PLCs and SMART Goals

What is the relationship between professional learning communities (PLCs) and S.M.A.R.T. goals? One way to think about this is from the perspective of a school’s organizational capacity for change, learning and improvement.

In schools that function as professional learning communities there is strong organizational capacity. In these schools you’ll find teachers who:

               1) pursue a clear, shared purpose for students’ learning

2) engage in collaborative activity to achieve that purpose, and

3) take collective responsibility for student learning  

(Newmann & Wehlage, Successful School Restructuring, 1995, p. 30) 

The S.M.A.R.T. goals process is a methodology for creating school capacity through teacher engagement in ongoing job-embedded professional learning. Let’s look at how the S.M.A.R.T. Goals Process supports each of the attributes of organizational capacity listed above.  

When school goals are clear and specific enough to sustain coherent focus over time, and when there is strong consensus among teachers to pursue these goals, teacher impact on student learning is maximized. Clear, shared purpose is built through the S.M.A.R.T. Goals Process as teachers strategically derive S.M.A.R.T. goals from student data by identifying greatest areas of need, and establish shared accountability for the goals through ongoing assessment and adjustment.

In professional learning communities, teachers collaborate productively to enhance their competence. The S.M.A.R.T. Goals Process is designed to engage teaching teams in reflective dialogue about their teaching, curriculum and assessment practices. It focuses teachers on identifying “best practices” in the goal area and engaging in professional development that will contribute to progress on the goal. As a result, teachers become more effective than they were as individual, isolated practitioners.

When there is a clear sense of shared purpose and collaboration among teachers, there is collective responsibility for student learning. In schools that function as professional learning communities, the culture of shared responsibility makes all of the teachers accountable for their share while supporting hard working teachers in their efforts to reach students. Visible progress monitoring is a key element of the S.M.A.R.T. Goals Process; it is a powerful method for creating shared responsibility for student learning among teachers and students.  

In summary, schools must become true professional learning communities to achieve academic excellence for all students. The S.M.A.R.T. Goals Process is their roadmap for getting there.