At one elementary campus in a large suburban district in Texas, PLCs are implemented to provide educators with
high levels of planning and integration of research-based instructional strategies aligned with state standards so that
every action in the classroom is data-driven and intentional. All PLCs begin with teachers revisiting core values of the
school that focus educators on the shared goal of student mastery. Each PLC member presents data from his or her
individual classroom data binder with review of assessments, observations, guided instruction, and student-centered
instructional goals. Teachers then collaboratively celebrate student growth and target areas of needed instruction.
Additionally, team members analyze shared data to determine which teachers are the most effective in instructing
students in specific targeted areas. Students are grouped across classrooms and shared among teachers to ensure
each student receives the needed instruction for success. In this type of PLC, every team member assumes a different
leadership role. Each team member is expected to draw from his or her individual talents to lead the team. For
example, one teacher might lead through a finely tuned ability to analyze data and use it to drive the team’s wholegroup
and small-group instruction; another member of the PLC might demonstrate an ability to lead the team in the
creation of assessments that will help the team gauge student mastery; and yet another teacher may lead by staying
current with the latest research on technology integration and train the team on these research-based best practices.
Each teacher leader or expert in a certain area facilitates professional growth on a “horizontal” level, and then further
leads by participating in campus vertical or cross-curricular teams associated with his or her area of leadership. There
is an opportunity for multiple individuals to hone their leadership skills, impact a broader audience, and strengthen
the unity of the entire campus structure. This strength greatly enhances the outcomes of the PLC process when each
member assumes some level of leadership responsibility to benefit the whole group.