PLCs Flourish When Equity Matters

Jen Stearns, Tigard-Tualatin School District

18 years in education as a learning specialist, literacy specialist and instructional coach

Taught at the elementary, middle, and secondary levels

Coordinated the RTI and EBIS process in the settings I’ve served

Administrative license

Mom of a 4th and 6th grader in an orRTI school district committed to tackling the Racial Achievement Gap.

Purpose

Today we will explore a culture shift in the way we use Professional Learning Communities to tackle the achievement gap across ethnic groups of students. I will share one way to enhance your professional learning communities for culturally responsive teaching.

Hoped-for Outcomes

Participants will ….

Be affirmed for your good practices.

Be reminded of things you used to do but forgot about.

The “Glow and Grow” - See things that you already do and now use (GLOW), but can possibly expand on (GROW).

See things that are new that you would like to bring back to your buildings to try.

Teacher expertise is often considered the most significant school-based influence on student learning (Koretz, & Hamilton, 2003)

TURN AND TALK

What does professional learning look like within your setting?

2 minutes

What is e

quity

?

Pro

fessio

nal Le

arn

ing

C

om

munitie

s

Envision schools as learning environments for teachers and students. Professional learning should ensure that ALL students are learning.

Community-centered approach to promote professional learning within which teachers are supported in sharing and in building upon each other’s knowledge and experiences.

They provide opportunities for teachers to explore and understand the influence of individual cultural identity and values on individual and systems practices, as well as expand their knowledge of the socio-cultural dimensions of learning and how it impacts student performance.

Cultu

rally

Resp

onsiv

e

Teach

ing

Communication of high expectations. Active Teaching Methods

Teacher as facilitator

Inclusion of students who are culturally and linguistically diverse

Cultural sensitivity

Reshapes the curriculum

Student-controlled classroom discourse

Small group instruction and academically-related discourse

“The most impactful decision with regard to school improvement that I have made in the past five years at Hintgen Elementary School has been to fully embrace the need for teachers to work collaboratively at high levels with a laser like focus on student learning. “ NAESP President Mark White

What impact did our Action Research Approach PLCs have?

Professional learning results in improved learning for students who have been marginalized from the academic and social structures of the school system.

What impact did our Action Research Approach PLCs have?

As a result of the implementation of the action plan, student learning outcomes were measured through teachers’ reports of observed improvements in students’ participation, classroom interaction, and learning.

Our Takeaways

Intentionally looping up with students.

Grouping of students across achievement levels with push-in language support.

Thematic curriculum and multi-cultural connections to content.

Teachers learned how to observe, understand, and negotiate behavior as well as new approaches to learning that were outside their own experience.

Teachers learned to explore identity, heritage, and privilege to build classroom cultures that better reflected their students’ cultural backgrounds.

Specific changes noted in classroom practices by PLCs participating in their own action research included:

Celebrations

As teachers collected data from their students and participated in this action research, they became more learner-centered and developed higher expectations for what culturally and linguistically diverse students bring to school, know, and are able to accomplish!

Celebrations

By experiencing culturally relevant activities and the impact of these activities on their learning, teachers were exposed to the importance and the power of culturally responsive approaches for their students!

Equity Focused PLCs

Our professional learning is focused on improving learning within a diverse, multicultural community. There is a shared responsibility for the development of all students and collective responsibility for student success.

Equity Focused PLCs

Powerful adult learning that shifts our focus from teaching to learning. Effective professional learning is reached by continuous, collaborative interaction with colleagues through discussion, knowledge development and understanding, and directed inquiry around professional practice.

Equity Focused PLCs

Professional learning influences decisions about what is taught and why, and about the process of instruction for ALL learners.

Equity Focused PLCs

Should be embedded within the school climate. Professional learning becomes part of daily discourse, shared discussions about student learning and student products, as well as more formalized mentoring and coaching, meetings, study groups, and examination of evidence.

TURN AND TALK

How are your professional learning communities doing when it comes to addressing the racial achievement gap and equity?

2 minutes

The staff go through a problem solving process with a focus on action research!

PLC’s in Action

Our Tools and Resources for Culturally Relevant Teaching

They Are Worth It!

They Are Worth It!

As a tool for learning, teacher inquiry holds great promise in offering teachers the opportunity to explore their own practice and look for ways to build bridges between the curriculum, the culture of the schooling, and the lived experiences of their students.

However, without an awareness and understanding of the confluence of EQUITY, teacher professional learning or inquiry may not be powerful enough to surface teachers’ assumptions and perspectives on what is privileged and how they continue to reproduce those values in their classrooms.