Getting District Results

In the fall of 2005, Superintendent Ed Rafferty began the process of transforming Schaumburg Township School District 54, the largest elementary school district in Illinois, into a professional learning community (PLC). While student performance across the district was not bad, achievement gaps among demographic subgroups showed that students were falling through the cracks. The district decided that becoming a PLC was the solution to ensuring that all students learned. In Getting District Results: A Case Study in Implementing PLCs at Work, author Nicholas Jay Myers walks readers through District 54s PLC journey as it builds shared knowledge; defines mission, vision, collective commitments, and goals; forms collaborative teams; clarifies essential learning questions; utilizes common formative assessment; establishes systematic intervention and enrichment; sustains the process; administers systemic change; and considers effective practices. Each chapter opens with a quote from an educator within District 54, highlights one core PLC component, and ends with a summarization of lessons learned for reflection and application. Within six years of the start of their PLC journey, the percentage of district students meeting or exceeding state standards went from around 76 to over 90 percent. Myers details the commitment such a process takes, and acknowledges that it is not always an easy road but the outcome is worth it, and the students are worth it. Schools and districts working to become a PLC should examine District 54 as a case study for both challenges and successes. Readers can see, step by step, how to create a strong PLC in their own school community. Its the true story of how one district made a PLC their reality.