As Kentucky’s adult educators implemented the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), they moved from that traditional model of professional development to professional learning communities (PLCs) aligned with and driven by the needs of the local providers. That shift occurred as a response to clear feedback from the field requesting that professional learning have a stronger connection to the unique needs of each provider and enables job-embedded, hands-on, collegial professional learning.

At the heart of PLCs is the belief that instructors working together have the greatest ability to effect changes in their respective programs. Results from the transitional year of the PLC model bear that out. Program PLCs in Kentucky tackled such issues as alleviating enrollment processes, tracking probation and parole referrals, and increasing outreach efforts, be they through social media or community presence and partnerships. Commonly, instructors reported appreciation for the opportunity to collaboratively work toward relevant programmatic goals instead of discrete, solitary classes, even if the results of their targeted product did not always meet with the expected success of the PLC. In this our second year, we will expand PLCs to pilot a few RLA, math, and ESL content PLCs.