Blog
Peers Helping Peers: An Update
In my previous post, I described a new program that I and others are working on to improve the performance of students who struggled last year as freshmen, and I said I would report back when we . . . Read more
What Does It Mean to Be a Viking?
Dave Wedlock's "What Does It Mean to Be a Viking? Collaboration and the Commitment to Continous Improvement as Core Values" is reposted here with permission from the author. In a . . . Read more
Going Global?
Going global, we have jumped on the high-speed Internet highway with iPads, laptops, and handheld devices. We have powered up with the latest and greatest apps, cool web resources, and let’s . . . Read more
Peers Helping Peers
Five summers ago, my professional life was permanently changed when I attended my first PLC conference. I frankly went with an attitude of “here we go again . . . ,” having been . . . Read more
Does "All" Really Mean All?
I have had the privilege of working with staff in numerous schools and districts who are doing incredible work in professional learning communities with the hope of improving outcomes for all of . . . Read more
Dealing With an Ineffective Team Leader
In Leaders of Learning, Richard DuFour and Robert J. Marzano point out that selecting and training teacher team leaders is one of the most important tasks that a principal must perform in order to . . . Read more
Collaboration: Thinking vs. Doing
“Professional learning communities recognize that until members of the organization ‘do’ differently, there is no reason to anticipate different results.” (DuFour, DuFour, . . . Read more
Innovation: The Key to Engagement and Enrichment
Albert Einstein once wrote, “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” Yet, a recent Gallup survey shows that nationally, only . . . Read more
10 Years In: Time to Reboot
At the core of the PLC model is a school culture and system that clearly identifies what students need to know, measures and tracks individual student mastery, and applies instructional . . . Read more
Moving at the Speed of Life!! Avoiding the "Because I Can" Syndrome in 2013-2014!
The 2013-2104 school year is about to begin! For some of you, it has already started. Don’t you just love the energy, the passion, and the hope of the new school year? Yet soon enough, you . . . Read more
Is Departmentalization an Approved Practice in the PLC at Work™ Process?
Educators who embrace the PLC at Work™ process as the best hope for sustained and substantive improvement, know the first “big idea” is to ensure learning for all—students . . . Read more
Revitalizing Your PLC
Educators have a rare opportunity every summer to rest, relax, and recharge. Most people in many other businesses and professions do not have the same luxury. Sure, they can take vacations, but . . . Read more
Thriving Inside the Creative Tension
Today, a tension exists in professional learning communities that are striving to do what’s best for students and learning: teachers feel caught between the desire to do more with formative . . . Read more
Assessing Your School’s PLC Progress
“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 . . . Read more
Sustainable Improvement: Adlai E. Stevenson High School
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… Read more