PLC Success Indicators

I recently read a blog post by Elena Aguilar titled "Effective Teams: The Key to Transforming Schools?". In this article, she explains that we need good teams to retain and sustain teachers and to learn from each other. Although Stilwell Junior High has participated in the PLC process for a few years now, we further emphasized the importance of it this year by embedding time in the school day for departments to meet. We are now learning how to be an effective team with other people who teach the same subject. It is exciting that we have the opportunity to work together in departments, but it can also be unnerving.

To give me a better understanding of how effective PLCs function here at Stilwell, I asked several teachers what they believe to be key indicators of successful PLCs. I collected nearly thirty responses that I organized into two categories: indicators of successful PLC meetings and indicators of successful PLC members.

• Successful PLC meetings
• have agendas that are followed
• have agreed upon norms that members adhere to
• include focused goals
• generate specific outcomes
• Successful PLC members
• have specific roles
• trust each other
• have a voice
• are positive
• are collaborative
• are flexible
• are productive
• collect data and use the results to guide instruction
• listen, respect, and support one another

It is safe to say that frustrating times of the PLC process occur when one or more team members do not follow the indicators of success mentioned above. Therefore, it is critical during our PLC journey that we hold ourselves and our team members accountable to these standards. According to Ms. Aguilar, doing so will, "grow powerful teams that can transform schools".

Source: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teacher-teams-transform-schools-elena-aguilar