What happens when you bring hundreds of passionate educators together for three days of intensive collaboration, learning, and fun? In Sacramento, at a recent PLC at Work® Institute, we found out. Set against the backdrop of California’s capital, this event highlighted the power of professional learning communities, leaving attendees with a renewed commitment to student success and a stronger sense of educational community.
During the event, attendees learned from a team of PLC experts, including Dr. Regina Stephens Owens. Dr. Stephens Owens is an inspirational educational leader who believes in the “genius of and,” educating both the head and the heart. She sat down with us live at the event to talk about school culture, professional learning communities, and how teaching doesn’t just happen in a classroom.
Professional learning communities in action
“Dr. DuFour used to talk about the genius of ‘and’ or the tyranny of ‘or,’” recalls Dr. Stephen Owens. “Teaching doesn’t just happen in the classroom and learning doesn’t just happen for the students. We are learning whether we are teachers, and that’s happening all the time. That’s my passion around this work—how do I build courageous capacity in the system of education and the people, so we can continuously learn together.”
Where school culture and wellness inspire growth all around
Establishing a healthy school culture that fosters professional learning, student improvement, and educator wellness is a goal of most school leaders, but can feel like an elusive one. Dr. Stephen Owens shares practical strategies to reach this goal.
“My passion is people,” she notes. “I tell people all the time that my work lives at the corner of culture and wellness, because that’s where the people reside. We often talk about technical culture and system structures, but I want people to leverage their culture to produce the environment and experiences so that the people can learn and be well.”
Better professional learning communities begin with people, purpose, and collaboration
The journey to school improvement is ongoing, and it starts with investing in people, purpose, and collaboration. When educators have the support, strategies, and space to grow together, students win too. Focusing on culture, wellness, and meaningful professional learning makes school improvement feel less like a task and more like a shared journey.
Leverage the 4Cs of staff engagement to build an inclusive culture of continuous learning:
- Connectivity
- Contribution
- Collaboration
- Capacity
Download a reproducible of these 4cs, and learn more about these categories in Culture Keepers.
Listen to Dr. Stephens Owens full interview below and explore the transformative potential of professional learning communities and why investing in educators is central to improving learning for all students.
Explore the resources that Dr. Stephen Owens mentions in this episode:
🧑🏫 Avanti
