Héctor García

Héctor García, PhD, is superintendent of Plano District 88 in Illinois. He has been an educator for nearly 20 years, serving as a teacher, principal, and district administrator in a variety of school settings.
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We Need to Create PLC Dream Teams

Dream Teams: Collaborating for the Success of All

Presenter linkHéctor García
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Categories: PLC, School Improvement

“We really need to get together now and make a big push.” —Peter Jones

Up until about ten years ago, most cancer researchers and institutions would work in direct competition with one another, trying to be the first one to come up with life-saving treatments. Undoubtedly, they worked diligently and passionately, every day laboring over one of the most critical challenges in our society, and doing all this in isolation and in direct competition with other individuals committed to the same cause. Yet, this is the way research had always been done, and in many ways, it made sense to some of the world’s most talented individuals and respected institutions. Read more

A roadmap with stops along the way

Avoiding the “PLC Lite” Scenario

Presenter linkHéctor García
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Categories: PLC

Despite the overwhelming evidence supporting the full implementation of professional learning communities, some schools and districts are still settling for a superficial level of application. In a recent conversation with a team of teachers, one confessed that she was not really clear on what they were expected to do and only vaguely recalled why they were even setting time aside to meet instead of working with students directly. Conversely, the administrative team sited the time set aside for teachers as evidence of their commitment to fully implementing PLC principles. This obvious disconnect between the administrative team and the teachers inevitably leads to the superficial implementation of PLC principles, or “PLC lite.”

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All Hands In

What’s the Plan?

Presenter linkHéctor García
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Categories: PLC

The ability of leadership teams to effectively answer this very simple question has either kicked off a great initiative or served as the catalyst for many difficult or frustrating conversations. On the one hand, a well-articulated vision and steps for success seem to both inspire and garner the support that is essential for overcoming the unexpected obstacles and natural inclination by some to resist change. On the other hand, those leadership teams that struggle in the pursuit of a well-developed plan are inevitably faced with challenging questions from staff who don’t see the need for change or would prefer the status quo. If you have been in education for any period of time, it is inevitable that you have seen a leadership team struggle with this key question and staff members react in these ways:

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