What is a Professional Learning Community? You may have seen it on our website or you may have read about it in our newsletters, but I bet some of you are wondering what this new educational jargon really means? Rick Du Four defines PLC's as, "Educators committed to working collaboratively in ongoing processes of collective inquiry and action research in order to achieve better results for the students they serve. PLC's operate under the assumption that the key to improved learning for students is continuous, job-embedded learning for educators." - DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, Many 2006 The faculty at Serrano takes great pride in their work. They reluctantly gave up the instructional time because they believe that the time spent discussing instruction and the focus on results will enhance learning and thereby improve achievement for ALL students. Here are some questions that you may have: Will this result in a shortened day for teachers? No, all teachers will be required to remain on campus and continue their work day. I would compare this to the business world where team members have time to plan and discuss how they will improve their production results. As you might be aware, all of the Capistrano Schools have instituted an early out day once a week to allow teachers to collaborate. Many other districts in Orange County have implemented a similar model. In addition to teaching classes, teachers spend their preparation period grading papers, contacting parents and preparing lessons. Even though the internet is a great communication tool, most teachers spend additional time posting grades and answering email. Our new schedule will provide dedicated time for teachers to work on curriculum and instruction. What is staff collaboration look like? - Teachers will meet with their departments to design lessons and common assessments to compare progress and improve instruction. Was the new schedule approved by the School Board? - The schedule was submitted to the Superintendent's office who shared it with Board of Education members. At this time, our schedule will be in place for the 2006-2007 school year. While we are optimistic about the benefits and the success of our approach, we want to make sure that we are utilizing our time effectively and will give careful consideration to the effectiveness of continued implementation. Are there activities after school on the early out days that will held on campus? The answer is yes. We will have an extended homework club and activities available through the recreation department. Information will be posted on our website and available at pre-registration.