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:... read more →
During the 2009-10 year, five elementary schools in Cherry Hill School District worked under the direction of Solution Tree Associates to develop as Professional Learning Communities. PLC training began in... read more →
Leading the Charge Our middle school, C.S. Porter, serves students in the 6th through 8th grades. 57% of our students are economically disadvantaged and 7% of our students are Native... read more →
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... read more →
We began our journey in the fall of 2006, fresh off the heels of being labeled “bottom of the barrel” by our local newspaper based on our standardized test scores.... read more →
The Camdenton R-III School District is an economically diverse rural school district located in one of Missouri’s highest grossing tourist regions. The district enrolls approximately 4,200 students and operates nine... read more →
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... read more →
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... read more →
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... read more →
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... read more →