Have you provided your teachers with a structure for effective professional development to take hold?

Not just another meeting

PLCs are the heart and soul of the TeachFirst model. With TeachFirst, groups of teachers come together to engage in building a sustainable, school-wide instructional framework, using research-based Instructional Strategies to improve student learning across the whole school.

When teachers take responsibility for improving learning for all students in the school, they move from “how I do things in my classroom” to “how we do things in our school,” changing the culture from “me” to “we.”

TeachFirst’s PLC model is carefully structured to keep PLCs focused on aligning Instructional Strategies with instructional needs and goals. To do this requires a set of shared expectations and protocols. Effective PLCs:

• Find the time to meet regularly
• Develop a common language
• Learn from each other
• Develop action plans
• Reconvene and reflect

The planning process drives the structure of TeachFirst’s PLCs, establishing expectations and mechanisms for accountability. Literacy goals, Instructional Strategies, meeting logistics, and operational protocols are documented in the PD Plan, and managed by school administrators and facilitators using online tools.

Teacher-leaders, or Facilitators are trained by TeachFirst consultants to lead and manage each PLC, providing a natural path for growth and leadership development. Facilitators lead PLC meetings, coach and mentor teachers, and work closely with principals to ensure that a school’s goals and objectives are being met.

TeachFirst’s integrated structure, strategies, and tools consistently expand the benefits of effective PLCs across districts, regions, and states. We help you move quickly from knowledge to action to results in a scalable, replicable, and timely way.