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Professional Learning Communities in OUSD
The Oakland Unified School District is committed to supporting high levels of learning for every student, ensuring that students are prepared for success in college, in their careers, and as citizens. The core values underlying our collective work are achievement, equity, and accountability.
Over the past few years, individuals from across OUSD have engaged in a reflective inquiry process that yielded a set of ambitious goals, chief among these being: All students should graduate prepared to succeed in college and career. Several strategies have been identified to support schools, and the teachers within schools, in attaining these goals. Given our collective responsibility for student learning, one of the primary district-wide strategic practices is the development of professional learning communities.
Professional development in OUSD has therefore been built around creating and sustaining professional learning communities (PLCs). The principles and practices of PLCs are supported by network officers and Instructional Services, and mirrored across all areas of the district: in schools, networks, cross-school teams, Central Services, and the district leadership.
Every school in OUSD is developing into a professional learning community. Many schools began this process years ago, while others are just starting out. Each school also has its own distinct culture and learning climate within which its PLC will emerge. Thus, every school’s journey will be unique, with the ultimate PLC structures and practices varying somewhat among schools. Our common charge, however, is to ensure that our PLCs are focused on equity and achievement for every student.
The PLC resources are intended to provide guidance and support for schools at all stages of the PLC development process. One key resource is the PLC manual, which represents the collective efforts of a wide range of OUSD personnel—thank you to those who contributed to this project.
Some of these resources reside on the OUSD intranet, and therefore you will have to enter your user name and password to access this area of the website (same as email user name and password).
These resources are a work in progress; we will regularly revise them based upon your experience. Please forward any comments, questions, and feedback to John Hall at john.hall@ousd.k12.ca.us.
Looking forward to continuing to support your development as professional learning communities.
Tony Smith, Ph. D.
Superintendent
Brad Stam
Chief Academic Officer
Last Modified on December 17, 2009
