Blog Post – A PLC of 1, Isn’t

I see this a lot in small schools, which means I see it a lot since small schools are more common than large schools.

As instructional leaders, it is hammered in to us that we should do everything possible to reduce the number of teacher preps. This makes sense if your teachers have 3, 4, 5 or 6 preps. But reducing preps all the way down to one is counter-productive. And this is what a lot of our small schools have done. The school has one Biology teacher and one Chemistry teacher. Or one U.S. History teacher and one World History teacher. You see the pattern.

The problem with this is that if I’m the only teacher that teaches the subject, I have no one to plan with. No one to problem solve with. No comparison data. And no back-up.

I’m a PLC of 1. Which isn’t a PLC. It’s an island.

The solution… Split the preps. If you only have only two science teachers (or math, or reading, etc.) each teacher teachers both Biology and Chemistry.

Now the teacher a member of an actual, potentially functional PLC. The teachers are now a team. They can plan together, problem solve and compare data. Which means they have a fighting chance to improve student outcomes.

The bottom line, having one prep is actually one prep short of effective.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn…

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