Professional Learning Communities at Work®

W. Richard Smith is former deputy superintendent of Sanger Unified School District in California. He has been involved in public education for more than 37 years.

William M. Ferriter uses his 29 years of experience as a full-time classroom teacher to design professional development sessions for educators on topics ranging from establishing professional learning communities and effective systems of intervention to integrating meaningful differentiation, extension, and student-involved assessment opportunities into classroom instruction.

Jennifer Deinhart is a K–8 mathematics specialist working as a mathematics instructional coach at Rose Hill Elementary in Virginia. A passionate educator with more than 20 years of experience working with diverse populations within Title I schools, she works collaboratively with teams of teachers to provide quality mathematics instruction.

Education specialist Kristi S. Langley most recently served as a district-level director of professional learning communities and a director of data and assessment. She has repeatedly facilitated successful schoolwide implementation of the professional learning communities process for more than 25 years.

Barbara Coleman, former principal of Canyon Pointe Elementary in Tomball, Texas, brings over 40 years of educational experience, including roles as a teacher, grant facilitator, assistant principal, and principal,

Jerrod Dastrup is the principal at Arrowhead Elementary School in Saint George, Utah. He is passionate about the PLC at Work® process and specializes in motivating and supporting teachers and administrators in PLC, RTI, school culture, and data analysis.

Theodore Goergen, EdD, is the director of student activities at the award-winning Adlai E. Stevenson High School. A practitioner for nearly 20 years, he has served as a middle school and high school science teacher as well as a curriculum team leader.

Karly Ward is an experienced educational leader with over 17 years in teaching and administration. She specializes in visionary leadership, sustaining a healthy school environment, and ensuring system fidelity.

Beth Houf is principal of Fulton Middle School in central Missouri. Under her leadership, Fulton was recognized in 2019 as a Missouri Exemplary Professional Learning Community and a Model PLC.

Aaron Hansen is an expert in Professional Learning Communities (PLC), Response to Intervention (RTI) and student empowerment. He is a highly sought-after international speaker, strategic consultant, coach, and author.