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== ﻿ How Schools are Developing and Using Professional Learning Communities ==

Schools across the country have been rapidly implementing Professional Learning Communities (PLC's) for their teachers. These PLC's have been meeting on a regular basis in an attempt to improve their own methods of teaching simply by listening to their peers and discussing what works and what doesn’t in the classroom. These PLC's have been tremendously successful when compared to the traditional professional development days of lectures for teachers. Their success is most likely because of the collaborative discussion of ideas and methods that the teachers and administrators engage in. These shared discussions also help teachers focus on methods that help them reach their goals and weed out methods that do not work to improve student learning. [|The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement]has documented the implementation of many PLC's across the country and how they have done this and what their results have been. Please find a few examples from their research listed below.

The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement has documented the implementation of many PLC's across the country and how they have done this and what their results have been. South Elementary in Missouri has established PLC's to increase accountability and improve literacy needs of students. Teachers met during collaborative sessions to plan and pace their literacy instruction and to problem solve for at risk learners. They used frequent, common assessments to monitor student learning and to identify students who required additional interventions. Communication arts scores rose 24.1 percent from 2001 to 2005 and the number of first graders scoring on grade level rose 12 percent. This shows that the collaborative nature of coordinating curriculum and lesson planning to see what works for student learning and what does not does allow teachers to learn from their peers. Teachers were also able to collaborative and share ideas on how to best help at risk students learn at their own pace and level. This sense of security that PLC's provide allow teachers to feel safe discussing admitting their own weaknesses, while at the same time having the collective knowledge from their peers and drawing from their own experience able to problem solve to help each teacher best educate each student.

Woodsedge Middle School in Texas has implemented PLC's and as a part of it, teachers created curricula to help low-achieving and underachieving students. Achievement scores on the state standardized test increased during a three year period. Student scores went from Acceptable - with 50 percent of the students passing subject area tests in reading, writing, math, science and social studies to Exemplary two years later with more than 90 percent of the students passing each subject area test. What PLC's help to provide is the constant sense of improvement through collaborative discussion. Teachers are able to express their ideas on what works and what does not through this discussion forum and the best ideas and practices are spread and shared amongst teachers.

It is imperative for teachers to be constantly learning and adapting their teaching practices and instruction to best meet the changing educational needs of the 21st century student. PLC's are a tremendous tool for school districts to implement, instead of professional development conferences where teachers are instructed, teachers can interact and collaborate with each other on ideas and practices. Teachers are also able to collaborate with their peers on how to adapt their curriculum to the changing needs of the 21st century student. It is imperative that teachers attempt to integrate more technology into their classrooms to catch the ever shrinking attention span of contemporary students and PLC's are a great way for teachers to learn from other teachers on how to best integrate technology into their curriculum. In this forum teachers are able to learn from each other in a low stress environment and feel comfortable asking questions and engaging in a give and take instruction to improve their own teaching methods.

Lewis and Clark Middle School in Missouri implemented PLC groups in attempts to garner more student engagement and participation within the classroom. Each PLC implemented instructional content or methodology designed to increase student engagement and ultimately, student achievement. Teachers met within PLC's throughout the year to discuss methods and practices that were successful or not and bounced these ideas off of each other through collaborative discussion to gain expertise based off of results. Changes from 2000 through 2002 showed improvement in student participation and engagement and teachers derived that this improvement was generated from the new practices and methods that were discussed and integrated from the PLC sessions. These collaborative group meetings serve as a constructivist forum for teachers to introduce and discuss their ideas of generating student engagement, which in turn eliminates the feeling of teacher isolation and allows them a forum amongst their peers to both voice their own ideas and listen to those of their fellow teachers. (The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, 2009)