In this qualitative study, we sought to identify the best practices emerging from professional learning communities (PLCs) in New Brunswick, Canada with regard to teacher collaboration. Established over a decade ago, PLCs are now a common practice in this province. The results of interviews conducted with teachers and principals (N = 13) show a…

The concept of professional learning communities (PLCs) has received considerable attention in research as well as in school practice since the late 1990s. PLCs have been positively associated with a variety of outcomes for both teachers and students, but differences in the way the concept is operationalised, and the fact that most of the research…

In 2019 the world experienced a medical emergency that impacted education across the world. Several states in the United States had professional learning communities introduced into their schools as a means to enhance academic achievement prior to COVID 19. In order to show support to the schools and increase student achievement, a state…

It is important to prepare educators to work with students and families from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds beyond the offering of isolated professional development workshops. Networked professional learning communities (PLCs) offer a professional learning model to engage in service teachers to work together across schools and…

This study identified the experiences of middle school teachers in the Southeastern Louisiana participating in professional learning communities, using the social constructivism theory. The study uncovers the various factors that are present that influence instructional practices and student learning outcomes. Ten middle school teachers engage in…

This paper analyzes the relationship between the development of pedagogical innovation projects in experimental sciences and the establishment and evolution of Professional Learning Communities (PLC) in higher education, within an open innovation framework. To achieve this, an evaluative study employing a mixed-methods approach was conducted,…

Lower reading and literacy skills are endemic in almost all secondary schools. Reasons for decreased literacy skills are numerous and varied, from changes in elementary literacy instructional focuses (whole language versus phonics), the foundational misunderstanding between reading and literacy, and the emergence and overreliance on social media…

Despite the benefits of improving teaching and learning that research evidences, professional learning communities (PLCs) can be challenging to sustain for a sufficient period of time to become deeply engrained within the school's culture and accepted by teachers as organizational norms. As PLCs strive to achieve a system-level reform and promote…

Collaboration among teachers is an important vehicle for teacher development, shared leadership, improving student achievement, building school culture, and attracting and retaining effective teachers. However, if professional collaborative environments are not truly diverse and inclusive or marginalize individual teachers or groups of teachers…

Purpose: This study aims to understand how to develop, support and utilize professional learning community (PLCs) to build organizational capacity to support teacher learning and collaboration. Although literature highlights the importance of leadership in creating a PLC, there is little research on specific actions leaders can take to create an…

This study examined how early childhood leaders working simultaneously as kindergarten teachers perceive the professional learning communities they lead -- explicitly identifying the factors that promote or hinder the communities' development from the leader's point of view. A qualitative-phenomenological approach was applied using semi-structured…

This article explores the development and evaluation of the Building Leadership Team Assessment Tool (BLT-AT), designed to measure Professional Learning Communities' (PLCs') use of effective school improvement practices. The BLT-AT is grounded in Ohio's inclusive instructional leadership model, which emphasizes the improvement of teaching and…

Teacher leaders are increasingly leading learning conversations in professional learning communities (PLCs) in schools in several parts of the world today, but there is little empirical knowledge of teacher leadership in PLC conversations. Thus, this article aims to enhance such knowledge, particularly the development of teacher leadership in PLC…

Purpose: Virtual professional learning communities provide digital platforms for teachers across the globe to join learning networks and engage in continuous and unrestricted learning. This study aimed to explore the impact of contextual factors on establishing virtual professional learning communities in Maldivian schools.…

The purpose of this mixed-methods phenomenological study was to investigate the relationship between professional learning community (PLC) implementation and teachers' perceptions of engagement, professional collaboration, professional growth, and ultimately collective teacher efficacy. This research study collected data from elementary school…