PLC at Work in High-Performing Schools

CHAPTER 1

PLC at Work in HighPerforming Schools

Timothy S. Stuart

Moving from a teaching-focused school to a learning-focused school is a challenging undertaking. It is even more challenging if the teaching and learning are already above average, such as in high-performing schools. The promise of increased learning is less compelling if student learning targets are already being met. There is little sense of urgency, and the fear of disrupting—or even destroying—the magic that is already happening in these schools academically can be a significant inhibitor of change.

For many high-performing schools, a more compelling argument takes shape about the quest for continuous improvement and professional growth. The opportunity to learn from and with the outstanding educator next door is huge. For teachers in high-performing schools, the single biggest benefit of the professional learning community (PLC) process is the unmatched professional growth that comes with becoming vulnerable enough with colleagues to be willing to challenge every teaching strategy, assessment item, and intervention method to better serve students.

At a schoolwide level, PLCs create the infrastructure to deliver on the promises we make to our community members: the ability to guarantee that we will do everything in our power to ensure every student learns the intended curriculum, is assessed in a fair and consistent manner, and receives timely, formative feedback and interventions when needed.

One of the advantages of schools that have embraced or are in the process of moving toward an International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum is that they can