We describe how a modified version of an emergency survival strategy led our team in addressing problems of practice identified in two second grade classrooms. We attended to the urgent needs of students by enacting the curriculum with integrity, doing what was most important and effective, while accommodating their classroom context (LeMahieu,…

Explore how to provide equitable literacy instruction and assessment so every student masters essential standards. The authors help K-6 teacher teams navigate the teaching and learning of reading through the lens of Professional Learning Communities at Work®. Learn strategies for utilizing data as collaborative teams to answer the four critical…

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) can provide a structure for teachers to engage in learning processes that improve their classroom practices collaboratively. If followed consistently with the literature, PLCs are a robust professional learning model that can support teachers collectively through learning and reflecting on their classroom…

Help your PLC+ group to work "wiser," not harder. This practical guide to planning and implementing PLC+ groups in a collaborative setting is designed to equip professional learning community teams with the tools they need to work effectively toward improving student learning. Designed as an accompanying resource to "PLC+: Better…

Productive mathematical conversations are a significant component of developing students' mathematical understanding and ability to effectively communicate their thinking, and the types of questions teachers ask can either hinder or advance that development. Seeking to understand students' thinking while monitoring their initial work on a task…

The International Technology and Engineering Educators Association's (ITEEA's) "Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy" ("STEL") describes design thinking as an approach that allows students and educators to integrate other content areas by considering relevant contextual information to guide design and making…

The Artisan Teaching Model merges the idea of "teamwork" with the concept of an "artisan-apprentice relationship." As in any apprenticeship, newer members of the profession work alongside experts ("artisans"). As apprentices become more skilled, they take on larger and more substantial roles and continue to work…

This document from the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) provides guidance on initial steps for how educators can plan and prepare for addressing knowledge gaps due to extended remote learning as a result of the COVID-19 emergency. The purpose of Stage One is for grade-level or course content teams to: (1) Analyze their 2019-2020 curriculum…

As your school district undertakes the process of evaluating its K-12 reading program, literacy curriculum, or literacy instructional practices, this book will be your go-to resource. Pennell offers a step-by-step guide for educators, school leaders, or professional learning communities to evaluate high-quality instructional materials and…

Teachers who participate in the Teacher Institute on Science and Sustainability (TISS) at the California Academy of Sciences commit to intensive professional development--that is, two two-week summer sessions, four evening workshops, and four Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings throughout each school year--focused on creating more…

Last year, Annandale Terrace Elementary School (Annandale, Virginia) began exploring professional learning communities (PLC). In this article, two of Annandale's math coaches share the school's journey. On the basis of their own reflections, the coaches conclude with some recommendations for those considering embarking on a similar journey…

"Teacher-Powered Practices: How teacher teams collaboratively lead and create student-centered schools" focuses on how innovative teachers are radically changing the ways schools are designed and run. The how here are the common practices, structures, and processes teacher-powered teams design and use daily. The guide identifies nine…

This report describes an online course developed to support education systems to build an aligned and sustainable approach to integration of 21st Century Skills (21CS). 21CS are those skills that are considered particularly important to succeed in today's knowledge-based society in which innovation and technology are predominant. Prominent…

Multi-Classroom Leadership is the cornerstone of an Opportunity Culture. Teachers with a record of high-growth student learning and leadership competencies, known as multi-classroom leaders or MCLs, teach part of the time and lead small, collaborative teams of two to eight teachers in the same grade or subject to meet each MCL's standards of…

To address the professional development needs of learning community instructors at Kingsborough Community College, faculty coordinators and program directors developed a workbook for instructional teams. This workbook walks instructors through the collaborative process of creating and sustaining successful links and focuses on what we believe is…