In the evolving world of education, Hidalgo ISD’s Ida Diaz Jr. High School fosters a collaborative culture among educators that has become essential for enhancing teaching practices and student success.
Ida Diaz Jr. High educators come together during their Professional Learning Community (PLC) with a shared mission to improve instructional methods, which consequently better student academic outcomes.
By fostering a collaborative culture, focusing on continuous improvement, and supporting shared leadership, PLCs can transform the way educators work together and ultimately make a significant impact on student learning.
“At Diaz Jr. High, Professional Learning Communities are crucial because they are reserved times that we have for staff members to be able to work together and collaborate on instructional practices that they have in their classrooms,” explained Diaz Jr. High Principal, Francisco Rios. “Additionally, teachers come together to analyze student performance data and implement effective strategies, so they we can all better adapt to certain methods that better support student learning.”
Professional Learning Communities have established a platform for continuous improvement, collaboration, and professional growth, all while maintaining a sharp focus on student success.
Educators at Diaz Jr. High School value the importance of a quality education, therefore, one key practice that supports these goals is the establishment of weekly PLC meetings. These are non-negotiable PLC meetings which are focused on building staff knowledge of curriculum, instructions, assessment, and accountability aimed at improving overall students’ achievement across all programs.
“We have weekly PLC meetings where we address the students’ needs, we learn from each other and better enhance instructional methods that will better benefit our students in the end,” said Yadira Aguilar, eighth grade Reading teacher and Department Head.
Furthermore, these regular gatherings offer significant benefits that improve both teaching practices and student outcomes.
Professional Learning Communities offer a powerful foundation for enhancing educational practices while improving and balancing educational achievement with personal development.
“Here, at Ida Diaz Jr. High, we are invested in the students’ educational journey as much as we are invested in their personal development because it’s important for us to nurture well-rounded individuals,” described Rios. “Our goal is to make sure the students are prepared academically, socially, emotionally, to be resilient, to become problem-solvers and be self-reliant by time they leave our campus.”
PLC meetings will lead to a more connected, informed, and effective teaching community, paving the way for greater educational success.