CHALLENGE Chino Valley Unified School District serves a deeply connected community. Yet despite introducing Professional Learning Communities (PLC) at Work® nearly two decades ago, the district faced a critical challenge: inconsistent implementation. While all 36 schools initially engaged in PLC training and formed guiding coalitions, collaboration time often lacked clarity and purpose. Without a unified approach, teams struggled to use this time effectively, leading to frustration among educators. IMPLEMENTATION To address these challenges, Chino Valley partnered with associate Janel Keating to adopt Leading PLCs at Work® Districtwide, a structured, research-based framework that ensures every educator, team, and school follows a consistent approach to collaborative improvement. From the beginning, the district made a bold and clear commitment: every educator would receive meaningful, consistent training. More than 15,000 teachers participated in structured professional development, supported by a small, consistent group of trainers to ensure alignment across all 36 schools. Leadership visibility and active participation were essential to the district’s approach. Assistant superintendents, principals, and union representatives were present at every training, modeling commitment and accountability. Janel reflected on the district’s consistency: “They do things like they mean it—and they stick with it. With transparency and ownership, they work at it. I see a source of pride for everyone.” RESULTS Chino Valley gained measurable outcomes and state recognition from PLC implementation. The district now ranks #21 among nearly 1,000 California school districts. In addition, Chino Valley suffered minimal learning loss and actually saw gains in student learning during the pandemic. The percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards increased by +0.77% in ELA and declined just -1.91% in math—representing the smallest learning loss among districts in the county. In the most recent state tests, 62% of Chino Valley students met or exceeded standards in English, while 50% met or exceeded standards in Math. Schools across the district have received prestigious honors, including Chino Hills High School, a Title I campus, being recognized as a California Distinguished School. In 2024, CVUSD was named a Model PLC at Work® district, demonstrating how districtwide, structured PLC practices transform both learning and leadership. CHINO VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT CHINO, CALIFORNIA 36 SCHOOLS / 25,513 STUDENTS / 33.8% FREE OR REDUCED LUNCH / 12.4% SPECIAL NEEDS 54.5% HISPANIC OR LATINO / 26.2% ASIAN / 11% WHITE / 4.2% MULTIRACIAL / 3.7% BLACK Ranked #21 in California after consistent districtwide PLC implementation EVIDENCE OF EXCELLENCE
