We helped John F. Kennedy High School reach a 97% graduation rateLearn more

Build school culture where learning thrives

“After several months of research and dialogue with practitioners throughout the nation, it became apparent that the hype was real. PLCs . . . are being used by schools and districts of all sizes and demographics to make significant impacts on student achievement.”

Evaluating Professional Learning Communities: Final Report
An APQC® Education Benchmarking Project

The Professional Learning Communities at Work® process is increasingly recognized as the most powerful strategy for sustained, substantive school improvement. This institute gives you and your team the knowledge and tools to implement this powerful process in your school or district.

For three days, you'll have the opportunity to network with some of the most insightful minds in education, with presenters accessible to you throughout the event. This immersive experience includes four powerful keynote speakers at every institute. The fourth and final keynote will explore shared leadership, guiding coalitions, and the impact of a strong, healthy culture—not just for administrators, but for all educators.

Whether you're a teacher, coach, or leader just beginning to explore PLCs, this institute is an excellent way to build your knowledge base. For those who are already involved in deep implementation, it's the perfect opportunity to assess your progress, identify high-leverage next steps, introduce new team members to the process, and get answers to new questions.

As you delve deep into the three big ideas of a PLC—focusing on learning, building a collaborative culture, and results orientation—you will gain specific, practical insights for transforming your school or district into a place where all students learn at high levels, walking away with actionable strategies to drive lasting change together.

Venue

Salt Palace Convention Center

100 South West Temple

Salt Lake City, Utah

Learn from leading experts

Keynote speakers

Tim Brown

Tim Brown

Tim Brown

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.

Luis F. Cruz

Luis F. Cruz

Luis F. Cruz

Luis F. Cruz, PhD, is a sought-after presenter, coach, thought leader, and accomplished author with over 30 years of experience in education.

Heather Friziellie

Heather Friziellie

Heather Friziellie

Heather serves as the superintendent of schools in Fox Lake District 114 in the northern Illinois suburbs. Her work focuses on ensuring learning for ALL in schools.

Timothy D. Kanold

Timothy D. Kanold

Timothy D. Kanold

Timothy D. Kanold, PhD, an award-winning educator and author, is former superintendent of Adlai E. Stevenson High School District 125, a Model PLC at Work® district in Lincolnshire, Illinois.

Mike Mattos

Mike Mattos

Mike Mattos

Mike Mattos is an internationally recognized author, presenter, and practitioner who specializes in uniting teachers, administrators, and support staff to transform schools by implementing response to intervention and professional learning communities.

Anthony Muhammad

Anthony Muhammad

Anthony Muhammad

Anthony Muhammad, PhD, is an author and international thought leader. He served as a practitioner for nearly twenty years where he served as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal. He is recognized as one of the fields leading experts in the areas of school culture and Professional Learning Communities at Work (PLC).

Maria Nielsen

Maria Nielsen

Maria Nielsen

Maria Nielsen, educational speaker and author, specializes in supporting teachers and administrators in the areas of PLCs, RTI, school culture, curriculum design, the highly engaged classroom, and assessment systems. Her life’s work is to help schools build successful systems to ensure high levels of student learning.

Regina Stephens Owens

Regina Stephens Owens

Regina Stephens Owens

Regina Stephens Owens, EdD is an internationally recognized presenter and practitioner who specializes in creating a culture of connectivity and collaboration while utilizing systems thinking.

Eric Twadell

Eric Twadell

Eric Twadell

Eric Twadell, PhD, is superintendent of Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. He has been a social studies teacher, curriculum director, and assistant superintendent for leadership and organizational development.

Schedule

On-Site Solution Tree Book Co-op Open Throughout Event

Agenda and speakers are subject to change.

Detailed agenda and summaries

Tuesday, September 30th

6:30–8:00 a.m.

Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:00–9:45 a.m. Keynote
9:45–10:00 a.m.

Break

10:00–11:30 a.m. Breakouts
11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

Lunch (on your own)

1:00–2:30 p.m.

Breakouts

2:30–2:45 p.m.

Break

2:45–3:45 p.m. Concurrent Keynote
2:45–3:45 p.m. Keynote

Wednesday, October 1st

7:00–8:00 a.m.

Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:00–9:45 a.m. Keynote
9:45–10:00 a.m.

Break

10:00–11:30 a.m. Breakouts
11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

Lunch (on your own)

1:00–2:30 p.m.

Breakouts

2:30–2:45 p.m.

Break

2:45–3:45 p.m. Team Time

Thursday, October 2nd

7:00–8:00 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

8:00–9:30 a.m.

Breakouts

9:30–9:45 a.m. Break
9:45–11:45 a.m.

Keynote

Accommodations

Events reach capacity quickly. Please confirm your registration before making travel plans.

While discounted rooms in our hotel room block may be sold out, the primary hotel may still have rooms available at their standard rates. Please inquire directly with the hotel.

Hotels

Primary Hotel

Hilton Salt Lake City Center

255 South West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
801.328.2000

Discounted Rate: (single or double) $218 per night
Deadline: September 6, 2025, or until group rate is sold out

Online Reservations

Events reach capacity quickly. Please confirm your registration before making travel plans.

Parking information:
Hilton Salt Lake: $25 self-park (valet not available)
Convention Center: Rates vary - www.parkingslc.com

All rates are per day and subject to change.

In order to receive the discounted hotel room rates, please mention Solution Tree.
After the deadline listed below, rates will be determined by the hotel.

Venue

Salt Palace Convention Center

100 South West Temple

Salt Lake City, Utah

Hear from our attendees

Event Reviews

“The slide on the setup of collaborative teams was excellent and gave me some ideas of how to set up our school to make it a true PLC instead of a pseudo PLC.”

Paul Gagnon, principal, Page High School, Arizona

“The great opening sent us off to a positive and energetic day filled with great gems to take back to our schools.”

Erin Barr, teacher, Kingston Elementary School, California

“The presenters were very knowledgeable about the topic, and when they were presented with challenging questions, they had ideas and other suggestions to those seeking solutions.”

Martha Loera-Olivas, program coordinator, Aurora Public Schools, Colorado

“The various breakout sessions gave choices for people to attend based on their building needs and interests.”

Eric Cobb, teacher, El Dorado Elementary School, California

“The opportunity to network with other educators who are on the PLC journey was valuable. The expertise of the presenters was also very helpful. I also appreciated the cohesive message regardless of which breakout session I attended.”

Pat Foster, principal, Oskaloosa Elementary School, Kansas

More details

Additional Information

Product code: CFF827

This event is eligible as a course credit through the University of Lynchburg. Click here to learn more.


Five Reasons to Attend a Solution Tree Event (PDF)
A Letter to Your Boss (DOC)

You will receive a certificate of participation 6 weeks after the event concludes. Please check with your department of education for CEU availability.


On-Site Solution Tree Book Co-op Discounts

  • Buy 5 or more Solution Tree titles or resources and receive 30% off and free shipping
  • On-site book co-op open daily throughout the event

Discounts above are for on-site purchases only. Does not include any non-Solution Tree product, toolkit, or sale table items. Purchase orders and credit cards accepted. We now accept Apple, Google and Samsung Pay onsite. Continental US only.


Included with your registration

Learning by Doing

Learning by Doing

The fourth edition of Learning by Doing comes bundled with our on-demand AI Book Assistant to help you explore key PLC at Work® concepts, apply proven strategies, access new ways to leverage PLCs for a highly effective MTSS, and get real-time support as you work to strengthen collaboration and improve student learning.

AllThingsPLC Magazine Single Event Issue

AllThingsPLC Magazine Single Event Issue

AllThingsPLC Magazine is a must-have for emerging and veteran professional learning communities (PLCs). Each issue includes PLC research, inspiration, fixes, how-tos, and more.

Event Journal

Event Journal

We’re enhancing your event experience. In addition to providing presentations in digital format, Solution Tree is publishing retail-quality, perfect-bound notebooks expertly designed to support your learning. Any printed handouts or worksheets integrated into your sessions will continue to be provided.

Contact Us.