Teaching assistants (TAs) have a notable role in supporting individual students, groups, and classes in learning and in daily practices, both in mainstream and special education at the primary and secondary school levels. To enhance teaching assistants' learning, they should be integrated members of schools' professional learning communities.…

Utilizing a qualitative single case study approach, this study was designed to examine how teachers in an elementary school that engages in professional learning communities describe the role of reflection in their own professional learning and practice. Relying on two semi-structured interviews, this study examines teachers' perceptions…

Purpose: The professional development needs of university professional staff are an under-researched area. More data were needed to understand their needs to ensure that employers invest their resources appropriately. A conceptual framework is developed for the workplace learning of career development activities using concepts of professional…

Romanian educational system is in a constant search for reform, due to one of the highest rates of students' underachievement in basic skills and lack of qualified teachers among EU member states. It is well established that professional learning communities (PLCs) can be a solution for both problems, aiming to enhance students' results by teacher…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the perceptions online adjunct higher education faculty have towards the use of professional learning communities as a component of their pedagogical training. This research emerged from two trends in higher education, adjunct faculty reliance and online education. This research addressed…

Researchers have shown that effective professional learning communities (PLCs) enhance the ability of educators to improve student outcomes at schools, including schools with a student body of more than 75% students of color. Educators and policy makers need to understand more about how educators in these school settings experience PLC work. The…

It is critical to provide inservice elementary teachers the opportunity to advance their science instruction, which in turn can positively impact not only their practice but also their perceptions towards science teaching and learning. Too often, science-specific professional development (PD) programs are scarcely provided as a result of an…

In this article, we describe and evaluate a research utilization initiative designed to bridge the teaching English as a second language (TESL) research-practice gap by fostering the formation of and supporting professional learning communities (PLCs) in adult ESL instructional contexts. We review literature on teachers' professional reading,…

Numerous studies have found that students of color are often subject to teacher biases or negative preconceptions. These biases often result in barriers and limitations that negatively impact students' academic achievement and social and emotional development. Studies have also documented the impact of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in…

This study explored the characteristics of professional learning communities (PLCs) in Hong Kong primary schools. It investigated the profiles of the strengths of professional learning community in schools under study and particularly examined the practices in schools which were identified as strong PLCs. It extends research on PLCs in the Hong…

The purpose of this study was to focus on teacher learning as it relates to professional learning communities. It is often touted that schools are a place for student learning, but many teachers now see school as a place for them to become learners as well through professional learning communities. This qualitative case study was designed to…

The outcome of this inquiry assists in understanding how veteran teachers view participating in a Professional Learning Community (PLC) and how their strengths could be utilized in this context within an elementary school setting. Findings revealed that a PLC was useful for providing a foundation for collaboration and adult learning among veteran…

Dewey (1933) provided the foundation for reflective practice in education with the notion that learning is not in the doing, but rather it is in the thinking about the doing that creates learning. Evidence is growing about the importance of reflection for improving teaching and learning practices to increase student achievement (York-Barr, et al.,…

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, transitioning to online education proved to be difficult due to lack of training, resources, and funding to adequately provide what every student and teacher needed. We present a framework for ongoing professional development for in-service teachers to expand their attitudes and beliefs about culturally…

As they write about the Learning Communities standard in "Reach the Highest Standard in Professional Learning: Learning Communities," authors Ann Lieberman and Lynne Miller consider why communities have gained widespread attention and support and summarize the established research base about them. They also describe three contexts in…