During the week of August 8th, 17 educators from the New Glarus School District attended the PLC at Work Conference in Minneapolis. PLC stands for Professional Learning Communities, a model of collaboration for excellence for school districts. The professional learning community model was started by Dr. Rick DuFour at Stevenson High School in Illinois, and the model of collaboration and improvement through the PLC process propelled Stevenson to one of the top school districts in the United States.

Photo courtesy of Kris Anderson

New Glarus educators with PLC guru and author, Tim Kanold. Kanold, the former Superintendent of Stevenson High School, presented on educator wellness based off his new book called "Soul!". He also presented on the PLC process and Mathematics.

New Glarus School District has used the PLC model since the 2013-2014 school year and the PLC at Work experience is one of the forms of professional development used to train staff. The PLC at Work Conference was from August 9th-11th, and focused on PLC principles and how to increase the effectiveness of instruction, assessment, intervention, and enrichment. The conference also featured sessions on improving the overall social and emotional needs of students and staff. Educators returned from the conference even more energized and ready for the 2022-2023 school year. Thank you to all participants for your commitment to continual improvement throughout the New Glarus School District!