Blog
You Are Loved, and We Are So Happy You Are Here!
We know COVID-19 and the global pandemic changed things for everyone in education. But for our youngest learners, who often come to preK with deficits in language and socialization, the pandemic . . . Read more
Clarity precedes competence: Remembering the essence of a true PLC
Contributing author: Annie Gagne Have you ever been in a meeting where people were using words, buzzwords, and you quickly understood that your colleagues did not have the same definition or . . . Read more
Assessing the Remote Learner
Shifting to remote learning over a weekend and then starting the fall semester remotely has been a challenge for many teachers. Read more
In a Changing Time, Remember the Fundamentals
So much of the national conversation has shifted towards reopening school to our students and to our communities. Locally, you may be hearing conversations about reopening to full in-person . . . Read more
Growing and Utilizing Your Guiding Coalition
Change is hard, but inevitable. Schools are complex…I would argue they are extremely complex. Name another industry where you have as many variables (students, parents, teachers, bus . . . Read more
On a Mission: Building a Culture of Continuous Growth
Before Morrilton Intermediate School was selected to be a part of Cohort One of the PLC at Work® process in Arkansas, we had common planning times, but there was no expectation of . . . Read more
Educators as Change Agents
Change is hard! The funny thing is, one of the reasons I’ve stayed in education for 20 years and gravitated towards working with adults on school improvement is that I yearn to be an agent of change. Nobody likes it when change is thrust upon them, but I do love making change happen. Read more
The Forest or the Trees: Navigating Substantial Cultural Change at the School Site
In my career, I have found that some people are “big picture” people and others are not. Helping a large staff navigate the big picture of a PLC can be a daunting task, but . . . Read more
Creating the Foundation: “Why Do We Have to Do This?”
The need to explore school culture is evident as schools work to become professional learning communities. Culture in any organization is the typically unexamined assumptions, beliefs, . . . Read more
Who Is Steering Your School’s Bus?
In Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work™, the authors comment on common mistakes made in attempting to build consensus around a new vision of learning: “It is a . . . Read more
Modeling Reflective Leadership in Your PLC
As a leader of learners, do you ever wonder if you are providing the leadership your staff wants? You have dedicated time to address the culture in your PLC and established clarity on expectations of staff and students... Read more
When It Comes to Change, Are You a Committed Sardine?
When schools and districts transition from teachers working in isolation to working in cultures of collaboration, one of the most frequently asked questions is, “What do we do if every . . . Read more
What Teachers Need, Part 1
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, . . . Read more
Building Consensus for Change
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… Read more
Motivating Teachers to Collaborate
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… Read more