Sidney Public Schools

Hello from Sidney High School!  We’d like to share with you some information about what staff is doing during the Wednesday early release time each week.  This hour is dedicated to the development of Professional Learning Communities (PLC).  Our district vision, Inspiring Students to Learn Today to Thrive Tomorrow, we feel is best realized when staff work together to realize that vision. 

The high school mission statement, the educational mission of Sidney High School is to foster a safe and supportive environment that cultivates excellence in learning through citizenship, self-discipline, motivation, and positive social attitudes. Cooperation among the school, the home, and the community provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary for successful lives and careers, further expresses the importance of guiding students along the path toward successful lives.

A collaborative approach is key to successful PLC time each week.  The premise for the collaborative work of each team originates from 4 critical questions.

                1. What do we want our students to learn?

                2. How do we know when they’ve learned it?

                3. How do we know if they have not learned it?

                4. What do we do when they have it learned?

Teams of teachers, and at the high school the teams are generally grouped by subject area, work to address the 4 critical questions by aligning curriculum, designing lessons , creating assessments, planning for interventions, advancing student mastery, and sharing best practices.  Data drives the process, so we have structures in place that provide teachers with useful data with which to base their decisions.

Hello from Sidney High School!  We’d like to share with you some information about what staff is doing during the Wednesday early release time each week.  This hour is dedicated to the development of Professional Learning Communities (PLC).  Our district vision, Inspiring Students to Learn Today to Thrive Tomorrow, we feel is best realized when staff work together to realize that vision. 

The high school mission statement, the educational mission of Sidney High School is to foster a safe and supportive environment that cultivates excellence in learning through citizenship, self-discipline, motivation, and positive social attitudes. Cooperation among the school, the home, and the community provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary for successful lives and careers, further expresses the importance of guiding students along the path toward successful lives.

A collaborative approach is key to successful PLC time each week.  The premise for the collaborative work of each team originates from 4 critical questions.

                1. What do we want our students to learn?

                2. How do we know when they’ve learned it?

                3. How do we know if they have not learned it?

                4. What do we do when they have it learned?

Teams of teachers, and at the high school the teams are generally grouped by subject area, work to address the 4 critical questions by aligning curriculum, designing lessons , creating assessments, planning for interventions, advancing student mastery, and sharing best practices.  Data drives the process, so we have structures in place that provide teachers with useful data with which to base their decisions.

So why do teachers need a “carved out” amount of time each week to collaborative for student achievement?  Because teachers in the U.S. spend more class time with students than any other nation in the world:

·         1,080 hours versus an average of 653 hours (middle and high school) or 798 hours (elementary school) (OECD, Education at a Glance, 2000).

Evidence of our success? 

·         Throughout the 20^th century, we ranked first in the world in high school completion rates.  We now rank 21^st out of 27 advanced economies.

·         We rank 26^th of 27 advanced economies for college completion rates. 

·         In terms of college graduates among young workers (25-34 years of age), our rank has dropped from 2^nd in 1995 to 14^th today.

                                                                                (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, Solution Tree 2013)

Not exactly the evidence you were looking for?  Us neither!  So, by changing the culture of our schools-from teachers working in isolation to a collaborative culture where educators share best practices-we are taking a logical step in the right direction.  Consider most any successful business in town.  How many of their employees work in isolation?  How many work as a collective community to grow and prosper?  At Sidney Public Schools, we are affecting the future success of our students.  One positive approach is the incorporation of PLC’s, so thank you for letting us give your students back to you an hour early each week.  Together, we are Inspiring Students to Learn Today to Thrive Tomorrow!

So why do teachers need a “carved out” amount of time each week to collaborative for student achievement?  Because teachers in the U.S. spend more class time with students than any other nation in the world:

·         1,080 hours versus an average of 653 hours (middle and high school) or 798 hours (elementary school) (OECD, Education at a Glance, 2000).

Evidence of our success? 

·         Throughout the 20^th century, we ranked first in the world in high school completion rates.  We now rank 21^st out of 27 advanced economies.

·         We rank 26^th of 27 advanced economies for college completion rates. 

·         In terms of college graduates among young workers (25-34 years of age), our rank has dropped from 2^nd in 1995 to 14^th today.

                                                                                (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, Solution Tree 2013)

Not exactly the evidence you were looking for?  Us neither!  So, by changing the culture of our schools-from teachers working in isolation to a collaborative culture where educators share best practices-we are taking a logical step in the right direction.  Consider most any successful business in town.  How many of their employees work in isolation?  How many work as a collective community to grow and prosper?  At Sidney Public Schools, we are affecting the future success of our students.  One positive approach is the incorporation of PLC’s, so thank you for letting us give your students back to you an hour early each week.  Together, we are Inspiring Students to Learn Today to Thrive Tomorrow!