We are so thrilled to launch Collaborative Community, a professional learning opportunity for teachers in Region 17. Using a foundation of Professional Learning Communities, we will base our work on the fundamental four questions from DuFour, Eaker, and DuFour:

1. What do we want students to learn?

2. How will we know if they have learned it?

3. What will we do if they do not learn it?

4. What will we do if they already know it?

Pulling from our smaller schools where teachers are often “singletons” with no department with which to plan, we will convene teachers of like content/subject to align planning and assessment, share data discussions, and collaborate around instructional strategy. Long term, we hope that this shared experience builds capacity of each community to perpetuate next steps that the group envisions for itself.

Teaching is challenging work. We believe it becomes less challenging, and even more fulfilling, when teachers collaborate, sharing both problem-solving and celebrations.