Professional Learning Communities at Work®

Dana Lillis serves as the director of teaching and learning for Carlisle Community Schools in Carlisle, Iowa. Dana’s passion is developing agency in teacher leaders and administrators to ensure they have the knowledge, skills, and tools to lead and support the PLC process.

Tiffany Mathews has over 16 years of experience in education. Throughout her career, she has worked as a teacher, department chair, assistant principal, and principal at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

Carla Braun, EdD, currently serves as the director of continuous school improvement and professional learning in Westmont, Illinois, a K–12 school district. She is an experienced principal, professional development provider, interventionist, and elementary teacher.

Amy Miller has over 20 years experience in secondary education and is currently the career and technical education (CTE) director in Richland School District.

Jalal Masri is the professional learning community coach at Bernice Ayer Middle School in San Clemente, California. In this role, he leads sitewide professional learning, supports teacher team collaboration, and oversees the school’s intervention system.

Dr. Derek Voiles is the assistant principal at Lincoln Heights Middle School in Morristown, Tennessee. With more than 15 years of experience in education, he emphasizes collaboration as a tool for better learning, particularly through professional learning communities.

Reboot, energize, and simplify the professional learning communities (PLC) process with The 15-Day Challenge! This practical guide brings the PLC process to life through seven simple unit design steps, providing a clear road map for creating a guaranteed and viable curriculum. Designed for results, this challenge helps educators navigate the PLC journey with clarity and impact.

The impact of Covid-19 will have a long-lasting effect on every facet of our society. Very few institutions were more disrupted than schools. The pandemic affected staffing, funding, morale, and the continuity of student learning. Participants explore the history of the field of education and examine why the tenants of the PLC at Work process were important before the global pandemic and why they are even more important after the pandemic. This is not the time to back away from the PLC at Work process; this is the time to reinforce its foundation.

It has been said that isolation is the enemy of improvement, and yet singleton teachers are too often left alone. Singleton teachers are the only ones at a school who teach a specific course or subject—like a music or art teacher or the only physics teacher—and these teachers often ask how they can effectively participate on a collaborative team at a PLC school (e.g., teachers who teach the same course or subject). Additionally, leaders frequently ask what they should be doing to guide and support these outstanding educators.

Hillary Woest helps teams see the big picture of a PLC and put it all together in a recurring cycle of collective inquiry. The 15-day challenge is a practical way to bring the PLC process to life.