At Sheridan Junior High, eighth-grade reading proficiency grew from 48 percent in 2001 to 75 percent in 2015; mathematics proficiency increased from 41 percent to 69 percent during this same time frame.
INSIDE SCSD2
Scott Cleland, Principal, Highland Park Elementary
Highland Park Elementary had been utilizing a merit-pay model for two years, beginning in 2006. Within two years, morale in the school was at an all-time low; teachers routinely shut their doors, creating a feeling of isolation; and academic scores were plummeting. Change was needed. Our staff were ready to begin a journey to meet the needs of every student and grow as professionals. One of the necessary components for the successful implementation of the PLC process is to have widespread commitment to the idea. Highland Park’s staff were so hungry for change and unity that the decision to embrace the PLC process was the obvious choice if we were going to collectively impact student learning.
During the summer of 2009, a large portion of our staff attended a PLC institute to gain a deeper understanding of the process and create an attitude of buy-in. The difference in our school culture was incredible. The collective work we were doing was not coming from administration; it was organically grown from within our teacher teams. Our school went from an underachieving school with very low morale and trust among staff to a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 2014. PLC impacts student success every day, and we truly live our fundamental purpose of ensuring high levels of learning for every student, every day. (S. Cleland, personal communication, June 12, 2018)
Over the years, we’ve observed the difficulty that leaders face in figuring out how forcefully they need to implement the PLC process. Or, put another way, they ask if they can dictate the PLC process. In sharing how SCSD2 got started and continues to evolve with excellence, we hope to illustrate that the answer to that question is pretty clear: in order for the PLC process to succeed, it must have widespread support. In SCSD2, implementation of the PLC model took a grassroots effort. Simply executing steps in teams’ work within a PLC isn’t enough. You can dictate team time, team protocols, the establishment of essential learning, and a shared common formative assessment as described by DuFour, Eaker, and DuFour. All those steps are necessary. However, to truly change the building’s culture and ultimately shape results in a meaningful way, all staff must wholeheartedly embrace the PLC framework and believe that this process works and can transform the building’s culture (DuFour et al., 2016).
The PLC implementation process has the potential to engage teachers in a very different way, putting them in leadership positions like never before. The focus turns to student learning as the primary motivating factor for the work of teachers and teams. PLC transformation takes schools on an imprecise journey that no one can totally predict. It ebbs and flows, even for the most successful schools. We suggest that schools truly engage staff in considering the deep innovations that can occur when the PLC process becomes a way of life, and the best way to engage staff is through learning by doing—taking action to make necessary changes a reality. Certainly, there comes a time when the debating must stop. A school needs to commit to the PLC process and all the steps that come along with it. To that end, schools must make tight commitments that move beyond the establishment of grassroots, emotional connections. More on all of this as we go.
ADDITIONAL PLC RESOURCES TO CONSIDER
While many authors have written extensively on the PLC concept, as practitioners, we have based our thoughtful application of this process on the seminal work of PLC architects Richard DuFour and Robert Eaker and PLC visionary Rebecca DuFour. Throughout this book, we reference books that build on these authors’ original seminal works, which undergird every recommendation and philosophy we present. The appendix, page 115, contains a list of helpful books that can assist you in your journey of PLC transformation. We encourage you to become familiar with these foundational works.
A Continuing Journey
If you were to observe SCSD2’s collaborative teams in action to obtain perspective on what it’s like to experience a fully functioning PLC, you would likely make the following observations.
Wow—They Work Hard, With Happiness
Although working together undoubtedly lightens the load, the educators at SCSD2 work really hard every day. They do so because they have become so adroit at identifying what they hope to accomplish—providing intervention and improving their students’ learning. With systems for collaboration in place, they have shed the traditional paradigm of teachers working in isolation and formed a no-excuses mentality. If a student is struggling, everyone has to get busy making sure that the student meets the required learning expectation. No excuses. No failure.
And the educators at SCSD2 work hard with happiness. The four pillars of a PLC—mission, vision, values, and collective commitments (goals; DuFour et al., 2016)—shape daily actions at SCSD2. Systematic collaboration has resulted in a shift in mindset among educators in the district who embrace the increased complexity and demands of their work because the rewards of student learning are highly motivating. Much like the old adage no pain, no gain, teachers in this district embrace hard work with vigor, urgency, and joy.
They Really Depend on Each Other
When observing teams in SCSD2, you would see a generous amount of professional sharing. Certain teachers have well-formulated levels of expertise in areas that their entire team could benefit from. Unlike in so many systems, which seem to always keep people’s weaknesses under wraps, SCSD2 team members eagerly acknowledge strengths and weaknesses, encouraging the strong to take the lead when the time is right and openly admitting a lack of knowledge and the ability to learn from one another. How much trust does a community of practice require to share this openly? Perhaps Socrates’s declaration, “The more I know, the more I realize I know nothing,” speaks to what happens to an informed team member in a PLC; team members realize that the more they learn together, the more they have left to learn, do, and become.
They Have a Culture That Embraces Mistakes for Both Teachers and Students
An observer would also realize that the SCSD2 staff aren’t afraid of making mistakes or receiving feedback. In fact, staff members have come to realize that mistakes are the genesis of innovation. For example, colleagues and educators from other districts routinely observe SCSD2 staff members in the classroom. This practice has helped staff become more comfortable with the possibility of making their mistakes public. They realize that feedback leads to improvement, and they pass this mindset on to students who openly discuss their levels of mastery against priority standards among classmates and adults visiting the classroom. In order to exercise creativity and develop new competencies, you have to be willing to take risks, not get it exactly right, and then learn more in the process.
As you read about the sense of fulfillment that PLC implementation brings to educators, you may feel skeptical. Perhaps to you this sounds like a hard sell. To assuage your fears or skepticism, let’s think about where this sense of fulfillment comes from. First, we are, without question, a tribal species. Simply put, this means we tend to prosper much more when we learn to get along with one another and depend on one another’s capacities. In fact, psychologists argue that the psychological impulse for human attachment goes right back to our need to survive; if you can get along with other people, that might make people more likely to share food and shelter with you. And who knows? That might even make them willing to partner with you in passing on your genetic code (Waelti, Dickinson, & Schultz, 2001). We have basic human rewards built into our systems that encourage us to work together and to succeed in our families or in teams or groups. For example, our brains release endorphins when we happily engage in group celebrations (Waelti et al., 2001). Our brains release endorphins to saturate
