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Professional Learning Communities

Brittany O’Neal
Kennesaw State University
ITEC 7460 Professional Learning and Instructional Technology Coaching
Dr. Jabari Cain
January 2024
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"Fulton County Schools are located in North and South Fulton and are the fourth-largest
school district in the state of Georgia. Fulton has 110 schools that serve a population of 90,355
students with an average of 7,400 teachers and adult personnel. With such a high population of
students and teachers, Fulton County Schools do not shy away from building relationships and
strengthening the community. One of the best ways to uphold this model is the adoption of
professional learning communities (PLCs).
Professional learning communities are a part of all Fulton County Schools and
communities. The purpose of many of these communities is to provide space for collaboration,
exchange of ideas, discussions of teaching practices, and curriculum goals. A few professional
learning communities in Fulton County Schools are as follows: professional learning leadership
development, educational teams, content teams, grade-level teams, special education services,
curriculum coaches, technology teams, and advanced studies, just to name a few.

One of Fulton County Schools’ more popular professional learning communities is the
Vanguard team. This community consists of a team of educators throughout the district who
work together to implement best practices for instruction that focuses on personalized learning
and transformative technology integration. As a member of this team, my goal is to support other
educators or members with the integration of new technologies and tech tools that can be
implemented in today’s 21st-century classroom. My plan to accomplish this goal is to mentor
new members of our PLC in educational technology tools provided by the district.

I’ve learned that many educators either fear or avoid technology integration, some feel it
to be a hassle, and some are not able to explore the benefits of technology due to time constraints
as a teacher. Therefore, Vanguard is needed to help break down barriers and resistance to
technology in school."
“Vanguard works together as a team to support and build the capacity of our colleagues to
personalize learning through coaching and instructional technology. My plans are to support new
Vanguard members to feel confident and comfortable with adding technology in the classroom
and in lessons. As a result, the goal is for those same members to work as liaisons and promote
and support their fellow colleagues to feel just as comfortable with technology integration so that
learning can be maximized.”
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References
usnews. (n.d.). Fulton County Schools. Retrieved January 29, 2024, from
https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/georgia/districts/fulton-county-schools
fcsvanguard. (n.d.). Vanguard. Retrieved January 29, 2024, from https://www.fcsvanguard.com/