Guest Commentary | ‘Professional Learning Community’ is producing real results in Lee County schools
This October, I had the privilege of joining Superintendent Dr. Denise Carlin and my fellow Board members as we visited schools across Lee County to honor our district’s “High Impact Teachers.”
These educators were recognized for driving extraordinary academic success for their students.
During these school visits, we also sat in on several Professional Learning Community meetings. The PLC framework brings educators together to collaborate, share effective teaching techniques, and analyze performance data to boost student achievement. Typically, these meetings focus on a specific grade level and rotate across three core subjects: Math, Science, and Reading.
The real-world impact of this collaborative approach is remarkable.
At J. Colin English Elementary, Principal Misty Smyrnois shared how adopting the PLC model helped propel the school’s overall grade from a “C” to an “A.” Their third-grade reading scores surged by 23%, which is a tremendous achievement given our district-wide goal of bringing every child to reading proficiency by the end of 3rd grade. Additionally, overall, ELA and Math performance rose by 17%, while 5th-grade Science scores jumped by 20%.
Early literacy remains one of my highest priorities.
Over the past two years, our ongoing partnership with Florida Gulf Coast University’s Department of Education has continued to strengthen the “Science of Reading” throughout our schools.
This past September, Chief Academic Officer Dr. Nathan Shaker led another successful “Train the Trainer” workshop alongside FGCU reading specialists, certifying 44 additional reading teachers for Lee County. Combining these newly trained specialists with our refined PLC process is directly driving our reading gains, lifting district-wide third-grade reading proficiency from 50% in the 2024-2025 school year to 53% in 2025-2026.
Recently, several Board members and Superintendent Carlin visited Allen Park Elementary to observe a third-grade reading PLC in action, facilitated by Regional Associate Superintendent Angela Nader. Elementary principals from across the region also joined us to observe classroom instruction and participate in the collaborative process.
After the classroom visits, the team gathered in the library to debrief. Using a flip chart, educators categorized their observations into “Glows” (celebrating key strengths) and “Grows” (identifying opportunities for growth). The team closely examined student work, daily learning targets, instructional clarity, rigor, and student engagement-always asking: What can we do differently based on this data? Seeing our teachers in action confirms that the PLC process provides the structure, collaboration, and accountability needed to cultivate strong readers and thriving schools across Lee County.
Thank you for your continued support of our students and educators!
William F. Ribble, Jr. represents District 3 on the Lee County School Board.