What experiences have you had working with the PLC model? Have you personally worked in a professional learning team? Based on your own personal experiences, do you believe the PLC model is an effective tool for school improvement? Why or why not?
Based on my experience, the following factors contribute to the success:
1. The school’s culture 2. How the model is presented and how staff react to the implementation process 3. Accountability: How will the principal know if teachers are doing what they should do and what happens if they don’t? 4. Training and clear expectations regarding the purpose and expectations
I agree with Amatalla's factors for success, especially #3 and #4. It seems that a leadership team that makes informed decisions based on research, provides clear expectations and holds students and teachers accountable are most effective. These measures may ultimately drive the school's professional culture. My school established the PLC model five years ago. It has evolved every year. I have been a member of three different collaborative teams within the PLC framework. As usual, it seems that the effectiveness of individuals has a lot to do with the success of the team. If each individual is committed to developing and sharing resources, data analysis, and the greater good of all students (not just their own), PLCs can improve the performance of all teachers. The PLC does not necessarily reduce workloads...it simply allows us all to be more effective.
I have had a pretty positive experience working with the group of U.S. History teachers at my school using the PLC model. Since our school adopted the PLC model, my department has seen increases in U.S. History quiz, test, and EOC scores. I don’t think the PLC model was pitched in a way that the vast majority of my colleagues understood or could relate to. Nobody taught us how to effectively work as a PLC until the second year of the MANDATE. Again, it has proved to be a very successful tool within my department.
I have had both a frustrating and a positive experience working with my grade level PLC. In a previous year, at my grade level, there were some team members who had not "bought in" to the PLC model. During that year, so much time was wasted arguing and persevorating on "why" we had to do all this stuff, instead of just doing the work for the benefit of the students and to improve teaching. As problems arose and team members did not participate, we were directed by the "powers that be" to refer to our team norms and work it out. Needless to say, that was not effective. The year was a waste, and many students were not proficient in essential skills.
In other years, it has been a positive experience working with my PLC. Our students continue to benefit as we allot time to intentionally talk about what students have or have not learned and how we will intervene to make sure that they master all that is essential. One challenge that we face as a PLC is that time to meet with our PLC is not built in to our schedule. We are expected to meet after school and outside of our contractual time. Fortunately for my team, the members are willing to do this. This could be an unfair challenge if team members had other obligations outside of the school day. As a future leader, I think it is important to provide teachers and staff with the time that is needed to do what is expected. People should have a fair chance to meet the expectations of their jobs.
In my school, and in particular on my grade level, the PLC initiative has brought about some real growing pains.
My personal opinion as to why this has been such a difficult transition is that when PLC was introduced to our school, our staff was made up of about 50% veteran teachers with 10+ years experience and 50% new teachers with less than 3 years experience (myself included in the latter).
The veteran teachers didn't exactly greet the initiative with open arms (or open minds), while many of the new teachers were very excited about the whole thing. My mind tells me that having the support of the veteran teachers is key. They are the most experienced and therefore SHOULD have the most to share.
Since that initial year, we have made strides as more components have been mandated. While not everyone likes being forced to participate, I do feel that the PLC model has brought us together more as a staff, and has helped us to focus on ALL students throughout the building...not just those that we see in our individual classrooms.
I think that Tom and Briana make great points. Like Briana, the teachers at my school seemed to struggle with why they were having to do this. According to them, they already met as departments and teams and now they have to meet as a PLC? There was a form that we were required to complete and turn into our principal. Some teachers would spend their PLC time coming up with what they were putting on that form. The meetings were not productive at all. Like Tom said, veteran teachers and new teachers were not on the same page. The negativity that initially was generated by this was over the top.
Durham has our early release days for PLC meetings. They cause controversy because teachers are not happy that they can't run out for lunch and/or the school doesn't provide the lunch. Another sore spot is principals can tell you that you can't go to a PLC off campus, for instance, we only have one band teacher, so she has to find a PLC to join here, and our principal will only allow her to go to district meetings once in a while. What a waste of time! I belong to 2 different PLCs that meet regularly during the school day. Both are district PLCs~AIG and Testing. When we have early release days, I have to join another PLC, and so far it has been a waste of time, and pretty negative. In fact, I hate to go for fear my name will be linked to that negativity and unprofessional behavior.
Ultimately, I do believe that PLCs are good and do make a difference in school improvement. Whether it was the way it was introduced or forced down teacher's throats has not helped it to be successful yet. I rarely hear good things about specific PLCs at my school, but I do get a lot out of the district PLCs that I belong to, and see how valuable they are to school improvement. Apathy on the part of participants at my school is detrimental to the success in using this tool effectively.
If you read the N&O you have probably seen this article. An N&O writer has criticized PLCs and early release days for months. She eventually toured a school and here are her findings...
"I have to admit: It was impressive. Under the leadership of Principal Edward McFarland, the staff has formed professional learning teams that meet weekly and discuss, in detail, what's going right and wrong with their approaches in the classrooms.
Analyzing student performance on whole tests and individual questions, they figure out whose teaching is getting through to kids and whose is not."
"Of the 14 teachers on Barber's team, eight have less than five years of experience, she said. "Yet we've had double-digit growth in math end-of-course scores."
"But let's face it. Not every school has a principal quite as dynamic as McFarland. And not every school has the buy-in he has achieved."
To summarize...the author found it impressive, but most schools just can't be that efficient. Therefore, let's eliminate them?
I agree with Amatullah. Those factors truly make of break a PLC. I think the school I worked at just viewed and presented PLCs as hyped-up department meetings. We weren't really coached and held accountable on how to engage in effective PLCs. We also had high teacher turn-over, over competitive teachers, and lack of structure, which were not conducive to PLC success.
For many schools, standardized testing has created an environment of competition that often results in PLC’s that are ineffective. I think that PLC’s require an environment where teachers feel comfortable sharing their successes and failures (strengths and weaknesses). Human nature makes the public sharing of our weaknesses difficult and the competition sometimes adds intensity to the difficulty level.
I would imagine that it is more difficult for PLC’s at elementary schools to be effective given the limited planning time at many schools. The principal that I interviewed spoke to this and stated that the reason the PLC model did not work at her school was because teachers did not understand how PLC’s work and did not have the time to figure it out at her elementary school. She said that she had to first provide teachers the planning time where her administrative team would watch the kids for a period during the week. She also provided training so that teachers understood how to use data to facilitate PLC discussions. I think that the principal must first “buy in” to the PLC model and provide tools necessary for teachers to effectively use PLC’s for all the benefits that can come from collaboration.
I think it is interesting that many challenges relate to how many years teachers have been teaching. I am one of the few teachers in my school who have been teaching for a "medium" amount of time, i.e. no longer a novice, but haven't been in the classroom "for ages." Many long time teachers that I have encountered view PLCs as something else that "will soon pass." Given the success that PLCs are having in discussing students' specific challenges and how to help them to be proficient, I do not see PLCs as going away, but rather becoming a consistent and expected part of most schools. It will be interesting to watch PLCs evolve over the next few years as they transition from being the "new fad" to being a traditional and respected way of operating in schools. With new hires of novice teachers coming from universities and student teaching practicums that utilized PLCs, I predict the opinions in schools will shift fairly abruptly as PLCs change from being the new fad to a traditional way of conducting business.
I think that, when conducted properly, PLCs can be an effective tool for teaching. I have seen a vast improvement in the PLC process in my school since the initiative began in our county. In the beginning, no one had any idea on what we were supposed to be doing as a PLC. Fortunately, that has changed, and teachers use the time they are given to talk about data and how to do common planning and assessments.
As a specialist, it is difficult to happily attend PLC meetings. Since PLCs began, it has been a struggle to get my team (music, pe, media, art, technology) “on board” with the process. I am constantly met with the fact that we teach such different subjects that do not produce data, so we should not have to meet as a PLC. I disagree with this, but, as stated previously, it is always a battle. We do sometimes break off and go to grade level meetings in order to integrate what they are teaching, but then teachers often get frustrated because they feel like we are taking away their meeting time. Other years have been more successful than others, and that is due to the mixture of classroom teachers and the teachers in my PLC.
The district used to offer meetings for us as a cohort (music PLC meetings, art PLC meetings, etc.) but for some of us, that no longer exists. When meeting with the other area specialist, we do lose the fact of our own school improvement needs because each school needs something different.
I am currently working in a district that uses the PLC model. The professional learning team that I currently work with is positive and flexible. We use data to guide our instruction and we definitely share resources. I have been in situations where the teachers had their own agendas and the professional learning team was not a priority. They came to meetings and did other work (graded papers and lesson plans) instead of participating. The teachers thought this was something else that would soon pass through the district. I believe that the PLC model is an effective tool for school improvement. I think that if teachers really understood the purpose of PLCs and they were held accountable for the participating and using the resources within the PLC there would be school improvement.
I have at my school been working in PLCs for a few years now. It was and still is a struggle for some. Many that I have spoken with see it as another task for teachers. I work as a team leader now where one teacher has decided that PLCs are worthless and whose negative attitude has caused somewhat of a divison. I feel at first, it was not clear as to what we were suppose to be doing and many teachers became frustrated at the idea and subsequently, have discounted its credibility. I believe it is an effective tool and that leaders must be sure they understand the initiative before placing it on those whom they are leading.
I TOTALLY agree with Briana's comment that the view of PLC's will change as the PLC model goes from being the latest trend to the tried and true.
It is my contention that there is great value in PLC...even at the very basic level of the PLC model where you have teachers collaborating over the day to day art of teaching. These conversations can only lead to better educators and better educational opportunities for our students.
Sure there are growing pains to go through, but we have growing pains in every initiative that is passed our way. Once a true PLC is created, however, it can truly become the culture of a school.
One idea that continues to stand out to me is that PLCs represent some of the most important aspects of preparing students to be 21st century thinkers. PLCs represent many of the characteristics that educators typically want for students.
For example, we want our students to form and share opinions based on reasoning. As teachers, we need to be able to articulate proficiency and use assessments and samples to justify a decision.
As teachers, we want students to extend themselves beyond independent projects and learn to work with others. This is important for teachers, as well, as classroom doors are being opened and planning is happening collaboratively.
For students, we want them to set attainable goals, and to take ownership over success and challenges. As teachers, it is important that PLCs allow teachers to come together and work as a team instead of independently to discuss student and class data.
The list of similarities continues. I often think that it is not just students that must be prepared for the 21st century. Teachers and schools must also embody the values that we want students to rise to. Being a part of an environment that embodies 21st century skills is likely to help students prepare to be 21st century thinkers.
I think that Hassan and Jill hit the nail on the head. Hassan says that PLCs at his school were like "hyped-up department meetings." He goes on to say they didn't receive valuable training either. Jill talks about her group of elective teachers not having data from their teaching so some of them feel they shouldn't have to meet. I think both of these are great examples of a model being thrown out to teachers, and the expectation is that we will embrace it and run with it. But how can we, when we don't all bring the same knowledge or understanding to the table? Briana talks about the 21st century skills that teachers need, and she is right. One of the main parts of the implementation of these skills is professional development for educators. If we are expected to actively participate and be successful, like our students, we have to be taught. The same is true of PLCs. Some of Jill's teachers may get their feelings hurt when the state start used the new evaluation portfolio. Part of what they'll have to analyze is how they use data to improve student achievement. I may be wrong, but I didn't see anything that said that non-EOG/EOC teachers were exempt. Like what most people that have written, I agree that PLCs are a good thing, and will make a difference in student achievement when we as professionals learn to use them wisely, and accept that collaboration really does make a difference. As my principal says, "They're not your students or my students, they are our students." Maybe we need to remember such words as unity, team work, humility and creativity. The Reverend Joseph Taban Lasuba from South Africa says, "You can go faster if you go alone, but you'll go farther if you go together."
The PLC group is only as good as the people who comprise that group. The key to PLC success is the level at which the members “buy in” to the concept of collaboration. In the past, teachers would collaborate with faculty members in which they had developed a close relationship. These collaborations were very effective, but were limited to the circle of trusted friends. The PLC provides a formal guide and framework to allow for the development of professional collaboration beyond the personal level. The “contrived” nature of the PLC has caused some more experienced to teachers to balk at the concept. In the past, these same teachers would work long and hard developing strategies and material to improve student performance on the EOCs , but these same teachers first greeted the PLC model with skepticism and disdain. After several years of growing pains, the PLC model at NHS is beginning to blossom and pay dividends. As Camille pointed out, the key to collaboration is to see the students as “our students” not as “mine and yours”. Coming from an athletic background, the PLC seems to be the only way to effectively teach. Just as coaching staff would work together to develop a game plan to win the next game, teachers should develop a collaborative game plan to help students be successful and learn.
I feel that in most educational circles, the term professional learning community has become commonplace. It is being used to mean any number of things, such as extending classroom practice into the community; bringing community personnel into the school to enhance the curriculum and learning tasks for students; or engaging students, teachers, and administrators simultaneously in learning. But for me PLC simply means a half day for students so the remainder of the day can be devoted to commiserating with other teachers about the kids or administration. I agree with Paul, when he says that the PLC is only as good as the people that comprise it. I fear my experiences with PLCs have not been authentic. I have no idea what a PLC looks like for an alternative school. It certainly must be comprised differently than that of a traditional school. It does me no good to meet with the other 7th grade LA teachers at my school; I can’t even meet with other 6th and 8th grade teachers simply because they don’t exist! I am the LA department chair, and the 6th, 7th and 8th grade LA teacher all together. I am it. So PLCs work well for traditional schools when you have somebody in your same situation to bounce ideas off of, but when you are the only show in town PLC’s are a real joke…I think I’ll take a half day on Wednesday (DPS’s PLC Day), I can be working on my paper.
I completely agree with Amatullah's first post. I believe that PLCs could be very effective, but the factors that she listed have resulted in a very negative experience at my school. In fact, tomorrow is early release day (so that we can meet in PLCs), and I know many teachers that want to call in sick just because they DREAD "PLC Day." (To be honest, I have seriously thought about it as well... it's THAT bad!).
One problem is that we, as a school, were never trained in the PLC-model. We were told to "meet with cohorts and develop common assessments and lessons." In addition, teachers are required to stay almost an hour later on these "PLC Days." Combine the fact that teachers are forced to stay an hour later (and some even have to arrange alternate childcare) with the fact that we really have no idea what we are REALLY supposed to be doing and you get one unhappy staff. To make matters worse, there is no accountability (some teachers want to use the time and be productive, others just sit and check email). This means that even if you WANT to be productive, you often have others in your PLC creating a negative environment in which NO work gets done.
To be honest, even I consider these PLC days miserable. I am SURE that there is way that PLCs can be successful, but they are CERTAINLY not functioning at our school!
Briana's post made me reflect upon my current PLC. She said, "Given the success that PLCs are having in discussing students' specific challenges and how to help them to be proficient, I do not see PLCs as going away, but rather becoming a consistent and expected part of most schools." I realized when I read this that I was, at one time, a part of a very functional PLC (we just didn't call it that at the time). I arrived at those meetings needing ideas and help, and left those meetings with new ideas and inspiration for my next days in the classroom. My current PLC is comprised of a number of teachers that are too "burned out" (self-admitted, by the way) to have meaningful discussions about how to help their students. At least one of them is literally in the classroom because it is a paycheck. Seeing how dysfunctional my current PLC is brings to light the importance of expectations and accountability. If the PLC model is to be a successful model, the school leadership MUST set the state for success.
Yes, as a WCPSS employee we must all participate in PLTs. I think in terms of it being an effective school improvement initiative, it all depends. In order for PLTs to be successful, leaders and participants must have proper staff development so that the PLT functions structurally. Additionally, as with any improvement initiative, there must be staff buy-in. I would say that this is probably one area where my school struggles--many teams are doing PLTs for the sake of the mandate, not for the power that effective ones can have to impact student achievement. However, this may be due in part to a lack of professional development (true professional development) on PLTs at our school.
I believe that the professional learning community model requires the entire school staff to focus on learning rather than teaching, work collaboratively on matters related to learning, and to hold themselves accountable for school improvement. I believe that when educators do hard work to implement the basic principles of PLC, their ability to help all students learn will increase. (Administrators and teachers work together to analyze and improve their classroom practice. Teachers work in teams, engaging in an ongoing cycle of questions that promote deep team learning.) If they fail to demonstrate the ability to initiate and sustain this hard work, then their school is unlikely to become more effective, even if those within it claim to be a professional learning community. The success or failure of the professional learning community concept depends not on the commitment and persistence of the educators within it. I believe that educators who are building a professional learning community recognize that they must work together to achieve their collective purpose of learning for all.
I must admit, I feel old and a little cynical with this conversation. PLCs do sound like the latest buzz word. It seems tome that collaboration and reflection are just part of best practices. So the discussion for me, should not be around "PLC" but "why would teachers be resistant to these basic best practices."
I do admit to having an issue with the early release. As a parent, if you have resources it's no problem, but for our disadvantaged youth, we have placed one more burden on the family. Given that we know that sex and drug use is engaged in most frequently after school, before parents get home from work, why would we intentionally create that situation?
I generally like the idea of professionals working together and helping each other improve. The best experience I had of this is in the Kenan Fellow program and in the PLC at my school with the science teachers. I believe that the PLC models are successful when the professional part is the focus and they are not micro-managed. The problems arise when too many chiefs get involved and they do not let the Indians do the work that needs to be accomplished.
Do Administrators in WCPSS and other school systems engage in PLTs. I think that research does support that they are effective for teachers, but what about the Administrators? What have your experiences been like with Administrator PLTs, if they exist?
Relating back to PLT's and our discussion of the Principal as Diagnostician, I think that it is critically important for a PLT to really have a good understanding of what the key lever is that is holding a student or groups of students back. PLTs must be trained in how to look at the data that comes from a variety of different assessments and look for patterns. PLTs should consider what teaching behaviors are keeping students from achieving, and to be more effective, they should consider focusing on one or two primary behaviors that would have the most impact on student achievement. From my observations, teachers do not mind collaborating, but they often are not precise in their diagnosis of the root of the problem affecting student achievement.
I don’t think that PLCs are a buzz word. Like Briana said, I do believe that schools are changing their thinking and that the PLC ideas are being encompassed as more of a better way to do things. PLCs can be more than collaboration and reflection, as they should be.
If kids want to do things that will get them in trouble, they will find a way regardless if we give them an two extra hours out of school a month!
In response to Justin’s question, I do not know if Administrator PLTs exist. I know that I have not had much experience with my administrator participating in my PLT meetings. On PLC days, we usually meet as a whole faculty briefly then break off into grade levels or committees. I know that each PLT is required to submit required documentation in which we have answered essential questions that were generated when the PLC initiative was first started. I am positive the documentation is read by the administrator and that administrator is aware of what is going on with the team. My PLT has frequent visits from other specialists in the building. These specialists usually come if there is something that they need to present to the team. (It’s usually something that is required by the administrator or the district.) My administrator is really good about giving feedback to the information on the required documentation that is submitted. It’s usually sent through email or the grade level chairs.
I am all for PLC. Though I have not had much experience working with PLC, most of the feedback I have recieved from the sister school I teach within has been positive. Initial reactions to the implamentation of PLC's was not very positive, but the culture around PLC's has improved tramendously, and I have heard good things.
whether it's buzzword or not, the consistent tale I'm hearing is that there is a significant amount of resistance. The issue that I posed as needing to be addressed is 'why are teachers resistant to what should be best practices'?
And yes, it is true that kids will make poor choices, but I don't think schools should intentionally set up situations that have the potential of undermining families.
I will say that as a sub I have found a very different culture in many of the schools. Yesterday I was at an elementary school. They have a lot of problems(low scores, fights, etc.) and the dismissal procedure is very controlled. I ended up with several kids, from other classes, after school waiting for dismissal because the teachers refused to stay more than 15 min. after class ended (some kids didn't leave until 30 min after the end of class)
I love the early release days at Jordan so that I can plan effective labs and create common assessments. We had a late arrival in Chapel Hill and Wake County and I believe that this a great idea for teachers. There are very few professions that require and expect their professionals to take home work and work on the weekend like teachers do. There are professions when there are late days at the office but I also know that many teachers have similar times when the copier is not working or just catching up on grading.
I participated in a professional learning community that was extremely effective in preparing lesson plans, assessing student achievement, and providing continuity and sustainability. We utilized the curriculum guides, blueprints, on-line resources, textbooks, and pacing guides to create common lesson plans. Each teacher volunteered to complete one of the following tasks: create quizzes, create tests, photocopies of the handouts for students, projects and technology integration to deliver classroom instruction. When a teacher missed a day of classroom instruction, the substitute received a copy of the common lesson plans. Therefore, the substitute teacher received assistance for the teachers within the department and students did not fall behind on the pacing guide. The principal was transparent in communicating to the entire department that our participation was mandatory. Because of our collaboration, we earned the highest percentage of students that were proficient on the VoCATS tests. Unfortunately, we did not discuss individual student academic achievement. I vehemently believe that professional learning communities that are established with the proper professional development, systems and structures for the engagement process, a focus on student academic achievement, and accountability from the principal are valuable. My belief is based on my experience and best practices research on improving student performances with common and formative assessments.
Reading through all the comments, I do believe that the PLC culture however that word is used, has changed the culture of a school. I think new teachers no longer feel like they are on an island all alone. With Wake county, incorporating administrators into this program is a great idea and hopefully the culture can shift and change there so that administrators too will feel as a part of a team and not on an island.
Any time reform is mandated it creates resistance at some level among teachers. We talk about accountability of teachers who feel they are overworked and unfairly evaluated, but students who refuse to attend class and/or refuse to participate in class are not held accountable when the test scores for those students come back. The teachers become defensive and see the PLC as another series of steps to jump through to satisfy the leadership and prove that they are doing their jobs. This negative and defensive culture is why the PLC model is not easily accepted because everyone wants to point fingers and blame someone or something. The key is for all to accept responsibility and address the learning process rather than the individual teachers in order to foster a collaborative environment.
Just as Dr. G mentioned at the beginning of this course that we need to start thinking like administrators and not like teachers, teachers and administrators view test scores in different ways. Teachers view the tests as a measure of the student's effort or lack of effort and administrators view the tests as measure of the teacher's effectiveness. The truth lies somewhere in between, but this difference creates the animosity and resistance that has been observed in previous comments. The goal as future administrators is to foster a trusting and non-judgmental attitude when testing data is evaluated so the focus will be on helping students and not judging teachers.
There are some key elements in each of the comments made: creating a culture of collaboration, sharing of best practices, accountability and high student achievement. I echo Briana's earlier comment. These are the expectations we have of our students, and therefore, it makes sense that as professionals, we model that same behavior.
I have had limited experience with the PLC model. My previous two years with WCPSS I was at an alternative elementary school that did not participate in PLC. Now I am at a regular year round school but have missed most of our sessions because of the MSA program. The PLC sessions I have attend at my current school were fully directed to classroom teachers and specialist teachers in areas like art, P.E., and music were left feeling like it was a waist of time. As of right now I would have to agree with the specialist. I really do not see why the P.E. teacher should be with a group of third grade teachers trying to brainstorm ways to improve academic instruction in math. They may have changed the format by now but at the beginning of the school year that is how it was.
PLC can be an effective tool for school improvement, but just as with any tool the person using it is the most important factor. That means the implementation of the PLC model by those involved is one of the main factors for successful results.
I agree that collaboration and reflection is best practice, but I also know that everyone does not do them for various reasons. This PLC model is a way to try to ensure we use best practices. The P stands for professional. Often we allow personal reasons to hinder our collaboration with fellow colleagues. Veteran teachers unwilling to listen to less experience teachers and so on. Frequently the stuff in our heads keeps us from moving forward.
I agree with you Debra but for the most part that is not the case. In my brief time in education I have realized that most teachers expect certain behaviors from their students, but do not hold themselves to the same expectations under similar circumstances. A prime example of this is when teachers go to workshop. Most of the ones I have attended you will see people having sidebar conversations and completing other task while the presenter is presenting and think nothing wrong of it. However I have seen those same teachers reprimand students for the same exact behavior in their classrooms. What hypocrisy.
Benjy made an excellent point about how helpful PLCs can be for new teachers. They truly are a tool that if used appropriately can help new teachers shave off alot of the time that is spent just getting the hang of teaching. Overall, they can make all teachers more effective. As an administrator, I hope I make PLCs appealing and worthwhile providing the right training and accountability for the participants.
Paul said PLCs are only as good as the teachers in the PLC. I agree, but in my experience, we had great teachers in our PLC--creative, got results, etc. They just did not like to collaborate and did not take it serious at all. The culture of my past school just did not like meetings and any extra meetings or duties as Debra pointed to brought out negativity and apathy. I hope PLCs are going better at my old school!
I agree with the comments made by Hassan and Paul. PLC's are an excellent tool for new teachers but also can be very effective for seasoned teachers as well. Not only will PLC's help new teachers grasp the essence on what teaching is, but it will allow seasoned teachers to reinvent themselves, through the collaboation process with the other teachers.
But in any program you try to implament, if the indivisuals within the program have not committed to it, it will be largely ineffecive. Many indivisuals have shown apathy towards PLC's because it is something knew and more time out of the day. I believe that if we can get pass the melodrama indivisuals have brought into PLC's, at the core, they really will prove to be beneficial.
When PLCs were first introduced to me it was clear that my administrator did not have a clear understanding of PLCs. When explaining to us the purpose of a PLC and what is to be accomplished through PLCs, he was very vague. Therefore when it was time for us teachers to meet in our PLC groups we were lost. Instead on focusing on key issues, we griped and complained about what we were unhappy with at our school. Our PLC s was a complete waste of time because none of the teachers knew the intended purpose of PLCs and neither did the principal. Since then, I have moved to a school that has a clear definition of what a PLC is but who cannot decide on what the focus should be while working within the PLC. It took the English Department three PLC meetings to come up with a focus for the group. Since then we have created Benchmarks that we want all English teachers to implement when teaching certain things; however, we have recently found out that the state is now adopting their own writing benchmark for students, so we are left trying to figure out if what the state has adopted trumps what we have spent so many hours creating. PLCs can be both a positive and negative. In order to have an effective PLC, you must know: • what a PLC is, the purpose of a PLC, and how it functions, • how you are going to divide teachers up that forms the different PLCs within the school, • what areas you are going to focus on within the PLC, • what the district goals are ou can make sure the PLCs goals are aligned with the districts, • and all parties involve should buy into PLCs and believe that they can work.
Briana, Even though my PLC group understands the purpose of a PLC and have clear goals of what we want to accomplish, some of the group still doesn't buy into the whole PLC concept mainly because no matter what we decide we think are best practices for our school if the district has a different set of goals or visions then what we have spent hours developing in the PLC is tossed aside. Therefore many people do not buy into the concept, so they just put on a show for administrators when they pass the meeting to appear like they are getting something accomplished when in actuality they are ticked off that they are wasting time out of their day with PLCs. So yes, when you have people that don’t believe that the PLC concept is a waste and treat it as such, it can halt the entire group from achieving anything.
As I get a late start this morning after playing "hookie" on PLC day, (Abbey you sound like you wanted to join me!)I have given some thought to the basic theme that I see running through all of our comments on this topic...PLCs are great, but they are just one tool in our educators' toolbox. And just like any tool, with the correct training and understanding that tool can be very effective in getting the job done. However that same tool if used by the untrained the unskilled, and in most of our cases in educaton, the unwilling, that very same tool can cause serious harm.
I think PLCs' lack of success comes from them being mandated by the district and the state. Think about it, which is a better fighting army one that is made up of drafted soldiers forced by a nation to fight in a war they disagree with or one that is comprised of volunteers who have rallied to defend their nations liberties? I think PLCs happen naturally among good teachers whether the district sets aside time for them or not. If you mandate that all teachers paticipate in PLCs then I think you have just damaged or limited their potential to help. Expose your teachers to the PLC model, train them (only if interested) and then reward them for their success using the model, the nay sayers will soon change their tune or run the risk of being seen as not wanting to subscribe to the culture of the school...kind of like being seen as not being a teamplayer at your school just because you think it's wrong to run and "Drysnitch" or out and out "rat" on fellow teachers based on the allegations of the students.
. Ryan, I know your boss and I'm gonna' tell on you! No seriously, I also wanted to add that in order to have a successful PLC teachers mist be able to admit that there is a need for improvement whether it be their teaching styles, improving their content know; edge, improving some other aspect of the school, etc. Without accepting the fact that no school is perfect and no teacher is perfect, PLCs will no thrive. Teachers need to know their strengths and weaknesses in order to set realistic, measurable, and obtainable goals in their PLCs.
I believe PLC's are an excellent opportunity for educators to grow and an opportunity to improve the school. Unfortunately, I also feel that not all educators treat it as such and it has been my experience that some educators free load in the PLC process. Data is not valid and at times I have seen it falsified to "jump through the hoops" of the PLC process.
I have participated on teams (we were not called PLCs at that time) that was focused on student learning. Technically I think I have participated in a PLC but we thought of it more as a team that was focused on achieving goals that we had set for our program.
As I read and process the information about PLCs, it reminds me of the teachings and philosophies of athletic teams. Characteristics of a PLC: 1. Shared values and vision (Goal: To win the championship), 2. Collaborative Culture (There is no limit to what can be accomplished if it doesn’t matter who gets the credit), 3. Focus on examining outcomes to improve student learning (Lets review the tape, grade your performance and discuss how we can improve your performance), 4. Supportive and Shared Leadership (Team members take on “ownership” of the team and influence decisions) and 5. Shared personal practice (Take on leadership role and lead by example). Based on what’s in my head, I do believe PLCs can be an effective tool for school improvement. I also know that championship teams don’t just happen. It takes a forward thinking coach who can devise a plan and knows how to select and recruit the talent needed in order to implement the plan.
Taken from The Center for Comprehensive Reform and Improvement, PLC - What Does the Literature and Emerging Research Tell Us About The Benefits of PLC's, http://www.centerforcsri.org/plc/literature.html
Assessing the Impact on Student Performance
Improvement in student performance is at the center of PLC work. However, it can be challenging to show direct relationships between PLCs and student outcomes. Part of the difficulty lies in being able to first determine the presence of a PLC and then show that the work of the PLC resulted in improved student outcomes. Several studies have attempted to study this relationship. Consider these examples:
Researchers (Hughes & Kritsonis, 2007) selected a sample of schools from a database of schools with staff who had attended PLC workshops and that were possibly implementing PLCs. The mean length of time that sample schools (n=64) reported functioning as a PLC was 2.5 years. During a three-year period, 90.6 percent of these schools reported an increase in standardized math scores; 81.3 percent reported an increase in English/language arts scores between 5 points and 26 points.
Case studies of three elementary schools showed that during a five-year period, students from minority and low-income families improved their scores on state achievement tests from less than 50 percent proficient to 75 percent proficient. Strahan (2003) conducted interviews to examine the role of a collaborative professional culture on instructional improvement and found that working collaboratively in PLCs was a characteristic of these schools.
Using multiple sources of data from a four-year evaluation of PLCs in an urban district, Supovitz (2002) found that an explicit focus on instructional improvement is necessary for PLCs to have a positive impact on improving teaching and learning. Without such focus, PLCs may have a positive effect on culture and teachers' feelings of well-being, but not necessarily on student achievement. Researchers found similar results in another large urban district (Supovitz & Christman, 2003).
Rick said, After viewing some of the comments and satements about individuals' experiences with PLCs, I feel a little embarass that I do not have any experiences to offer or bring to the table. However, taking in account the readings that have been assigned and discussions in class, PLCs has resonated some positive outcomes. Ideally, I think having professionals collaborate can't be nothing but benefical to all parties involved. There is one aspect of PLCs that seems to be amiss, and that is the EC population and teachers, where do they fit in this grand scheme of PLCs? And if they are included, it would be nice to mention them and their contribution to the PLCs.
Rick said, I also agree with Hassan and Paul that PLCs are great for new teachers, because PLCs establishes a great standard of professionalism and accountability. In other words, PLCs are like the road to success, " Its always under construction.
Based on my experience, the following factors contribute to the success:
ReplyDelete1. The school’s culture
2. How the model is presented and how staff react to the implementation process
3. Accountability: How will the principal know if teachers are doing what they should do and what happens if they don’t?
4. Training and clear expectations regarding the purpose and expectations
I agree with Amatalla's factors for success, especially #3 and #4. It seems that a leadership team that makes informed decisions based on research, provides clear expectations and holds students and teachers accountable are most effective. These measures may ultimately drive the school's professional culture.
ReplyDeleteMy school established the PLC model five years ago. It has evolved every year. I have been a member of three different collaborative teams within the PLC framework. As usual, it seems that the effectiveness of individuals has a lot to do with the success of the team. If each individual is committed to developing and sharing resources, data analysis, and the greater good of all students (not just their own), PLCs can improve the performance of all teachers. The PLC does not necessarily reduce workloads...it simply allows us all to be more effective.
I have had a pretty positive experience working with the group of U.S. History teachers at my school using the PLC model. Since our school adopted the PLC model, my department has seen increases in U.S. History quiz, test, and EOC scores. I don’t think the PLC model was pitched in a way that the vast majority of my colleagues understood or could relate to. Nobody taught us how to effectively work as a PLC until the second year of the MANDATE. Again, it has proved to be a very successful tool within my department.
ReplyDeleteI have had both a frustrating and a positive experience working with my grade level PLC. In a previous year, at my grade level, there were some team members who had not "bought in" to the PLC model. During that year, so much time was wasted arguing and persevorating on "why" we had to do all this stuff, instead of just doing the work for the benefit of the students and to improve teaching. As problems arose and team members did not participate, we were directed by the "powers that be" to refer to our team norms and work it out. Needless to say, that was not effective. The year was a waste, and many students were not proficient in essential skills.
ReplyDeleteIn other years, it has been a positive experience working with my PLC. Our students continue to benefit as we allot time to intentionally talk about what students have or have not learned and how we will intervene to make sure that they master all that is essential. One challenge that we face as a PLC is that time to meet with our PLC is not built in to our schedule. We are expected to meet after school and outside of our contractual time. Fortunately for my team, the members are willing to do this. This could be an unfair challenge if team members had other obligations outside of the school day. As a future leader, I think it is important to provide teachers and staff with the time that is needed to do what is expected. People should have a fair chance to meet the expectations of their jobs.
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ReplyDeleteIn my school, and in particular on my grade level, the PLC initiative has brought about some real growing pains.
ReplyDeleteMy personal opinion as to why this has been such a difficult transition is that when PLC was introduced to our school, our staff was made up of about 50% veteran teachers with 10+ years experience and 50% new teachers with less than 3 years experience (myself included in the latter).
The veteran teachers didn't exactly greet the initiative with open arms (or open minds), while many of the new teachers were very excited about the whole thing. My mind tells me that having the support of the veteran teachers is key. They are the most experienced and therefore SHOULD have the most to share.
Since that initial year, we have made strides as more components have been mandated. While not everyone likes being forced to participate, I do feel that the PLC model has brought us together more as a staff, and has helped us to focus on ALL students throughout the building...not just those that we see in our individual classrooms.
I think that Tom and Briana make great points. Like Briana, the teachers at my school seemed to struggle with why they were having to do this. According to them, they already met as departments and teams and now they have to meet as a PLC? There was a form that we were required to complete and turn into our principal. Some teachers would spend their PLC time coming up with what they were putting on that form. The meetings were not productive at all. Like Tom said, veteran teachers and new teachers were not on the same page. The negativity that initially was generated by this was over the top.
ReplyDeleteDurham has our early release days for PLC meetings. They cause controversy because teachers are not happy that they can't run out for lunch and/or the school doesn't provide the lunch. Another sore spot is principals can tell you that you can't go to a PLC off campus, for instance, we only have one band teacher, so she has to find a PLC to join here, and our principal will only allow her to go to district meetings once in a while. What a waste of time! I belong to 2 different PLCs that meet regularly during the school day. Both are district PLCs~AIG and Testing. When we have early release days, I have to join another PLC, and so far it has been a waste of time, and pretty negative. In fact, I hate to go for fear my name will be linked to that negativity and unprofessional behavior.
Ultimately, I do believe that PLCs are good and do make a difference in school improvement. Whether it was the way it was introduced or forced down teacher's throats has not helped it to be successful yet. I rarely hear good things about specific PLCs at my school, but I do get a lot out of the district PLCs that I belong to, and see how valuable they are to school improvement. Apathy on the part of participants at my school is detrimental to the success in using this tool effectively.
If you read the N&O you have probably seen this article. An N&O writer has criticized PLCs and early release days for months. She eventually toured a school and here are her findings...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.newsobserver.com/news/columnists_blogs/sheehan/story/182349.html
"I have to admit: It was impressive. Under the leadership of Principal Edward McFarland, the staff has formed professional learning teams that meet weekly and discuss, in detail, what's going right and wrong with their approaches in the classrooms.
Analyzing student performance on whole tests and individual questions, they figure out whose teaching is getting through to kids and whose is not."
"Of the 14 teachers on Barber's team, eight have less than five years of experience, she said. "Yet we've had double-digit growth in math end-of-course scores."
"But let's face it. Not every school has a principal quite as dynamic as McFarland. And not every school has the buy-in he has achieved."
To summarize...the author found it impressive, but most schools just can't be that efficient. Therefore, let's eliminate them?
Strange logic!!!
I agree with Amatullah. Those factors truly make of break a PLC. I think the school I worked at just viewed and presented PLCs as hyped-up department meetings. We weren't really coached and held accountable on how to engage in effective PLCs. We also had high teacher turn-over, over competitive teachers, and lack of structure, which were not conducive to PLC success.
ReplyDeleteFor many schools, standardized testing has created an environment of competition that often results in PLC’s that are ineffective. I think that PLC’s require an environment where teachers feel comfortable sharing their successes and failures (strengths and weaknesses). Human nature makes the public sharing of our weaknesses difficult and the competition sometimes adds intensity to the difficulty level.
ReplyDeleteI would imagine that it is more difficult for PLC’s at elementary schools to be effective given the limited planning time at many schools. The principal that I interviewed spoke to this and stated that the reason the PLC model did not work at her school was because teachers did not understand how PLC’s work and did not have the time to figure it out at her elementary school. She said that she had to first provide teachers the planning time where her administrative team would watch the kids for a period during the week. She also provided training so that teachers understood how to use data to facilitate PLC discussions. I think that the principal must first “buy in” to the PLC model and provide tools necessary for teachers to effectively use PLC’s for all the benefits that can come from collaboration.
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting that many challenges relate to how many years teachers have been teaching. I am one of the few teachers in my school who have been teaching for a "medium" amount of time, i.e. no longer a novice, but haven't been in the classroom "for ages." Many long time teachers that I have encountered view PLCs as something else that "will soon pass." Given the success that PLCs are having in discussing students' specific challenges and how to help them to be proficient, I do not see PLCs as going away, but rather becoming a consistent and expected part of most schools. It will be interesting to watch PLCs evolve over the next few years as they transition from being the "new fad" to being a traditional and respected way of operating in schools. With new hires of novice teachers coming from universities and student teaching practicums that utilized PLCs, I predict the opinions in schools will shift fairly abruptly as PLCs change from being the new fad to a traditional way of conducting business.
ReplyDeleteI think that, when conducted properly, PLCs can be an effective tool for teaching. I have seen a vast improvement in the PLC process in my school since the initiative began in our county. In the beginning, no one had any idea on what we were supposed to be doing as a PLC. Fortunately, that has changed, and teachers use the time they are given to talk about data and how to do common planning and assessments.
ReplyDeleteAs a specialist, it is difficult to happily attend PLC meetings. Since PLCs began, it has been a struggle to get my team (music, pe, media, art, technology) “on board” with the process. I am constantly met with the fact that we teach such different subjects that do not produce data, so we should not have to meet as a PLC. I disagree with this, but, as stated previously, it is always a battle. We do sometimes break off and go to grade level meetings in order to integrate what they are teaching, but then teachers often get frustrated because they feel like we are taking away their meeting time. Other years have been more successful than others, and that is due to the mixture of classroom teachers and the teachers in my PLC.
The district used to offer meetings for us as a cohort (music PLC meetings, art PLC meetings, etc.) but for some of us, that no longer exists. When meeting with the other area specialist, we do lose the fact of our own school improvement needs because each school needs something different.
I am currently working in a district that uses the PLC model. The professional learning team that I currently work with is positive and flexible. We use data to guide our instruction and we definitely share resources. I have been in situations where the teachers had their own agendas and the professional learning team was not a priority. They came to meetings and did other work (graded papers and lesson plans) instead of participating. The teachers thought this was something else that would soon pass through the district. I believe that the PLC model is an effective tool for school improvement. I think that if teachers really understood the purpose of PLCs and they were held accountable for the participating and using the resources within the PLC there would be school improvement.
ReplyDeleteI have at my school been working in PLCs for a few years now. It was and still is a struggle for some. Many that I have spoken with see it as another task for teachers. I work as a team leader now where one teacher has decided that PLCs are worthless and whose negative attitude has caused somewhat of a divison. I feel at first, it was not clear as to what we were suppose to be doing and many teachers became frustrated at the idea and subsequently, have discounted its credibility. I believe it is an effective tool and that leaders must be sure they understand the initiative before placing it on those whom they are leading.
ReplyDeleteI TOTALLY agree with Briana's comment that the view of PLC's will change as the PLC model goes from being the latest trend to the tried and true.
ReplyDeleteIt is my contention that there is great value in PLC...even at the very basic level of the PLC model where you have teachers collaborating over the day to day art of teaching. These conversations can only lead to better educators and better educational opportunities for our students.
Sure there are growing pains to go through, but we have growing pains in every initiative that is passed our way. Once a true PLC is created, however, it can truly become the culture of a school.
One idea that continues to stand out to me is that PLCs represent some of the most important aspects of preparing students to be 21st century thinkers. PLCs represent many of the characteristics that educators typically want for students.
ReplyDeleteFor example, we want our students to form and share opinions based on reasoning. As teachers, we need to be able to articulate proficiency and use assessments and samples to justify a decision.
As teachers, we want students to extend themselves beyond independent projects and learn to work with others. This is important for teachers, as well, as classroom doors are being opened and planning is happening collaboratively.
For students, we want them to set attainable goals, and to take ownership over success and challenges. As teachers, it is important that PLCs allow teachers to come together and work as a team instead of independently to discuss student and class data.
The list of similarities continues. I often think that it is not just students that must be prepared for the 21st century. Teachers and schools must also embody the values that we want students to rise to. Being a part of an environment that embodies 21st century skills is likely to help students prepare to be 21st century thinkers.
I think that Hassan and Jill hit the nail on the head. Hassan says that PLCs at his school were like "hyped-up department meetings." He goes on to say they didn't receive valuable training either. Jill talks about her group of elective teachers not having data from their teaching so some of them feel they shouldn't have to meet. I think both of these are great examples of a model being thrown out to teachers, and the expectation is that we will embrace it and run with it. But how can we, when we don't all bring the same knowledge or understanding to the table? Briana talks about the 21st century skills that teachers need, and she is right. One of the main parts of the implementation of these skills is professional development for educators. If we are expected to actively participate and be successful, like our students, we have to be taught. The same is true of PLCs. Some of Jill's teachers may get their feelings hurt when the state start used the new evaluation portfolio. Part of what they'll have to analyze is how they use data to improve student achievement. I may be wrong, but I didn't see anything that said that non-EOG/EOC teachers were exempt. Like what most people that have written, I agree that PLCs are a good thing, and will make a difference in student achievement when we as professionals learn to use them wisely, and accept that collaboration really does make a difference. As my principal says, "They're not your students or my students, they are our students." Maybe we need to remember such words as unity, team work, humility and creativity. The Reverend Joseph Taban Lasuba from South Africa says, "You can go faster if you go alone, but you'll go farther if you go together."
ReplyDeleteThe PLC group is only as good as the people who comprise that group. The key to PLC success is the level at which the members “buy in” to the concept of collaboration. In the past, teachers would collaborate with faculty members in which they had developed a close relationship. These collaborations were very effective, but were limited to the circle of trusted friends. The PLC provides a formal guide and framework to allow for the development of professional collaboration beyond the personal level. The “contrived” nature of the PLC has caused some more experienced to teachers to balk at the concept. In the past, these same teachers would work long and hard developing strategies and material to improve student performance on the EOCs , but these same teachers first greeted the PLC model with skepticism and disdain. After several years of growing pains, the PLC model at NHS is beginning to blossom and pay dividends. As Camille pointed out, the key to collaboration is to see the students as “our students” not as “mine and yours”. Coming from an athletic background, the PLC seems to be the only way to effectively teach. Just as coaching staff would work together to develop a game plan to win the next game, teachers should develop a collaborative game plan to help students be successful and learn.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI feel that in most educational circles, the term professional learning community has become commonplace. It is being used to mean any number of things, such as extending classroom practice into the community; bringing community personnel into the school to enhance the curriculum and learning tasks for students; or engaging students, teachers, and administrators simultaneously in learning.
ReplyDeleteBut for me PLC simply means a half day for students so the remainder of the day can be devoted to commiserating with other teachers about the kids or administration. I agree with Paul, when he says that the PLC is only as good as the people that comprise it. I fear my experiences with PLCs have not been authentic. I have no idea what a PLC looks like for an alternative school. It certainly must be comprised differently than that of a traditional school.
It does me no good to meet with the other 7th grade LA teachers at my school; I can’t even meet with other 6th and 8th grade teachers simply because they don’t exist! I am the LA department chair, and the 6th, 7th and 8th grade LA teacher all together. I am it.
So PLCs work well for traditional schools when you have somebody in your same situation to bounce ideas off of, but when you are the only show in town PLC’s are a real joke…I think I’ll take a half day on Wednesday (DPS’s PLC Day), I can be working on my paper.
I completely agree with Amatullah's first post. I believe that PLCs could be very effective, but the factors that she listed have resulted in a very negative experience at my school. In fact, tomorrow is early release day (so that we can meet in PLCs), and I know many teachers that want to call in sick just because they DREAD "PLC Day." (To be honest, I have seriously thought about it as well... it's THAT bad!).
ReplyDeleteOne problem is that we, as a school, were never trained in the PLC-model. We were told to "meet with cohorts and develop common assessments and lessons." In addition, teachers are required to stay almost an hour later on these "PLC Days." Combine the fact that teachers are forced to stay an hour later (and some even have to arrange alternate childcare) with the fact that we really have no idea what we are REALLY supposed to be doing and you get one unhappy staff. To make matters worse, there is no accountability (some teachers want to use the time and be productive, others just sit and check email). This means that even if you WANT to be productive, you often have others in your PLC creating a negative environment in which NO work gets done.
To be honest, even I consider these PLC days miserable.
I am SURE that there is way that PLCs can be successful, but they are CERTAINLY not functioning at our school!
Briana's post made me reflect upon my current PLC. She said, "Given the success that PLCs are having in discussing students' specific challenges and how to help them to be proficient, I do not see PLCs as going away, but rather becoming a consistent and expected part of most schools." I realized when I read this that I was, at one time, a part of a very functional PLC (we just didn't call it that at the time). I arrived at those meetings needing ideas and help, and left those meetings with new ideas and inspiration for my next days in the classroom. My current PLC is comprised of a number of teachers that are too "burned out" (self-admitted, by the way) to have meaningful discussions about how to help their students. At least one of them is literally in the classroom because it is a paycheck. Seeing how dysfunctional my current PLC is brings to light the importance of expectations and accountability. If the PLC model is to be a successful model, the school leadership MUST set the state for success.
ReplyDeleteYes, as a WCPSS employee we must all participate in PLTs. I think in terms of it being an effective school improvement initiative, it all depends. In order for PLTs to be successful, leaders and participants must have proper staff development so that the PLT functions structurally. Additionally, as with any improvement initiative, there must be staff buy-in. I would say that this is probably one area where my school struggles--many teams are doing PLTs for the sake of the mandate, not for the power that effective ones can have to impact student achievement. However, this may be due in part to a lack of professional development (true professional development) on PLTs at our school.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the professional learning community model requires the entire school staff to focus on learning rather than teaching, work collaboratively on matters related to learning, and to hold themselves accountable for school improvement. I believe that when educators do hard work to implement the basic principles of PLC, their ability to help all students learn will increase. (Administrators and teachers work together to analyze and improve their classroom practice. Teachers work in teams, engaging in an ongoing cycle of questions that promote deep team learning.) If they fail to demonstrate the ability to initiate and sustain this hard work, then their school is unlikely to become more effective, even if those within it claim to be a professional learning community. The success or failure of the professional learning community concept depends not on the commitment and persistence of the educators within it. I believe that educators who are building a professional learning community recognize that they must work together to achieve their collective purpose of learning for all.
ReplyDeleteI must admit, I feel old and a little cynical with this conversation. PLCs do sound like the latest buzz word. It seems tome that collaboration and reflection are just part of best practices. So the discussion for me, should not be around "PLC" but "why would teachers be resistant to these basic best practices."
ReplyDeleteI do admit to having an issue with the early release. As a parent, if you have resources it's no problem, but for our disadvantaged youth, we have placed one more burden on the family. Given that we know that sex and drug use is engaged in most frequently after school, before parents get home from work, why would we intentionally create that situation?
I generally like the idea of professionals working together and helping each other improve. The best experience I had of this is in the Kenan Fellow program and in the PLC at my school with the science teachers. I believe that the PLC models are successful when the professional part is the focus and they are not micro-managed. The problems arise when too many chiefs get involved and they do not let the Indians do the work that needs to be accomplished.
ReplyDeleteDr. Graham,
ReplyDeleteDo Administrators in WCPSS and other school systems engage in PLTs. I think that research does support that they are effective for teachers, but what about the Administrators? What have your experiences been like with Administrator PLTs, if they exist?
Relating back to PLT's and our discussion of the Principal as Diagnostician, I think that it is critically important for a PLT to really have a good understanding of what the key lever is that is holding a student or groups of students back. PLTs must be trained in how to look at the data that comes from a variety of different assessments and look for patterns. PLTs should consider what teaching behaviors are keeping students from achieving, and to be more effective, they should consider focusing on one or two primary behaviors that would have the most impact on student achievement. From my observations, teachers do not mind collaborating, but they often are not precise in their diagnosis of the root of the problem affecting student achievement.
ReplyDeleteKate,
ReplyDeleteI don’t think that PLCs are a buzz word. Like Briana said, I do believe that schools are changing their thinking and that the PLC ideas are being encompassed as more of a better way to do things. PLCs can be more than collaboration and reflection, as they should be.
If kids want to do things that will get them in trouble, they will find a way regardless if we give them an two extra hours out of school a month!
In response to Justin’s question, I do not know if Administrator PLTs exist. I know that I have not had much experience with my administrator participating in my PLT meetings. On PLC days, we usually meet as a whole faculty briefly then break off into grade levels or committees. I know that each PLT is required to submit required documentation in which we have answered essential questions that were generated when the PLC initiative was first started. I am positive the documentation is read by the administrator and that administrator is aware of what is going on with the team. My PLT has frequent visits from other specialists in the building. These specialists usually come if there is something that they need to present to the team. (It’s usually something that is required by the administrator or the district.) My administrator is really good about giving feedback to the information on the required documentation that is submitted. It’s usually sent through email or the grade level chairs.
ReplyDeleteI am all for PLC. Though I have not had much experience working with PLC, most of the feedback I have recieved from the sister school I teach within has been positive. Initial reactions to the implamentation of PLC's was not very positive, but the culture around PLC's has improved tramendously, and I have heard good things.
ReplyDeletewhether it's buzzword or not, the consistent tale I'm hearing is that there is a significant amount of resistance. The issue that I posed as needing to be addressed is 'why are teachers resistant to what should be best practices'?
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, it is true that kids will make poor choices, but I don't think schools should intentionally set up situations that have the potential of undermining families.
I will say that as a sub I have found a very different culture in many of the schools. Yesterday I was at an elementary school. They have a lot of problems(low scores, fights, etc.) and the dismissal procedure is very controlled. I ended up with several kids, from other classes, after school waiting for dismissal because the teachers refused to stay more than 15 min. after class ended (some kids didn't leave until 30 min after the end of class)
I love the early release days at Jordan so that I can plan effective labs and create common assessments. We had a late arrival in Chapel Hill and Wake County and I believe that this a great idea for teachers. There are very few professions that require and expect their professionals to take home work and work on the weekend like teachers do. There are professions when there are late days at the office but I also know that many teachers have similar times when the copier is not working or just catching up on grading.
ReplyDeleteI participated in a professional learning community that was extremely effective in preparing lesson plans, assessing student achievement, and providing continuity and sustainability. We utilized the curriculum guides, blueprints, on-line resources, textbooks, and pacing guides to create common lesson plans. Each teacher volunteered to complete one of the following tasks: create quizzes, create tests, photocopies of the handouts for students, projects and technology integration to deliver classroom instruction. When a teacher missed a day of classroom instruction, the substitute received a copy of the common lesson plans. Therefore, the substitute teacher received assistance for the teachers within the department and students did not fall behind on the pacing guide. The principal was transparent in communicating to the entire department that our participation was mandatory. Because of our collaboration, we earned the highest percentage of students that were proficient on the VoCATS tests. Unfortunately, we did not discuss individual student academic achievement.
ReplyDeleteI vehemently believe that professional learning communities that are established with the proper professional development, systems and structures for the engagement process, a focus on student academic achievement, and accountability from the principal are valuable. My belief is based on my experience and best practices research on improving student performances with common and formative assessments.
Reading through all the comments, I do believe that the PLC culture however that word is used, has changed the culture of a school. I think new teachers no longer feel like they are on an island all alone. With Wake county, incorporating administrators into this program is a great idea and hopefully the culture can shift and change there so that administrators too will feel as a part of a team and not on an island.
ReplyDeleteAny time reform is mandated it creates resistance at some level among teachers. We talk about accountability of teachers who feel they are overworked and unfairly evaluated, but students who refuse to attend class and/or refuse to participate in class are not held accountable when the test scores for those students come back. The teachers become defensive and see the PLC as another series of steps to jump through to satisfy the leadership and prove that they are doing their jobs. This negative and defensive culture is why the PLC model is not easily accepted because everyone wants to point fingers and blame someone or something. The key is for all to accept responsibility and address the learning process rather than the individual teachers in order to foster a collaborative environment.
ReplyDeleteJust as Dr. G mentioned at the beginning of this course that we need to start thinking like administrators and not like teachers, teachers and administrators view test scores in different ways. Teachers view the tests as a measure of the student's effort or lack of effort and administrators view the tests as measure of the teacher's effectiveness. The truth lies somewhere in between, but this difference creates the animosity and resistance that has been observed in previous comments. The goal as future administrators is to foster a trusting and non-judgmental attitude when testing data is evaluated so the focus will be on helping students and not judging teachers.
ReplyDeleteThere are some key elements in each of the comments made: creating a culture of collaboration, sharing of best practices, accountability and high student achievement. I echo Briana's earlier comment. These are the expectations we have of our students, and therefore, it makes sense that as professionals, we model that same behavior.
ReplyDeleteI have had limited experience with the PLC model. My previous two years with WCPSS I was at an alternative elementary school that did not participate in PLC. Now I am at a regular year round school but have missed most of our sessions because of the MSA program. The PLC sessions I have attend at my current school were fully directed to classroom teachers and specialist teachers in areas like art, P.E., and music were left feeling like it was a waist of time. As of right now I would have to agree with the specialist. I really do not see why the P.E. teacher should be with a group of third grade teachers trying to brainstorm ways to improve academic instruction in math. They may have changed the format by now but at the beginning of the school year that is how it was.
ReplyDeletePLC can be an effective tool for school improvement, but just as with any tool the person using it is the most important factor. That means the implementation of the PLC model by those involved is one of the main factors for successful results.
I share Briana’s optimism that professional learning communities will evolve over time and become a customary collaboration tool for educators.
ReplyDeleteI agree that collaboration and reflection is best practice, but I also know that everyone does not do them for various reasons. This PLC model is a way to try to ensure we use best practices. The P stands for professional. Often we allow personal reasons to hinder our collaboration with fellow colleagues. Veteran teachers unwilling to listen to less experience teachers and so on. Frequently the stuff in our heads keeps us from moving forward.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Debra but for the most part that is not the case. In my brief time in education I have realized that most teachers expect certain behaviors from their students, but do not hold themselves to the same expectations under similar circumstances. A prime example of this is when teachers go to workshop. Most of the ones I have attended you will see people having sidebar conversations and completing other task while the presenter is presenting and think nothing wrong of it. However I have seen those same teachers reprimand students for the same exact behavior in their classrooms. What hypocrisy.
ReplyDeleteBenjy made an excellent point about how helpful PLCs can be for new teachers. They truly are a tool that if used appropriately can help new teachers shave off alot of the time that is spent just getting the hang of teaching. Overall, they can make all teachers more effective. As an administrator, I hope I make PLCs appealing and worthwhile providing the right training and accountability for the participants.
ReplyDeletePaul said PLCs are only as good as the teachers in the PLC. I agree, but in my experience, we had great teachers in our PLC--creative, got results, etc. They just did not like to collaborate and did not take it serious at all. The culture of my past school just did not like meetings and any extra meetings or duties as Debra pointed to brought out negativity and apathy. I hope PLCs are going better at my old school!
I agree with the comments made by Hassan and Paul. PLC's are an excellent tool for new teachers but also can be very effective for seasoned teachers as well. Not only will PLC's help new teachers grasp the essence on what teaching is, but it will allow seasoned teachers to reinvent themselves, through the collaboation process with the other teachers.
ReplyDeleteBut in any program you try to implament, if the indivisuals within the program have not committed to it, it will be largely ineffecive. Many indivisuals have shown apathy towards PLC's because it is something knew and more time out of the day. I believe that if we can get pass the melodrama indivisuals have brought into PLC's, at the core, they really will prove to be beneficial.
When PLCs were first introduced to me it was clear that my administrator did not have a clear understanding of PLCs. When explaining to us the purpose of a PLC and what is to be accomplished through PLCs, he was very vague. Therefore when it was time for us teachers to meet in our PLC groups we were lost. Instead on focusing on key issues, we griped and complained about what we were unhappy with at our school. Our PLC s was a complete waste of time because none of the teachers knew the intended purpose of PLCs and neither did the principal. Since then, I have moved to a school that has a clear definition of what a PLC is but who cannot decide on what the focus should be while working within the PLC. It took the English Department three PLC meetings to come up with a focus for the group. Since then we have created Benchmarks that we want all English teachers to implement when teaching certain things; however, we have recently found out that the state is now adopting their own writing benchmark for students, so we are left trying to figure out if what the state has adopted trumps what we have spent so many hours creating. PLCs can be both a positive and negative. In order to have an effective PLC, you must know:
ReplyDelete• what a PLC is, the purpose of a PLC, and how it functions,
• how you are going to divide teachers up that forms the different PLCs within the school,
• what areas you are going to focus on within the PLC,
• what the district goals are ou can make sure the PLCs goals are aligned with the districts,
• and all parties involve should buy into PLCs and believe that they can work.
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ReplyDeleteBriana,
ReplyDeleteEven though my PLC group understands the purpose of a PLC and have clear goals of what we want to accomplish, some of the group still doesn't buy into the whole PLC concept mainly because no matter what we decide we think are best practices for our school if the district has a different set of goals or visions then what we have spent hours developing in the PLC is tossed aside. Therefore many people do not buy into the concept, so they just put on a show for administrators when they pass the meeting to appear like they are getting something accomplished when in actuality they are ticked off that they are wasting time out of their day with PLCs. So yes, when you have people that don’t believe that the PLC concept is a waste and treat it as such, it can halt the entire group from achieving anything.
As I get a late start this morning after playing "hookie" on PLC day, (Abbey you sound like you wanted to join me!)I have given some thought to the basic theme that I see running through all of our comments on this topic...PLCs are great, but they are just one tool in our educators' toolbox. And just like any tool, with the correct training and understanding that tool can be very effective in getting the job done. However that same tool if used by the untrained the unskilled, and in most of our cases in educaton, the unwilling, that very same tool can cause serious harm.
ReplyDeleteI think PLCs' lack of success comes from them being mandated by the district and the state. Think about it, which is a better fighting army one that is made up of drafted soldiers forced by a nation to fight in a war they disagree with or one that is comprised of volunteers who have rallied to defend their nations liberties? I think PLCs happen naturally among good teachers whether the district sets aside time for them or not. If you mandate that all teachers paticipate in PLCs then I think you have just damaged or limited their potential to help. Expose your teachers to the PLC model, train them (only if interested) and then reward them for their success using the model, the nay sayers will soon change their tune or run the risk of being seen as not wanting to subscribe to the culture of the school...kind of like being seen as not being a teamplayer at your school just because you think it's wrong to run and "Drysnitch" or out and out "rat" on fellow teachers based on the allegations of the students.
ReplyDelete. Ryan, I know your boss and I'm gonna' tell on you! No seriously, I also wanted to add that in order to have a successful PLC teachers mist be able to admit that there is a need for improvement whether it be their teaching styles, improving their content know; edge, improving some other aspect of the school, etc. Without accepting the fact that no school is perfect and no teacher is perfect, PLCs will no thrive. Teachers need to know their strengths and weaknesses in order to set realistic, measurable, and obtainable goals in their PLCs.
ReplyDeleteI believe PLC's are an excellent opportunity for educators to grow and an opportunity to improve the school. Unfortunately, I also feel that not all educators treat it as such and it has been my experience that some educators free load in the PLC process. Data is not valid and at times I have seen it falsified to "jump through the hoops" of the PLC process.
ReplyDeleteI have participated on teams (we were not called PLCs at that time) that was focused on student learning. Technically I think I have participated in a PLC but we thought of it more as a team that was focused on achieving goals that we had set for our program.
ReplyDeleteAs I read and process the information about PLCs, it reminds me of the teachings and philosophies of athletic teams. Characteristics of a PLC: 1. Shared values and vision (Goal: To win the championship), 2. Collaborative Culture (There is no limit to what can be accomplished if it doesn’t matter who gets the credit), 3. Focus on examining outcomes to improve student learning (Lets review the tape, grade your performance and discuss how we can improve your performance), 4. Supportive and Shared Leadership (Team members take on “ownership” of the team and influence decisions) and 5. Shared personal practice (Take on leadership role and lead by example). Based on what’s in my head, I do believe PLCs can be an effective tool for school improvement. I also know that championship teams don’t just happen. It takes a forward thinking coach who can devise a plan and knows how to select and recruit the talent needed in order to implement the plan.
Taken from The Center for Comprehensive Reform and Improvement, PLC - What Does the Literature and Emerging Research Tell Us About The Benefits of PLC's, http://www.centerforcsri.org/plc/literature.html
ReplyDeleteAssessing the Impact on Student Performance
Improvement in student performance is at the center of PLC work. However, it can be challenging to show direct relationships between PLCs and student outcomes. Part of the difficulty lies in being able to first determine the presence of a PLC and then show that the work of the PLC resulted in improved student outcomes. Several studies have attempted to study this relationship. Consider these examples:
Researchers (Hughes & Kritsonis, 2007) selected a sample of schools from a database of schools with staff who had attended PLC workshops and that were possibly implementing PLCs. The mean length of time that sample schools (n=64) reported functioning as a PLC was 2.5 years. During a three-year period, 90.6 percent of these schools reported an increase in standardized math scores; 81.3 percent reported an increase in English/language arts scores between 5 points and 26 points.
Case studies of three elementary schools showed that during a five-year period, students from minority and low-income families improved their scores on state achievement tests from less than 50 percent proficient to 75 percent proficient. Strahan (2003) conducted interviews to examine the role of a collaborative professional culture on instructional improvement and found that working collaboratively in PLCs was a characteristic of these schools.
Using multiple sources of data from a four-year evaluation of PLCs in an urban district, Supovitz (2002) found that an explicit focus on instructional improvement is necessary for PLCs to have a positive impact on improving teaching and learning. Without such focus, PLCs may have a positive effect on culture and teachers' feelings of well-being, but not necessarily on student achievement. Researchers found similar results in another large urban district (Supovitz & Christman, 2003).
Rick said,
ReplyDeleteAfter viewing some of the comments and satements about individuals' experiences with PLCs, I feel a little embarass that I do not have any experiences to offer or bring to the table. However, taking in account the readings that have been assigned and discussions in class, PLCs has resonated some positive outcomes. Ideally, I think having professionals collaborate can't be nothing but benefical to all parties involved. There is one aspect of PLCs that seems to be amiss, and that is the EC population and teachers, where do they fit in this grand scheme of PLCs? And if they are included, it would be nice to mention them and their contribution to the PLCs.
Rick said,
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Hassan and Paul that PLCs are great for new teachers, because PLCs establishes a great standard of professionalism and accountability. In other words, PLCs are like the road to success, " Its always under construction.