Thanks to its educators’ record of collaborating to help each student achieve success, Hightower Trail Middle School now serves as a Model Professional Learning Community (PLC)—a designation only awarded to about 200 schools or districts across the entire United States and Canada. 

Hightower Trail is the first school in Cobb County to earn the PLC designation and one of only 18 in Georgia. 

“Being designated a Model PLC school validates the hard work and dedication that Hightower Trail teachers place on the planning for daily instruction. A strong PLC(CCC) structure increases consistency across a school and aids in both the remediation and acceleration for our students,” said Principal Laura Montgomery.

PLCs are schools and districts in which educators recognize the key to improved learning for students is on-going, job-embedded learning for the adults who serve those students. The three big ideas of a PLC call upon educators to:

1. Focus on learning.
2. Build a collaborative culture.
3. Create a results orientation.

Schools are recognized based on strict criteria, including demonstrating a commitment to PLC concepts, implementing these concepts for at least three years, and clear evidence of improved student learning over that period. Once measurable results can be seen, the school must explain its practices, structures, and culture and submit its application for consideration by the PLC Review Committee.

According to the Champions of PLC at Work, educators in the schools and districts selected for this recognition have shown “a sustained commitment to helping all of their students achieve at high levels. They have been willing to alter the structure and culture of the organization to reflect their commitment. We applaud them and congratulate them on achieving this very significant milestone on the never-ending PLC journey.”

Hightower Trail’s documented academic growth and the school’s continuous striving to remediate children for academic success helped the Cobb County school achieve national recognition.

“Holding ourselves accountable for the academic standard dissection, data analysis, common assessments, and professional conversation is what enables all children to have access to the strengths of every teacher on the team,” Principal Montgomery explained.

Hightower Trail has a long-standing tradition of offering remediation during the school day for reading, language arts, and math while also holding help sessions for all subjects before school.

Adding remediation time to the academic day is one example of the powerful aids the educators have used to help students succeed. 

Principal Montgomery also said Hightower Trail stands out as a Model PLC school because teacher planning time is guarded by the administration and cherished by the teachers. 

“It is through this process that weaknesses are discussed, and successes are celebrated,” she said. 

With the new learning structure for students in 2020, the PLC planning process at Hightower is even more critical.  

“The sharing of responsibilities as teachers work to prepare for student success is evident in every conversation,” explained Principal Montgomery. “The sharing of duties and responsibilities, the growth as teachers help each other navigate the new and different, and the insight as every standard is re-investigated allows our teachers to continue to support each other. In this 2020-year, professional dialogue regarding not only academic but social-emotional concerns allows us to support every child, whether face to face or virtual.”