Professional Learning Communities

2. Professional Learning Communities Creating, Launching, and Sustaining Collaborative Teams in Departments and Offices Michael Cieslak, Instructional Services Laura Elliott, Assistant Principal, Island Creek ES Laura Schanes Romstedt, Information Technology

3. Outcomes • Understand the research and history behind professional learning communities • Learn about the PLC journey for Instructional Technology Department and Professional Learning and Accountability • Make connections to what collaborative teams might look like in your place of work

4. Who’s In the Room? Please introduce yourself to your neighbor in front of you and behind you. Name Role Department What you hope to get from this session

5. Which picture best describes your knowledge and experience of Professional Learning Communities?? B A C D

6. Which picture best describes your school or department’s implementation of Professional Learning Communities?? A B C D

7. PLC Background • FCPS has been promoting and developing PLCs in schools in varying degrees for 11 years. • In FY10 a shared vision for PLCs for central offices in FCPS was established and introduced at Leadership Conference. • Dialogue initiated about what PLCs mean for departments

8. We learn. We collaborate. We deliver results. We are FCPS.

9. A Shift in Focus:

10. Elements of High Functioning PLCs • Shared and supportive leadership • Shared values and vision • Collective learning and application of learning • Shared personal practices • Supportive conditions

11. Shared Leadership When asked about staff involvement in the process of making decisions –

12. Shared Values and Vision “Sharing vision is not just agreeing with a good idea; it is a particular mental image of what is important to an individual and to an organization.”

13. Collective Learning and Application of Learning

14. Shared Personal Practice

15. Supportive Conditions

16. Which five “Elements of High-Performing Teams” are already present in your office or department?

17. PLC Framework: 3 Big Ideas Continuous improvement framework • Learning as our Fundamental Purpose • Building a Collaborative Culture • A Focus on Results

18. Information Technology

19. Learning As Our Fundamental Purpose (IT) Information Technology’s (IT) fundamental purpose, our Mission, is: • To provide technology leadership, products, and services to the FCPS Community. • To manage division-wide information resources, ensuring security and integrity to the FCPS Community in support of learning for all students.

20. Building a Collaborative Culture (IT) • IT is committed to working together to achieve its overarching goals and our collective purpose of supporting learning for all students. • IT cultivates a collaborative environment where work is performed by high performing interdependent teams, trust is fostered, open and honest communication is promoted, and information is shared freely and transparently in order to achieve results.

21. A Focus on Results (IT) • IT assesses the efficiency, effectiveness and level of customer satisfaction with our work, based on measurable results. • Data is used to make informed decisions that promote continual service improvement.

22. A Focus on Results (IT) The following critical questions are used as input into the continual service improvement process: • What do we want to do to support student learning? (plan) • What are we doing to support student learning? (do) • How will we know when our support of student learning is effective? (check) • How will we enrich and extend our support of student learning? (act)

23. Reflection What connections are you making?

24. Professional Learning and AccountabilityOffice of Professional Practice

25. Our Fundamental Purpose (OPP) The Office of Professional Practice ensures that all FCPS employees engage in professional learning that enhances skills and practices that inspire, enable, and empower students to learn.

26. Our Operational Expectations

27. Big Idea 2: Culture of Collaboration

28. OPP PLC (shared mission, vision, values, goals) Team Team Dialogue and Discussions Better Results for our Clients The Professional Learning Community in OPP Team

29. PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND TRAINING OPERATIONAL EXPECTATIONS MONITORING REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

30. Big Idea 3: Focus on Results Better and better results for clients Continuous Improvement Plan Do Study Act

31. Focus on Results 3.Each team will regularly monitor progress towards goal and adjust accordingly. 2. Each team will use available evidence to set SMART (strategic, specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and time-bound) goals. 1. Each staff member will be a member of a collaborative team (within OPP or interoffice) Effectiveness ~ Efficiency Customer Satisfaction ~ Completion of Initiative

32. OPP PLC Big Ideas 1,2, 3 Provide career enrichment and advancement opportunities. Develop collaborative teams and professional learning communities Team Team Team Support and Provide Superior training designed to increase individual and team effectiveness Identify and develop a diverse pool of strong leaders to ensure leadership continuity. Team Team Team Team Measure Action Steps GOAL Continuous Improvement

33. How might your office or department define the 3 Big Ideas?

34. What We have Learned…Baby Steps… PLC Core Focus Team • Creation of common language • Modeled a PLC • Created templates • Helped each other • Adaptive Schools training

35. Framework for Implementationwithin IT • Leadership Buy-In • Started with one IT offices (IT Support Services) • Shared with and got buy-in from IT Senior Management • Provided Training (PMs and leaders within ITSS) Modeled within project teams Standard vocabulary, agenda, etc)

36. Framework for Implementation Within IT Continues… • Feedback to Senior Management Team • Support from other IT offices • Completion of Framework (3 Big Ideas) PLC in IT • Adaptive Schools training • Creating our own PLC • Goal: provide recommendations for next steps within IT • PLC interdepartmental cohort groups

37. Lessons Learned… The process… • Starts off fuzzy… (no bullets) • Requires consensus (and we’re not there yet) • Takes time • Requires leadership buy-in and support • Requires training • Requires time to maintain/sustain

38. Lessons Learned, continued You are not alone… • Support • Leadership Team • PLA • Other departments • Other PLC cohort members

39. Which picture do you connect with now?

40. PLC Cohorts 2, 3, 4, 5 • All Cohorts met on May 30, 2013 • Cohorts will meet monthly beginning in September to learn about professional learning communities and begin to implement their knowledge in their offices and departments

41. Other resources http://www.fcps.edu/pla/opp/plc/index.shtml

42. Link to PLC eLearnIT Course http://www.fcps.edu/it/elearnIT/ Login Catalog FCPS Courses Professional Development Courses PLC

43. What might be some next steps?