet it is painfully evident that many school districts have struggled to implement the PLC principles for various reasons. While it is impossible to address all of the challenging factors, sometimes it just comes down to answering the “how.” While this topic has been covered in many ways, looking through a practitioner’s lens might help uncover new insight or generate new ideas. In Learning by Doing (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2010), the authors contend that there are ve essential areas that district leaders need to address in order to e ectively implement PLC principles.

1. Clarify priorities.

2. Set speci c conditions.

3. Align leadership behaviors with the articulated purpose and priorities.

4. Establish indicators of progress to be monitored carefully.

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5. Build the capacity of people throughout the organization to succeed in what they are being called on to do.

Since the term professional learning community has become ubiquitous in American schools, it is easy for educators to de ne it in various ways. Multiple de nitions and interpretations o er a unique challenge for school administrators and sta at every level. A district administrator who struggles to clearly articulate the key principles of a PLC at Work and the artifacts that need to be produced will inevitably create widespread confusion or low-level compliance.

One of the critical ways to solidify and clarify the priorities is to establish a road map for the district that outlines the work. is can take the form of a one-page document that outlines what is meant by establishing collaborative teams, the four critical questions, and the essential components that will ensure everyone is pursuing a common goal. e road map outlines the speci c conditions that must be created in each school and the key artifacts associated with each component. is helps center conversations when monitoring progress with district and building administrators throughout the year. is alignment of purpose within recurring opportunities for discussion ensures that it doesn’t become an initiative or “good idea” with a limited lifespan. Instead, the road map becomes the rst step on the journey of continuous improvement in terms of staying focused, monitoring progress, and building the capacity of leaders and sta members along the way.

Maintaining focus on goals and key priorities is one of the most challenging aspects for schools and districts since multiple demands and pressures constantly bombard them. is is why it’s essential to maintain a level of simplicity in terms of what is necessary. Only then can districts mitigate those other strategies that begin to rob them of their focus, energy, and ability to sustain initiatives.

At the building level, focus and progress monitoring come in the form of ltering out distractions by staying committed to a limited number of the building committees. For example, one highly e ective principal used her three committees (Curriculum, Safety, and Wellness) to limit the number of new initiatives and monitor the progress of the current work around their PLC e orts.

At the district level, focus comes in the form of engaging district and building leaders in trimester feedback meetings at every school. Feedback meetings serve multiple purposes, but primarily, they give administrators an opportunity to reinforce the importance of implementing PLC principles, reviewing student data, monitoring overall progress, and discussing challenges or obstacles. At the start of the school year, district and building administrators review the road map and clarify expectations and concerns. At subsequent meetings, the principal walks through the year’s priorities aligned to the road map, reviews student data that highlight the school’s progress using di erent data points, and states the next steps in terms of improvement. roughout the presentation, district administrators can ask clarifying questions and, more importantly, better understand how they can support the principal or sta . is process also ensures that the school district remains focused on the critical work despite any external pressures or distractions.

District administrators also face the challenge of nding time to build the capacity of leaders to guide sta members throughout the implementation continuum with limited professional development time in the school year. One school district altered their districtwide meetings to include a 15- to 30-minute professional development period to ensure they were building the capacity and expertise of every administrator. e new format allowed the district to also reinforce key messages, discuss new skills, and, most importantly, hear one common message.

While the journey to establish a districtwide Professional Learning Community at Work can be arduous, the foundational components are within reach of every district administrator. By developing district clarity, establishing a process for monitoring progress, and creating opportunities for administrators to develop their skills and knowledge, school districts can facilitate the implementation of districtwide PLCs. Sometimes it’s about starting with simple practices that will ensure greater levels of commitment from building administrators and sta as well as avoid frustration or surface-level implementation.

Reference

DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & Many, T. (2010). Learning by doing: A handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work (2nd ed.). Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.