Blog
One Teacher Leader's PLC Journey
Note: This blog post has been adapted from an email that Joshua Curnett sent to the staff at his PLC. It's February, the time of year when I cannot remember my name. It's (picture me . . . Read more
Finding Time for Interventions
How do I find the time to do interventions? When will I do this and also keep up with the pacing of the curriculum? One thing all teachers can agree on is that time is a limited commodity, . . . Read more
The Time and the Commitment to Collaborate at the Elementary Level
At the elementary level, the structure of collaboration—that is, the designated time during the school day and the creation of meaningful teams—can be a struggle to achieve. Some . . . Read more
PLC Master Schedules Provide Time for Collaboration and Interventions During the Day
The importance of teachers having time to collaborate during the contract day in order to build their professional practice and foster shared responsibility for student learning is critical for . . . Read more
Leadership Lessons Learned From a Corporate Barista
Walk into the Evernote headquarters in Redwood City, California, and you are bound to be impressed by the full-scale espresso bar in the lobby. Whether you are in the mood for a vegan raspberry . . . Read more
Using PLC Organization to Align CCSS, Instructional Frameworks, and Teacher Evaluation
Recently, a frustrated teacher sat with me and shared her overwhelming feelings of inadequacy. Her school district had recently adopted an instructional framework for teaching and modified the . . . Read more
Q&A: Scheduling Collaboration Time for Multiple Teams
The following question was sent into AllThingsPLC.info: If a high school teacher has two or three preps, how does he or she serve on more than one collaboration team? I presume teams usually meet at the same time... Read more
Team Meetings: Converting the Middle School to the PLC Middle School
In conversations with many middle school teachers and administrators over the last few years, I’ve noticed a certain perception and tension that exists when some middle schools are presented . . . Read more
The Schedule Won’t Let Us Devote Time to Intervention
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… Read more
Tech Tools for Teams: Collaborate Using Twitter
Let me start by making an observation based on the past six years that I've spent working as a member of a highly motivated professional learning team: Collaboration may be incredibly rewarding and professionally satisfying, but it ain't easy… 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
Does This Seem Like a PLC Format?
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… Read more
Why Educators Should Be Given Time to Collaborate
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 . . . Read more