SolutionTree.com/Changemakers CHALLENGE Although Thomas Jefferson Elementary School was in a district that followed Professional Learning Community (PLC) at Work® practices, the school’s interpretation and implementation of the model lacked clarity and structure when Emily Carlson began her tenure as principal in 2022. PLC meetings functioned more like unstructured team gatherings, with inconsistent agendas and minimal administrative involvement. Principal Carlson recognized that the school’s achievement scores were strong, but growth data revealed significant gaps. Students, including high achievers, were not consistently demonstrating a year’s worth of academic growth. Sharing this data with the staff revealed a critical area for improvement and ignited a schoolwide commitment to focus on student growth. Additionally, the school faced the challenge of how its third- and fourth-grade teachers taught. Before, they had different teachers for different subjects. For example, one third-grade teacher taught reading and writing, while another teacher focused on math. Principal Carlson encouraged the switch to teach all subjects to the same group of kids. This shift required targeted support for teachers to develop confidence and competence in teaching across subjects, as well as collaborative planning practices to ensure consistency and quality of instruction. IMPLEMENTATION During her first year at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, Principal Carlson set out to transform the school by reimagining the traditional leadership team as a guiding coalition. This new coalition focused on improving teaching and learning rather than administrative tasks. Staff members volunteered or were invited to join, ensuring a diverse and committed group to drive the school’s mission forward. To support the school’s PLC development and address challenges from the first year, Principal Carlson embraced the opportunity to participate in Beyond Labels (formerly known as Yes We Can!) professional development. Beyond Labels services explore six core beliefs from the best-selling book Yes We Can! and specific strategies identified to grow a school site’s ability to improve data for all students and collaboration by all educators. This connected the school with Solution Tree associate Amy Moore, who played a pivotal role in helping staff refine their PLC practices. The guiding coalition’s work began with the PLC process, focusing on identifying essential standards for each unit and aligning them with SMART goals. Teams collaboratively unwrapped these standards to develop and sequence learning progressions, creating clear pathways for student mastery. Special education teachers contributed their expertise by suggesting scaffolds and supports to ensure universal access to learning. Anticipating challenges and addressing the most rigorous components of standards, teams were better equipped to meet the needs of all learners. The collaboration was extended further by including special education teachers in grade-level planning sessions and PLC meetings. Their input helped inform lesson planning, assessment design, and student support. These teachers also adapted common formative assessments to incorporate accommodations while aligning with grade-level standards. This partnership between general and special education fostered a consistent, inclusive approach to helping all students succeed. To build on this progress, the school introduced structured intervention and extension blocks into the daily schedule, dedicating time for targeted instruction in literacy and math. Instructional assistants supported small groups based on data-driven discussions, while special education teachers often included students outside their caseloads, ensuring that all students received appropriate support. The special education team also revamped their PLC practices, shifting from compliance-focused meetings to a model aligned with grade-level teams. Guided by insights from the book Yes We Can!, written by Beyond Labels creators Heather Friziellie, Julie A. Schmidt, and Jeanne Spiller, and coaching sessions with PLC expert Dr. Kristen Bordonaro, this shift emphasized student data and collaborative problem solving. Through classroom observations, targeted feedback, and strategic planning, Principal Carlson and the administrative team reinforced a culture of collaboration and intentionality. By using student results to guide instruction and interventions, the staff united around a shared commitment: ensuring every student, regardless of their starting point, had the opportunity to succeed. THOMAS JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS 406 STUDENTS / 18% FREE OR REDUCED LUNCH / 1% ENGLISH LEARNERS / 9% SPECIAL NEEDSS 81.9% WHITE / 7.1% HISPANIC OR LATINO / 6.4% MULTIRACIAL / 2.2% AMERICAN INDIAN OR ALASKA NATIVE / 1.5% BLACK / 0.7% ASIAN / 0.2% NATIVE HAWAIIAN OR PACIFIC ISLANDER EVIDENCE OF EXCELLENCE
