Being a principal is a huge — and, at times, lonely— job. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) provide principals with the time and space they need to learn from and connect with their fellow principals.
PLCs are headed by some of the city’s most talented principals, whose success and experience help fellow principals tackle shared problems of practice. Topics change every year based on principal feedback and revolve around principals’ greatest challenges: managing time, coaching teachers and improving students’ academic performance.
Any Chicago public school principal can participate in a PLC. PLCs meet for a minimum of six two-hour sessions throughout the academic school year. Dates, times and locations are determined by the PLC leader and are flexible depending on participants’ schedules and priorities.
During the 2019-2020 school year, 225 principals and assistant principals participated in 20 PLCs. For the 2020-2021 school year, all of The Fund’s PLCs are focused on the comeback from the COVID-19 pandemic: school re-opening, student safety, and recovering learning loss.
"The work we are doing in our PLC is highly experiential and job-embedded. I am able to take what I’m learning in collaboration with my principal colleagues and bring it back to Tarkington. This allows for me to provide the highest quality PD for my staff and assistant principals."