Professional Learning Communities

1
Professional Learning Communities

• Year Four in the Lees Summit R-7 School
  District
• 2009-10 School Year

2
Our PLC journey

• Its all about LEARNING,STUDENT SUCCESSand
  a focus onEACH CHILD

3
Other PLC components

• Shared vision
• Clearly defined essential outcomes
• Collective responsibilities
• Collaborative teams for staff
• Continuous improvement
• Frequent monitoring of each students learning
• Research
• Life-long learning for employees

4
In a Professional Learning Community educators
create an environment that fosters mutual
cooperation, emotional support and personal
growth as they work together to achieve what they
cannot accomplish alone. --PLC at Work by
Rick and Rebecca DuFour and Robert Eaker
5
PLC critical questions

• What should each student know and be able to do?
• What systems are in place to monitor a students
  learning in a timely manner?
• How do we respond when a student does not learn?
• What do we do when a student already knows the
  content?

Intentions are fine, but they will not impact
results unless and until they are translated into
collective commitments and specific concrete
actions. --On Common Ground by Rick and
Rebecca DuFour and Robert Eaker
6
These questions help us determine

• Where we spend our time and financial resources
• What students should learn and how we will
  monitor student achievement
• Interventions for struggling students or
  gifted students

7
PLC pyramid of interventions

• Initial interventionsare less intensive and
  designed for more students
• Major interventionsat the top of thepyramid
  servea few students

Intensive Interventions
Proactive
Systemic
Initial Interventions
8
Importance of celebration

• Large and smallaccomplishments
• Short-term andlong-termsuccesses

Recognizing extraordinary commitments should be
the responsibility of everyone in the
organization, and each individual should be
called upon to contribute to that effort.
--Learning by Doing by Rick and Rebecca DuFour
and Robert Eaker
9

• Our constant focus is on what EACH CHILD needs to
  be successful
• This will ensure that failure is no longer an
  option in our schools

We do not argue that the PLC journey is an easy
one, but we know with certainty that it is a
journey worth taking. --Learning by Doing by
Rick and Rebecca DuFour and Robert Eaker