2018 DuFour Award honors Woodlawn School

Woodlawn Middle School in Kildeer Countryside School District 96 is the recipient of the 2018 DuFour Award.

This national annual award honoring the memory and work of Dr. Richard DuFour to help every student succeed is without precedent in District 96. It's the third time the award has been presented and Woodlawn Middle School, Long Grove, is the first middle school to receive it.

Qualified applicants included schools across the United States, Canada and Australia that met the rigorous standards of being recognized on All Things PLC.

The late Dr. Richard DuFour was a teacher, principal, Stevenson High School superintendent, best-selling author and pioneer of the Professional Learning Community PLC at Work® process.

Multiple reviewers of applications for the award determined that, as a model Professional Learning Community, Woodlawn exemplifies the practices that lead to exceptional achievement levels for all students.

"I can honestly say that no award in education means more to Woodlawn or me than this one," Woodlawn Principal Greg Grana said. "Our teachers believe in our PLC practices and value the collaboration it takes to make our school successful."

When presenting the award it was noted, "The work Woodlawn faculty are doing is truly exceptional. They have shown what can happen when educators from a school come together in a shared commitment to learning for all students. Woodlawn's success serves as inspiration to many other schools around the world."

Principal Grana notes that this award also has served to give him and his Woodlawn team a renewed sense of purpose: "As a school, we'll keep pushing forward, examining our practices, and striving for nothing short of the best. Woodlawn wants to show the world what makes our PLC special."

School District 96 includes Willow Grove Early Learning Center, Country Meadows, Ivy Hall, Kildeer Countryside, and Prairie Elementary Schools, and Twin Groves and Woodlawn middle schools. Each functions as a professional learning community that thrives in a collaborative culture focused on student learning with a results orientation.

Previous recipients of the DuFour Award include Fern Creek High School (Louisville, Kentucky) in 2017 and the first recipient, Mason Crest Elementary (Annandale, Virginia) in 2016.

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