Point 1.1: Establishing Clarity Through a Schoolwide Template
As leaders plan the implementation of the PLC practices, they need to ask themselves how this work will make a difference in the progress of their school. Leaders need to ensure that the answer to this question is clearly understood by all stakeholders because, as leadership consultant, coach, and author John Baldoni (2012) states, “Organizations that succeed are those that know where they are headed and why” (p. 2). A clearly communicated target will drive people toward the work and create meaning in what they do. This clarity will help everyone in the organization pull together and build the tools to create change.
Early in the implementation process, staff want to hear the three most important components of any initiative: (1) the why, (2) the what, and (3) the how. The template we provide in this coaching point assumes that the school already understands the why—the power behind focusing on learning versus teaching, collaboration versus isolation, and results versus intentions; the why is fairly easy to accept both emotionally and intellectually. Often, it can be more difficult for individuals in the early stages to understand the what and the how. This tool will steer teams in the process of developing the what and the how by clarifying the key elements and creating a guiding template for their PLC work as they engage the staff in the process of creating shared knowledge. It is meant to be a resource for leadership, grade-level, and content-area teams. Some teams may choose to use the resources as they are presented, while others may alter them to meet their more specific needs and goals.
The What
In 2013, the San Antonio Spurs were named the best-run professional sports organization in North America (Rishe, 2013). They were the first NBA team to win at least fifty games a season for fourteen consecutive years. How did this team create such championship talent? Their success appears to be attributed to their shared core values and a culture of trust throughout the organization. After all, multiple players have come and gone over the last five years, but the core values or philosophy as well as the results have not changed.
Whether it’s a championship sports team or leaders in education, clarity and purpose around the essential elements and tools will bring meaning to the work and spark action. The purpose and clarity template featured in figure 1.1 should be used when leadership teams are struggling to identify the key components of what they mean by the three big ideas of a PLC: a focus on learning, collaboration, and results. The goal of the tool is to develop both clarity and consensus around the big ideas of a PLC with all of the key stakeholders. Please note that this tool has all of the elements and artifacts filled in as an example only. The power of this tool is in teams establishing their own elements and artifacts that match their organization’s mission and vision. This collaborative process should not be overlooked, since—as noted previously—common terms and ideas mean different things to different people. This tool will help leaders and staff come to consensus on the essential elements, allowing all team members to begin taking action.
Figure 1.1: Purpose and clarity template.
Visit go.solution-tree.com/PLCbooks for a reproducible version of this figure.
The How
The following steps outline how a school can start to break down the three big ideas of a PLC into actionable steps in the form of key elements and artifacts. As a school starts its PLC journey or is simply trying to better define its PLC work, it is critical to clearly articulate what the three big ideas (a focus on learning, collaboration, and results) mean in terms of everyday life for the staff, thus continuously breaking down a powerful idea into more manageable parts. It is also important to note that this model can be used throughout the school year. While it would be most advantageous to engage the leadership team in the development of the key elements and artifacts at the start of the year, sometimes we can’t wait an entire school year to help staff to transition into a more effective team. Therefore, there is never a bad time to clarify key ideas and unify the focus of improvement.
Step 1
As a leadership team, work to establish what key elements will be the anchors of the PLC work within the organization. The elements are written underneath each of the three big ideas of a PLC in order to communicate the clear alignment. Leadership teams benefit from researching each element in order to more effectively support why that element was chosen and how it will be effective within the organization. As part of this step, leadership teams may want to attend a PLC institute; review resources such as Learning by Doing (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2010) and Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work (DuFour, DuFour, & Eaker, 2008); or visit http://allthingsplc.info to consult articles that Rick DuFour, Becky DuFour, and Bob Eaker have written over the years as ways to research the essential elements and practices of a PLC. Understanding the research behind the elements will assist leaders in having deep conversations with the staff about the importance of the chosen elements. This step is critical because it forces the leadership team and school members to establish which elements they consider essential, what they mean, and how they will help the organization become more effective.
Step 2
Next, work with the staff members to determine what artifacts will be used to show that the elements are established and are promoting progress within their team. For example, a school may want to remind staff members of the need for norms by ensuring that they are listed in every agenda. The agreed-upon artifacts should be written into the artifacts section of the purpose and clarity template. In order for a group to decide on what artifacts to include, leaders may want to think about using a consensus tool or process to allow dissenting voices an opportunity to share their perspective while still capturing the will of the group. There are many different techniques for building consensus. One example is known as “Fist to Five,” which allows team members to show their level of agreement on a scale using a fist to signify no agreement and five fingers to signify complete agreement. Members who signify a two or three need further discussion with the group before they can commit to the decision. Using consensus tools or processes will enable team members to feel heard and more comfortable in moving forward and establishing the key elements and artifacts.
Step 3
Once the artifacts have been established, it’s important for teams to gain clarity around the expectations for each key element. As a district or building team, discuss and come to consensus on the importance of each element and when and how each artifact will be used. Following is a sample of such a discussion.
Staff member #1: “Now that we have established the key elements and artifacts of what it means to have a focus on collaboration, we need to look for artifacts that should have a due date.”
Staff member #2: “While it is tough to establish your first SMART goal, I say every grade-level team should have one completed by the second week of school.”
Staff member #1: “Two weeks sounds reasonable for our first SMART goal, so let’s open this timeline for discussion. Any objections or clarifications to the SMART goal timeline before we move to another artifact? Great, let’s find another artifact that should have a timeline.”
These collaborative conversations will help team members feel a sense of ownership over the work and feel valued in the decision-making process. It also helps avoid any misconceptions or varying definitions of what is expected. In order to enhance clarity, some leadership teams may want to add specific dates or a timeline on the actual template,
