Professional Learning Communities

When educators collaborate with clarity and purpose, Tier 1 instruction gets stronger—and all students benefit. This webinar showcases how schools across New York State are enhancing Tier 1 instruction through the PLC at Work® process. Participants will explore how collaborative teams design and use Common Formative Assessments (CFAs) to gather evidence of instructional effectiveness and make informed adjustments. The session highlights the power of job-embedded professional learning that occurs when educators work in teams to respond collectively to student needs. Attendees will also learn how building networks across schools accelerates improvement by sharing strategies and successes.

Paula Maeker is an educator, presenter, and advocate for learner-centered education. She has more than 23 years’ experience as an elementary teacher, literacy specialist, instructional coach, Title 1 program coordinator, campus administrator, director of elementary literacy, and director of instructional design.

Dan Swatek is the elementary principal at Cardinal Elementary School in Nebraska, which he helped lead to Model PLC status in 2018. Throughout his nearly twenty-year career as an educator, he has also served as an assistant principal, middle school teacher, and head coach.

Katherine Gillies is the lead architect of districtwide literacy improvement at Niles North High School, D219, in Illinois. Her work includes building a comprehensive system of intervention and support for struggling readers and developing a research-based curriculum to ensure continued literacy growth for all students.

Maureen M. Rubenstein is a literacy coach and special education instructor in Lincolnshire, Illinois. She works with other literacy coaches to coordinate and implement book clubs, PD sessions, and coaching sessions.

Dave Ludy is a former principal of a Model PLC at WorkⓇ in Wisconsin. His work is focused on implementing the PLC process and he has extensive experience with rural school districts.

Dr. Aisha Thomas has been an educator for over 20 years, serving in all levels of school leadership at the middle school and elementary levels. She has helped lead two schools to receive the National Blue Ribbon Award.

Jane Pedersen, EdD, is the director of student services in Fremont School District 79 in Illinois. She has previously served as assistant director of educational services, an elementary school assistant principal, and a school psychologist for Kildeer Countryside School District 96 in Illinois.

Tracey A. Hulen is an elementary and middle school mathematics and SEL specialist who has experience leading two professional learning communities in Fairfax County, Virginia, to Model PLC status.

To make deep contributions to the lives of our students, we must first embrace routines and practices of self-care and self-compassion. During this interactive webinar, Dr. Timothy D. Kanold will take you on a high-energy, inspiring, and reflective examination of how to stay balanced and fulfilled in your professional life. Timely topics that mean the most during this unprecedented time will be addressed—from stress management to effective planning to meaningful engagement with students and colleagues.