Professional Learning Communities at Work®

How does your school respond when students don’t learn? Compelling evidence shows that response to intervention (RTI) successfully engages school staff in a collective process to provide every child with the additional time and support they need to learn at high levels. The goal of this session is to show how the PLC at Work process creates the larger schoolwide framework required to implement a highly effective, multitiered system of supports (MTSS).

Singletons—teachers who are the only ones teaching a specific course or subject—often ask how they can effectively participate on a collaborative team. Additionally, leaders frequently ask what they should be doing to guide and support singletons. This webinar provides participants clear direction to help singletons engage in meaningful collaboration. Teachers and leaders receive templates they can implement immediately.

Maria Espinoza, EdM, is the principal of Freeport Elementary in Freeport, Texas. With 17 years of experience, she specializes in early childhood education and implementing the professional learning community process to help underperforming schools.

Explore how teacher teams can ensure equitable literacy learning so that every student masters essential reading standards. Jacqueline Heller and Paula Maeker, authors of Literacy in a PLC at Work®: Guiding Teams to Get Going and Get Better in K–6 Reading, will help literacy educators navigate the teaching, learning, assessment, and feedback cycle of reading through the lens of Professional Learning Communities (PLC) at Work.

Join us for this webinar to engage in a unique professional learning experience that can work for schools, departments or teams. Choose Your Own Master Class is designed with standalone chapters to offer busy educators the opportunity to join together for a book club, yet begin with the chapter that speaks to their most urgent needs. This webinar will highlight the chapter on civil conversations, including its thought leaders from across disciplines. It will feature reflective exercises and classroom strategies to help you start off the year cultivating a supportive classroom environment. Together we’ll explore ideas to nurture inclusivity and belonging throughout the school year.

As educators and leaders across the nation grapple with the challenge of changing policies, practices, and procedures to ensure high levels of learning for all students, the inability to effectively change the mindsets of colleagues, faculty, and staff is proving to be the biggest hurdle of all. Hence, in order for systems to change, outlooks will also need to change.

Sarah Schuhl specializes in professional learning communities, mathematics, assessment, school improvement, and RTI. She has been a secondary mathematics teacher, high school instructional coach, and K–12 mathematics specialist.

As an author and a leader in the field, Sharon V. Kramer, PhD, emphasizes the importance of creating and using quality assessments as a continual part of the learning process. Dr. Kramer served as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction of Kildeer Countryside School District 96 in Illinois.

Tim Brown is an internationally recognized presenter and practitioner who specializes in helping school leaders and teachers align their school improvement efforts across an entire campus and/or district.

Troy Gobble is principal of Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Illinois. He previously served as assistant principal for teaching and learning at Stevenson.