Bloomington, Indiana, Feb. 28 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) and Solution Tree have partnered to develop and expand the Professional Learning Communities at Work® process within Washington State schools. WASA launched the PLC at Work project with Solution Tree in 2021 with an inaugural cohort or group of participating school districts including: Bremerton School District, Cheney School District, Cle Elum-Roslyn School District, Ellensburg School District, Granger School District, Kalama School District, Longview School District, Mead School District, Meridian School District, Monroe School District, Mount Adams School District, Muckleshoot Tribal Schools, Ocosta School District, Pullman School District, Rochester School District , Vancouver School District, Washougal School District, Wenatchee School District and the West Valley School District.
Active recruitment is currently underway for new school districts to participate in Cohort Two, which begins in August.
Cohorts commit to three years of intensive professional development designed for district leaders to engage deeply with the PLC at Work process, which is based on three big ideas:
1. A focus on learning
2. A collaborative culture and collective responsibility
3. A focus on outcomes or evidence of student learning As implementation progresses, entire school systems are learning to work collaboratively to address equity issues and ensure that all students learn at high levels. PLC at Work operates under the assumption that the key to improving student learning is continuous, job-embedded learning for educators. “Despite the heroic efforts of educators across the state, the inequities present in our systems seemed to be exacerbated by the pandemic,” said Joel Aune, executive director of WASA. “Virtual learning and our need to adapt quickly revealed that not all students had access to the same quality education. Through the WASA PLC at Work project, we want learning efforts to be targeted and have a positive impact for all students. The project’s goal is to help Washington’s districts work smarter, not harder. The first cohort of Washington educators currently implementing the PLC at Work process are excited about the results they are seeing. “We just completed a five-day cycle of intervention on math concepts that kids didn’t learn the first time around,” said Cheney School District Superintendent Mike Stark. “What we are seeing is that this investment of five days of intervention reduces the number of children who need help by more than 50%. Solution Tree President Ed Ackerman is a firm believer in the impact this work will have on Washington students. “We have data to illustrate the success of the PLC at Work project in other states,” Ackerman said. “I am inspired by the commitment of Washington educators involved in this project. Solution Tree looks forward to expanding this crucial work when our second cohort begins in August. District and school leaders interested in learning more about how they can take advantage of this opportunity should contact Solution tree.
About the Washington Association of School Administrators
The Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) is an organization of professional administrators committed to leadership by ensuring equity and excellence in student learning and developing competent, ethical, and visionary leaders. WASA membership includes over 1,900 members and is open to all education administrators in central office, building management, and education agency positions. About the Solution Tree
For more than 20 years, Solution Tree (https://www.solutiontree.com) has worked to transform education around the world, empowering educators to improve student achievement. With more than 50,000 educators present professional development conferences and more than 6,000 professional learning days in schools each year, Solution Tree helps teachers and administrators address critical challenges. Solution Tree has a catalog of over 515 titles, hundreds of videos and online courses and is the creator of Global PD, an online tool that facilitates the work of teachers and educators participating in professional learning communities. Follow @SolutionTree on Twitter, Facebookand instagram.