Glenwood Community School District Receives Rare 'PLC' Recognition
Glenwood Community School District school board members, administrators and administrative staff display the flag that was presented to the district at a recognition ceremony Monday afternoon at Glenwood Community High School. Glenwood is only the seventh school district in Iowa and 32nd in the United States to ever be recognized as a “Model Professional Community At Work” by an international provider of professional development for educators.
The leadership teams at Glenwood Community High School (above) and Glenwood Middle School (below) at Monday afternoon’s recognition ceremony.
The leadership team from West Elementary School poses for a photo with the PLC flag.
The Northeast Elementary School leadership team proudly displays the PLC flag.
The Glenwood Community School District was recognized Monday by Solution Tree, a resource partner for professional development, for the district’s sustained success in raising student achievement.
GCSD staff members attended a surprise ceremony to announce the recognition Monday afternoon in the Glenwood Community High School auditorium.
The district’s successful implementation of the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) at Work process was a major contributing factor in the improved achievement of its students, according to a press release announcing the recognition.
PLCs are schools and districts in which educators recognize the key to improved learning for students is on-going, job-embedded learning for the adults who serve those students. The three big ideas of a PLC call upon educators to:
1. Focus on learning.
2. Build a collaborative culture.
3. Create a results orientation.
Responding to news of the recognition, Dr. Chad Lang, gCSD Assistant Superintendent of School Improvement & H.R. said, “We are honored to be bestowed this extremely prestigious recognition status. It is extremely difficult to attain and is a great testament of our educators, collaborative teams, and administration the last 11 years.
“Being identified as only the 7th district in Iowa and one of only 32 in the United States to ever have achieved this district-level recognition puts Glenwood Community School District in elite company. I think when you can say that of the 600 plus Model recognitions ever given out by SolutionTree only 30 achieved the whole district status-you are in rarified air. We have stayed committed to the collaborative and evidenced-based practices that focus on improving student learning, and through these processes our kids benefit and our families and community does too.”
Schools are recognized based on strict criteria, including demonstration of a commitment to PLC concepts, implementation of these concepts for at least three years, and clear evidence of improved student learning over that period. Once measurable results can be seen, the school must explain its practices, structures, and culture and submit its application for consideration by the PLC Review Committee.
According to the Champions of PLC at Work, educators in the schools and districts selected for this recognition have shown “a sustained commitment to helping all of their students achieve at high levels. They have been willing to alter the structure and culture of the organization to reflect their commitment. We applaud them and congratulate them for achieving this very significant milestone on the never-ending PLC journey.”
Recognized model PLC schools are listed on allthingsplc.info, where they share implementation strategies, structures, and performance with other educators interested in improving their schools. Tools for team collaboration, articles and research about PLCs, blog posts, and other related resources are also available on the site.