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Collaboration on a broader scale, partnering with higher education to build capacity

Posted on February 1st, 2012 by Marc Johnson

By Marc Johnson, PLC at Work™ associate and AASA superintendent of the year

One of the three big ideas of a Professional Learning Community is building a collaborative culture.  We build collaborative teams and relationships within our organizations to increase our capacity to meet the learning needs of every student.   As we began that work in Sanger Unified, we quickly …

Our State Adopted the Common Core Standards—Now What?

Posted on January 25th, 2012 by Chris Jakicic

By Chris Jakicic, PLC at Work™ author and associate
Follow Chris on Twitter: @cjakicic

Many schools and districts that have been implementing the PLC process are now wondering how to respond to the new Common Core Standards that their states have adopted. They’ve worked hard to respond to the four critical questions teams ask themselves: What do students need to …

What Teachers Need, Part 2

Posted on January 18th, 2012 by Janel Keating and Robert Eaker

By Bob Eaker and Janel Keating, PLC at Work™ authors and associates

This post is a continuation from last week’s post, What Teachers Need, Part 1.

Teachers need to work in collaborative teams with their colleagues. Yet, traditionally teachers have worked in isolation. Never before in the history of American public education have teachers been asked—in fact, directed—to ensure higher learning …

What Teachers Need, Part 1

Posted on January 11th, 2012 by Robert Eaker and Janel Keating

By Bob Eaker and Janel Keating, PLC at Work™ authors and associates

Increasingly, states are adopting more intensive and complex teacher evaluation systems.  While it is difficult to determine with any degree of accuracy the motivation behind these initiatives, most proponents of more stringent evaluation of teachers have proclaimed that a primary purpose is simply to “help teachers improve”.

One can …

Creating Buy-In for PLCs

Posted on January 4th, 2012 by Lillie Jessie

By Lillie G. Jessie, PLC at Work™ associate

It is not unusual to have persons excited about the Professional Learning Community concept but express concern that others will not “Buy-in.” Educators not buying into research-based strategies are pervasive according to Dr. John Hattie (2009). He says, “We have a rich research base…but rarely is it used.”  Ronald Ferguson, (2010) calls it …

Moving School Improvement Into the Classroom With SMART Goals

Posted on December 28th, 2011 by Dennis King

By Dennis King, PLC at Work™ associate and author
Follow @DrDennisKing on Twitter

School districts across the United States are faced with improving achievement for all students.  The complexity of this issue has resulted in the expansion of organized walkthroughs taking place to look for specific examples of instruction such as technology, clearly identified objectives, or examples of student …

A Powerful Tool for Student and Teacher Learning

Posted on December 21st, 2011 by Kenneth Williams

By Ken Williams, PLC at Work™ associate
Follow @unfoldthesoul on Twitter!

I remember early in my leadership constantly assessing where we were as a school and setting goals for where we needed to go as a school. With a clear vision in mind, we would chart incremental milestones and then celebrate breakthroughs.  The next step was to identify our next …

Classroom Observation Drives Instructional Practices

Posted on December 14th, 2011 by George Knights

By George Knights, PLC at Work™ associate and director of professional learning communities and K-12 assessment at Newport-Mesa Unified School District

Moving instructional practices forward at a school site can be a daunting task. Ask any principal, team leader, or department chair how easy it is to motivate colleagues to row in the same direction, even after the whole team agreed …

PLC Speakers Video Playlist

Posted on December 8th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

Here’s a great new resource for PLC admins and teachers – a playlist of speakers discussing the various aspects of PLCs. You can scroll through the videos below, or visit the playlist page on YouTube.

10 Steps to Creating a PLC Culture

Posted on December 6th, 2011 by Greg Kushnir

By Greg Kushnir, PLC at Work™ associate
Follow @gregkushnir on Twitter!

As a Solution Tree associate for the last 7 years, I have had the privilege of working with many groups of educators as they try to develop their Professional Learning Community (PLC). One of the things I try to make abundantly clear is that to become a PLC they must …

No Excuses for No Homework

Posted on December 2nd, 2011 by Steve Pearce

By Steve Pearce, PLC at Work™ associate and principal at Jane Addams Junior High School
Follow @StevePearce4 on Twitter

I’d wager that most middle grades teachers spend incredible amounts of time dealing with students and their homework issues. I’m also willing to bet that homework plays a major role in student failure at middle schools and high schools across …

How Can Elective Teachers Participate in the PLC Process?

Posted on November 30th, 2011 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

I received the following letter from the chairman of a Fine Arts Department. The question she raises is one facing all elective teachers.
“I have a question that I was hoping you could help me with. I am the department head for the fine arts department, and over the past 3 years we have had so much trouble …

Experimentation Within a Professional Learning Community

Posted on November 23rd, 2011 by Tom Koenigsberger

By: Tom Koenigsberger, PLC at Work™ associate

One of the Professional Learning Community’s critical questions is, “what do we do if the kids don’t know it.”  The answer is the Pyramid of Interventions.  The first and most important step on that pyramid is first best instruction (as the Dufours, and Eaker stated “No system of interventions will compensate for ineffective teaching.”, …

Do Our Behaviors Reflect Our Intentions?

Posted on November 16th, 2011 by Ginny Mahlke

By Ginny Mahlke, PLC at Work associate

Are we going where we think we are going?

Do our behaviors reflect our intentions in our Professional Learning Community?

This posting addresses schools that have been working as a PLC for a couple of years.  Rick DuFour says that the road to a PLC is full of parking lots where …

Free PLC Webinar With Rick and Becky DuFour

Posted on November 11th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

Join us on Monday, December 12 for a free webinar with Rick and Becky DuFour! The topic: “New Insights on How Effective PLCs Improve Schools.”

There has never been greater clarity and specificity about how to improve schools: educators must develop their collective capacity to function as a professional learning community. In …

Introducing: #atplc, a New PLC-Focused Twitter Chat

Posted on November 10th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

This week, we’re starting a weekly hashtag chat for educators interested in discussing Professional Learning Communities. For the past few months, educators have been using #atplc to share resources and ideas relevant to PLCs, and to connect with, inspire, and motivate each other. Now is your chance to join the conversation live!

All you need to participate is a Twitter account. …

It’s Not Pixie Dust, It’s Protocol

Posted on November 2nd, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

By Tom Many, coauthor of Aligning School Districts as PLCs and PLC at Work™ associate

This article originally appeared in the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association bimonthly newsletter, TEPSA News, and is posted here with their permission.
It’s Not Pixie Dust, It’s Protocol
Improving schools requires a high level of collaboration among and between teachers. Making time for collaboration …

Are Your Assessments Good, Not So Good, or…Great?

Posted on October 26th, 2011 by Janet Malone

By Janet Malone, PLC at Work™ associate

“What does a good formative assessment look like?”

“Can you please show us some examples?”

These are the types of questions that often surface as collaborative teams in PLC schools delve into the work of developing common formative assessments.  Ironically, the answer to these questions lies not in the assessment …

Little Rock PLC Institute: Day Two #atplc

Posted on October 20th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

Free resources and a summary of the conversation on Twitter from day two of Solution Tree’s Little Rock PLC institute.

First, a few inspirational words before we get started!

“ #atplcThe time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves. We are the ones …

Little Rock PLC Institute: Day One #atplc

Posted on October 19th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

Free resources and a summary of the conversation on Twitter from day one of Solution Tree’s Little Rock PLC institute.

This week, from October 19-21, Solution Tree is hosting a PLC institute in Little Rock, AR. This brief overview will showcase some of the great discussions from today on Twitter, and share related resources to help your PLC grow. Follow …

In a PLC, Leadership is Not Lonely!

Posted on October 19th, 2011 by Terri Martin

By Terri Martin, PLC at Work associate

Even though some students learn regardless of the teacher assigned to them, we know that strong teachers impact the learning of all students. Can the same be said for teachers and leaders? Even though some teachers are great regardless of the leadership, all teachers can improve under strong leadership. Students need effective teachers. Teachers …

When Homework is Not Being Done at Home

Posted on October 12th, 2011 by Mike Mattos

By Mike Mattos, PLC at Work author and associate

Whenever I present on effective interventions, one of the most common questions I receive is:  “Too many of our students just won’t try…how do we motivate them to do their homework?” While there are certainly students at every school that lack the self-responsibility to get their work done, it is misleading and …

Driven by DIVAS (Data, Instruction, Varied Assessments, and Supports)

Posted on October 5th, 2011 by Tyrone Olverson

By Tyrone Olverson, PLC at Work associate

How do educators focus on improving student achievement when demographics and performance challenges seem insurmountable? The teachers at Licking Heights High School recently addressed this question head on and came up with DIVAS.

Located ten miles east of Columbus, Ohio, Licking Heights High School has experienced 130% student growth over the past 10 years. The …

Progress or Procrastination?

Posted on September 28th, 2011 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

I received a question regarding the timetable a school had established to implement the PLC process. According to the proposed timetable, this high school would devote one school year to helping teams establish agreement on the essential outcomes of each course. A second entire year would be devoted to developing common assessments. In the third year the school …

Developing a Shared Mission

Posted on September 21st, 2011 by Anthony Muhammad

By Anthony Muhammad, author and PLC at Work™ associate

The first challenge of a Professional Learning Community (PLC) is the development of the pillars of a PLC: Shared Mission, Shared Vision, Shared Values, and Shared Goals. Working with schools across the county, I have seen that educators frequently ignore this essential step. But through my experience as an administrator in two …

Should the Textbook Determine the Essential Skills We Teach?

Posted on September 13th, 2011 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

We received a question from a district with three high schools that was struggling to agree on the approach to take in answering the first critical question of a PLC: “What do we want our students to learn?” Some English teachers felt the answer to the question should focus on specific knowledge and skills students were to acquire. …

From Cool Technologies to Critical Thinking

Posted on August 3rd, 2011 by Regina Owens

By Regina Owens, PLC at Work™ associate

Why is it that the 21st Century education is being defined by where the teaching is occurring and the technology that is utilized?

There is the brick and mortal classroom where teaching is delivered in a traditional school.  There is the blended classroom, where teaching is delivered both in the traditional classroom and …

Using Your Best to Help the Rest: Another Thought on Intervention

Posted on July 19th, 2011 by Garrick Peterson

By Garrick Peterson, PLC at Work™ associate

These four key questions have turned our focus to student learning:

What do we want students to learn?
How will we know if they have learned it?
What will we do if they do not learn it?
What do we do if they already know it?

It has been exciting over the years to see the growth of our …

Excerpt: Pyramid of Behavior Interventions, Chapter One

Posted on July 15th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

Creating a Positive Learning Environment

We believe that academic and behavioral performance go hand in hand. One study (Hawkins, Catalano, Kosterman, Abbott, & Hill,1999) found that when schools raised their level of academic achievement, behavior problems decreased—and when schools worked to decrease behavior problems, academic achievement improved.

We must focus on these two foundational pieces—academic achievement and behavior—if …

Team Meetings: Converting the Middle School to the PLC Middle School

Posted on July 8th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

By Steve Pearce (@stevepearce4), PLC at Work™ associate

Steve Pearce has been a principal for 6 years. He works regularly with schools across the country and has spoken at PLC Institutes the last few summers. He’ll be contributing a series of posts to AllThingsPLC that relate to middle school-specific themes. Follow him on Twitter: @stevepearce4.

In conversations with many middle school …

Is It Worth It? – Sharing Data from Successful PLCs

Posted on June 29th, 2011 by Geri Parscale

By Geri Parscale, PLC at Work™ associate

As we speak about Professional Learning Communities, we know that excitement for student learning is palpable. It is impossible to not be jazzed when we speak about all students learning at high levels!  The big question though, when people dig deep and begin to look at the nuts and bolts of truly focusing on learning …

Electronic Teaming for Singletons in a PLC

Posted on June 24th, 2011 by Bill Ferriter

By Bill Ferriter, teacher and PLC at Work™ associate

Bill Ferriter has been working to introduce learning teams and singletons to a range of free products and services that can make collaboration more efficient. This is an excerpt from his blog “The Tempered Radical.”

One of the questions that I’m asked all the time as an advocate for both professional learning communities …

Resource Roundup: Making the Schedule Work for Your School

Posted on May 17th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

This week’s resource roundup focuses on creating a master schedule. For more resources related to your PLC journey, visit our category archive page.
Middle/High School Examples
1. Making Time for Collaboration (PDF) - This reproducible handout shows 7 ways to give teams time for collaboration that do not cost money, do not require a change in bus schedules, and do not significantly impact …

Teaching Students to be Responsible with PLCs

Posted on May 12th, 2011 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

In a blog post last year called Do PLCs Enable Students to Act Irresponsibly? (February 16, 2010), I presented the premise that schools should do more than hope students act responsibly but rather should put procedures in place to require students to do so. I acknowledged that almost all educators would prefer that students act responsibly because …

Riverside County Office of Education Uses PLCs to Support Special Education

Posted on May 6th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

By Diana Walsh-Reuss, associate superintendent of schools for Riverside County

The Riverside County Office of Education was awarded the 2010 Golden Bell Award for the implementation of Professional Learning Communities to support students with severe disabilities.

The Riverside County Office of Education Special Education (RCOE SE) Unit PLC model is a perfect fit for the mission and vision of the Riverside County …

Stults Road Elementary’s PLC Journey: An Overview

Posted on May 3rd, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

By Darwin Spiller, Amber Leblond, and Kylee-Lin Wall, all members of the Stults Road Elementary leadership team

Since the implementation of the Professional Learning Community (PLC) movement in 2005, Stults Road Elementary has developed a shared vision and mission. As the Stults Road Community, we are committed to high expectations, appreciation of individuality, and …

How Low Can You Go?

Posted on April 29th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

By Mary Ann Ranells, PLC at WorkTM associate and superintendent at Lakeland School District #272 in Idaho (@lakeland272)

Our State Legislature recently passed three major educational reform bills.  The first one significantly restricts collective bargaining by local unions.  The second mandates a pay for performance model based on school-wide achievement, and the third requires increased use of technology and online learning for high school students.  Other than the pay-for-performance bill, introduction of these bills was done without input from educators or stakeholders.  The State Superintendent released his plan at the beginning of the legislative season as his Students Come First plan proclaiming Idaho schools would achieve more with less.

Hundreds of people testified to the Senate Education and House Education Committees, mostly in opposition to the proposals.  While some adjustments to the bills were made, the increased reduction in funding (for the third year in a row) is causing districts to increase class size, eliminate programs, and cut discretionary spending to the bone.  Funding has further been reduced to pay for the technology and pay-for-performance bills.

Resource Roundup: New Featured PLC Schools

Posted on April 25th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

This week’s resource roundup focuses on new PLC schools. Just a sampling of the more than 140 featured schools, these new additions have clearly demonstrated the effectiveness and impact of the PLC process on student achievement.

1. École élémentaire Arc-en-ciel
This Canadian school is our first addition from Ontario, adding a new province to our searchable Canadian PLC locator map. By working collaboratively and monitoring students’ progress, they have seen impressive gains in the past 3 years.

2. Atlantis Elementary School
Atlantis Elementary is one of Florida district Brevard Schools’ many success stories. Over half of their students are eligible for free and reduced lunch, but educators at this school have decided that demographics will not determine the future of their students.

Mike Mattos PRTI Webinar Recording Now Available

Posted on April 20th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

Pyramid Response to Intervention Webinar: Rethinking the Pyramid
Presented by Mike Mattos
View webinar recording (1 hr, 14 min)
Download PowerPoint handouts (PDF)

Solution Tree regularly holds free live webinars with their authors—you can find information about upcoming topics and speakers on the Solution Tree webinars page.

 

Webinar Description: When used properly, the …

Assessing Your School’s PLC Progress

Posted on April 18th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

By Sam Ritchie, PLC at WorkTM associate

“What should we do next?” is a question I frequently hear as a PLC consultant. But without data, I can’t answer this question. I have to understand where a school is on the PLC continuum. I liken this to using common formative assessments to find out what my students know. Only then can I …

Resource Roundup: Setting and Reaching Your Goals

Posted on April 11th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

This week’s theme for the resource roundup is “Setting and Reaching Your Goals.” We’ll cover SMART goals, what they mean, and how you can set achievable goals for your school.

1. SMART Goals Sample Worksheets
On Solution Tree’s reproducible page for Learning by Doing, you will find sample worksheets of SMART goals, as well as a list of research that supports the use of such goals.

2. Team SMART Goal-Setting Plan (PDF)
This worksheet will get your team started with setting SMART goals. You can find this and other SMART goals worksheets in a special section on our print resource page.

Using Moodle to Enhance Your PLC

Posted on April 6th, 2011 by Laurie Robinson

By Laurie Robinson, PLC at Work™ associate

Over the past two years, I have been facilitating the PLC and common assessment work with the Bismarck Public Schools in western North Dakota. They are a cutting edge district with strong leadership at the top and committed principals at the 25 individual campuses, accompanied by a world-class Career and Tech Academy.

The focus of …

Resource Roundup: Building Effective School Culture

Posted on March 28th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

As dedicated teachers and educators, we know you want to make an impact on students.

Here at AllThingsPLC, we try to help by collecting resources around a theme and posting them every other Monday. This week’s theme is “Building Effective School Culture.”

1. Anthony Muhammad, Redefining the Norm (YouTube)
In this video, Dr. Muhammad makes the argument that we can’t give kids a “license to fail.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTeIA8l_Jl8

Calling all Wisconsin PLCs

Posted on March 24th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

In a recent story, Teachers Voice Concern Over Budget Cuts, NPR spoke with several teachers about proposed budget cuts in Wisconsin, California, and Ohio. One of the interviewees was Allison Pratt, a kindergarten teacher from Onalaska, Wisconsin. She suggested that to reform education we need look no further than her …

Teaching vs. Learning: How Assessment Informs Instruction

Posted on March 23rd, 2011 by Ainsley Rose

By Ainsley Rose, PLC at Work™ associate

One of the most overlooked and understated aspects of the common formative assessment process and the role these assessments play in a professional learning community has to be the degree to which the results of high-quality assessments inform teachers about the need to change instructional practice, particularly if students are not learning. While in …

Resource Roundup: 5 Inspirational Stories

Posted on March 14th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

The PLC process won’t necessarily be easy, but rewards can be found in the increased learning and satisfaction of students and teachers. On AllThingsPLC.info, we offer a place for educators to share their success stories—here are five that will inspire you to stay committed to the PLC process.

1. Getting The Most Out of Instruction—Churchill School, IL
Cece …

New Study Highlights Importance of Collaborative Inquiry

Posted on March 9th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

By Marian Robinson

A study from the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), published last November, offers school perspectives on the benefits of New York City’s data-informed collaborative inquiry process. Since 2006, policymakers have been refining a citywide collaborative inquiry model in which teams of teachers work together to make better use of newly available data resources to meet …

Prerequisites for Standards-Based Reporting

Posted on March 4th, 2011 by Robert Eaker and Janel Keating

By Robert Eaker and Janel Keating

As we work with schools and teams that are doing the work associated with implementing professional learning community concepts and practices, we are often asked, “Don’t we need to develop a standards-based report card?” This is a natural question that eventually flows from doing the work of a PLC. The more deeply teams embed PLC …

From the PLC Summit: DuFour’s New Assessment Resource

Posted on February 24th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

Rick DuFour kicked off day two of the Summit here in Phoenix with the release of a new assessment resource called a Data Analysis Protocol (PDF). It’s a worksheet that teams can use to ensure they are addressing the critical questions …

Resource Roundup: Ask The Experts

Posted on February 21st, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

PLCs have been endorsed by professional organizations, researchers, and respected educational experts across the country. Several experts explain why they support PLCs in the following useful, evidence-based publications and video.

1. Finding Common Ground in Education Reform (PDF)
Adapted from Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work, this document lists the large body of research concluding that learning communities make successful organizations. …

Congratulations Marc Johnson! 2011 AASA Superintendent of the Year

Posted on February 18th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

Earlier today we featured the great success of the Sanger Unified School District. Sanger was chosen by the DuFours because in 2003, Superintendent Marc Johnson had a vision—to improve learning for all students in his district. By following his PLC vision, Marc and the other dedicated educators at Sanger took the bottom-ranked schools to the top 10-30% in 2010.

Yesterday, Marc Johnson was recognized by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) as the 2011 Superintendent of the Year. AASA Executive Director Daniel Domenech had high praise for Marc, explaining that he was chosen “precisely because he has walked the talk and has demonstrated that underachieving schools can turn around and become institutions where all children learn.”

As a PLC at Work™ associate, Marc travels around the country sharing his knowledge with fellow educators in workshops and events. In this brief video, he discusses the change of focus in PLCs from “these are my kids” to “these are our kids.”

Districtwide Implementation of the PLC Process: Sanger Unified School District

Posted on February 18th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

Congratulations to Sanger Unified School District, this week’s AllThingsPLC featured district! Rick and Becky DuFour have chosen Sanger because of its great success with the PLC process:

“When Sanger USD in Sanger, California, was placed in Program Improvement because of consistently low student achievement, Superintendent Marcus Johnson made it clear that the strategy for addressing the …

New Article: Teacher Collaboration Can’t Be Voluntary

Posted on February 16th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

In a new article, “Work Together: But Only if You Want To,” published in the February issue of Phi Delta Kappan, Rick DuFour argues that collaboration among educators cannot be a voluntary process and presents evidence that teacher isolation is not as successful as a collaborative culture.

Check out Rick DuFour’s article and others on our …

From Lowest in District to Best in State: Lakeridge Junior High School

Posted on February 13th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

Congratulations to Lakeridge Junior High School, this week’s AllThingsPLC featured school! Rick and Becky DuFour have endorsed Lakeridge as a model of success with the PLC process:

“In 2002, Lakeridge Junior High in Orem, Utah, was the lowest performing junior high school in the Alpine School District. When the staff committed to full implementation of the PLC process, student …

Stop Sliding Away…

Posted on February 10th, 2011 by Tom Many and Susan Sparks Many

By PLC at Work™ associates Tom Many and Susan Sparks Many

You know the feeling. You have created the structures for collaboration in your school. You have provided teams with the time and tools to collaborate, defined the work, and checked for consensus every step of the way. You have done all the right things to ensure teams will flourish in …

Going from Good to Great: Robert Frost Junior High School

Posted on February 7th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

Congratulations to Robert Frost Junior High School, this week’s AllThingsPLC featured school! Rick and Becky DuFour had wonderful things to say about this shining example of PLC progress:

“In 2005, 83 percent of students attending Frost Junior High in Schaumburg, Illinois, were proficient in reading and 80 percent were proficient in math. Good results. But the staff …

Collective Merit Pay: Supporting Collaboration Over Competition

Posted on February 2nd, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

By Julie Schmidt, PLC at Work™ associate

Kildeer Countryside Consolidated School District 96 was engaged in contract negotiations throughout the 2009–2010 school year. The economic climate coupled with increased accountability requirements contributed to a different landscape than in years past. While the conversations around the table related to economics were difficult, the hot-button topic was the proposal that the Board of …

Resource Roundup: Managing PLC Change

Posted on January 31st, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

PLC change requires strong and effective leadership—but sometimes it can be hard to convince fellow educators to accept the changes you want to implement.

This week’s theme is “Managing PLC Change.” We’re looking at advice that will help administrators guide their districts and schools through the PLC process. The following resources help illustrate the importance of leadership that focuses on the …

Demographics Are Not Destiny: Stults Road Elementary School

Posted on January 28th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

Congratulations to Stults Road Elementary, this week’s AllThingsPLC featured school! The following is what Rick and Becky DuFour had to say about this shining example of PLC progress:

“Almost 80 percent of students who attend Stults Road Elementary in Dallas, Texas, qualify for free and …

FREE! PLC at Work Webinar: Norms or Nice to Knows?

Posted on January 27th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

Time is often the most scarce and precious of resources for the collaborative team, the engine that drives a professional learning community. It is critically important that teams develop collective commitments to use time, resources, and talents optimally. Learn about the power of team norms and how they can help you build trust, deal with conflict, and improve student learning.

PLC at Work™ Webinar: Norms or Nice to Knows?
Presented by Kenneth Williams
Thursday, February 3, 2011
5:00–6:00 p.m. EST
Register today!

Sustainable Improvement: Adlai E. Stevenson High School

Posted on January 21st, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

Over the next few weeks, AllThingsPLC will feature the work of five schools chosen by Rick and Becky DuFour as models of PLC achievement. This is what the DuFours had to say about this week’s school:

“Those who question the sustainability of the PLC process need look no further than Adlai E. Stevenson High …

Resource Roundup: Making an Impact With Assessment

Posted on January 14th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

As dedicated teachers and educators, you want to make an impact on students.  But to do that, you first must assess whether they are learning the standards being taught.

This week’s theme is “Making an Impact With Assessment.” We’re focusing on the second critical question of PLCs: How will we know they are learning? The following resources help illustrate the importance …

The Seven I’s

Posted on January 12th, 2011 by Jamie Virga

By Jamie Virga, PLC at Work™ associate

As principal of Viers Mill Elementary School in Montgomery County, Maryland, from 1997 to 2005, I learned a great deal about the benefits of operating as a professional learning community (PLC). As a community, we tried to keep our focus on the four critical questions. We had a specific emphasis on question number 3: What will we do when students haven’t learned it? In school, as in life, some of the best lessons come from the mistakes we make. At Viers Mill, we tried for several years to respond to student needs by providing after-school club experiences for those who were not meeting the standards. Implementing the clubs involved numerous committed teachers and staff members who worked very hard to provide support for our struggling students. Despite these efforts, we were not seeing the results that we wanted and needed for our children. The breakthrough came when we started to ask ourselves additional questions about the supports we provided—questions about the long-term goals for each student, the specific learning problem that was holding the student back, the root cause of their difficulty, and the specific strategies that could be used to address that root cause. Over time, we began to see that we needed to include additional steps in our process if we were to really meet the needs of individual kids. The sequence that we came up with was The Seven I’s.

What Do We Do When They Haven’t Learned?

Posted on January 7th, 2011 by Rich Smith

By Rich Smith, deputy superintendent, Sanger Unified School District and PLC at Work™ associate

The implementation of a PLC is not a silver bullet, but a pathway to follow in working to ensure student learning. Implementation requires dedication and a focus on desired learning outcomes as teams work to answer the four key questions that guide a PLC:

What is it we expect our students to learn?
How will we know when students have learned it?
How will we respond when students have not learned it?
How will we respond when students have learned it?

At the junior and high school levels, answering the question “How will we respond when students have not learned?” must be a priority if a school or team of teachers is to reduce failure rates. For many secondary schools, addressing this question requires changes in beliefs and logistics. Ensuring that it is harder for a student to fail than to achieve requires the staff to focus on student learning and react when learning does not occur.

FREE! PLC at Work Webinar: Building Real Commitment and Consensus for Change

Posted on January 5th, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

The best way to improve schools is by ensuring staff work in a healthy, productive culture that minimizes division and nurtures collaborative environments. Hear insights on staff division issues and how to resolve them. Dr. Anthony Muhammad will also give you the tools to generate buy-in and maximize human potential to achieve real school transformation.

PLC at Work™ Webinar: Building Real Commitment and Consensus for Change
Presented by Anthony Muhammad
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
5:00–6:00 p.m. EST
Register today!

Resource Roundup: PLCs and Intervention

Posted on January 3rd, 2011 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

The ultimate goal of educators should be to ensure learning for all students. This means that when students are not successful, we must intervene and find a way to help them learn. Response to intervention, or RTI, is one popular intervention methodology.

This week’s theme is “PLCs and Intervention.” We’re focusing on the third critical question of PLCs: How will we respond when they don’t learn? The following resources relate RTI and other intervention practices to the already existing PLC process:

1. How Will We Respond When Students Don’t Learn (blog post)?
Austin Buffum and Mike Mattos explain how RTI and PLCs are complementary practices that when implemented together can improve student learning.

2. Interview With Mike Mattos and Austin Buffum (YouTube)
Watch two Solution Tree authors discuss how RTI is “perfectly aligned with PLCs.” Not only does RTI fit into the pyramid of interventions method of PLCs, Austin and Mike argue that PLCs are necessary for RTI to be successful.

Resource Roundup: Inspiring Teams

Posted on December 20th, 2010 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

If you’re an educator, you’re probably taking time this holiday break to retreat from the stressful world of teaching. We hope you get a chance to see your family and friends and to enjoy the warmth and relaxation this time offers.

Here at AllThingsPLC.info, we’re working hard to prepare new resources for an exciting new year! To kick things off, we’re starting a “Resource Roundup,” where each Monday you’ll find articles, blog posts, videos, and other useful resources centered around a theme.

This week’s theme is “Inspiring Teams.” We hope you find these resources helpful to motivate your teams to greater collaboration and successful student learning.

1. “From Solo to Ensemble: Fine Arts Teachers Find a Harmonious Solution to Their Isolation” (PDF)
This article, published earlier this year in the Journal of Staff Development, explores how technology can be used to unite team members across greater distances than ever before. Explore our other articles and research on teams.

2. Groups vs. Teams (YouTube)
Rick DuFour defines how a team differs from a group and explains how you can create a collaborative team.

PLC webinar recording now available

Posted on December 17th, 2010 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

Earlier this week, Becky and Rick DuFour presented an hour-long webinar session on “New Insights on How Effective PLCs Improve Schools.”  If you missed the chance to follow along and ask questions, don’t despair!  The recording and powerpoint will be available (as always – free!) on AllThingsPLC.info for the next 60 days.

Here’s what the webinar was all about:

Promoting Social and Emotional Learning Within a PLC

Posted on December 8th, 2010 by Eric Twadell

By Eric Twadell, PLC at Work™ associate

Who among us doesn’t remember Stuart Smiley, Al Franken’s character from Saturday Night Live (“I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!”) While Stuart may not have been able to help Michael Jordan develop a stronger sense of self-esteem, his persistent affirmations reflect very well the misunderstanding that educators have long held on how to help students be successful. For far too long, educators have worshipped at the altar of self-esteem theory, wrongly believing that if we can simply help students feel better about themselves, their reading, writing, and arithmetic will improve. Nothing could be further from the truth.

New Insights on PLCs: an upcoming webinar hosted by the DuFours

Posted on December 3rd, 2010 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

We are pleased to announce the following free upcoming webinar focused on professional learning communities at work.

What: PLC at Work Webinar: New Insights on How Effective PLCs Improve Schools
When: December 13, 2010 @ 5:00 p.m. EST
Where: Anywhere – Register Today!
Hosted by: Richard and Rebecca DuFour
Presented by: Solution Tree
Cost: Free!

Get advice straight from the experts!  Rebecca and Rick DuFour will present an hour-long session, with the last 15 minutes dedicated to answering questions from you, the participants.

Eliminating Bias in Grading: Teachers Collaborate on Student Assessments

Posted on December 1st, 2010 by Sarah Schuhl

Common assessments don’t just need to be created collaboratively—they need to be evaluated consistently. Sarah Schuhl, a math instructional coach at Centennial High School in California, shares her experience working to create consensus among team members about grading. Though different teachers had different ideas about how students should be assessed, they used the PLC process to come to …

PLCs and Self-Efficacy: What Is the Connection?

Posted on November 18th, 2010 by Jamie Virga

By Jamie Virga, PLC at Work™ associate

For those on the PLC journey, one of the most puzzling and frustrating realities is that we still see what Rick DuFour calls the “knowing-doing gap.” We know what to do, but we just don’t seem to execute at a high level. Recently, I have been doing a lot of research in the area of self-efficacy as part of my doctoral studies. I have found that the research on self-efficacy beliefs provides an interesting lens to use in examining the knowing-doing gap problem.

First, a little background. Albert Bandura is widely regarded as the foremost authority on self-efficacy. He defines self-efficacy as “beliefs in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce given attainments.” Bandura also states, “People guide their lives by their beliefs of personal efficacy” (Bandura 1997). He explains that people’s beliefs about their own capabilities determine if they will try to cope with situations, the effort they will exert in trying to cope, and how long they will keep up the effort in the face of adversity.

Bandura’s research shows that a person’s self-efficacy beliefs about a specific task or challenge have a profound effect on his/her performance of that task. He argues that the self-efficacy beliefs a person has when approaching a task are more predictive of their performance than any other factor.

New article! Fostering Shared Leadership

Posted on November 12th, 2010 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

A new article by Terry Wilhelm has been posted under Articles & Research here on AllThingsPLC.  The following is a brief introduction from this valuable new resource.
When teachers begin taking ownership – alongside administrators – for poor student achievement, they will gain ownership of solutions that are developed as a team.

In 1933, Edward VIII shocked the world by abdicating the throne of England in order to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorced American socialite. Disdaining the rituals and trappings of royalty, Edward felt they needed to change to reflect modern times. He also desired to make the throne more accessible to the common people. However, his course of action did not bring these things about. Instead, his brother Albert took the throne, and the monarchy continued just as before.

Extreme examples and non-examples can sometimes be useful to illustrate a point and inform practice, and Edward provides an extreme example of a poor strategy for creating change. Historians would argue that Edward was simply motivated by an entirely selfish aim – marrying Wallis – far more important to him than serving as a leader. Nevertheless, a lesson can be gleaned from Edward in considering a principal’s conundrum: how to develop shared leadership.

Twitter for Singletons in a PLC

Posted on November 2nd, 2010 by Bill Ferriter

By Bill Ferriter, teacher and PLC at Work™ associate

Bill Ferriter has been working to introduce learning teams and singletons to a range of free products and services that can make collaboration more efficient. This is an excerpt from his blog “The Tempered Radical.”

One of the greatest challenges in any professional learning community is finding meaningful learning partnerships for …

Professional Learning Communities That Work in the Classroom

Posted on November 1st, 2010 by Maria Venegas

By Maria Venegas, special education teacher, Roosevelt Middle School

While reading Professional Learning Communities at Work™, I considerably marked up the margins with check marks and the letter U; the check marks meant “this is so important” and the Us symbolized that the ideas, as I saw them, were important because they were actually universal truths. Concepts like curiosity, practice, cooperation, support, reflection, and growth that first appeared in the introduction said to me that this book provided elements that are ageless and timeless. I knew that what was being explored could be meaningful for anyone, in any circumstance, and in any environment.

For me, this meant my role as a sixth and eighth grade special education teacher working with adult peers at a middle school. And yet, I also immediately saw the implications for students as well.

Grading Formative and Summative Assessments

Posted on October 27th, 2010 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

We received a question about grading, specifically how to balance grading between formative and summative assessments. The author was concerned because the grading practices of the teachers in the school were so different.

To answer the question, we need to develop a common understanding of the terms formative assessment and summative assessment. A summative assessment is an assessment that asks, “Did the student acquire the intended knowledge and skills by the deadline—yes or no, pass or fail?” For example, every course at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, ends with a final exam that counts for 25 percent of a student’s final grade. This is clearly a summative exam. State exams are another example of summative assessments.

A formative assessment asks, “Is the student learning it, and if not, what steps do we need to take to support his or her learning?” Of course, good teachers are using formative assessment in their classrooms every day as they use a variety of strategies to check for student understanding—asking questions, having students work on a problem or write an answer as they circulate around the room to check student work, using clickers, etc. A teacher who asks students to complete a first draft of an essay and then provides feedback on how the next draft can be improved is also using a formative assessment.

Do We Have Team Norms or “Nice to Knows”?

Posted on October 25th, 2010 by Kenneth Williams

By Ken Williams, PLC at Work™ associate

Roadblock: Lack of Accountability Protocol
Some teams do a great job of developing norms. Members agree and commit to them, even posting them on chart paper to be prominently displayed at every meeting. Elementary school teams often add attractive artwork in the form of ladybugs and bumblebees, and they may even go as far as laminating the chart paper. They feel great about the process. They know they’ve made progress.

But here’s what they don’t realize: no matter how well-developed norms are, no matter how committed the teammates are, no matter how prominently the norms are displayed, someone is going to violate them. I know it’s hard to fathom, but someone who agreed to the posted norms, who put their magic marker thumbprint on the poster and signed around it in a show of real commitment, who high-fived at the end of the norms creation session is going to violate one—or more—of them. And when that happens, the team finds itself at a crossroad. Teammates will begin to awkwardly look at one another, trying to figure out the next step and appropriate response. The questions of how to respond and who is going to respond will dominate their thoughts. Why? They did not establish an accountability protocol. In my work with hundreds of PLC teams, I find this step to be the one most commonly missed by teams that have established norms.

How PLCs Use Assessments

Posted on October 19th, 2010 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

We received a series of questions from a school grappling with developing common assessments. I summarized the questions and attempted to provide a brief response for each.

1. In establishing the essential learnings, should we begin with the intended learnings for the entire year or just create the essential learnings unit by unit as we proceed through the year?

It is best to “begin with the end in mind.” A team should agree on what they want students to know and be able to do as a result of taking the course. Once they are clear on that, they can begin thinking in terms of units. You won’t have a guaranteed and viable curriculum for your students until the team can answer the question, “What is it we want them to learn in this course?” Then they break it down into, “What is it we want them to learn in this unit?”

Adapting the PLC Framework for Small Schools

Posted on October 4th, 2010 by Adam Young

By Adam Young, PLC at Work™ associate

The professional learning communities approach (a collaborative focus on learning with the yardstick for success being the results obtained) resonates with so many educators right off the bat. Sometimes, however, making it happen in your school can seem overwhelming. This is especially true when your school, at first glance, appears significantly different from other schools.

The White Pine High School team that attended a PLC conference during the summer of 2004 felt this way. While the philosophies, strategies, and suggestions made at the conference resonated with all who attended, we quickly ran into some problems. Most of these problems stemmed from the fact that being a small school (420 students), we found it difficult to adopt the common assessment framework so important to PLCs because there was only one teacher of English 9, one teacher of Biology 1, one teacher of Geometry, and so on. Since the “focus on learning” questions are centered on common assessments (What do we want our students to learn? How will we know when they’ve learned? What will we do when students do not learn?), we struggled to understand how to adapt this framework with limited numbers of job-alike teachers to collaborate.

Building Consensus for Change

Posted on August 4th, 2010 by George Knights

By George Knights, PLC at Work™ associate and principal at Newhart Middle School

Change involves managing the complex matrix of relationships and beliefs that exist in an organization and aligning them toward a mission of higher learning for all. In my career, there is no better example of this approach than when I recently implemented a new bell schedule to accommodate some critical interventions as part of my school’s PRTI efforts. Bell schedules and busing seem to be two sacred areas in public education, but they also serve to bubble up core beliefs and create healthy dissonance within a staff. Although difficult and time consuming, the effort was “well worth it” in the end because change happened; however, more importantly, clarity of our mission for learning and ultimate commitment to the change was the result.

Which School-Improvement Approach Works?

Posted on June 23rd, 2010 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

It seems to me that there are three competing approaches to school improvement in the United States today that are based on very different assumptions.

1. We’re okay; they are not okay.
This approach operates from the assumption that educators are doing a superlative job and need not consider making any substantive changes either to their professional practice or the structure and culture of their schools. The problems lie elsewhere. Society must solve the cycle of poverty. State governments need to pass more enlightened educational policies and provide more funding. Parents need to become more involved in the education of their children. Students need to become more responsible.

Open House Webinar: Master’s Degree in PLCs

Posted on June 10th, 2010 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

Free Open House Webinar
Hosted by Richard and Rebecca DuFour
Presented by the National Institute for Professional Practice and Wilkes University

Monday, June 28, 2010
5:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. EDT
Register today!

You are invited to learn about the master’s degree in professional learning communities, which is based on the research of Richard and Rebecca DuFour.

Self-Directed Teams Contribute to Sustainability

Posted on May 27th, 2010 by Rick and Becky DuFour

By Rick and Becky DuFour

We received a question from a school where teachers were upset that the administration seemed to be dictating what was to occur at their team meetings. Teachers resented being micromanaged, and administrators felt that teams needed specific directions and focus to ensure teachers used the time productively. Here is how we responded:

Upcoming RTI Webinar Hosted by Austin Buffum

Posted on May 24th, 2010 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

Free Webinar

Pyramid Response to Intervention Webinar
Hosted by Austin Buffum

Wednesday, June 2, 2010
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 pm EDT
Register today!

For educators working in PLCs, RTI is nothing new. Timely, targeted, and systematic interventions are built into daily practice. Austin draws from the best-selling book Pyramid Response to Intervention to explain how RTI is sustainable and highly effective when …

Join the conversation with Rick and Becky DuFour

Posted on May 20th, 2010 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

Just a reminder that this is the second day of our conversation which ends tomorrow. Click here and join in using VoiceThread. If you do not have an account, create one for FREE! Then you can comment, ask questions, or just listen in.

Read moderator Bill Ferriter’s summary of day one on his blog here.

You might also be interested …

Special Education Used as Intervention

Posted on May 12th, 2010 by Rick and Becky DuFour

By Rick and Becky DuFour

Isn’t the system of interventions what special education is designed to do?

Some people think the PLC concept is just another version of special education. They suggest, “If the kids can’t cut it, why not just put them in special education? That’s why we have it.”

Tracking Team-Based Interventions

Posted on May 4th, 2010 by Bill Ferriter

By Bill Ferriter, teacher and PLC associate

Preparing for our upcoming conversation with Rick and Becky DuFour on the steps that highly functioning professional learning communities take to provide enrichment and remediation opportunities for every child has gotten me thinking a ton about the intervention efforts of my own learning team.

Collaboration Empowers PLC Process

Posted on April 29th, 2010 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

We received an inquiry from a teacher who was attempting to lead the implementation of the PLC process in her school. She wanted to provide each of the teams in her elementary school with possible common assessments that teams could use. Her hope was to lighten the teachers’ workload and convince more reluctant teachers to participate. She asked where she might go to gather common assessments. Here is my response:

Book Review: Raising the Bar and Closing the Gap

Posted on April 27th, 2010 by Bill Ferriter

By Bill Ferriter, teacher and PLC associate

In preparation for our upcoming conversation with Rick and Becky DuFour on the steps that schools can take to develop effective systems of intervention that reach beyond the classroom, I just finished reading their newest book, Raising the Bar and Closing the Gap. Here’s my review

Another Digital Conversation With the DuFours Starts May 19

Posted on April 22nd, 2010 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

By Bill Ferriter, teacher and PLC associate

Having worked in a professional learning community for almost six years now, I can tell you that nothing is more challenging for traditional schools than crafting a schoolwide system of interventions.

Even my building—which embraced the concept of ensuring success for every child from day one—has struggled to fully implement an effective plan for providing much-needed remediation and enrichment.

A PLC Approach to Merit Pay

Posted on April 14th, 2010 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

The Race to the Top guidelines have sparked renewed interest in the topic of merit pay for teachers. In earlier blogs we outlined why we oppose the idea of merit pay for individual teachers because the concept is based on faulty assumptions and there is abundant evidence over decades that prove merit pay does not accomplish what it is intended to accomplish—higher levels of achievement for students.

What About the Whole Child?

Posted on March 30th, 2010 by Rick and Becky DuFour

By Rick and Becky DuFour

Here is a question we often hear at our institutes:

“All of this attention to academic achievement is a case of misplaced priorities. We need to address the needs of the whole child. What about the emotional needs of our children? What about their artistic side? What about developing their character? This is just another example of the fixation with test scores and trying to reduce a child to a statistic.”

Neglecting the Gifted and Talented

Posted on March 16th, 2010 by Rick and Becky DuFour

By Rick and Becky DuFour

Doesn’t PLC give attention to struggling students and emphasis on intervention result in neglecting gifted and high-achieving children?

Educators who ask this question believe that focusing attention on needy, lazy, or low-performing kids deprives more gifted students of the resources and time essential to their development. The assumption behind this thinking is that education is a zero-sum game.

Tracking

Posted on March 2nd, 2010 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

We received a question from a social studies department regarding leveling, or tracking. The school had taken steps to eliminate remedial courses, and in the first year of implementation, the department was questioning the loss of remedial social studies classes. Some members expressed concern that the more heterogeneous classes were stifling discussion because the students who had been …

Do PLCs Enable Students to Act Irresponsibly by Asking Educators to Assume Greater Responsibility for Student Learning?

Posted on February 16th, 2010 by Rick DuFour

Those familiar with our work know that we contend schools committed to helping all students learn provide students who are not being successful with additional time and support for learning in a way that is timely, directive, and systematic. This proposal is sometimes met with skepticism by those who feel a system of interventions “enables” students.

The Schedule Won’t Let Us Devote Time to Intervention

Posted on February 1st, 2010 by Rick and Becky DuFour

By Rick and Becky DuFour

The most effective school systems in the world ensure that all of their schools have a process in place to monitor each student’s learning on an ongoing basis and a systematic plan of intervention that provides a struggling student with additional time and support for learning (Barber and Mourshed, 2007). It certainly seems to make sense that any school that claims its mission is to help all students learn would have a plan for responding when some students don’t learn.

Recording and Handouts from Yesterday’s Webinar Now Online

Posted on December 17th, 2009 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

You can view a recording of the presentation and download the handouts from yesterday’s free webinar hosted by Richard and Rebecca DuFour at go.solution-tree.com/webinars. These resources will be available for approximately 60 days.

**********************************************

RELATED EVENT

If you benefited from the webinar, you will also enjoy

Addressing Differences

Posted on December 3rd, 2009 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

In my previous blog, Two Different ‘Schools’ of Thought, I reported that one of my fans has made it quite clear that his perspective on the purpose of schooling, the responsibilities of educators, and the indicators of a quality school are very different than those I espouse. How might we explore those differences?

Two Different “Schools” of Thought

Posted on November 30th, 2009 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

The most frequent question we hear at our PLC workshops and institutes is, “How should we respond to skeptical colleagues who resist any effort to implement the PLC concept?” The answer we provide is:

Upcoming Webinar Hosted by Richard and Rebecca DuFour

Posted on November 24th, 2009 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

Free Webinar

Raising the Bar and Closing the Gap: Doing Whatever It Takes to Improve Student Learning
Hosted by Richard and Rebecca DuFour

Wednesday, December 16, 2009
4:00 PM – 5:00 p.m. EST
Register today!

Registration is closed because the webinar is over.  However, you can download a PDF of the webinar here.

Where Will You Put Your Energy?

Posted on November 12th, 2009 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

I received an email from a teacher opposed to engaging in the PLC process at her school. She took the position that the concept represents an experiment and that she should not have to participate in experiments. Her rational is, “How do we know that this process works better than the old ways?” She suggested that she be allowed to continue to work in isolation and that the school use her students as a control group for the experiment.

Which Quartile Should We Focus On?

Posted on October 27th, 2009 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

We received a question from a high school administrator who asked which group of students the school should focus on in order to improve the school’s achievement on the high-stakes tests administered by the state. He wrote, “We have received conflicting information about which levels to give the most attention. For example, should we concentrate more of our efforts on students moving from far below basic to below basic, from below basic to basic, or from basic to proficient?” We know that many schools are attempting to determine the best strategies for improving achievement on state tests, and so the question is not unique to this school.

The Need for Crucial Conversations

Posted on October 13th, 2009 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

Becky and I recently participated in a VoiceThread hosted by our talented colleague Bill Ferriter. Educators from around the country asked questions and shared their experiences with implementing the PLC concept (you can hear the conversation here). One of the most frequently raised topics dealt with the challenges of working with colleagues.

It’s Not a Meeting; It’s a Way of Being!

Posted on September 29th, 2009 by Brian Butler

By Brian Butler, PLC associate

I want to share the temporary soap box that I got on last week when addressing a group of teachers and administrators about the term professional learning community. If we continue to use the term PLC in the way that it is being used in many quarters, then it truly has lost its original meaning and power.

Does Merit Pay for Individual Teachers Align With the PLC Concept? Part I

Posted on September 15th, 2009 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

The idea of merit pay for individual teachers has been touted as a way to improve student achievement. One state, for example, proposed a merit-pay system that would designate up to 25 percent of teachers in a district for a 5 percent merit-pay bonus on the basis of student achievement on the state assessments.

Let’s examine the rationale behind this proposal for merit pay.

DuFour Conversation Starts Today!

Posted on September 8th, 2009 by Bill Ferriter

Here it is, Radical Nation: The first day in our four-day conversation on the nuts-and-bolts of restructuring schools as professional learning communities with Solution Tree authors and school change experts Rick and Becky DuFour.

Interested in joining the conversation?

Then click this link:  Enter Revisiting PLCs at Work Conversation

What Is the Sequence of Goal Setting in a PLC?

Posted on September 2nd, 2009 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

We received a question about goals from someone who wanted to know if district goals had to be established before school goals could be created, and if school goals were necessary before team goals could be developed. He also asked how to establish a goal that would address all teams if achievement at different grade levels or departments were very different. Here is our response:

Voicethread Tips for DuFour Conversation

Posted on September 1st, 2009 by Bill Ferriter

By Bill Ferriter, teacher and PLC associate

As regular readers know, we’re in the middle of planning for an asynchronous Voicethread conversation with school change experts Rick and Becky DuFour (see here and here) who will be helping us to think through the nuts and bolts of restructuring schools as professional learning communities from September 8th and the 11th.

For those new to Voicethread, here are a few tips:

Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work(TM)

Posted on August 27th, 2009 by Bill Ferriter

By Bill Ferriter, teacher and PLC associate

It’s still hard for me to believe that we’ll be spending four days in September (the 8th through the 11th) exploring the nuts and bolts of professional learning communities with Rick and Becky DuFour.

Talk about a great opportunity to listen to and learn from two nationally recognized school change experts!

In preparation for our conversation, I will be posting a

Upcoming Conversation on PLCs with the DuFours

Posted on August 25th, 2009 by Bill Ferriter

By Bill Ferriter, teacher and PLC associate

About two years ago, I had one of the singular most exciting moments of my professional career.

At a dinner meeting designed to introduce the members of our State’s Board of Education to the core principles of professional learning communities, Rick and Becky DuFour who, along with Bob Eaker, were the guests of honor recognized me because of my writing!

(Download Slide_PLC_EasyButton)

“Are you the Bill Ferriter who wrote a terrific piece in the Journal for Staff Development a few years back about how professional learning communities have changed who you are as teacher?” asked Becky in front of the entire room of policymakers and juiceholders.

Bottom-Up Leadership Put to the Test

Posted on August 18th, 2009 by Lillie Jessie

By Lillie Jessie, PLC Associate

At Elizabeth Vaughan Elementary School, the effectiveness of our bottom-up leadership depends on high-quality, top-down leadership direction and support. This past year, a series of unexpected challenges really put our bottom-up leadership to the test, and our teachers’ initiatives proved to be outstanding!

Medical absences at each grade level left us scrambling for subs, including one to replace one of my strongest veteran teachers. Resignations at two grade levels also put a pinch on school resources and staff sanity.

What Are the Necessary Leadership Responsibilities in a PLC?

Posted on August 4th, 2009 by Geri Parscale

By Geri Parscale, PLC Associate

There is nothing like the beginning of the school year. Everywhere you look, new opportunities are popping up, new ideas are being developed, and school leaders are planning to best meet the needs of students. As one of those leaders, I, too, am planning for what works best.

In School Leadership That Works (Marzano, Walters, & McNulty), the authors identify 21 leadership responsibilities that have an effect on student learning.

Team Leaders in a Professional Learning Community

Posted on July 22nd, 2009 by Janel Keating and Robert Eaker

By Robert Eaker and Janel Keating

Collaborative teams are the engines that drive professional learning communities. It is simply impossible to ensure high levels of learning for all students if teachers are working in isolation. The quality of work performed by teams depends on team leaders who join with their principal to direct the team’s work ensuring that the team is focusing on the right things and continually improving, laboring together to improve student learning.

Three Rules Help Manage Assessment Data

Posted on July 7th, 2009 by Tom Many

By Thomas W. Many, Ed.D.

The following article was published in the March/April issue of TEPSA News. It has been reproduced on this site with permission from TEPSA News and PLC Associate, Thomas W. Many.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…”

-Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

We live in the Information Age, when never before has so much data on student learning been so readily available. It is the best of times…

Should Homework Be Graded?

Posted on June 23rd, 2009 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

I received an interesting question from a teacher regarding recommendations for whether or not homework should be graded. He described a scenario in which a student demonstrates proficiency on every quiz, test, and exam but refuses to do homework each day. If, on a daily basis, the student receives a zero for not doing homework, the student would fail the class. If, on the other hand, homework is optional, he fears most students won’t complete it. So, he asked, “How should I approach homework in determining grades?”

Getting the Most Out of Common Assessments

Posted on June 9th, 2009 by Mike Mattos

By Mike Mattos
Principal, Pioneer Middle School, and PLC Associate

Like most schools that begin implementing PLC practices, the faculty at Pioneer Middle School learned about the importance of common formative assessments and decided to utilize this powerful tool to help us focus on learning.  Unfortunately, as time progressed, our departmental teams experienced varied levels of success; some teams felt they gained significant benefits from their common assessments, while other teams were far less enthusiastic with their results.  As principal, my first thought was to question whether every team was truly using common assessments, or were they just going through the motions to appease me. 

Is This Candidate a Good Fit for a PLC?

Posted on May 26th, 2009 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

We received a question from an educator interested in the kinds of questions she might use to determine if a candidate is a good fit for a professional learning community. We suggest that you ask questions that would get at the person’s alignment with the Big Ideas of a PLC. For example:

Tech Tools for Teams: Using Voicethread

Posted on May 12th, 2009 by Bill Ferriter

By Bill Ferriter

I’ve got an interesting admission to make: I’m a HORRIBLE guy to have on a learning team!

Kind of strange, isn’t it? I mean, how could a trained Solution Tree associate and author who has written about the beauty of professional learning communities for years possibly be bad to have around the ole PLC meeting table? You’d think that somewhere in the thousands of pages I’ve churned out, there’s got to be at least something valuable to learn.

Wide Range of Abilities

Posted on April 28th, 2009 by Geri Parscale

By Geri Parscale, PLC Associate

This is the time of year when we move into interview mode in schools. Having just exited one of these, something the candidate said caused an aha! moment for me.

The question to the candidate had to do with a dream classroom and if given the choice, what level would he teach. His response was profound for our school, which operates as a PLC. To paraphrase: I believe that within each classroom, teachers have students with a wide variety of needs, at different levels, don’t they?

A Rose by Any Other Name: Professional Learning Communities

Posted on April 15th, 2009 by Tom Many

By Thomas W. Many, Ed.D.

The following article was published in the January/February issue of TEPSA News. It has been reproduced on this site with permission from TEPSA News and PLC Associate, Thomas W. Many.

When visiting a school in the early stages of developing Professional Learning Communities (PLC), I heard the principal explain, “Our PLC teams meet twice a month.” He continued proudly,”When our PLC teams are meeting on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month, our school is totally devoted to the idea that all kids can learn.” I am confident this principal did not intend for his statement to spark my curiosity, but it made me wonder what his teachers are totally devoted to when they aren’t meeting in PLC teams.

Teachers Key to Reversing High Failure Rate in Math

Posted on March 31st, 2009 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

We received a query from a high school principal about the failure rate in algebra in his school. At the end of the first quarter, 44 percent of students were receiving grades of D or F. At the end of the first semester, the rate had increased to 55 percent. When the administration met with the teachers to offer support, teachers took the following positions:

I’m the Only One Teaching This Course. How Do I Collaborate?

Posted on March 17th, 2009 by Robert Eaker and Janel Keating

By Robert Eaker and Janel Keating

One of the most frequently asked questions we hear is, “I am the only one teaching this course. How can I be part of a collaborative team?” This question has been addressed numerous times in previous blogs, yet the uncertainty remains pervasive. We think the following story from the White River High School in Buckley, Washington, is a stellar example of how a singleton can be a contributing member of a collaborative team.

Stop Blaming and Take Action: One Teacher’s Manifesto

Posted on March 3rd, 2009 by Rick DuFour

Posted by: Rick DuFour

A teacher who attended a two-day conference on PLCs was moved to write the following manifesto urging her colleagues to join her in a concerted effort to bring the PLC concept to life in their school. She clarified that she does not regard herself as a “great teacher,” but instead considers herself an “okay teacher with a big mouth” who believes “we all have the potential to be great together.”

Tech Tools for Teams: Collaborate Using Twitter

Posted on February 17th, 2009 by Bill Ferriter

By Bill Ferriter

Bill Ferriter, Solution Tree Associate and sixth grade classroom teacher, has been working to introduce learning teams and singletons to a range of free products and services that can make collaboration more efficient. This column will be the first in a series titled “Tech Tools for Teams” where Bill will spotlight individual tools that you might be interested in exploring.

Are There Universities That Teach PLC Principles?

Posted on January 6th, 2009 by Rick DuFour

By: Rick DuFour

We recently answered an email regarding PLCs in higher education.

I’m a board member for a small district in Wyoming. I’m curious if some colleges teach PLC principles more than others. It would seem to make sense that we should recruit new teachers from those schools as one way to help institutionalize PLC in our district.

Working in Vertical Teams

Posted on December 23rd, 2008 by Rick DuFour

By: Rick DuFour

We received an inquiry regarding how vertical teams would work together in a professional learning community. Here are some ideas:

Each team should work with teachers at the grade levels above and below it to explore the following questions:

What knowledge, skills, and dispositions do we want our students to acquire as a result of this course or grade level? This question is answered in part by clarifying with teachers in the grade level above what they consider the skills and knowledge students must have as they enter their grade level.

Clarifying Collective Inquiry

Posted on December 9th, 2008 by Rick DuFour

By: Rick DuFour

We received a question about collective inquiry as it relates to professional learning communities. The writer indicated he was confused and wondered if it simply meant the comparison of test scores of the students of a collaborative team. He asked for clarification and examples. Here is my response:

Motivating Teachers to Collaborate

Posted on November 25th, 2008 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

I recently responded to the following question regarding how to motivate those teachers who do not fully engage in the collaborative process:

Our district has adopted a PLC vision, which is fantastic. Two years ago, we were required to read your book Professional Learning Communities at Work™: Best Practices for Enhancing Student Achievement. It was a great read for me. I’m not sure that others gathered as much as I did from it. Since then our school has picked up about 15 new teachers unfamiliar with PLCs. Many of these teachers have never worked in such a collaborative environment, so our collaboration has been less than effective.

The Role of Support Staff in a Professional Learning Community

Posted on November 11th, 2008 by Robert Eaker, Meagan Rhoades and Janel Keating

By Robert Eaker, Janel Keating, and Meagan Rhoades

Recently, an assistant superintendent for operations inquired about the role the support staff plays in a district that is committed to functioning as a professional learning community (PLC). While the answer to this query may seem obvious, the role of the support staff in a PLC may be overlooked by some. Let’s be clear; the support staff plays an important role in any school district, but this is especially true in a district that seeks to function as a PLC. For example, secretaries are often the first people parents contact when they call or enter a school.

Does This Seem Like a PLC Format?

Posted on October 28th, 2008 by Rick and Becky DuFour

By Becky and Rick DuFour

We recently received the following question:

At my school we have two mandatory PLC meetings scheduled per month in the mornings before our contract hours begin. We are in the process of preparing to establish schoolwide intervention blocks four days a week. Groups of two grade levels are working together along with our ESL staff to implement these blocks. I am excited about implementing these interventions in this coordinated manner, but in trying to plan for these intervention blocks, we have been working on compiling data from multiple assessments without being given time to meet.

Should We Adhere to Our District’s Prescribed Curriculum or Engage in the Team Learning Process of a PLC?

Posted on October 8th, 2008 by Rick and Becky DuFour

By Becky and Rick DuFour

We recently received the following message from a principal:

I’m trying to understand the relationship between essential outcomes and a math program. My interpretation is that the math program would support the students’ learning of the essential outcomes that our staff derived from our state’s standards.

A Delicate Dialogue On Data

Posted on September 22nd, 2008 by Charlie Coleman

By: Charlie Coleman

Charlie Coleman is principal at Quamichan Middle School in Duncan, BC, Canada. Charlie has 18 years of experience in education and has been a Professional Learning Communities at WorkTM Associate since 2006.

Teachers and principals in a number of schools and districts have asked, “How do you have the tough conversation about data without offending teachers?” and  “What do you do in response to discouraging data?”

Questions New Teams Should Consider Early On

Posted on September 4th, 2008 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

Twice this week we received emails from teachers who were just beginning to work in collaborative teams. One of the first issues they tackled was grading and homework policies, and they immediately began to disagree. They asked for advice.

My first reaction is to suggest that while the issues these teams have tackled are important, they are not the most critical for a new team to consider. Assuming the primary purpose of their school is to help all students learn, their team should begin its work with questions such as:

Drilling Deeper in a Professional Learning Community

Posted on August 13th, 2008 by Robert Eaker and Janel Keating

By Robert Eaker and Janel Keating

The term professional learning community has become enormously popular, but the actual practices that form the framework of the professional learning community concept are much less evident in most schools. There are schools and school districts that adopt the term but never deeply embed the practices into the day-to-day culture of teaching and learning. Classrooms and students are the very heart of a school. Unless we are willing to affect what happens to students, the professional learning community concept will swirl around–but not within–classrooms.

Student Grouping in a PLC

Posted on July 8th, 2008 by Rick and Becky DuFour

By: Rick and Becky DuFour

We received a message from a school that had concluded assigning students to academic classes based on their ability was the best way to promote differentiated instruction for students. While we enthusiastically endorse the idea of differentiated instruction, we do not endorse the idea of tracking students as the best strategy for promoting differentiation for 4 reasons:

What is the role of the library media specialist in a professional learning community?

Posted on June 3rd, 2008 by Rick DuFour

By: Rick DuFour

Recently we received a letter from library media specialists who objected to one of the proposals we offered to give teachers time to collaborate in our book, Learning by Doing. We suggested that an elementary school schedule could be constructed to ensure all of the students at a particular grade level were assigned concurrently to specialists-an art teacher, music teacher, physical education teacher, and library media specialist.

Does Preparing Students for Success on High-Stakes Assessments Interfere With Their Learning and Rob Teachers of the Opportunity to be Creative and Innovative?

Posted on May 13th, 2008 by Rick DuFour

By: Rick DuFour

Current Reality: Teachers across the United States often express their concern that too much emphasis is being placed on state tests. In light of the sanctions being applied under NCLB on the basis of those tests, they raise a very valid point. I am not an apologist for state tests. As W. James Popham has pointed out, most state tests attempt to assess too many skills in too little time, with an assessment tool that is too limited. The result is that these tests do not provide teachers with the timely and specific information they need to adjust their instructional strategies and improve student learning.

Are Smaller Learning Communities (SLCs) Synonymous with Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)?

Posted on April 24th, 2008 by Rick DuFour

By: Rick DuFour

Education thrives on acronyms – IEP, UBD, RTI, ESL, SES, LD, NCLB, AYP, API. Sometimes this abbreviated attempt to communicate can create confusion. Recently, we received a query from a high school principal who felt his efforts to help his school become a professional learning community (PLC) would be enhanced by converting the school into a Smaller Learning Community (SLC). Teachers in his school had been working collaboratively in content-specific teams as they attempted to implement the PLC concept.

How will we respond when students don’t learn?

Posted on April 4th, 2008 by Austin Buffum and Mike Mattos

By: Austin Buffum and Mike Mattos

It is essential to implement both
Professional Learning Communities (PLC) and
Response to Intervention (RTI) because
these complementary processes are considered
research-based best practices
to improve student learning.

Response to Intervention (RTI) is based upon the assumption that schools cannot wait for struggling students to fall far enough below grade level to “qualify” for help. Instead, schools should develop a systematic, schoolwide process in which struggling students receive targeted, research-based interventions at the first sign of difficulties. These interventions can be provided by special education and/or regular education resources. Yet for a school implementing PLC practices, this approach to helping students at risk should not be a new concept, as this process is identical to a PLC’s “Pyramid of Interventions.”

Who should decide the agenda for collaborative team meetings?

Posted on March 11th, 2008 by Rick DuFour

By: Rick DuFour

Our school district is using the book Whatever It Takes as our guide to establishing PLCs. Should administrators tell PLC groupings what to discuss at their weekly meetings, or should the needs of the campus and students drive the constructive conversations?

The way you have posed the question makes it apparent what you believe the answer should be. I suggest, however, that you are falling victim to the “Tyranny of OR.” You ask who should determine the agenda for team meetings-administrators who have their own agenda OR teachers who are motivated by the interests of their campus and their students? First, I would suggest

Moving from a tradition of isolation to a culture of collaboration

Posted on February 14th, 2008 by Becky DuFour

By: Becky DuFour

Some faculty and staff may undoubtedly have a difficult time moving from a culture of isolation into learning communities. How may other faculty and staff help these professionals make that transition and understand their role as a collaborator and its importance?

Let’s begin with the following assumptions: 1) All staff members have been organized into a series of collaborative teams, focused on student learning, and 2) Time and support for collaboration are being provided to each team by the administration.

What Trumps Learning

Posted on January 25th, 2008 by Robert Eaker and Janel Keating

By: Robert Eaker and Janel Keating

Virtually no one disagrees with the proposition that having all students learn at high levels is a worthy mission. It is rare to hear someone say, “Well, I’m just not sure about that ‘learning’ mission.” One of the easiest aspects of reculturing a school to function as professional learning community is achieving a general consensus regarding a “high level of learning for all” mission. It’s only afterward that problems arise.

Team SMART Goals vs. Smart Students

Posted on January 10th, 2008 by Rick and Becky DuFour

By Rick and Becky DuFour

A teacher raised this issue about SMART goals by offering this example:

Current Reality: Last year, 70% of the students in Algebra classes earned a final grade of C or better and 68% of the students met or exceeded the proficiency standard on the State/Provincial Algebra Assessment.

What’s the Difference Between a PLC, a Collaborative Team, and a Task Force?

Posted on November 27th, 2007 by Rick and Becky DuFour

By: Rick and Becky DuFour

We recently received an email from a high school math teacher who attended a three hour PLC overview session we provided for all of the staff members of his K-12 school district. Prior to hearing about PLCs for the first time that morning, his high school had already convened three task forces to meet on a regular basis this school year to resolve the three pressing issues the faculty had identified:

Collecting and Analyzing Common Assessment Data

Posted on November 7th, 2007 by Sam Ritchie

By: Sam Ritchie

While most teachers recognize the value of analyzing assessment data they often struggle with collecting the data. It is not sufficient to know how many questions each student answered correctly or how many students passed and failed. While collecting assessment data is possible without technology its use allows the collection and reporting of assessment data in a timely and user-friendly way. Software programs that use a browser and the Internet (web-based) to collect and report assessment data tend to more user-friendly and are designed with the teacher in mind.

Common Formative Assessments and the Question of Pacing

Posted on October 10th, 2007 by Rick DuFour

By: Rick DuFour

We received a blog query from someone who expressed concern that the way common formative assessments were being implemented in his district required teachers to have identical pacing – same page same day – and uniform instructional practice. Common formative assessments DO NOT and should not require teachers to use lockstep pacing or instruction. Instead, a team of teachers should plan a unit, agree on the skills and concepts to be taught, and the date they will administer the common assessment.

The Role of an Elective Teacher in a PLC

Posted on September 26th, 2007 by Rick DuFour

By: Rick DuFour

A frequent question that surfaces when schools attempt to implement the PLC concept is, “What about the electives. Where do they fit?”  If an elective teacher is the only person in the school who teaches a particular subject, we have suggested vertical teams (for example, the middle school band teacher teaming with the elementary school band teachers to create a strong band program).  Another possibility is all the teachers of a particular elective area being released for district-teaming on a regular basis (for example, all the elementary school art teachers convening monthly to clarify what skills students should acquire, ways of assessing the skills, and practicing assessing actual student work to ensure consistency of standards).

The Case for Common Formative Assessments

Posted on September 13th, 2007 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour, Becky DuFour, and Bob Eaker September 2007

We received a question from a principal of a high-performing middle school who wrote: “Although we have made significant growth in many of the core components of a professional learning community we continue to struggle with the perception of teacher autonomy as a result of attempting to create common assessments. A number of teachers continue to believe that common assessments restricts their ability to differentiate instruction from their colleagues…. our staff still remains hesitant to fully engage in meaningful collaboration which would result in creating common assessments and sharing instructional practices.

We’re already a “good” school, why do we need to improve?

Posted on August 30th, 2007 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

I recently engaged in a spirited discussion with a high school faculty that was balking at the idea of the implementing PLC concepts. Two of their concerns were: 1) “it is an affront to our honor to suggest that we should consider ways to improve when we are already a ‘good’ school and 2) this proposal is coming from the central office and we resent ‘top-down’ intrusion into our school.

Team Structure in PLC

Posted on August 15th, 2007 by Becky DuFour

By: Rick & Becky DuFour

We have heard the concern expressed that the PLC concept only allows for course-specific teams at the middle and high school level or grade level teams at the elementary level.  This is not the case. Adlai Stevenson High School, a national model of a PLC, had a variety of interdisciplinary, vertical, and even electronic teams included in its structure. The critical issue is not the structure of a group. The critical issues are:

Common Formative Assessments

Posted on July 30th, 2007 by Rick DuFour

By Rick DuFour

I had a conversation recently with a high school faculty that expressed several concerns regarding the idea that teachers teaching the same course or grade level should have common formative assessments periodically to identify students who were experiencing difficulty, to identify strengths and weaknesses in their program, and to give each teacher feedback on the how well his or her students had learned in comparison to all the students attempting to become proficient. Here is a summary of their concerns and my responses.

What Might Be: Open the Door to a Better Future

Posted on July 17th, 2007 by Rick and Becky DuFour

By Rick and Becky DuFour

Those called upon to forecast future trends in professional development are well advised to remember the biblical observation, “there is nothing new under the sun.” In fact, a case could be made that the greatest advances in professional development will come not from identifying new strategies or processes, but rather from applying what we already know to be best practice. The most pressing issue confronting educators is not a lack of knowledge but a lack of implementation, and a key to improving schools is taking purposeful steps to close this knowing-doing gap.

Podcast: 2006 Summit

Posted on June 12th, 2007 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

“On Common Ground: The Power of Professional Learning Communities” featuring Rick Stiggins, Michael Fullan, Richard DuFour, and Lawrence Lezotte.

Download the entire podcast, or click on a topic below:

Changes in Education
Future of Education
Initial Steps
Leadership
Teacher Leadership
Teacher Learning
Inclusion
Greatest Paradox
Best Book

Time and Support for Adults in a Professional Learning Community

Posted on May 29th, 2007 by Robert Eaker and Janel Keating

By: Robert Eaker and Janel Keating

We were recently asked if the concept of providing students additional time and support when they experience difficulty also applies to the adults in a school district.  Virtually everyone agrees that students learn at different rates and in different ways. So, the idea that some students will need additional time and support strikes a cord with most educators. As one teacher put it, “It just makes sense.” But, what about adults?  Do the same principles apply?

Small School PLC Implementation

Posted on May 7th, 2007 by Rick and Becky DuFour and Robert Eaker

Posted by Robert Eaker and Rick and Becky DuFour

QUESTION:

I am principal of a small school, with 1 or 2 teachers at each grade level.  The collegiality/cooperation in the school is nearly nonexistent. I buy into the whole idea behind PLC’s. My question–how can we accomplish this with such a small school, and with the disrespect and distance in some of the staff members?

Podcast: 2007 Summit

Posted on April 27th, 2007 by Staff at AllThingsPLC.info

“Learning by Doing: Bringing PLC to Life in Our Schools and Districts” featuring Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker, Rick Stiggins, and Jonathan Saphier.

Download the entire podcast, or click on a topic below:

Clarifying outcomes on the PLC journey
Implementing a common assessment across the system
Setting parameters for structuring teams
Hiring productive PLC teachers
Preparing teachers to contribute …

The Professional Teacher

Posted on April 18th, 2007 by Rick DuFour

Written by Rick DuFour

I received an interesting response from a teacher to a blog entry I made in support of giving teachers time to collaborate. In that entry (posted January 29, 2007) I attempted to make the point that in other professions, collaboration is an accepted part of professional practice and that teachers should be treated as professionals and given time to collaborate.

How Do Leaders Communicate Priorities? Attention Is All There Is!

Posted on March 27th, 2007 by Rick DuFour

Posted by: Rick DuFour

Superintendents often ask how they can promote PLC concepts in their schools. An article from the April 2003 Harvard Business Review entitled “Tipping Point Leadership” by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne offers some great ideas on that topic. The article focused on William Bratton, a guy who is credited with being the more successful chief of police in the U.S. (he cleaned up Boston, then moved to NYC under Rudy Giuliani to transform its crime rates).

Gap-Thinking In a Professional Learning Community

Posted on March 16th, 2007 by Robert Eaker and Janel Keating

From Robert Eaker and Janel Keating

In recent years a number of writers and researchers have utilized the phrase “habits of mind” The idea that we develop “habits” in the way we think raises an interesting question. How do we”think” about improving our schools within the professional learning community framework? Reculturing schools to function as professional learning communities involves more than a checklist. It requires a conceptual understanding that goes far deeper any mere recipe. While there is no “correct” way to think about changing schools, one way that we have found to be helpful is to think in terms of closing various “gaps” that exists in schools.

Should a district-wide PLC initiative impact the recruitment and selection of future teachers to a district? If so, in what way?

Posted on March 12th, 2007 by Rick and Becky DuFour and Robert Eaker

Posted by: Rick and Becky DuFour and Bob Eaker

Our bias on the recruitment & selection of new teachers follows:

The district should recruit & screen applicants on the basis of whether or not this candidate “appears” to have the qualities/knowledge to be a part of and help our district advance the mission & vision of our district. However, the selection process should happen at the individual school site where the candidate is a potential member of “our” school’s culture. 

Assessing Principal Performance In a Professional Learning Community

Posted on February 19th, 2007 by Rick and Becky DuFour and Robert Eaker

Posted by: Robert Eaker, Richard Dufour, and Rebecca Dufour

We are frequently asked questions regarding the best ways to assess the performance of principals in a PLC. While recognizing that each district is unique, here are a few principal evaluation practices that could be applied in any district:

Why Educators Should be Given Time to Collaborate

Posted on January 29th, 2007 by Rick DuFour

Written by: Rick DuFour

A Board of Education had asked the educators in its district to justify why they should be provided with time during their contractual day to collaborate rather than simply expecting them to do so on their own time. The Board felt that the key to improving student achievement was to maximize teacher time in the classroom.

Here is how I would respond to that question.

Learn about PLCs by Doing what PLCs Do!

Posted on January 12th, 2007 by Rick DuFour

Posted by Rick DuFour

Here is a great story from an elementary school in Schaumburg, Illinois that moved quickly to implement PLC concepts.The staff is seeing improved results almost immediately, and the success they are experiencing has fueled momentum for continuing efforts. Their experiences reinforces the idea that the schools that make the most progress on the PLC journey are those who roll up their sleves and do the work. Celebrating small successes is critical to sustaining the PLC effort.

Welcome to AllThingsPLC, What’s a PLC?

Posted on January 9th, 2007 by Rick and Becky DuFour and Robert Eaker

Posted by: Rick DuFour, Bob Eaker, & Becky DuFour

We extend our sincere appreciation to Solution Tree for creating and maintaining AllThingsPLC. We believe the site offers a rich resource to those looking for ways to deepen their understanding of this model of school improvement. We also believe it is consistent with the collaborative and collective effort to acquire and share knowledge that is so much a part of the PLC process. We look forward to learning with and from you as we respond to your questions and comments, post entries to support your work, recognize your successes, and engage in on-going dialogue related to building and sustaining PLCs.