![Nikki Polk with Potter-Thomas students](https://phillyschoolleaders.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Nikki_P_with_Students_800x533.webp)
Restructured Professional Learning Communities Focused on Data and Collaboration Forge Academic Growth at Potter-Thomas
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Potter-Thomas School Principal Nikki Polk (2022/Cohort 7 Neubauer Fellow) identifies the school’s mission as a constant driving force in her work:
“At Potter-Thomas School, students and staff feel SAFE, LOVED, and are always LEARNING. We hold each other accountable and embrace the ‘Power of YET’ as we build upon our skills to achieve academic success. We vow to collaboratively dismantle racial inequities to ensure ALL students have access to a liberatory education.”
For Polk, actualizing that mission to realize academic growth for her students meant revising and establishing systems that encourage collaboration and grounded decisions in data.
Drawing from insights gained in Neubauer Fellowship sessions led by Fanny Jackson Coppin Principal Kelly Espinosa (2022/Cohort 6 Neubauer Fellow) and School District of Philadelphia Assistant Superintendent Ariel Lajara (2019/Cohort 5 Neubauer Fellow), Polk engaged the school community in implementing several key changes tailored to address the school’s unique needs.
Polk reworked with her team to restructure the school’s Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), prioritizing collaborative lesson planning to ensure consistency across grade levels and subjects.
“One of the most impactful changes we made was to redefine the structure of our PLC meetings,” said Polk. “We wanted to create more opportunities for collaboration and meaningful discussions among our teachers. By working together, our teachers can develop common assessments, share resources, and align instructional practices to provide a cohesive and high-quality education for all students,” said Polk.
An emphasis on data-driven decision-making was another crucial aspect contributing to the school’s academic success.
“We really wanted to empower our teachers to use student data effectively to inform their instructional practices,” said Polk. “It’s about identifying areas for improvement and developing targeted interventions to support student learning.”
Polk maintains a focus on developing herself in order to improve the educational experiences for Potter-Thomas students—the “always learning” tenet of the school’s mission—and identifies the Neubauer Fellowship as a pivotal and transformative influence in her leadership practice.
“The Fellowship instilled in me a commitment to continuous learning and personal growth,” said Polk. “It reinforced the significance of empathy and emotional intelligence in leadership.”
Polk also finds knowledge and inspiration within the Neubauer Fellowship community, highlighting the contributions of Senior Fellows as “invaluable.”
“Senior Fellows’ insights are grounded in firsthand experiences, which can make the content more relatable and applicable to everyday challenges faced by principals,” Polk said.
By leveraging the skills and values learned throughout her Neubauer Fellowship experience, Polk is bolstering academic achievement for Potter-Thomas students.
Since 2019—when Polk assumed the principal role— 6.1% more students are achieving an At/Above Reading on the STAR Assessment, with a 10.5% increase from 2023 to 2024 alone. Additionally, the number of students receiving Intensive Intervention scores in the STAR Assessment decreased 13.3%.