Over the past several years, Franklin Special has strived to deepen and sharpen our work as a district Professional Learning Community (PLC). Each school functions as a PLC, and within every school are Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) of educators who continuously analyze data and adjust instructional practices to ensure all students learn at high levels. In Aspire 2029, the FSD strategic plan, the second academic strategy under Goal 1 (Academics) states that we will “Strengthen the PLCs process through professional learning and innovative strategies.” The tactics to accomplish this strategy are:

• “All schools will create a guiding coalition. All guiding coalitions will attend a PLC at Work Institute.
• Administrators will monitor and guide the work of the PLC process for continual improvement and innovative teaching practices (including, but not limited to, computer science and district-approved artificial intelligence [AI]).
• Strengthen the PLC process through the achievement of Model PLC at Work recognition for all schools and the district.”

All eight schools now have a guiding coalition, and we are close to the point where all members of those guiding coalitions have attended a PLC at Work Institute. Participation in an in-person institute is crucial because teachers and administrators learn firsthand, together, from PLC at Work industry experts such as 2025 FSD opening day keynote speaker Dr. Anthony Muhammad, Mike Mattos, Luis Cruz, and Regina Stephens Owens, to name a few.  At the institute, school teams then have multiple opportunities to debrief and plan collaboratively, led by their administrators. Further, multiple schools have earned Model PLC at Work recognition, and we are on track toward district-level designation.

With regard to monitoring and guidance of the PLC process, principals and assistant principals are grounded daily in these ongoing efforts.  They are present and provide input as needed during PLT data discussions, they thoughtfully and intentionally adjust the composition of those PLTs when necessary, and they engage in ongoing professional learning around the PLC at Work approach.  For example, at the end of March, teachers and administrators from every FSD school attended Solution Tree’s “Amplify Your Impact” 2-day workshop here in Franklin.  Educators from 11 states gathered to deepen their understanding of the best PLC at Work practices that significantly impact student learning.

A key step forward in Franklin Special’s PLC work is the development of a district guiding coalition (DGC) during the 2025-26 school year.  Using part of the existing time frame already designated for monthly leadership team meetings, the DGC (school administrators, the Teaching and Learning team, Dr. Snowden, and Dr. Esslinger convene to constantly learn from each other and from relevant texts to improve the PLC at Work process in the interest of high levels of learning for every student.  From the All Things PLC website: “A (district) guiding coalition is a team that works to advance, monitor, and celebrate the PLC framework at the district level.  The purpose is to establish a clear understanding of what the work is and what our expectations are for the work, beginning by clearly defining terms and concepts so everyone interprets ideas the same way. Smith (2015) states, “…district leadership and the guiding coalition that leads districtwide PLC implementation must have a common framework in which to work and lead. They must share the same basic understanding and a common language of PLC implementation and its essential processes” (p. 16). This work also involves creating district-wide non-negotiables. What is it that every school must do as it relates to a PLC? (DuFour & Fullan, 2013). The guiding coalition should revisit the missions and visions established by the schools and district, ensuring they are all aligned. This process can take some time since you are not just moving one school but moving all schools in the district on this journey.”

Accordingly, the DGC collaborated to create the following collective commitments:

1.    We will examine data to drive instructional practices that result in student success and develop measurable goals that foster continuous improvement.

2.    We will proactively identify obstacles in order to continuously improve the PLC at Work process.

3.    We will practice, model, and maintain effective, open collaboration among stakeholders to promote active engagement and student success.

4.    We will uphold our district-adopted, high-quality resources to provide a standard of excellence and equity for all students.

Over the course of the school year, the DGC members also observed PLTs in action during data discussions and asked questions of the PLT members, evaluated the effectiveness of the PLC at Work process at their schools and in the district as a whole and identified steps for enhancement, read and discussed excerpts from the definitive PLC at Work book, the fourth edition of Learning By Doing along with relevant articles, and coached each other through potential solutions to challenging questions.

During the 2026-27 year, administrators from each school will select a month for which they will be responsible for planning and facilitating the DGC meeting.  T&L will support the district every step of the way as we endeavor to become better and better at this work, our highest and most evidence-based priority.