It should be noted that professional learning communities may be called many

different things from school to school or place to place, including professional learning
groups, collaborative learning communities, critical f

1. Little, M. (2020). Collaboration and Connections among Middle School Teachers of

Mathematics: Enhancing Efficacy through Professional Learning Communities. SRATE
Journal Winter 29(1) https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1243775.pdf
FLORIDA
With increased and changing curriculum standards, instructional strategies, and
greater diversity of students within classrooms, veteran teachers are faced with
continuously changing content, pedagogy, and educational contexts. Bandura (1986)
delineated social persuasion and mastery experiences as primary sources of the
development of self-efficacy. The structure and activities of PLCs (e.g., teacher
discussions focused on improved student learning, use of student data, and peer feedback)
appear to provide the impetus for developing efficacious teachers within the context of
professional learning. Acquiring and supporting pedagogical content knowledge and
practices in mathematics may not only result in improved student outcomes, but may also
increase teacher’s self-efficacy. Knowledge and skills of current mandates, procedures
and methods of curriculum, instruction and assessment improve the functioning and
student results of participants as content and pedagogy. Members of PLCs determine
their effectiveness based on the results of students in their classrooms. Possibly when
PLCs are adopted school-wide, mathematics teachers participate in an ongoing process of
identifying the current level of student achievement, establishing a goal to improve the
current level, working together to achieve that goal, and providing periodic evidence of
progress through the development teacher communities. Through these sustained
professional learning activities, teachers’ efficacy will also improve. Within the current
educational context of changing pedagogical knowledge, content standards, and
pedagogy, professional learning must be planned to sustain professional learning to
support and retain teachers as professionals.

2. March, J.A., Bertrand, M., & Huguet, A. (2015). Using data to alter instructional
practice: The mediating role of coaches and professional learning communities. Teachers
College Record, 117, 1-40 https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED605114.pdf
USA
Coach and PLC support was pivotal in helping teachers review and alter how they
used data to provide instruction, and coaching was found to be the more effective
practice. The researchers introduced a theory to explain this outcome. Coaching provides
a unique situation where two professionals from different settings (e.g., a content
specialist and a classroom teacher) expand and improve their practices by working
together to develop solutions. Though they come from different contexts, they find
similar ground in their efforts. This is one type of expertise. Another expertise is the
 coach’s content knowledge of the sought skill or topic. The researchers suggest that
successful coaching requires a positive experience of both areas of expertise. The success
of the coaching relationship hinges not only on the knowledge or skill of the coach, but
also the interpersonal
skills of both individuals and their ability to share resources and information.

3. Yang L., & Chia-Ching T. (2018). Research on the Influencing Factors of High School
English Teacher Professional Learning Community Evaluation in Changchun, China
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1177086.pdf
CHINA
They said that shared and supportive leadership plays an important role in the
development of professional learning community. How to establish a fair, equal and
democratic dialogue and cooperation among professional learning communities in the
hierarchical cultural context still depends on further research and practice. This research
shows that professional learning communities in the Chinese context shares the
characteristics with western professional learning communities at some degree. The
Chinse professional learning communities exhibit the nature of shared personal practice
and collective learning and application. While English teachers’ perceptions at shared and
supportive leadership and shared value and vision experience a low estimation.

4. Joonkil Ahn, J. (2017). Taking a Step to Identify How to Create Professional Learning
Communities—Report of a Case Study of a Korean Public High School on How to
Create and Sustain a School-based Teacher Professional Learning Community
International Education Studies, 10(1) https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1124788.pdf
KOREA
There could be no one-size-fits-all guide or strategy in establishing professional
learning communities in a school. Just as each teacher needs to find instructional methods
that best fit him/her, so will individual schools need to find appropriate strategies that
best fit them, which will lead them into communities of continuous inquiry. However,
this study intended to take one step further and shed some light on the question of how
we can guide a school in creating and sustaining a school-based teacher learning
community, where teachers grow as professionals and students learn as effective learners.
Teachers and administrators thought they needed teacher leaders as an overall
prerequisite in launching a PLC initiative in school. They also said securing a designated
time for observing the class of others and having PLC meeting was the most necessary
systematic condition for launching a PLC, which is also supported by previous research.
As for the most important social organization that teachers need to share before launching
a PLC, the vast majority of teachers said it would be building trust and respect with one
another about the fact that they would never be criticized in a PLC meeting.
Administrative supports such as empowering grade level chairs, increasing teacher
proximity, and employing additional administrative assistants who took over much of
teachers’ administrative work were perceived as major contributing factors in launching a
PLC in their school. When it comes to the ideal unit of PLC implementation, teachers
 perceived each grade level had more advantage than any other unit in school such as
subject level or whole school unit, in that teachers in the same grade are more likely to
have stronger collegial relationships. And teachers noted that when they had PLC
meetings in grade level because they shared same students, not the same teaching
material, they could focus more on learning than on teaching. Teachers believed the
positive changes of unmotivated students and of their own instructional practices were
the two biggest encouraging factors for them to overcome the implementation issues and
keep moving on to build a learning community in their school. Building trust and respect
for each other by removing direct advice out of PLC meetings was perceived as another
important factor in sustaining a PLC meeting. Once the teachers came to feel safer and
began to think that they did not need to show something to others, they could share
challenges as well as success in their classrooms, which resulted in enhancing both the
quality and sustainability of PLC meetings. The significance of the study results will
stimulate conversation about some of the key factors of preparing, launching, and
sustaining PLCs in schools and on the necessary infrastructures including systematic and
social organization. It is expected that principals, teachers, and external facilitators would
be able to get insights for implementing PLCs from the perception of the teachers who
experienced an actual process of preparing, creating, implementing, and sustaining a
school-based teacher learning community.

5. Antinluoma, M., Ilomäki, L., Lahti-Nuuttila, P., & Toom, A. (2018). Schools as
Professional Learning Communities https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1185915.pdf
Journal of Education and Learning, 7(5) FINLAND
The study has shown that all the participating schools have as strengths a culture of
collegiality, trust, commitment, and professional collaboration. Furthermore, teachers are
receptive to the presence of other professionals in their classrooms, and there is trust
among teachers to support the sharing of instructional practices. Most teachers have
expertise in collaborative skills, and they are encouraged to collaborate professionally.
Instructional practices meet the needs of students of all ability levels, and interventions
are provided for students who require additional support. Teachers at all schools reported
that the daily teaching schedules and the school buildings limit teacher collaboration, it is
challenging to organize meeting times, and to have time to discuss planning practices or
collaborate. Perceptions indicated that the district data are not utilized regularly to make
instructional decisions and the assessment is mostly an individual task. They state that
teachers should have reserved time for professional development, but they also remind
that securing time for PD hasn’t improved student outcomes. They argue that the reason
for this failure is that PD is effective only when it becomes a part of daily work. The
maturity level of schools as PLCs was studied by clustering the schools into three
clusters. Based on the results, there was an interrelatedness between the maturity level of
the culture, leadership, teaching and professional development. Leaders of the developer
schools had succeeded in sharing the leadership and creating collaborative cultures,
which supported teaching and professional development. It can be concluded that the
 participating schools had the basic conditions and circumstances but most them have to
overcome many barriers to progress as PLCs.

6. McAlister, M. (2016). Emerging Communities of Practice Collected Essays on Learning

and Teaching, 9(3) https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1104499.pdf
CANADA
Communities of practice are emerging as an innovative approach to faculty development.
While
collaborative learning is becoming popular in the classroom, autonomy and individualism
continue to dominate the culture of higher education for faculty. However, as we begin to
recognize that old solutions to new problems are no longer effective, there is a growing
desire for innovative engagement requiring the embrace of multiple perspectives. This
takes the development of new habits of mind and discourse. It became apparent that
creating supportive, collegial spaces where we can explore beyond the edge of what we
currently know can help us bridge across differences, harness the potential within
diversity, and step into the emerging future. However, it also became apparent that this
quality of dialogue is not easy.

7. Kong, S. (2018). Community of Practice: An Effective Way to ESL Teacher

Professional Development in Vocational Colleges, 11(7)
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1183448.pdf
CHINA
Through the activities of the teacher community of practice, the teaching and scientific
research capabilities of the ESL teachers in our college have been greatly improved. In
the past year, the members of the teacher community of practice have successfully
applied for two provincial and three municipal as well as three school-level teaching and
research projects. Five teachers have published academic papers on the core journals in
China. One teacher won the Second Prize in the Provincial Teaching Competition. And
another teacher won the Advanced Individual for Scientific Research in our college. Four
teachers have created an online open course “Shangcheng Oral English” and all the other
community members are using the course. The teacher community of practice has not
only enhanced the ESL teachers’ teaching and research abilities, but also strengthened the
exchange and interaction among the members. In addition, it has also created a culture of
teacher group that is “Positive, Sharing, Encouraging, and Harmonious”. Through the
collaboration of teaching and research, ideological exchanges, experience sharing, and
the common efforts, the ESL teachers in vocational colleges constantly refine their
wisdom in teaching practice, so that they can integrate their teaching, learning, and
research, and it will accompany the teachers’ lifetime professional development.

8. Kimmel, S. (2019). Community at a Distance: Employing a Community of Practice

Framework in Online Learning for Rural Students. Journal education for Library and
Information Science 60(4) https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1232916.pdf
AMERICA
 Wenger’s dimensions of a professional learning community—mutual engagement, joint
enterprise, and shared repertoire—provide a lens to understand how the presence or
absence of any one of these dimensions contributes to the development of a learning
community and collaboration. The sustained design of a cohort provided multiple
opportunities for mutual engagement with fellow classmates. Partner and group work in
assignments established accountability to a joint enterprise. The time frame across three
years provided the material to develop a shared repertoire. But the interviews also suggest
why some aspects of the cohort were less successful, including connections with mentors,
student teaching, and community service projects, because they did not offer structure or
reification to enable students to meaningfully incorporate these features into the CoP.

9. Reynolds, K. (2016). Creating Effective Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).

Journal of Graduate Studies in Education, Volume 8, Issue 2
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1230477.pdf
CALIFORNIA
- An effective professional learning community requires collaboration, a learning culture
of trust, a goal-oriented plan, a trustworthy leader, and a committed focus on student
achievement. While collaboration is needed for a PLC, it is the thoughtful conversations
and ongoing interdependent social support that create a collaborative team. A learning
culture of trust is formed within the community, which includes shared beliefs about
learning and recognizing the challenge of overcoming teachers’ different attitudes about
learning. As the PLC creates a goal-oriented plan that focuses on student learning,
teachers are able to develop strong communications. A trustworthy leader who provides
teachers with autonomy, while recognizing and celebrating success along the way, will
also contribute the effectiveness of the PLC. Strong professional learning communities
ensure that school and system goals align with the importance of student achievement.
The most wonderful reward of having an effective PLC is that every student in the school
will benefit from the inspirational work of the team of teachers.

10. Trilaksono, T., Purusottama, A., Misbach, I., Prasetya, I. (2019). Leadership change
design: a professional learning community (PLC) project in Eastern Indonesia.
International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education 8(1) 47-56.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1211278.pdf
INDONESIA
The collaboration of collective leadership between teachers and school principals in PLC
is a key to changing school culture. They can participate in planning and implementing
the change and will gradually increase teachers “confidence in themselves as successful
implementers. Action research highlights four strategic factors that influence
effectiveness in the development of leadership change model: (1) the need to develop an
open environment before forming a learning community; (2) although open environment
exists, implementation of leadership change will not happen without value alignment
between school principals and teachers; (3) school identities are built on values that are
agreed upon by school principals and teachers; and (4) school principals must actively
 participate in the collaborative process as change leaders in this leadership change model
development.

11. Wan, S. (2020). Unpacking the Relationship Between Teachers’ Perceptions of

Professional Learning Communities and Differentiated Instruction Practice ECNU
Review of Education, 3(4) 694–714. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1280211.pdf
Building PLCs relies on the collective processes of teachers engaging in reflective
dialogues and shared practice, where power is distributed to every single teacher who
shares responsibilities in making decisions for instructional improvement (Muijs &
Harris, 2003). Teachers in this study demonstrated a high level of collective sense of
responsibility in student learning but there were variations in teachers’ engagement in
reflective dialogue and shared leadership. Obviously, teacher participation in reflective
dialogues tended to be marginalized and may be confined by the school environment, in
which teachers may not have sufficient opportunities to take up leadership roles in
making decisions for instructional practice. Therefore, there is a need for reconsideration
for coordinating, co-constructing, and creating conditions for developing PLCs in
schools, which is discussed as follows.

12. Feldman, J. (2020). The role of professional learning communities to support teacher
development: A social practice theory perspective South African Journal of Education,
(40)1 https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1247917.pdf
SOUTH AFRICA

Using a practice theory perspective I discuss the role of PLCs to support teacher
development within the current South African school context. Arguing for the
collaborative role that PLCs can play in strengthening teacher professionalism in schools
(DBE & Department of Higher Education and Training, and drawing on practice theory, I
frame teachers and their practices as socially situated and (re)produced. What this means,
is that many routine or habitual practices in the social settings of schools are derived from
the collective organisation of the different inter-related elements of the social site, and not
the individual Discussing aspects of teachers’ practices us-ing social practice theory, I
discuss how individual teachers, embedded in a specific social school con-text, act as
carriers of practices. Schatzki (2005:472) argues that practices are organised by the
different elements that compose a nexus of ac-tions that “express the same
understandings, ob-serve, contravene, or ignore the same rules, and pursue ends and
projects included in the same structure of acceptable and enjoined teleologies.”
Consequently, I suggest that changing or adapting teachers’ practices must take into
account the social and organisational structures that have become embedded as features
of the social (school) site, which, I suggest can be productively accomplished through the
ongoing collaborative dialogue within the work of PLCs. Traditional approaches to teach-
er professional development tend to target the indi-vidual. In contrast, learning in PLCs is
collabora-tive and social, and invites participants to engage with one another with regard
to how the social, cultural, and physical structures in schools work towards stability and
change in teachers’ educational practices.
13. Özdemi̇ r, S. (2019) Implementation of the Lesson Study as a Tool to Improve Students'
Learning and Professional Development of Teachers. Participatory Educational Research
(PER) Vol. 6(1), pp. 36-53, June, 2019https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1227150.pdf
TURKEY
The findings of this study showed that the practice of the lesson study had contributed to
the professional development of teachers in various ways. Participant teachers stated that
they were able to meet their colleagues to cooperate with them, especially with the help
of this method; they collaborated, exchanged ideas and had the opportunity to observe
different practices and activities other than their own.
Among teachers there is a common belief that one's classroom is their personal space and
nobody can interrupt it. In fact, one of the most important contributions of professional
development activities and specifically of the lesson study approach is that teachers come
together and work together on educational problems, support each other professionally
and increase their professional development process.

14. Sims, R., & Penny, R. (2016). Examination of a Failed Professional Learning Community
Journal of Education and Training Studies 3(1)
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1054892.pdf
USA
To be a successful, PLC, the PLC should also include open and reflective conversation,
open practice, and focus on student learning. Collaboration and shared values for student
learning are keys to PLCs. These communities should also have structures in place such
as time, space, and communication. The members would be open to improvement and
must trust and respect each other. The PLC should display a shared emphasis on student
achievement and learning, productive collaboration, and an open teaching practice. The
members would be expected to research best practices to improve student learning PLCs
can give teachers opportunities to question, investigate, and find solutions concerning
aspects of their practice. PLCs have a shared emphasis on student achievement,
productive collaboration, and open teaching practice. However, in the present study,
interviews revealed that the PLC had little to no effect on participants’ teaching and
lesson planning. The only benefit revealed was making some subgroups of students more
noticeable as well as reinforcing the need to teach certain concepts. Some teachers even
believed that the PLC had a negative effect on the way they teach, referring to the PLC as
limiting their individuality and creativity in teaching and planning lessons.

15. Hairon, S., Goh, W., & Abbas D. (2017) CHALLENGES TO PLC ENACTMENT IN
SINGAPORE HIERARCHICAL SCHOOL SYSTEM. Challenges to PLC Enactment in
Singapore Hierarchical School System. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED596744.pdf
SINGAPORE
This study has shown that the enactment of PLCs, even when it is school-wide, system-
wide and state led such as in Singapore, is not without challenges. In fact, these
 challenges have an international flavor. However, what the findings have shown is that
the conditions outside and within PLCs are crucial in determining the success of PLC
enactment in schools – correspondingly, the crucial role of leadership outside and within
PLCs. The latter is the importance of teacher leaders in ensuring that the conditions of the
PLC is conducive for not only productive conversations in terms of collective learning,
but also translating collective learning to classroom teaching and learning. The need to
invest in developing teacher leaders in PLC settings, on top of appropriate principal
leadership support, is therefore apparent if educational reforms in PLCs are to succeed.

16. Marilyn L. Abbott, M., Lee, K., & Rossiter, M. (2018). Evaluating the Effectiveness and
Functionality of Professional Learning Communities in Adult ESL Programs. TESl
Canada Journal/Revue TESL DU Canada 35(2) 1–25
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1203643.pdf
CANADA
The ultimate goal of this longitudinal project was to promote research knowledge
mobilization that leads to evidence-informed teaching practices. Earlier research on
teachers’ professional reading focused primarily on teachers’ perceptions of research, but
no previous studies examined the impact of PLCs on ESL instructors’ research
utilization. Our results demonstrate the eff ectiveness of researcher-supported PLCs in
improving instructor quality (knowledge, skills, and a􀄴 itudes) and promoting
organizational change, improved student outcomes, and evidence-informed practice in
TESL. Over the course of the study, with researcher encouragement, participants
demonstrated the ability to apply the research literature in creative ways. They valued and
welcomed new ideas and used their professional judgement to evaluate, choose, adapt,
and implement the new ideas and materials they believed would work best to meet the
needs of their ESL learners and programs. In other words, the instructors transformed the
best practices that were identifi ed in the research literature into what Hargreaves and
Fullan (2012) termed “next practices” (p. 50) to accommodate their teaching contexts and
to promote efficient, effective learning. Evidence from our study also suggests that
supports from both researchers and ESL program administrators can assist instructors in
bridging the gap between research and practice. Researchers, program administrators, and
instructors together have the greatest potential for finding innovative ways to support and
sustain TESL PLCs. Without systematic researcher and organizational supports, such as
program administrator recognition of their benefi ts, PLCs in adult ESL programs are
unlikely to flourish. Ongoing participation in collaborative TESL PLCs is an effective,
cost effective means of engaging in relevant, accessible, contextually appropriate
professional learning and development that meet the changing needs in TESL. Guskey’s
(2014) professional learning evaluation framework and Hord’s (2009) six dimensions of
PLCs were useful tools for evaluating the outcomes of our research utilization initiative.
When combined, these two frameworks provide valuable insights for the creation and
maintenance of effective, functional, sustainable PLCs.
17. Slack, A. (2019). The Power of Professional Learning: Using PLCs to Enhance
Accessibility of Instruction for English Learners, International Journal of Teacher
Leadership 10 (2) https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1245099.pdf
USA
The most powerful take-away from this research is that being involved in a professional
learning community can make this high-pressure, high-stress job more sustainable, given
that a PLC offers teachers a safe space to learn and grow together. Effectively facilitated
PLCs can be a powerful lever to build a culture of collective efficacy. My study revealed
genuine transformation after less than a year of collaboration. Participants developed the
habit of asking questions and providing feedback with and among one another—signs of
a true learning community. Thus, the importance of collaboration, emphasized in the
literature as the key to equitable education, is affirmed.Through this research I’ve
developed the strong belief that many teachers really do want to change and grow.
Unfortunately, this change isn’t always lasting or successful because teachers don’t have
access to necessary support systems. Enacting and sustaining change alone is
overwhelming and difficult, but change done within a group is more likely to be
manageable and inspiring. Most people need comradery when they are undergoing
transformation. During one of our meetings Ron summed it up well, “I still need this. I
enjoy talking through hope. I enjoy talking through despair.”

18. Durr, T., Kampmann, J., Hales, P., & Browning, L. (2020). Lessons Learned from Online
PLCs of Rural STEM Teachers journal of the National Rural Education Association
41(1) https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1251481.pdf
In summary, the PLCs that were created in this project did help connect and support rural
STEM teachers. Video lesson sharing was best when it was shared frequently and when
videos where short artifacts of a teaching lesson. Additionally, PLC members appreciated
simplified reflections that allowed them to share feedback that was more personal.
Specifically, for the PLC #3 group, the experience was positive. Participants reported
enjoying the project and felt it added value to their classrooms. The teachers also reported
an increase in efficacy in student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom
management during the project. There are obstacles to implementing this process in rural
environments, some which we encountered and others we can anticipate. Technology
infrastructure is of primary concern. Many rural environments do not have stable internet
connections with which to upload quality video to the cloud. There is also an issue of
access and training with regard to technology. Some rural educators do not have access to
devices to capture video and take part in discussions nor do they have training to use said
technology. Any group, team, or district hoping to take part in the sort of work we
present here should conduct assessments of their technology and the knowledge of the
participants in order to prepare for these kinds of obstacles. Another consideration that
should be essential to implementing this kind of program is that of fit. The participatory
nature of our development of this program was key to its success. Rural environments are
sometimes isolated, some more than others, and this carries with it a unique culture and
needs that center on that community. No implementation of this program can be “one-
size-fits-all.” In other words, discussion with the participants about the types of questions
 that should be asked, what should be recorded, and what each educator wants to learn
must take place. From our experience, online PLCs can be a productive and powerful
way to connect rural teachers to one other. Future research and PLC development
programs should focus on the development of topics and discussion questions for
teachers, particularly with a consideration of community building and rural district needs.
This particular project made significant progress and developing logistical details of how
to effectively engage rural teachers in online PLCs, but much more can be learned
regarding how to maximize teacher development and ultimately student learning.

19. Provini, C. (2017). Best Practices for Professional Learning Communities. Building Trust
in Collaborative Learning Communities 8(2).
https://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/best-practices-for-professional-learning-
communities.shtml
USA
A professional learning community (PLC) involves much more than a staff meeting or
group of teachers getting together to discuss a book they’ve read. Instead, a PLC
represents the institutionalization of a focus on continuous improvement in staff
performance as well as student learning. Called “the most powerful professional
development and change strategy available,” PLCs, when done well, lead to reliable
growth in student learning.
In a nutshell, PLCs entail whole-staff involvement in a process of intensive reflection
upon instructional practices and desired student benchmarks, as well as monitoring of
outcomes to ensure success. PLCs enable teachers to continually learn from one another
via shared visioning and planning, as well as in- depth critical examination of what does
and doesn’t work to enhance student achievement.
The focus of PLCs is ongoing “job-embedded learning,” rather than one-shot professional
development sessions facilitated by outsiders, who have little accountability regarding
whether staff learning is successfully applied. In addition, PLCs emphasize teacher
leadership, along with their active involvement and deep commitment to school
improvement efforts. PLCs therefore benefit teachers just as much as they do students.

20. Attributes of Professional Learning Communities

Published in Professional Learning Communities: Communities of Continuous Inquiry
and Improvement https://sedl.org/pubs/change34/4.html
USA

It seems clear that transforming the school organization into a learning community can be
done only with the leaders' sanction and active nurturing of the entire staff's development
as a community. Thus, a look at the principal of a school whose staff is a professional
learning community seems a good starting point for describing what these learning
communities look like and how they operate. A paradigm shift is needed, however, both
in the public and in teachers themselves about what the role of teacher entails. Many in
 the public and in the profession believe that the only legitimate use of a teacher's time is
standing in front of the class, working directly with students. In studies comparing how
teachers around the globe spend their time, it is clear that in countries such as Japan,
teachers teach fewer classes, using a greater portion of their time in planning, conferring
with colleagues, working with students individually, visiting other classrooms, and
engaging in other professional development activities (Darling-Hammond, 1994, 1996).
Changing perspectives to enable the public and the profession to understand and value
teacher professional development will require focused and concerted effort.

21. Brown, B., Horn, R., King, G. (2018). The Effective Implementation of Professional
Learning Communities. Alabama Journal of Educational Leadership 6(2)
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1194725.pdf
USA
In conclusion, professional learning communities, when successfully instituted by school
leaders and embraced by participants, have been shown to improve student achievement
as well as teacher perception. A clear understanding from literature or practice of exactly
what PLCs are and what factors have thus far facilitated their creation will enable more
educators to smoothly implement their productive use

22. Courtney, M.B., Constantine, J., Trosper, J. (2017). Best Practices Guidebook:
Professional Learning Communities. Barbourville, KY . Bluegrass Center for Teacher
Quality, Inc. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED602054.pdf
USA
Professional Learning Communities Should Have Ownership Of Their Work By
extension, the successful implementation of the PLC supported further development of
trust within the school. When teachers are trusted to work together to solve problems
together, the collaborative focus can lead to increased student achievement.
Administrators and teachers must work together to create PLC procedures that work for
their school. This means administrators must trust their teachers to work autonomously,
and teachers must trust the best intentions of school administration and reformers. By
delegating tasks, the administration is able to build a more knowledgeable and
independent faculty base. Additionally, teachers must have ownership in the make-up of
their PLC groups. Some researchers have gone as far as to suggest that PLC’s are
ineffective because they do not represent actual primary group community models. By
giving a PLC group ownership over its membership, school administrators can ensure
that the groups are able to meet the inter- personal and emotional requirements necessary
for collaboration to occur.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES SHOULD ENCOURAGE

DIVERSITY AND COLLABORATION
Building on the notion that professional learning community members must take
ownership over their work, they should also take ownership over their membership. Steps
should be taken to ensure that PLC groups respect the diverse needs of the school. While
the traditional definition of diversity is applicable here, the makeup of a successful PLC
group may include diversity in discipline, grade level, years of experience, or levels of
leadership. The PLC group is strengthened by the content knowledge and experience of
each member involved. As such, schools should seek teams of teachers who come from a
wide range of perspectives. While work within like-discipline or like-grade level groups
can be beneficial in terms of strategic planning and lesson design, interdisciplinary or
vertically aligned groups may be more appropriate when trying to solve systemic, school-
wide problems. For example, a school working to close achievement gaps in reading or
math may benefit from same-discipline, vertically aligned groups that is focused on
carrying strategies, common language, or intervention techniques from one grade level to
the next, while a school working to solve systemic behavioral issues may benefit from
same grade-level, interdisciplinary groups. when the team works to reach its collaborative
goal, individual goals are met along the way, leading to overall improvement. The study
found a strong correlation between the experiences of team- based teachers and their
perceived involvement in school-related decision making. He concluded that giving
teachers the power to be decision makers in their own learning process was essential to
improving students’ learning.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES SHOULD HAVE A COMMON

VISION
It is vital that individuals working together in a PLC have the opportunity to discuss and
establish their shared beliefs. The mission and vision statements refer to the work of the
group; describing what they want to accomplish and how they intend to reach their end
goal. Most educational institutions have formalized mission and vision statements that
guide their work. While this goal is admirable for a school as a whole, the mission and
vision of the individual PLC group should be focused on the direct needs of the teachers
involved in the program. Before beginning their work, a new PLC group should spend
time discussing the values that will govern and guide their time together. Commonly
cited values for school communities include a focus on children, a commitment to
democratic decision-making, and the desire to promote the personal and professional
growth of each member of the community. This shared sense of value helps to bring
people together and focus the work of the group as a whole.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON

RIGOROUS PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
PLCs do not necessarily operate with a clear focus on teachers’ growth and learning.
Reasons for a lack of focus on learning range from weak levels of relational trust to
changing administrative expectations and teacher burnout. The end result, however, in
many cases, is that PLCs are not easily initiated, nor are they designed in a manner that
makes professional development a natural by-product of PLC meetings. High-quality
PLCs must exhibit an attitude of forward movement, openness to new ideas, self-
reflection, and a culture of organizational learning. Preconceived notions about school
and classroom operations must be identified and challenged in order to deal with explicit
or implicit skepticism about a PLC’s ability to generate a change in school culture.
Professional learning activities can, furthermore, help eliminate the very barriers that are
often thought to impede instructional change (such as teacher burnout and isolation).
High-performance PLCs assist in sustaining teachers’ commitment to teaching by
providing group support, intellectual stimulation, and increased job satisfaction. A focus
on learning gives educators access to more dynamic perspectives, elevated understanding
of students’ thinking, and deeper insights into diverse learners’ experiences. Importantly,
PLCs can assist in the development of refined metacognitive strategies for teachers, with
an emphasis on constructionist-fueled analyses of the ways teachers and students alike
build knowledge (individually, as well as with teacher assistance). With a concentration
on acquisition of such information, teachers may reap rewards that outweigh investments
of time and effort necessary to build strong PLCs: organization into instructional teams,
shared success, creation of school-specific systematic interventions, assessment of
collective effectiveness, and built-in continuous improvement

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES SHOULD FOCUS ON STUDENT

OUTCOMES AND COMMON PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE
Invariably, well-organized PLCs are keenly focused on specific student learning
outcomes. Educators come together as a team and develop shared goals for student
achievement, shared strategies to get from here to there, and shared evaluations of
learners’ progress. Teachers in high-powered PLCs regularly converse about student
achievement data with specific aims in mind. Administrators can help shape the culture
and attitudes of teachers by emphasizing a big picture view of assessment and
highlighting areas ripe for guilt-free collaborative change.
Reviewing student work with other teachers is a powerful strategy for improving
instruction and student success. In order to be truly transformative, however, PLCs must
demonstrate effective use of outcomes data. A school culture unafraid of examining
student achievement data is well suited to begin the process of closely scrutinizing school
successes and failures with an eye toward program enhancement. On the other hand, a
school culture rife with fear of consequences for failure, is unsupportive of a reflective
and productive PLC. Administrators can help shape the culture and attitudes of teachers
by emphasizing a big picture view of assessment and highlighting areas ripe for guilt-free
collaborative change. To be sure, teachers and school administrators may require
additional training to make effective decisions about instructional modification informed
by assessment data. Administrators can help shape the culture and attitudes of teachers by
emphasizing a holistic view of assessment and highlighting areas ripe for guilt-free
collaborative change. Once a positive framework is set, schools can begin to establish
norms, agree upon common appraisals, and design results-oriented instructional
development. Shared terminology can evolve, for instance, in terms of levels of teacher
questioning and sophistication of students’ responses. From a practical standpoint, PLCs
rely upon team agreement of student evaluation criteria, types of formative and
summative assessments, and systematic interventions that impact higher student
attainment of collective goals
Professional development activities should be embedded into scheduled meetings in a
manner that allows teachers sufficient time to concentrate on specific learning goals.
Practical tasks can include discussion of themed articles or books, choosing one or two
targets for instructional improvement, video sharing, or analysis of other classroom data.
PLC tasks need to be developed gradually upon reflection of school priorities. Tasks must
be meaningful and are, ideally, drawn from cohesive content units.
Evidence exists supporting PLC exploration of issues that go beyond subject matter. To
this end, meetings are recommended with a concentration on written reflections, student
data, or other teacher-identified issues that affect school effectiveness. Tasks should be
selected that facilitate brief assessment of student outcomes and active involvement in
organizing straightforward follow-through and follow-up. Learning is built in to daily
work by agreeing upon practices to try out, reflect upon, and bring back to the group for
discussion

PROFESSIONAL LEARNNIG COMMUNITIES SHOULD INCLUDE NON-

EVALUATIVE PEER OBSERVATION
it should be a primary activity for PLCs. School and classroom visits serve as catalysts
for new ideas. When teachers are able to conduct multiple visits, they can be invigorated
by witnessing a variety of teaching examples. Post-observation reviews and discussions
provide opportunities for educators to plan and experiment with new instructional
techniques
Moreover, peer observations need not be narrowly viewed as exclusively focused on
teacher behaviors. Observations give participants a window into the total classroom
environment including student perspectives, ways to better support learning, specific
teaching practices, and larger reflections on the teaching process. By reflecting on current
teaching conventions, educators are able to debrief and gain added confidence from
colleagues
Peer observations should be structured with reasonable expectations of observers.
Teachers are not necessarily required to provide detailed feedback to each other; rating a
laundry list of performance characteristics. Rather, observations, in and of themselves can
have a huge impact on teaching. Watching other teachers in action leads to affirmation of
valuable teaching methods and introduction to new methods.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES SHOULD HAVE ADEQUATE TIME

AND SUPPORT
School administration plays a critical role in supporting teachers’ dedication to
engineering better collaborative models for instructional decision-making. PLCs must be
provided with a solid organizational structure, sufficient time to develop new ideas and
practices, and streamlined procedures for discussing pedagogical strategies. It is
important that teachers have time to work together without having administration in the
PLC. PLC members can have concerns they do not feel comfortable bringing up to
administration.
23. Terry, L., Zafonte, M., & Elliott s. (2018). Interdisciplinary Professional Learning
Communities: Support for Faculty Teaching Blended Learning, International Journal of
Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 30(3)
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1199424.pdf
ARIZONA
Findings from this preliminary study identify important aspects of faculty experiences
and their need for support in adapting to teaching in a blended learning environment.
Professional learning communities may be the avenue to promote effective faculty
collaboration and to sustain support for one another. Further research should be
conducted by expanding the population surveyed and interviewed to different college
campuses nationally and internationally. As groups continue to meet in the second and
third year of implementation of this professional development support model, it will be
interesting to observe if and how the group evolves when individuals have more
experience and knowledge. Continuing to conduct research on PLCs that incorporate
diverse academic fields such as fine arts, theology, and education, in addition to the
disciplines already represented, would be an area for possible expansion on this topic.
This present study contributes to a growing body of research addressing pedagogy and
practices in the blended learning environment and to a foundation for increasing
interdisciplinary collaboration among professionals in higher education

24. Weiss H., & Norris, K. (2019). Community Engagement Professionals as Inquiring
Practitioners for Organizational Learning. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and
Engagement23(1) https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1212487.pdf
USA
In summary, our purpose here was to illustrate the role of inquiry for CEPs. As we have
outlined here, inquiry involves multiple tasks: tracking, monitoring, evaluation,
assessment, and research. Further, we have articulated how CEPs’ inquiry activities can
contribute to and build capacity for learning at the individual level and group level, as
well as how inquiry is essential for organizational-level learning and change. Finally,
there is not a critical mass of CEPs who have roles primarily focused on inquiry activities
or have the capacity to facilitate the systematic inquiry practices necessary for being a
knowledge worker for organizational learning. In regard to being systematic, there are
plenty of internal and external pressures that emphasize “systematic” as an essential
component of measuring the performance of our institutions (e.g., accreditation
 requirements, Carnegie’s Elective Community Engagement application, campus strategic
plan metrics, and implementing campus-level or system-level IT platforms). We
encourage campuses to develop a plan for systematic inquiry on community engagement
that aligns with institutional plans, priorities, or mission(s) and demonstrates a need for
more CEPs with explicit responsibilities related to inquiry on community engagement.

25. Waters, P. (2019). Relationships, Resources, Resilience: Professional Learning

Communities to Improve Teacher Retention. American Educational Research
Association 10(2) https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED598821.pdf
CANADA
These findings are summarized in table 2. 100% of participants felt the PLC met (22%)
or highly met (78%) their goals, and 100% of participants would continue their
involvement in the PLC. A summary of participant need in the areas of relationships,
expectations, teaching, and behavior management obtained from the pre-survey and
ability of the PLC to meet these needs obtained from the post-survey can be found in
table 3. Data from this initial analysis suggest that participating in PLC increased
perceived value of and intent to participate in action research. Furthermore, the ability of
the PLC to meet participation goals was a reflection of participation. A thematic analysis
was used to glean insight into participant experience of the PLC and to deepen
understanding of these preliminary findings, particularly the impact of PLCs on teacher
retention. Teacher support can be understood as occurring across a continuum starting
with personal and emotional support, expanding to task-specific support, and ultimately
helping teachers develop critical self-reflection on their own practice. To constitute the
second level of analysis, an iterative line by line coding process was used to develop a
thick description of participation PLC experience. Data were organized into the
categories of emotional support, task-specific support, and self-reflection, and these
categories were used as the beginning coding scheme for meeting transcripts.
Teaching imposes significant emotional challenges that contribute to low retention rates.
Collegial relationships afforded through PLCs can help alleviate demands related to
planning and preparation, unfamiliar curriculum, and feelings of isolation. According to
Sam, a first year special education teacher, “it is very refreshing to be in a professional
group of people who are transparent and honest with their experiences.” In contrast to
school or district-based mentoring programs in which teachers are under constant
scrutiny, the university-hosted PLC allowed participants to share freely in a judgment
free atmosphere. Veteran teacher and former principal Linda explains, “it gives In
addition to personal and emotional support, beginning teachers need help in knowing
how to approach new tasks and problem-solving classroom issues. These tangible
resources were cited by participants as a primary reason for entering the PLC. Regarding
her expectations of the PLC, first-year special educator, Kim described her desire to
“walk away with something concrete, something that they know how to do now that they
didn’t know how to do before.” New teachers need help dealing with teaching challenges
specific to their own students. As veteran teacher Diane explains, “it was especially
impressive to hear the positive sharing out of strategies employed by the teachers to
address classroom challenges.” PLCs enable teachers to draw from a larger repertoire of
instructional strategies to envision a larger range of potential solutions. Doug, a third year
 special education teacher exclaimed, “the professional knowledge that can be gained
through these is awesome.” The tangible strategies and resources gained in PLCs can
result in improved teaching, and as a consequence reduce the emotional stress associated
with the first years of the profession. The current accountability climate within schools
leaves many new teachers feeling weak or incapable while seeking advice in traditional
school and district sanctioned mentoring programs. Doug describes the self-doubt
experienced in his first year teaching, “you have to rely on the principal a lot and the
other teachers. I have ideas but they’re not being listened to.” In order to improve
retention, new teacher support programs must ultimately help teachers engage in the
critical self-reflective practice necessary to independently identify and address problems
related to teaching and learning without such supports in place. Veteran teacher Linda
continually urged new teachers in the PLC “to talk to other colleagues and get survival
skills.” PLCs, which break down hierarchical relationships between veteran and novice
teachers result in a shift of power in which all participants benefit from improved
confidence and feelings of well-being. As a result of participating in the PLC, Kim
describes “getting the confidence to design a project...you empowered yourself because
you did something.” By removing the stigma of asking for help, PLCs foster action-
oriented discussion which transcends individual classrooms to see what is going on at the
school or district level.

26. Martine Leclerc, M., Moreau, A., Dumouchel, C. & St-Louis F. (2017). Factors that
Promote Progression in Schools Functioning as Professional Learning Community.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ990980.pdf
This study has allowed us to better understand the factors that come in to play when
fostering the progression of schools as PLCs. In fact, many factors appear essential,
especially at the initiation and implementation stages. It becomes apparent that schools
operating in a more traditional hierarchy must develop a form of distributed pedagogical
leadership, as it is required to reach the integration stage. Similarly, traditional structures
that define the role of the incumbent and promote a partition between classes are
obstacles to fluid leadership within the school, and the dissemination of learning between
colleagues, which are necessary conditions for working as a PLC. To progress their
school as a PLC, principals must exercise a leadership that corresponds well with a
learning organization: for example, articulating a vision, offering support to the team,
developing a culture of questioning and a critical mind, promoting teacher learning and
the dissemination of expertise, developing precise expectations, and promoting a culture
of collaboration.

Hurley, N., Seifert, T., & Sheppard, B. (2018) An Investigation of the Relationship
between Professional Learning Community Practices and Student Achievement in an
Eastern Canadian School Board– Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and
Policy. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 185, 4-18
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1179189.pdf
In spite of a heavy emphasis by school board leaders and the collaborative development,
introduction, and implementation of PLC practices before and during the study period, no
significant measurable effect on student learning was identified. This particular study
 reports only the relationship between PLC practice usage and reading achievement. It is
difficult to draw strong conclusions from the evidence presented here, but there are
tendencies that warrant further investigation. First, there is tendency for increases in PLC
to be accompanied by increased achievement. Alternatively, if reading levels are average
or high then they might be stable. Second, if PLC scores decline, there is a good chance
that there will be a decline in reading achievement as well, but this is not necessarily the
case. If PLC scores are low but constant, achievement may decrease. If they are high and
constant, achievement may be somewhat stable.

27. Moulakdi, A., & Bouchamma, Y. (2020). Elementary Schools Working as Professional
Learning Communities: Effects on Student Learning International Education Studies
13(6)
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1254654.pdf.
The standard knowledge acquisition test results show that both groups of students
improved in French and were at the same level at the beginning and at the end of the
year. This improvement was also observed in mathematics, which suggests that the
variation occurring during the school year was the result of an accumulation of
knowledge, characteristic of the teaching/learning process. This situation also showed no
observable effect of the experimental group’s schools working as PLCs on student
learning which could have been observed at the end of the study. Schools functioning as
PLCs for one year are referred to as being in the initiation stage; at this point, the impact
of new practices introduced within the PLC to monitor student learning is not yet
palpable, as indicated by several authors on the subject (Huffman & Hipp, 2003; Leclerc,
Moreau, & Lépine, 2009). This impact becomes more tangible at the end of the second
year of operation, when the PLC enters the implementation stage (Peiying & Wang,
2015). Therefore, in the case of the PLC schools in this study, at such an early stage, the
effects are not yet noticeable. We strongly recommend that more schools adopt the PLC
approach, which ensures teacher professional development by their peers through
collaborative initiatives and activities during which teachers can discuss their pedagogical
practices, share their winning strategies and successful experiences, and collectively
examine the impact and the effects of these practices on how well their students are
learning. Another non-quantifiable aspect observed during this study was the interest
generated and greater awareness instilled in the teachers regarding their students’ lack of
achievement. Indeed, this concern was omnipresent throughout the PLC collaborative
meetings during which the teachers came to hold their schools and themselves
accountable for their students’ failures in a context where accountability policies and
standards do not exist. This realization on the part of the teachers may become the
deciding factor that ignites a greater level of commitment to the academic success of the
students through improved teaching practices. An analysis comparing the learning levels
of the two groups after 2 and 3 years of operation of the PLC will enable researchers and
educators to better monitor and evaluate the effects of this educational approach on
student learning.
28. Nielsen., & Lockhart, A. (2020). Using a Professional Learning Community Framework
to Assist Early Field Experience Students as They Move from Teacher Candidate   to
Teacher. A Journal of Scholarly Teaching 15(6)
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1261514.pdf
Collaboration is rapidly becoming sacrosanct in today’s K‐12 schools. A basis for these
collaborative school experiences is the ability to share one’s observations of classroom
activities. The Professional Learning Community (PLC) framework described here is a
pedagogically based process that provides opportunities for Early Field Experience
students to share their field involvements. The discussions are born from the teacher
candidates’ experiential learning as they take part in a 25‐hour field placement. Providing
teacher candidates with weekly PLC opportunities for sharing, simultaneously, has
assisted teacher candidates’ dispositional and pedagogical decision making as they make
the transition from student to teacher.

29. Sunaengsih, C., Komariah, A., Isrokatun, I., Anggrani, M., & Silfiani, S. (2019). Survey
of the Implementation of Professional Learning Community (PLC) Program in Primary
Schools. Mimbar Sekolah Dasar, 6(3), 277-291
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1265570.pdf
Based on the results of the research that had been conducted, the PLC programs that had
beeen implemented in schools actually had been designed and formed by the principals
and the teachers through the direction given by the governments. However, in fact, every
planned program cannot be implemented in the field. This problem is affected by the
teachers' understanding related to the basic values in the programs has been prepared. In
addition, It also explains that if teachers do not have a full understanding of the programs
provided by the government, the programs will still not be able to be implemented
properly by them (Hassan, Ahmad, & Boon, 2018). Moreover, the researchers found
several identifications that became the reason of the PLC programs not implemented
properly, which are:
1. The frequency of socialization of the PLC programs was higher than compared to the
socialization of the PLC regulations.
2. The communication process of the PLC programs was conducted more than the
communication process of the PLC regulations
3. The teachers' understanding of the PLC program was better than the teachers'
understanding of the PLC regulations.
4. The teachers' compliance and propriety in implementing the PLC programs was
higher than the the teachers' compliance and propriety in implementing the PLC
regulations.
5. The indicators of the PLC management became the main in implementing the PLC
programs. While the opportunity became the main strength in implementing the PLC
programs.
6. The teacher's understanding of the objectives of the PLC programs had a higher
percentage compared with other indicators of the PLC programs. Whereas the
 teachers' understanding of the PLC mechanism had a lower percentage compared to
other indicators of the PLC programs.

30. Biddle, J. (2017). Accelerated Schools as Professional Learning Communities

American Educational Research Association 4(2), 1-35.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED468300.pdf
Initially, model providers can determine if the ASP is a good fit for theschools that show
an interest in adopting it. The term community, asmentioned earlier, places emphasis on
relationships, and shared ideals orvalues. Schools need to demonstrate an affinity for the
same values that themodel espouses. Schools that buy-in to the Accelerated Schools
Model, saythey buy-in to the values and principles of the model. An essential element
that must be present for institutionalization ofvalues is time; time for collaboration, time
for conversation and reflection. Kotter (1996) suggests that transformation of culture
takes anywhere from seven to ten years. And yet, most model providers in partnership
with schools are expected to do the work in half that time (typically 3-5 years or within
the funding cycle of a grant). This presents a conundrum because it is only when shared
values are committed to and owned, that school groups become a community of
commitment. The school is able to move beyond mere espousal of values to an
operationalization of them. Second, the school and model provider establish a partnership
that is a support system for our combined life's work. The established partnership needs
to be long term if substantial improvements are to be made in our respective schools. This
means that schools at a minimum must garner and maintain strong building leadership,
sufficient funding, and district level support while the model provider must have ample
support personnel for its schools. Third, the model provider needs to be strategic in its
training model. If schools are to be maintained in a network for a number of years (i.e.,
after the funding ends), then training opportunities must be flexible. Individual learning
plans that fit network schools' unique needs, skills, and interests must be developed.
Training must move beyond the informing stage to a formation of character and culture
stage that ultimately becomes transformational in a school community.

31. Blankenship, S., & and Ruona, W. (2017). Professional Learning Communities and
Communities of Practice: A Comparison of Models, Literature Review. University of
Georgia https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED504776.pdf

From this comparison of several different models of professional learning communities

and communities of practice, it is clear that the two concepts have been conceived in a
variety of ways, which may account for the inability of school leaders to define and
operationalize these concepts. Not only are the two concepts distinctly different, but also
 the models within each concept vary in terms of membership, leadership, and knowledge
sharing. Although the PLC models address team or group learning that is focused on
student needs and increasing student achievement, the models seem to place greater
emphasis on the organizational level in terms of building a culture of collaboration that
would lead to school improvement. While the CoP models address the need for alignment
of the CoPs to the organization strategy, they are more focused on improvement of
practice. Finally, PLC’s in general seem to emphasize the role of the leader external of
the community while the CoP literature seems to downplay that role in favor of a more
“grassroots” leadership from within the community.
These important distinctions between the two concepts may help leaders and HRD
professionals working in schools to recognize the value that each perspective offers, and
integrate and utilize these perspectives to facilitate the learning and improvement that
needs to take place among teachers to address student achievement outcomes. In addition,
because the current models of PLC seem to be incomplete with regard to the knowledge
development and dissemination process, work needs to be done to construct a more
complete framework for professional learning communities that acknowledges and
supports both the formal and informal learning that takes place at the individual, group,
and organization level. Furthermore, scholars and practitioners should be working to
explicate the connections between these levels rather than assuming that learning at the
individual level will automatically transfer to the organization level. School
administrators have long been focused on what the educational literature has to say about
professional learning communities, which offers a valued perspective. However, cross-
discipline exchange of information can many times yield new insights and lead to change.
HRD professionals working with schools can facilitate a school’s exploration of the
communities of practice literature, which may uncover new ways of thinking that will
ultimately enable the school to increase their organizational knowledge.

Characteristics of PLC:

1. shared values and vision

a. Wilson, A.(2016). From Professional Practice to Practical Leader: Teacher

Leadership in Professional Learning Communities. International Journal of Teacher
Leadership 7(2). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1137497.pdf

- The cultivation of teacher leadership begins with principal leadership and school culture
significantly impacts the sustainability and success of PLCs.
- This study identified deficits in shared leadership, suggesting the need for more
collaboration between school leaders and teachers. Many teachers did not find the work
of PLCs meaningful at their schools.
- Teacher empowerment produces heightened success, which yields a trickledown effect in
student academic performance. However, when schools are governed by an autocratic
leadership style rather than through shared decision-making, a restrictive school culture is
 cultivated, which stifles teacher leadership within schools. Consequently, the principal
sets the tone for a school’s culture, thereby affecting the organizational competence of
professional learning communities, and the cultivation of teacher leaders.
- it is evident that teacher leadership and effective professional learning communities move
schools forward and promote student achievement. The collective knowledge and
collaboration that exists within PLCs are factors that contribute to the overall
effectiveness of schools.

b. Yang L., & Chia-Ching T., (2018). Research on the Influencing Factors of High
School English Teacher Professional Learning Community Evaluation in
Changchun, China. English Language Teaching, 11 (5).
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1177086.pdf

- They said that shared and supportive leadership plays an important role in the
development of professional learning community. How to establish a fair, equal and
democratic dialogue and cooperation among professional learning communities in the
hierarchical cultural context still depends on further research and practice.
- This research shows that professional learning communities in the Chinese context shares
the characteristics with western professional learning communities at some degree. The
Chinse professional learning communities exhibit the nature of shared personal practice
and collective learning and application. While English teachers’ perceptions at shared and
supportive leadership and shared value and vision experience a low estimation.

c. Adams, A., (2016). Principal Professional Learning Community Behavior in Low

Wealth High Schools with Higher and Lower Student Achievement as Measured by
Mastery Scores on the New York State Eleventh Grade ELA Regents Exam. Journal
for Leadership and Instruction. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1121157.pdf

- Supervisors in the higher achieving schools reported greater agreement with their
principal acting with shared and supportive leadership practices, implementing supportive
structures, and upholding a focus on learning.
- The quality of the dialogue, inquiry, plans of action and evaluations of results seem to be
elements of collaboration most often ignored. School leaders have to raise the quality of
dialogue in all collaborative teams and evaluate their outcomes. A central tactical
component here is to professionally develop assistant principals and department chairs
because they are likely to take the collaborative policies and turn those into collaborative
practice.
- Supportive leadership behaviors that were most distinctive in higher achieving schools
included having staff involved in decisions, principals taking advice from staff, and staff
being able to initiate change. Administrative support has been found to be a significant
predictor of teachers' job satisfaction which is an important factor in raising student
achievement. School leaders should focus on developing the capacity of teachers to be
involved in decisions, listen to teacher advice and help teachers initiate changes in
practices related to teaching, learning, and supportive structures at school.
- Supportive leadership was significantly related to all other variables; shared vision,
collaboration, a focus on learning, supportive relationships, and supportive structures.
The most critical constructs that comprised supportive leadership were the principals'
capacity to share leadership, decision making, and the initiation of change with teachers.
Highly effective principals develop the professional capital of their teachers. To raise
student mastery, principals, supervisors, and teachers must be involved in continuous
dialogue and inquiry about current practices, desired results for each student, the
implementation of action plans, student gaps in mastery, and the analysis of results. The
principal is the responsible agent for effective shared leadership at the school.

d. Agsonsua1 P., & Prasertphorn V. (2020). Development of Faculty of Education of

Northeastern University through Professional Learning Community Process.
International Journal of Higher Education 9(6)
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1277907.pdf

The most valuable and the most essential elements in all learning community
development are trust, respect, growth mindset, risk-taking, commitment, courage and
resilience and some other values. Take trust for an example, trust is a glue and cement
to hold things and human beings together. We must have trust in ourselves, trust in
others and also trust in the process. Mutual trust and relational trust are among the
most valuable ingredients for successful and effective learning and living together.
For those who are imbued with growth mindset are great learners in professional
learning community. It takes open-mindedness and courage to accept failure and
threatening feedback. We learn how to be resilient, to be easy with risks and
mistakes. We dare to learn from mistakes and to feel strong in the face of inadequacy.
We grow and be able to live in a “No Blame, No Shame” culture.

2. shared leadership

a. Cobanoglu, N. (2020). Investigation of Shared Leadership and Organizational

Commitment in Primary and Secondary Schools: Malatya Case. International Journal of
Educational Methodology Volume 6, Issue 3, 613 - 629.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1268305.pdf
Leadership in schools is shared among employees and teachers have a high level of commitment
to their schools. Teachers of high age and seniority may tend to maintain the position and dignity
they have achieved in their current school. There is a positive, moderate and meaningful
relationship between shared leadership and organizational commitment. Increasing shared
leadership in schools will also increase organizational commitment.

b. Ward, S., and Graham-Brown, C. (2018) Shared Leadership on a Career and Technical
Education Campus," School Leadership Review: 13 (1),
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1269713.pdf

- Teachers’ increases in productivity, relational-capacity, and effective teaching practices

were all found to be results of the shared leadership implementation. With these benefits,
shared leadership should be considered by leaders who seek to increase levels of teacher
involvement on campus.
- Effective shared leadership can lead to higher levels of productivity and increased teacher
effectiveness. Further, the implementation of shared leadership can increase participants’
perceived levels of job satisfaction through their impact on the decision-making process.
As shared leadership participants utilize characteristics of 21st century skills, the
implementation of this model of leadership could be beneficial to students who seek to
meet workforce demands by helping them to graduate high school with skills such as
collaboration and communication among teammates.

3. expectation of students’ achievement

Reynolds, K. (2016). Creating Effective Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Journal of

Graduate Studies in Education, Volume 8, Issue 2,
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1230477.pdf
- An effective professional learning community requires collaboration, a learning culture
of trust, a goal-oriented plan, a trustworthy leader, and a committed focus on student
achievement. While collaboration is needed for a PLC, it is the thoughtful conversations
and ongoing interdependent social support that create a collaborative team. A learning
culture of trust is formed within the community, which includes shared beliefs about
learning and recognizing the challenge of overcoming teachers’ different attitudes about
learning. As the PLC creates a goal-oriented plan that focuses on student learning,
teachers are able to develop strong communications. A trustworthy leader who provides
 teachers with autonomy, while recognizing and celebrating success along the way, will
also contribute the effectiveness of the PLC. Strong professional learning communities
ensure that school and system goals align with the importance of student achievement.
The most wonderful reward of having an effective PLC is that every student in the school
will benefit from the inspirational work of the team of teachers.

Slack , A. (2019). The Power of Professional Learning: Using PLCs to Enhance Accessibility of
Instruction for English Learners. International Journal of Teacher Leadership
10 (2). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1245099.pdf.
- A teacher-leader facilitator with knowledge of both language acquisition and methods to
support adult learning influenced shifts in teacher perceptions, which then resulted in
meaningful changes in teachers’ mindset and practice. My research indicates that
skillfully facilitated PLCs can build shared efficacy and cultures of learning that ensure
equitable access to learning for culturally and linguistically diverse students. longer.
- The most powerful take-away from this research is that being involved in a professional
learning community can make this high-pressure, high-stress job more sustainable, given
that a PLC offers teachers a safe space to learn and grow together. Effectively facilitated
PLCs can be a powerful lever to build a culture of collective efficacy.
-

4. mutual support;

5. collective learning

6. work habits

7. social climate

8. organizational arrangement

9. job satisfaction and commitment

 http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may04/vol61/num08/What-Is-a-
Professional-Learning-Community¢.aspx

Professional learning community process in the United States: conceptualization of the process
and district support for schools
Dianne F. Olivier & Jane B. Huffman
Pages 301-317 | Received 15 Jul 2014, Accepted 20 Jan 2016, Published online: 08 Apr 2016
As the Professional Learning Community (PLC) process becomes embedded within schools, the
level of district support has a direct impact on whether schools have the ability to re-culture and
sustain highly effective collaborative practices. The purpose of this article is to share a
professional learning community conceptual framework from the US, and to highlight recent
findings relating to district level support for the PLC process in schools. The professional
learning community conceptual model is organized around five dimensions: shared and
supportive leadership, shared values and vision, collaborative learning and application, shared
personal practice, and supportive conditions. The overarching question guiding this qualitative
research study is: How do school district personnel (central office staff) support schools in the
professional learning community process? Findings reveal the importance of transformative and
proactive district involvement, and the use of transparency, trust, accountability, and autonomy
in school re-culturing. It was also found that developing leadership capacity, embedding
professional development, and focusing the culture on student success were critically important.
As districts provide support for the PLC dimensions and themes, school leaders will have a
foundation of curricular strategies, collaborative skills, and necessary resources to serve teachers
and students through continuous school improvement.

Placement schools as professional learning communities in teacher education

Kåre Heggen, Finn Daniel Raaen & Kirsten E. Thorsen
Pages 398-413 | Received 09 Sep 2016, Accepted 23 Jan 2018, Published online: 13 Mar 2018
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02619768.2018.1448779
Kåre Heggen, Finn Daniel Raaen & Kirsten E. Thorsen (2018) Placement schools as professional
learning communities in teacher education, European Journal of Teacher Education, 41:3, 398-
413, DOI: 10.1080/02619768.2018.1448779
This article investigates how schoolteachers’, school leaders’ and college teachers’ involvement
affects placement schools as professional learning communities. Norwegian teacher education is
used as a case. The first part builds on a survey among schoolteachers and mentors at 111
placement schools in Norway. It documents great variety in the level of engagement. Interviews
with mentors, school leaders and college teachers reveal how cooperation between colleges and
placement schools, as well as the school leaders’ commitment, influences the quality of
placement. The school leaders’ role proves to be important in developing the schools as
professional learning communities, and they seem to have a significant impact on the work of the
mentors. The data also show that there is a need for a more substantial cooperation between
college teachers and mentors about the student teachers’ professional development as well as a
need for a more systematic integration of learning in the two learning contexts.