October 2016

There is power in an effective model of a Professional Learning Community (PLC) focused on learning, results, and continuous improvement in a collaborative culture. Sometimes, it is not until we reflect on our work that we realize the power in a PLC. The book, A Leader's Companion: Inspiration for Professional Learning Communities at Work, takes quotations from leaders and teachers in articulating the power of a PLC as they reflect on the purpose and the results produced from their efforts. Perhaps we can use these quotations to inspire us to reflect on where we are on our PBL journey while moving forward with developing and sustaining a PLC in our school district and/or building. Please use the links to download books aligned to selected quotations. If prompted for a password, use ocmboces.

“PLCs set out to restore and increase the passion of teachers by not only reminding them of the moral purpose of their work, but also by creating the conditions that allow them to do that work successfully.”

• Aligning School Districts as PLCs
• Cultures Built to Last





“In a PLC, educators create an environment that fosters mutual cooperation, emotional support, and personal growth as they work together to achieve what they cannot accomplish alone.”

• Building a Professional Learning Community at Work: A Guide to the First Year
• Making Teamwork Meaningful: Leading Progress-Driven Collaboration in a PLC at Work




“Schools that function as professional learning communities are always characterized by a collaborative culture. Teacher isolation is replaced with collaborative processes that are deeply embedded into the daily life of the school. Members of a PLC are not “invited” to work with colleagues: They are called upon to be contributing members of a collective effort to improve the school’s capacity to help all students learn at high levels.”

• The Collaborative Teacher: Working Together as a Professional Learning Community
• Transforming School Culture: How to Overcome Staff Division




“Members of a Professional Learning Community continually assess their effectiveness on the basis of results: tangible evidence their students are acquiring the knowledge, skills, and dispositions essential to their future success.”

• Collaborating for Success with the Common Core: A Toolkit for Professional Learning Communities at Work
• Teacher Teamwork




“One of the most significant tools available to a school that is attempting to build a PLC is this process of clarifying essential outcomes, building common assessments, reaching consensus on the criteria by which teachers will judge the quality of student work, and working together to analyze data and improve results.”

• Common Formative Assessment: A Toolkit for Professional Learning Communities at Work