Blog
Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals: The PLC Foundation
I know many of you reading this may not have an interest in the Chicago Bears and the hiring of their new coach Marc Trestman, but as I was reading an article this morning, I was struck by his . . . Read more
The Role of the Building Office Team in a PLC
It takes a lot of people to effectively operate a school, and developing a school culture reflective of a PLC requires that everyone examine their role and how they do things day in and day out… Read more
Persistence in a PLC at Work™
In today’s world of fads, quick fixes, and instant feedback, educators are not immune to the temptation of jumping on the latest bandwagon. Indeed, many criticize our industry for... 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
Do Our Behaviors Reflect Our Intentions?
This posting addresses schools that have been working as a PLC for a couple of years. Rick DuFour says that the road to a PLC is full of parking lots where a school can get stuck and fail to continue on the journey. At that point it’s time for a check of current reality... Read more
Developing a Shared Mission
The first challenge of a professional learning community (PLC) is the development of the pillars of a PLC: shared mission, shared vision, shared values, and shared goals. Working with schools . . . Read more
It's Not a Meeting; It's a Way of Being!
I want to share the temporary soap box that I got on last week when addressing a group of teachers and administrators about the term professional learning community. If we continue to use the term PLC in the way that it is being used in many quarters, then it truly has lost… Read more
Wide Range of Abilities
This is the time of year when we move into interview mode in schools. Having just exited one of these, something the candidate said caused an aha! moment for me. The question to the candidate had to do with… Read more
A Rose by Any Other Name: Professional Learning Communities
When visiting a school in the early stages of developing Professional Learning Communities (PLC), I heard the principal explain, "Our PLC teams meet twice a month." He continued proudly, "When our… Read more
Clarifying Collective Inquiry
We received a question about collective inquiry as it relates to professional learning communities. The writer indicated he was confused and wondered if it simply meant the comparison of test scores of the students of a collaborative team. He asked for clarification and… Read more
What Trumps Learning
Virtually no one disagrees with the proposition that having all students learn at high levels is a worthy mission. It is rare to hear someone say, "Well, I’m just not sure about that . . . Read more
Gap-Thinking in a Professional Learning Community
In recent years a number of writers and researchers have utilized the phrase "habits of mind" The idea that we develop "habits" in the way we think raises an interesting question… Read more
Welcome to AllThingsPLC: What’s a PLC?
We extend our sincere appreciation to Solution Tree for creating and maintaining AllThingsPLC. We believe the site offers a rich resource to those looking for ways to deepen their understanding of . . . Read more