Teachers may benefit more from a professional learning community (PLC) than from professional development initiatives presented in single day workshops. The purpose of this program evaluation study was to identify characteristics of an effective PLC and to determine how the members of the PLC have benefitted from the program. Fullan's educational…

The intent of this qualitative research study had two purposes. One, to describe and explain the perceptions of elementary school teachers through their participation in a Professional Learning Community, as defined by DuFour, DuFour, Eaker & Many (2010). This research was initiated with elementary education teachers, grades kindergarten…

Research has been conducted to identify and analyze how schools are determining that the activities of their Professional Learning Community (PLC) are directly tied to student achievement as there is currently a gap in the existing literature with regards to this topic. For the purpose of this study, a "successful" PLC was defined as one…

Schools continue to change in many ways. Technology, diversity, Response to Intervention (RtI), 21st Century Skills, and other initiatives warrant the need for continued professional development for all school staff. School psychologists play a key role in the school system and can bring significant contributions to the school team. School…

The purpose of this study was to provide insight into teacher perceptions as to if and how professional learning communities (PLCs) promote and support effective professional development in a rural high school. Effective professional development should enhance pedagogy, which is defined as improving educational practices of teachers through…

This dissertation examined formats of job-embedded professional development that were experienced by beginning teachers at a high-poverty, high-mobility elementary school in the third year of a School Improvement Grant. A qualitative case study was conducted to examine formats of job-embedded professional development that were most useful to help…

Online learning communities supporting educator professional development are increasingly emerging and a growing body of research suggests that these communities may have the potential to improve professional practice. Effective online learning communities enable teachers to engage in collaborative learning, focus on improving learning outcomes,…

The purpose of this study was to explore how teachers use collaboration to improve practice in a Midwest elementary school. A case study approach was used for this research utilizing qualitative research techniques including surveys, individual interviews, and review of teacher reflective journals. This methodology was selected because the focus…

Teachers at a Title I elementary school in South Carolina implemented the scripted Reading Mastery© program (RMP) to improve students' comprehension. Comprehension scores did not increase, despite teachers receiving RMP professional development (PD) prior to implementing the program. Administrators were unaware if the teachers were adequately…

This study addressed the gap in practice of instructional literacy, as evidenced by below-proficient literacy status by subgroups of regular education students in Grades 3-5 in an affluent suburban New Jersey public school district. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory investigation, approached from an interpretive constructivist…

In this dissertation, the researcher employed de Certeau's theoretical insights into cultural production in everyday life to examine how literacy coaches and teachers discursively negotiated issues of identity, power, and positioning during coaching interactions. The study also explored how literacy coaches and teachers enacted emotions within…

The purpose of this study was to explore the literacy instructional leadership behaviors of principals in two high poverty elementary schools in North Carolina who have experienced success with student growth in reading achievement over a three year period. This was a qualitative exploratory multiple case study. Data was gathered from 21…

Because data access may be perceived by principals as overwhelming or irrelevant rather than helpful (Wayman, Spikes, & Volonnino, 2013), data access does not guarantee effective data use. The data-based decision making literature has largely focused on teacher use of data, considering less often data-based organizational improvements for the…

Mobile technology is increasing its presence in the educational environment. The public school district in this study has made great strides improving technology usage in schools with updated hardware, extensive district-wide infrastructure, a technology plan, and professional development. While the district has been successful in some areas, like…

As the pressure on schools to meet higher and higher expectations with less and less resources increases, educators seek to explore school models which are centered on reforms that increased the likelihood of meeting this challenge. One reform initiative which has received much attention is the utilization of teacher leadership to improve school…