Reform, diversity of society, and an array of standards and guidelines challenge leaders to provide successful learning for teachers and students. The Professional Learning Community (PLC) concept offers a viable approach to address those challenges. Research indicates that schools need to function as learning communities where teachers and administrators collaborate in order to improve student learning. While characteristics and processes for PLCs are universal, methods and procedures for equipping educators with those skills are scarce. This case study focused in-depth on one school and the role of the principal in implementing PLCs. It complements the extensive body of knowledge by spotlighting one school and provides a distinctive description of the organization, essential strategies that were implemented, and the challenges that were encountered in implementing PLCs. Using the qualitative paradigm, interviews, observations, and documents were analyzed to address the following research questions: (1) How is the school organized to incorporate learning communities? (2) What strategies are essential in implementing learning communities? (3) What challenges were encountered in implementing learning communities? The principal of one school assessed the current state of the school when she first became principal and wanted to change the culture from isolationistic to collaborative in order to have a foundation for implementing learning communities. She transformed the book clubs that existed into nine school-wide learning communities with coaches as leaders. Simultaneously, she created opportunities to encourage staff interactions, leadership roles, and multiple opportunities for professional development. Successful strategies for implementing learning communities were identified. They included building staff capacity, planning for de-privatization of practice and data collection and analyses, incorporating trust-building activities at meetings, and establishing a shared educational purpose. Challenges included selecting a goal, strengthening the coaches' leadership skills, developing strategies that would encourage staff to engage in authentic participation, and scheduling time for longer and more meetings. Areas for further research relating to the process of collaboration emerged from this study. (Full text of this dissertation may be available via the University of Florida Libraries web site. Please check http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/etd.html) [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]