PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

What is a Professional Learning Community (PLC)?
A PLC is a small group of faculty who meet regularly to study more effective learning and teaching practices. PLCs can be effective methods for infusing scientifically-based research programs into classrooms.

There are three goals for every PLC.
  1. Ensure that all students learn. Every classroom includes students of varying abilities. In a PLC, teachers are prepared to serve both the students who learn material quickly and those who need additional time and support. That means developing a coordinated strategy to provide timely intervention when students are struggling.
  2. Create a culture of collaboration. In many schools, teachers work in isolation. While staff may come together to formulate basic operational policies, they do not engage in professional dialogue about what works in their classrooms. In a PLC school, educators share best practices, join forces to solve problems and work together to improve both their individual performances and the school's performance as a whole.
  3. Focus on results. To ensure that a PLC meets its educational goals, educators must identify students' current levels of achievement, establish clear educational objectives, work together to meet those goals and provide evidence that they have succeeded.
Results of a PLC in action, for teachers
  • Reduced teacher isolation.
  • Increased commitment to the mission and goals of the school.
  • Shared responsibility for the total development of students and their success.
  • Creation of new knowledge and beliefs about teachers and learners.
  • Increased likelihood that teachers will be well informed, professionally renewed, and inspired to inspire students.
  • Increased satisfaction and morale, and lowered rates of absenteeism.

Results of a PLC in action, for students
  • Decreased dropout rate and fewer classed "skipped."
  • Lowered rates of absenteeism.
  • Increased academic gains in math, science, history, and reading --compared to traditional schools.
  • Reduced achievement gaps between students from different backgrounds.